Chapter 80:

  On Her Way

  (Maya POV)

  "...What the bloody fuck are those?" Samuel asked, golden-blue eyes staring incredulously at the two freshly killed corpses on the ground before them.

  He ran a hand through his light brown hair, a look of concern on his fair-skinned face. Maya wiped her bde clean from the kills, remaining silent as Marian walked out of the pub to greet them.

  "We're calling them the Disjointed," Marian expined, kicking one of the creatures as she passed, "You can thank her for finding them."

  Malcolm, the man who had accompanied Samuel and Scottnd's representative, couldn't take his emerald eyes off of the horrors which y before him. His fair, freckled face furrowed in discomfort beneath a well-kept beard and auburn hair.

  "Right, well...thanks," Malcolm muttered distractedly.

  Maya nodded, but said nothing. After a moment, Malcolm was finally able to force himself to look away from the corpses.

  "Marian..." Malcolm said with a heavy sigh and lopsided smile, "I think I need a drink."

  "I second that," Samuel agreed, his gaze slowly leaving the corpses on the ground as members of the Celtic Guard began to dissect them, "Would be lovely if you expined what's going on."

  "Heh, inside," Marian chuckled and motioned over her shoulder towards the open doors, "I'll get you two squared away."

  They both gratefully accepted the invitation, though Maya remained behind for a moment. She watched the Celtic Guard carve into the flesh of the Disjointed, pulling out what appeared to be a gss sphere. A gray fog seemed to swirl within the sphere itself, causing it to appear hazy. It was the monster's core.

  Ever since Maya had purged Galway of these creatures, the Celtic Guard has been busy learning what they could of them. The first thing they discovered were their cores, but with efficiency they quickly had all the bits separated. From skin to bones, the Disjointed were dismantled and inventoried. Whatever use they might have, they would figure it.

  Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Maya followed the others inside. Samuel and Malcolm were already leaning against the bar as Marian served them drinks. She simply observed them for now, allowing them a moment of reprieve despite her impatience.

  They were both well-built, but not overly so. From Maya's knowledge, Malcolm was a pugilist and Samuel a swordsman. Right now, neither wore any armor or weapons, just simple, casual clothing, though Samuel had a rather extravagant looking grey longcoat on over his.

  "Ah, that hits the fucking spot," Malcolm excimed as he downed his gss, "Fuck, just when I thought I've seen it all...something like that had its cws in my skull."

  "Tell me about it," Marian sighed, shaking her head as she took a drink from her own gss, "If not for our friend over there, I would have never known."

  It was the first time since their arrival that Samuel and Malcolm were made fully aware of Maya's presence. It wasn't that they were ignoring her, she had simply been keeping to herself and they were rather distracted by what had just happened. Maya, upon their arrival, sensed the creatures with and had acted.

  In a split second, she had killed them. Because of how quickly she had reacted, from Malcolm and Samuel's perspective, those creatures had simply...appeared. As they were drinking, Marian expined a little of what they were, and that's who they knew the Disjointed had tched onto them, sending a shiver up both their spines.

  "Fucking hell..." Malcolm took a deep breath as Marian pced another full gss before him, "Much appreciated...?"

  He gnced at her, unsure of what to call her.

  "Maya," she answered, speaking for the first time.

  Samuel was taking a drink as she spoke, and the moment she uttered her name, he choked upon it, sputtering as the liquid covered him and the bar.

  "Ah, fuck..." he excimed, gncing down at his clothing, coughing as he apologized, "Did you just say Maya?"

  "Yes, that is my name," Maya answered simply, "Is there a problem?"

  "Jesus fuck, man," Marian chided, grabbing a wet rag to wipe down the countertop, "The hell was that about?"

  "Sorry, Marian..." Samuel looked sheepishly apologetic as Malcolm patted him on the back to help him as he continued to cough and clear his throat, "It's just...she's Orchid, isn't she?"

  "Yeah?" Marian said nonchantly and with indifference, "What of it? Is that a reason to get the bar all fucked?"

  "I mean...no, but..." Samuel gnced between Marian and Malcolm with a look of incredulity, "I can't be the only one surprised, right?"

  Marian scoffed, rolling her eyes with a slight smirk as she took his gss and turned to go clean it and get him another one. Malcolm, for his part, tried to go unnoticed as he hunched over and sipped from his drink.

  "Come on, Malcolm...really?" Samuel asked doubtfully, causing the man to flinch slightly.

  "Look, I can't say I'm not surprised," Malcolm reluctantly admitted, gncing at the man with a tired gaze, "But, we knew they were sending someone."

  "Yeah, but it's Orchid," Samuel reiterated, "She's, you know..."

  Maya was growing a little annoyed, not because he was being a little belligerent, but because her patience had worn out. With a single step, she appeared behind the bar, facing the two of them.

  "I'm...what?" she asked with cold indifference, "Is what I am more important than the lives of your people?"

  "I...didn't mean it like that," Samuel balked before her, looking a little sheepish, "I guess it's just strange. Not in a bad way, mind you. It's just that for so long, you've been a legend among Pyers. Feared and respected, so-"

  His words were interrupted as Marian set down a new gss next to him.

  "Get the cock out your mouth," Marian told him firmly with a bit of teasing, "Whatever she is, she's a person. Fanboy or cower in fear ter, we need to discuss Athlone."

  "Athlone?" Malcolm inquired.

  "I wasn't fanboying..." Samuel muttered bashfully, burying himself in his drink, "Or cowering..."

  "Sure, you weren't," Marian teased Samuel, pinching him on the cheek, much to his embarrassment as he turned red.

  Still teasing Samuel, Marian turned towards Malcolm to answer his question as Maya took a step back and leaned against the wall.

  "Yes, Athlone," Marian told him, her tone growing serious, "We discovered the source."

  As the words left her lips, a heavy silence fell over the room. Samuel was finally able to free himself from Marian's grip, not that she fought hard against it.

  "Is that true?" Samuel asked, his demeanor changed to one befitting of an S-Rank.

  "Yes, Maya confirmed it, and I trust her," Marian stated with confidence.

  Malcolm and Samuel exchanged silent gnces before their gazes fell upon Maya. She could feel they were assessing the situation, but she didn't have time for them to come to a conclusion.

  "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter," Maya told them, catching them off-guard, "I pn on going to Athlone with or without you, which is what I was going to do before you brought those things here."

  "It's not that we don't believe you," Malcolm said, rexing a bit in his seat, "It's just that..."

  He found the words hard to form, but Samuel pced a hand on his shoulder and took over.

  "If it is true, then that means we've overlooked it," Samuel expined, his face taking on a look of frustration, "We should have been able to-"

  "No," Marian interrupted, shaking her head, "I thought the same, but...those things fuck with our heads. That's why they tched on. To keep us from figuring it out."

  "The slimy bastards..." Malcolm cursed, clicking his tongue in annoyance, "Shit, that makes sense, and I hate that it makes sense."

  "Trust me, I know..." Marian's expression grew grim, most likely thinking about how she had thought Athlone was under her protection.

  Samuel and Malcolm shared a look of mutual understanding, knowing that it was Marian's power which had kept the rest of the popution safe.

  "Listen, Marian, we-" Samuel began slowly.

  "No," Marian shook her head, her expression hardening, "Don't you dare fucking try and comfort me. We all fucked up, but it was my responsibility to keep those people safe. So-"

  "Enough," Maya silenced them, her patience non-existent, "It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Only that we take care of it, and as I said...I'm going whether you're with me or not."

  Pushing herself off from the wall, she stepped past them, appearing on the other side of the bar as if she had always been there. She looked back at them with a cold glint in her eye.

  "Are you coming or not? I'm leaving now," she told them firmly, "Finish your drinks if you are. I'm leaving now."

  With that, she turned and began to leave, though her senses picked up everything that was still happening behind her.

  "If you pn on going, you better hurry," Marian told the two of them, "She won't wait."

  "Are you not coming?" Samuel asked her.

  "No," Marian shook her head, "I need to focus on the enchantments."

  "Alright, just be safe," Malcolm told her.

  "Aww, aren't you the sweet one," Marian teased, much to his embarrassment, "Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine, but you two...be safe, and listen to what she says, yeah?"

  They nodded and said their farewells before quickly catching up with Maya, their footsteps falling into pce beside her.

  "So...Athlone, huh?" Samuel asked, sounding a little nervous.

  "Yes," Maya answered simply, "Do try to keep up."

  "Don't worry, we-" Malcolm began, but his words were cut off as Maya took disappeared using [Fsh Step], "Well, shit. She wasn't wrong. Let's go."

  She was already several blocks away, moving quickly across the rooftops. It wouldn't be long before she was out of the city, and if they didn't hurry, they would be left behind. Still, she remained just barely in their sight as they attempted to follow her. She was supposed to help them, after all, and so kept them as close as her impatience would allow.

  -----

  (Maya POV, Later that Night)

  "She doesn't rest, does she?" Malcolm whispered to Samuel, "Even the shifts aren't stopping her."

  "We ran all the way to Athlone..." Samuel replied back quietly, "We barely had a break back in Galway."

  Maya was far ahead of them, yet not far enough for them to lose sight of her, or for her to not be able to hear what they were saying. Her newly heightened senses were proving to be quite beneficial, and she needed the practice.

  "What do you think we'll find?" Malcolm asked, "In Athlone, I mean."

  "I know what you meant," Samuel said, his tone contemptive, "Honestly, I don't know. I just hope we find the people alive..."

  "Right..." Malcolm sighed heavily, the weight of the situation weighing on him, "You think there are more of those creatures there as well?"

  "Most likely," Samuel begrudgingly admitted, "Hopefully, that's all there is."

  Maya didn't say anything, for she already knew what awaited them. It wasn't going to be pleasant, but at the very least...the people would be alive. However, they weren't the only things alive in the city. Even without the Gate breaking, there were creatures beyond the Disjointed that prowled Athlone.

  "El called them Banshees, but..." Maya recalled Elizabeth's descriptions of these Banshees. They were nothing like the creatures from folklore. Rather, their bodies were canid-like with six limbs and made of pure muscle. Each was usually about the size of a car, though they could range from the size of typical dog to that of a full-sized truck.

  They had no fur, instead sporting tough, dull grey skin. Along its upper shoulders were horizontal fleshy folds that, once open, could emit a high-pitched soundwave that caused paralysis and fear. The only simirity they had to their namesake.

  Its limbs were not just for show either. Its two hind legs were powerful digitigrades that ended in raptorial feet. This allowed them to gain impressive traction and grab onto pretty much anything, even vertical surfaces. Their front limbs were further forward on their bodies and acted as a sort of hybrid between legs and arms, with each ending in cwed hands. Each had three fingers and a thumb.

  From the base of their neck ran spikes all the way to the tips of their long tails, and their heads were nothing more than twisted muscle and flesh. They bore no eyes, only fleshy seams that split its face into four sections like that of a flower bud. According to Elizabeth, this was their mouth, and their flesh could peel back like a flower blooming to reveal rows of sharp teeth. From what Maya was told, its bite could tear through concrete and steel with ease, as well as digest it.

  Despite not having eyes, according to Elizabeth, they could still see using heat signatures, sound, and smell. Along with the sound the sound they could emit from their shoulders, they could also release a howl from their open mouths that caused a powerful shockwave. Its concussive force could throw vehicles, rend metal, and break concrete. It wasn't something to meet head on unless you were someone like Dmitry, but even then it was ill-advised.

  Each Banshee was at least Low A-Rank while the stronger of them reached into the Low S-Ranks.

  "We're getting closer now..." Maya noticed as she moved through the night that the nd was beginning to be encroached by fog, and not what was naturally occurring. This fog held with it an anomalous presence. That which she had felt upon stepping foot in Irend. They were here, and they were watching.

  Coming to a stop upon a hill, Maya looked out over the horizon to see a city shrouded by an unnatural fog. It reminded her almost of a game that Lucas had showed her. It was horror themed and held illusions and other mystical forces, much like Athlone. Those creatures, the Banshees, would use that fog as cover to patrol the streets and attack them once they entered.

  "She stopped," Malcolm noticed, pointing it out to Samuel.

  "Let's see what's going on," Samuel said, and the two of them quickly caught up, "Hey, is everything alright?"

  Maya didn't say anything, just motioned towards the city. They weren't far from the city now. It was just in view, shrouded by the night fog. It was almost completely basked in darkness if not for the few streetlights which still flickered to life in the night.

  "It's quiet," Malcolm commented softly, kneeling down as he took a moment to assess the situation, "That fog, it doesn't feel right."

  Maya commended his intuition, for the fog indeed wasn't normal. It swirled unnaturally to obscure the nd, and nearby there was something lurking. Something...unseen. "They sent the hounds," Maya sensed the familiar shifts beyond the veil and the predatory sensation of being stalked.

  "We should probably-" Samuel began, but his words were cut off as Maya's bde flung out before him, stabbing beyond into something solid, causing him to fall backwards, "What the hell was that...for...oh."

  Like water falling away, the illusion was lifted as one of the Disjointed appeared in the physical world. Maya's bde, wreathed in her [Gheistform], was stuck the creature's neck. It tried in vain to pull the weapon out, succumbing to its wounds before Maya pulled her bde free. Its body slumped to the ground before Samuel who stared at it wide-eyed.

  "If you have any skills to detect the unseen..." Maya told them with her typical nonchant monotone, "I suggest you begin using them."

  "Right..." Samuel swallowed hard as Malcolm tried to hold back a ugh, "As I was saying..."

  Samuel shot Malcolm an indignant look as he stood and brushed himself off, reaching into his inventory.

  "We should get changed," Samuel finished, his body glowing a light blue for a brief moment as his armor appeared upon his body.

  The armor was typical of a knight from the Middle Ages. Its metal was smooth and silver, intermixed with leather. A dark red cloak hung from his left shoulder, and pulling from his inventory was a sheathed longsword that he tied around his waist. The sheath was dark blue with golden stitching, and the sword itself appeared rather mundane save for the ruby within its hilt. Upon his left arm materialized a heater shield with the symbol of Glory upon it. A Golden Sunrise upon a field of red.

  "Malcolm, are you...nevermind," Samuel sighed heavily with a sigh and shake of his head, "Forgot you don't really have much."

  Malcolm barely changed clothes, simply having rolled up his sleeves to don a pair of beige monk fist wrappings. Cracking his neck, he tested his fists by hitting them together, giving Samuel a smug smirk.

  "Don't be upset, Sammy boy," he teased, "I'll not steal your little magical girl moment."

  "Ma-Magical girl, you...!" Samuel excimed, taking a step forward as he scowled before composing himself with a huff, "Taking the piss, are ya?"

  "Always," Malcolm scoffed and the two had a chuckle together, "So, Sailor Mars, you need any other accessories, or...?"

  "Fuck off," Samuel retorted, clicking his tongue, "Just because I wear red, doesn't mean I'm Sailor Mars. If anything, it should be Sailor Sun."

  Samuel tapped the emblem on his shield to indicate the reason, cause Malcolm to scoff again.

  "There ain't no Sailor Sun, ya numpty," Malcolm stated teasingly, "Besides, they can't be men."

  "There could be," Samuel grumbled.

  "No, there can't," Malcolm reiterated firmly, "If you watched the show, or even read anything, then..."

  Maya never thought that in such a situation, two grown men would be arguing over such a thing. His words trailed off as Maya tuned them and their ensuing argument out, even if it was rather...amusing.

  Her attention drawn more towards Athlone, though also to thoughts that lingered in her heart. Lucas would have also found it entertaining, as well as probably join in. During her time with him, the show those two were talking about was one that Lucas had introduced her to.

  She had actually rather enjoyed it, though thinking back...perhaps it was because she had enjoyed seeing how excited Lucas was to share his hobbies with her. The way his eyes lit up as he expined everything, answering any questions that Maya had, and feeling disappointed when he didn't know. "He was so cute..." Maya mused to herself, "Is cute." she corrected herself, a longing in her heart to return as soon as possible.

  "If you two are done..." Maya interrupted them as they had their hands interlocked in some kind of mock grapple battle.

  They looked like they had just been caught by their mother doing something wrong. They quickly let go of each other and adjusted themselves, clearing their throats as they stood straight.

  "Yeah, totally," Samuel nodded, nudging Malcolm in the side, "You good, Malcolm."

  "Sure thing, Sailor Mars," Malcolm replied, smirking as Samuel gred at him in resignation.

  Maya began to lead them into the fog-filled Athlone. Malcolm and Samuel each took up a position on either side of her, though she walked ahead. Maya's eyes roamed the area as Malcolm and Samuel kept their heads on a swivel. It wasn't long before they found something...

  "Bloody hell, are those...people?" Samuel spoke barely above a whisper as he was taken by the sight before him.

  There, standing in the streets as if possessed were dozens of individuals just...staring. They looked almost suspended in some sort of stasis, the only indication that they were still alive were the occasional blink.

  "Uhm, guys..." Malcolm called, pointing up, "What the fuck is that?"

  Maya already knew what it was before they anything was even said. She had sensed it the moment they entered the city limits. Maya looked up, along with Samuel, to see a dark shape silhouetted against the fog. It was barely visible, blending quite well with the stone of the building.

  "She did say they used the fog..." Maya thought to herself a little exasperated, "She forgot to mention they could camoufge..." Maya let out a soft sigh as the creature, with its six legs and canine form shifted, its eyeless face turning towards them. What appeared like stone became flesh in a moment.

  It was a Banshee.

  "That thing's fucking massive," Samuel muttered, gazing in awe at the car-sized creature, "You don't expect it's friendly, do you?"

  As Samuel asked his hopeful question, the folds of its face pealed back to reveal a dripping maw with rows of teeth. For now, it was only watching.

  "Does that look friendly to you!?" Malcolm asked sarcastically, "Looks hungry to me."

  "We should probably get these people to safety," Samuel whispered and began to move towards one of the civilians nearby.

  It was a young woman who stood staring at nothing, completely unaware of those around her. She wasn't far from where they were, along with two others. Another woman and a child.

  The moment Samuel went to reach for one of the women, the Banshee reacted as the folds on its shoulders opened and emitted a shrill, high-pitched shriek that pierced the air. Maya was quick enough to alter her hearing, but this sound penetrated more than just her ears.

  It felt like her entire body was resonating with the frequency, and it didn't like it. She understood now how its paralysis worked. It was a three-pronged attack. Assaulting the ears to distract and stagger while stimuting the brain with a sense of fear, all while it resonated with the body's nerves, attempting to paralyze.

  Maya grimaced ever so slightly as she shook off the unpleasant feeling while Malcolm recoiled, yet resisted his body rebelling against him. Samuel reacted the same, yet a slight trickle of blood poured from his ear as he recovered. Realizing that neither of them were paralyzed, the air shifted before it as its maw began to open.

  Maya, without thought and barely a moment to reacted, initiated [Gheistform] and quickened herself as best she could. The Banshee was about to use its concussive bst.

  In a fraction of a moment, the world slowed down, Malcolm and Samuel were stuck in a state of slow horror as they were just recovering, their faces contorted to show their discomfort.

  Within the immediate vicinity, a bst from that thing would tear them apart, along with the three civilians nearby. Knowing what was coming, she once against adjusted her hearing accordingly, but unfortunately this was something she couldn't do for the others.

  Without much time to act, she could only push Malcolm away while pulling and throwing Samuel back. In the blink of an eye, their bodies were suspended in the air with a look of shock before she moved to collect the civilians. The one child and two women Samuel had attempted to help.

  She didn't have enough arms for all of them, and so threw one woman each into Malcolm and Samuel, hoping they had enough sense to cushion their falls before picking the child up and finding cover behind a wall. It all happened in an instant as the world came back to itself, the concussive force echoing through the streets as the spot where they stood erupted.

  Concrete exploded as debris cascaded down around the area. Samuel and Malcolm both looked confused, but they reacted just as she had hoped. The moment the women were in their arms, they braced themselves to take the brunt of the impact. Samuel nded against a streetmp while Malcolm ended up with his back against a building.

  Adjusting her hearing once more, Maya could hear Samuel and Malcolm talking.

  "Bloody hell, what the fuck just happened?" Samuel shouted, their ears most likely ringing.

  "I don't know, but it's best we find cover!" Malcolm shouted back, already moving to enter an alley with the woman in his arms.

  Samuel couldn't quite hear Malcolm, but saw what he was doing and immediately picked up on it, following after them with the woman he had helped. Maya also followed, quickly darting across the street as another concussive force tore into the sidewalk and streetmp where she had been. Adjusting her hearing, it was but a dull echo.

  The streetmp flickered out as it was torn apart along with the sidewalk, though she made it safely into the alley without even a spec of dust up her. Setting the child down next to Malcolm and Samuel, they simply stared into space along with the two women that were just standing there as if entranced.

  "Gah, my ears are still ringing..." Malcolm grumbled, rubbing a finger in his ear, "You're faster than I original thought, ss."

  "Yeah, no shit," Samuel also rubbed a finger in his ears, trying to stop the ringing, "I barely blinked before you acted, how did you know?"

  "Shift in the air," Maya answered simply.

  "A shift in the...ha!" Malcolm ughed, shaking his head, "You're on another level. You got a pn?"

  Maya could feel the creature prowling, attempting to stalk them as it grew closer.

  "Yeah," she told them, brandishing her bdes and turning towards the street, "Kill it."

  Before they could say anything else, Maya used [Fsh Step] and was gone in a swirl of petals. Appearing on top of a mppost, she drew its attention by making herself known. It turned its eyeless head towards her, its flesh peeling back as it attempted to bst her again. However, that is exactly what she was waiting for.

  The moment it attacked, Maya disappeared from her perch as it was torn asunder. She appeared right on top of the Banshee, her bde digging into the flesh of its open maw. It let out a horrifying howl as she drew her bde along its face, tearing one of its fleshy petals off, but she didn't stop there as the creature attempted to twist and grab at her with its sharp cws.

  She nimbly dodge, kicking off and away from it while at the same time throwing one of her bdes at it. The bde dug into the Banshee's back, wreathed in a vender energy. It howled once more, but instead of trying to dig the weapon out, it turned what she could only assume was furious gaze up at her. With its eyeless features and missing part of its face, it was hard to tell, but it certainly wasn't happy.

  Without part of its face, it struggled to open its mouth again to try and attack her. Realizing they couldn't, the creature did the only thing it could. The spikes along its back and tail began to vibrate before being violently sent in her direction. A small smirk appeared upon her lips, for that is what she was waiting for. Activating [Blink], she teleported directly to her weapons as the spikes imbedded themselves into the steel and concrete of the building behind her.

  Grasping the hilt of her bde, she carved into the creature's flesh. It shrieked in pain, but Maya paid it no heed. She had one job, and that was this creature's death. Flourishing her other bde, her senses focused into a single moment. The thrashing of the creature stopped as the world went still. Just two words whispered from her lips.

  "[Bde Dance]," Maya's entire body moved to the practiced tune of her skill.

  She was a flurry of petals, each one a strike of her bdes. It all took a single moment, the creature's flesh torn asunder, oozing grey blood from every cut upon it. Whatever life this creature had in its body ceased to exist. As the world came back to perspective, one arm fell. Then another. Then it's tail. One by one, pieces of the Banshee fell to the ground below.

  Within the cascade of viscera was a dark grey diamond swirling with an unnatural mist within it. Reaching out, she grabbed the Banshee's core and nded delicately upon the ground, ensuring that she avoided as much of the blood as she could.

  Gazing upon her prize, she could hear Malcolm and Samuel approaching quickly.

  "Remind us never to piss you off," Samuel joked as he jogged up, "Are you alright?"

  "Does she look hurt?" Malcolm nudged him, "Ain't a speck of blood on her, which is surprising, all things considered."

  "It's not over yet," Maya told them, pcing the core in her inventory, "It made a lot of noise."

  There wasn't a way to avoid it, Maya knew this. She was good at what she did, but there were always times where even the best assassin couldn't avoid making a racket. From all around, she could feel the approaching. "One...three...seven...nine..." Maya counted at least fifteen Banshee's closing in on their position.

  Sure enough, right down the street under the flickering of a streetlight, silhouetted against the unnatural fog, was the figure of a rge Banshee. Larger than the st as its foremost cwed hand gripped the steel pole, bending it with ease. It lifted its face as if sniffing the air before letting out a terrible howl.

  That's when the chaos began.

  From within the fog came rushing several Banshee's. Two came out from alleyways, barely the size of a rge dog. Another came running across the walls of buildings, its cwed feet and hands digging into their surfaces to propel them forward.

  "Shit!" Samuel excimed, drawing his sword, "What do we do!? There are still people here!"

  "Let's draw them away, and then-" Malcolm began, but Maya held up a hand.

  "No," she told them, watching the approaching creatures closely, "You two focus on evacuating the citizens to somewhere safe. I'll take care of the creatures."

  "Alone!? Are you crazy?" Samuel objected, "Let us help you, we can-"

  His words were cut off as one of the smaller Banshee's leapt with incredible speed at them. Its maw open to bite down upon the first one it could, but Maya was faster. Her bde drew along the inside of its mouth as she activated [Clean Cut]. Slicing it along the middle of its body, the creature split in two and fell dead before Malcolm and Samuel.

  Gazing back at them with a cold, hard glint in her eyes, she spoke.

  "Hesitation means death," she told them coldly, "You can help by not being in my way."

  This seemed to knock the sense back into them as they understood the situation. They couldn't fight and protect the civilians at the same time. They had to choose one, and out of all of them, they were the most capable of doing so.

  "Yes, Ma'am," Malcolm acknowledged, dragging Samuel along as he was putting away his sword.

  The best thing they could do right now to help was to ensure that the civilians were safe. Able to trust Malcolm and Samuel to the task, she could focus solely on her fight, and that meant she didn't have to hold back.

  The air around her shifted as another Banshee leapt at her. In a flourish of petals, it ceased to exist. She strode forward upon the wind, a spirit of death. A blossoming crimson.

  She...was an Orchid.

  -----

  Nikushimi