[Kitsumi]

Lael & Ilias

"Almost... there!" Lael gasped. The adrenalin had long worn off, and every muscle was screaming in pain. It turns out that dragging a man who is easily double your weight isn't so easy after all. Who'd have guessed?

The man in her arms suddenly stiffened, jerking his head from side to side, looking for something.

[Kitsumi]

The woman froze, subconsciously tightening her grip on the man. "What is it, Ilias?" she asked. Although she was trying to put on a brave face, the slight tremor in her face belied her fears.

"We're being followed," the man replied. He pushed off of her, staggering for a moment before regaining his balance. "Go."

[Kitsumi]

"No way," Lael shook her head. "I'm not leaving you!"

Glaring over his shoulder, Ilias added an authoritative tone to his voice. "I said go, and I won't repeat myself again." Then, sighing, he added, "I'm wounded and weak right now. I can't guard you and protect myself. I need you to hide, so I can handle this."

[Kitsumi]

Biting her lip, the woman finally nodded. "Fine," she said. "But if you don't find me within fifteen minutes, I'm coming back!"

Ilias grinned ferally, his eyes cold. "It'll only take me ten to deal with these bastards," he growled. "Now go, before they get here."

Although she hated leaving him, Lael did as he said.

[Kitsumi]

Had Lael hesitated even a second longer, she likely would have been spotted by the hooded figures who turned down the street where Ilias still stood. There were half a dozen of them, and they moved to form a semicircle around the male. The one in the center stepped forward and spoke.

"Where is the prophetess?"

[Kitsumi]

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Ilias chuckled humorlessly. He spat at the cultist's feet, the thick black ichor landing at the hem of the flowing black robes.

The figure glanced down at the stain, suddenly interested. "You are wounded," he said. "It appears that our weapons can hurt your kind after all."

[Kitsumi]

Ilias held out his hand, bending his fingers in a 'come at me' motion. "I dare you to come and find out for yourselves," he challenged.

The leader lifted his right hand, one finger raised. As he moved the hand in a downward motion, the street descended into chaos as all five of the others moved at once.

[Kitsumi]

As Ilias moved into a defensive stance, he felt his wound tearing, opening even further. He gritted his teeth against the pain and raised his ethereal sword, even as the side of his tunic became stained in viscous black.

The first enemy approached eagerly, dagger drawn. He realized his mistake too late.

[Kitsumi]

A diagonal arc of light followed the sweeping motion of Ilias' holy weapon. It was a clean cut that split his opponent's body in two. But there was no time to celebrate small victories. The fight had only just begun, and the rest of his enemies were moving in much more warily now.

[Kitsumi]

As her guardian fought to ensure her safety, Lael crouched behind a dumpster. She was far enough away that she couldn't make out the sounds of battle. It made her incredibly anxious to be so far from Ilias, but she trusted him without question. He had said that he would return within ten minutes, and she believed him.

[Kitsumi]

Sure enough, only eight minutes had passed before a shadow darkened Lael's hiding spot. She began to duck lower, when she heard his familiar voice.

"They're dead," Ilias spoke in a weary tone. "But I have no doubt that more of them are canvassing the area as we speak. We need to get out of here."

[Kitsumi]

Lael barely heard a word that the man said. Her gaze was focused on his stained white robes, and the steady dripping from the area that he had been wounded. "We need to staunch that bleeding," she said in a shaky tone. "Otherwise, you aren't going to make it much further."

[Kitsumi]

"I'll take care of it once I know that you are safe," Ilias argued. "Remember, I'm more resilient than a human." But his unsteady gait, and the fact that he was barely able to lift his sword, made it clear that his injuries were much worse than he wanted the woman to realize.

[Kitsumi]

Crossing her arms over her chest, Lael planted her feet. "I'm not going anywhere until we bind that wound," she insisted. "So you can either fight me, and probably draw way too much attention to us, or you can let me stop the goddamn bleeding. It's your choice. And if you don't want the rest of our enemies finding us, I suggest you choose quickly."

[Kitsumi]

Ilias groaned, wiping one hand down his face. "You're so fucking stubborn," he sighed.

The woman, knowing that she had won, nodded. "Damn right," she said. "It's what kept me alive for so long. You know, before I had you to follow me around and fight off the cultists chasing me down."