Ts’og saw it in the murderer’s eyes. They had understood what she said. Grinning, Ts’og stood at her full height, eyes still locked to the monster in front of her. “Hear me now murderer, I am Ts’og of the Vendra, and I shall have your head!” Ts’og lunged forward.

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Lissa looked into the beast’s eyes. She now saw the sparkle of intelligence within them. Why had she not seen this before? The creature stood slowly and deliberately and spoke once more, “Hear me now, murderer, I am Ts’og of the Vendra, and I shall have your head!”

Ts’og lunged forward, and Saida stepped within the beast’s arms. Saida then thrust her sword towards Ts’og’s chest. Lissa saw the blade pierce flesh and go all the way to the hilt. Saida was bowled over as Ts’og advanced, the blade ripping downwards because of Saida’s grip still held.

“Murderer! I am no murder! You are for killing so many!” Lissa retorted, ducking behind a tree as Ts’og’s momentum carried them forward into a tree. The tree shook with the impact, and Ts’og lashed out with their tail while recovering. Lissa leaped over the clumsy swing and ran towards Saida, who began to stand shakily. Lissa grabbed Saida’s free hand and pulled, running away from Ts’og.

“What in the hells Lis? Why are you talking to that animal?” Saida looked at Lissa with confusion. “You didn’t hear it speaking?” Lissa raised her eyebrow. The snapping of wood behind her made her turn her head. She saw Ts’og gaining on them. “It speaks!?!” Saida shouted while letting go of Lissa’s hand.

Saida quickly pivoted around one of the nearby trees and swung her blade to meet Ts’og’s charge. Lissa continued forward a few more steps before breaking suddenly right.

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Ts’og dove to the right, one step away from the sharp gleaming talon. Rolling to her feet Ts’og backhanded the one who attempted to slice open her midsection. A satisfying scream escaped their lips as they tumbled head over heels away. Ts’og winced as her wounds started stitching themselves closed.

“Spirits above grant me the strength to see this through!” Ts’og bellowed before continuing her hunt. A few steps later, Ts’og’s ears heard something up and to the right. The little pests had returned. She looked up and saw the two little shiny things leaping through branches coming towards her. Their eyes lit with fires of anger.

Ts’og could now see clearly that they both had eerie red talons coming from their hands. “You mock me little things!” She roared while leaping towards them. They did not expect that and quickly dove off the branch they were on as both sets of Ts’og’s talons splintered it.

One fell to the left and the other to the right. Ts’og saw both of them recover quickly, and they began to circle her. Their mouths moved, and Ts’og knew they spoke but not what was said. Something caught their attention momentarily as they looked behind her.

Ts’og turned quickly and saw the biggest shiny thing racing towards her, his long wooden shiny capped something brandished in a way to stab her. This distraction allowed the little one on her left time to grab and pull her tail hard. Ts’og screamed, thrashing the tail around into the nearby trees.

The little pest’s grip only tightened after every blow. The other little one now furiously closed the short distance. They swung their talons, trying to carve into her legs. With her attention solely focused on ridding herself of these pests, Ts’og momentarily forgot about the one rushing towards her.

The blossoming pain in her side reminded her quickly enough of her lack of awareness. Ts’og swung one backhanded blow to her newest opponent. For something their size, they rolled under the backhand and put a large gash into her flank. Surrounded, Ts’og weighed her options. With one shiny thing pulling her tail, one in front and the one on the side, she only had one direction to go. Ts’og charged forward, knowing she left herself open to attack. “Out of my way!” She shouted and prayed the wounds she was about to receive would not be too deep.

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Lissa stopped after a few seconds of running. She had seen Mera and Mela leaping towards the creature. “Please let them be okay,” She whispered the prayer to any god watching her.

Lissa sheathed her sword for the moment and ran her hand over her bent elbow and wrist. They were swelling quickly and incredibly sensitive to the touch, broken or fractured. “Keep holding!” Lissa heard Mela shout from a distance. “I am trying, but the damn thing is….” Mera’s reply was cut off by a wild shout.

“Out of my way!” Ts’og shouted before Mela, Mera, and what sounded like Garza screamed in turn. Lissa heard Ts’og barrelling towards her. “Will you just stop moving already!” Mera shouted. Lissa couldn’t go forward towards Ts’og. She was useless at the moment without both arms. Lissa ran away from the monster, crashing through the forest and towards the river.

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Ts’og felt her wounds healing slower now. The little one she had charged over and caused sizable damage to her legs and hips. Meanwhile, she still could not shake the one attached to her tail. “Release me, pest!” She roared while sending the creature and that portion of her tail crashing through a tree.

Finally, the grip slackened, and Ts’og turned her head to see that her tiny parasite was unmoving on the ground. She carried on forward. Her prey was racing towards the river. Ts’og smiled and went onto all four limbs to bound forward at a quicker pace. There was no escape now.

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Saida shook her head, trying to stop the world from spinning. She could hear the shouting from Mera, Mela, and Garza not far off. Standing on unsteady legs, she took a deep breath before running towards the battle. The shouting turned from coordination of movements to those of warning. Soon she heard the sound of something crashing through trees and Mera shouting, “Will you just stop moving already!”

Saida was caught up to Garza and Mela a scant few moments later. “Come on!” She shouted to the pair while following the path of destruction. Saida heard the monster roar before hearing something go through a tree. Nearly a dozen meters ahead, Saida found Mera unmoving among the splintered remains of a tree trunk.

Kneeling, she quickly checked for a pulse. Saida found it, and it was hammering away. She promptly did a once-over and found that a large piece of wood lodged itself into her shoulder. “Shit, Mela! Tend to your sister, Garza, with me!” Saida shouted while running to catch up to the monster. She felt the ring on her finger twitching and writhing, begging to be released.

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Lissa broke through to the forest’s edge. Only a few scattered trees remained between her and the cliff face. “Shit,” She muttered while looking around to see if there was any way to cross. With the quick glance meters from the edge, she didn’t find any. “Maybe there is one below or maybe a ledge,” Lissa went to the cliff edge and looked over.

What greeted her was a sheer drop into the river below. Solitary boulders were scattered in the rushing water. The sound of Ts’og crashing through to the cliff face made Lissa turn. They were wounded heavily, ochre blood ran down their legs and sides. Tree fragments jutted from their upper body as well. Lissa noticed the wounds healing much more slowly than before.

“You don’t have anywhere else to run, monster!” Ts’og said while snapping their jaw at Lissa. “I am not a monster! Why do you think that!?” Lissa retorted, pointed at Ts’og, and moved a few steps away from the edge. Ts’og took one step closer, “You honestly expect me to believe you don’t remember?” Ts’og laughed and took one more step.

“Why would I lie! I have nothing to gain by lying now!” Lissa took a step towards Ts’og less than a dozen meters separated them now. “To save your pathetic life! I know your scent murderer! I tracked you all the way here from the mountains!” Ts’og ripped a chunk of wood from her body and threw it away.

“How could you track me here when I just arrived to stop your murderous rampage!” Lissa scanned the tree line behind Ts’og and saw Saida ready to spring into action.

She was quickly reigned in by Garza, who pulled her into the shadows. Ts’og took a step forward, “I am not rampaging but defending myself while searching for you!” Lissa had to laugh, “That does not justify the murder of innocent men and women!” Ts’og glared at Lissa, “That sentiment was not shared by you! Why should I show the same courtesy to those who attacked me or attempted to do me harm!”

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“The hells is she doing?” Garza whispered while moving to the tree opposite Saida. She looked at him and rolled her eyes, “Talking to the beast. Apparently, she can understand it.” Saida saw Garza shrug, “That makes no sense. She isn’t saying anything in some different god-forsaken tongue.”

“Do you really expect me to have that answer!” Saida bit back, “Just get into position hopefully. This lets us get the drop on the beast.” Garza nodded, “At least we know its wounds aren’t healing as quickly as they were.” Saida looked back to the monster who stood only a half dozen meters away. “Small blessings,” She said while tapping into the ring.

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Ts’og grew impatient. She hadn’t expected the murderer to confess to their crimes but to claim total ignorance. That was impossible. “Confess to your crime, and I may kill you quickly, monster!” She stepped closer again, and again the monster in front of her looked towards the forest. Ts’og turned her head, expecting something to be charging her.

But the forest was as quiet and as still as it was moments ago. “Those others won’t save you. Although I will let them end my life once I am finished with you,” Ts’og said while looking back to the beast. “Why? Why do that? It makes no sense! You would kill me and then let yourself be killed in kind? Why?” The murderer bit back, exasperation easily readable on their face. “You wouldn’t understand what I would do to be with my children again! I would kill myself hundreds of times for a moment with them!” Ts’og shouted, the rage burning within, beginning to bubble over.

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“I think Lissa just said something to really piss it off,” Garza grabbed his halberd and readied to charge. “I think you are right. Let’s go,” Saida rolled to the front of the tree and began her charge towards the beast. She felt the ring shudder on the finger. Raising that hand in front of her in preparation to touch the creature. As she raised her arm up, the ring exploded.

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Ts’og heard a noise behind her and turned. Two of the monster’s companions were rushing her. One had its hand raised, an eerie red light growing in its palm. Suddenly that light shot towards Ts’og, impacting with the force of an avalanche into her side, sending her flying towards her prey. As the world darkened around her, Ts’og reached forward talons splayed and rejoiced as she felt them meet flesh. Ts’og closed her eyes and waited to greet her children.

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Lissa saw both Saida and Garza charge out of the woods towards her and Ts’og. She could see the Aether building within Saida’s palm and then release it in a blinding display. It impacted Ts’og, sending them careening at her. Time seemed to slow as the hulking form of Ts’og raced towards her. She was able to only take one step to the side before red hot pokers of pain pierced her chest. Lissa flew along with Ts’og falling and then slamming into the opposite cliff. As her head hit the rock, darkness took her, but not before she saw a pair of golden eyes looking at her from a cave.

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Saida skidded to a halt as the scene played out in front of her. Helpless to stop what she caused. Saida could only watch in abject horror as Lissa was impaled and then taken over the cliff’s edge. “No!” She screamed while racing to the lip of the cliff. Saida watched as Lissa’s and the monster’s bodies tumbled down the opposite cliff wall, limp and lifeless.

“Saida, what did you do?” Garza shouted, dropping his halberd while joining her. Saida was silent and collapsed to her knees, dropping her sword. Looking at the hand with the ring, she saw that the palm was flayed. The ring itself no longer writhed and wriggled on her finger. Saida felt Garza grab her, “What did you do!” He shook her violently, and she showed him her hand with the ring. “You took Micah’s ring?” Garza stood, and Saida saw his eyes glaze over.

“I need to find her. She still could be alive!” He shouted and raced along the cliff downriver. “You do realize she is dead, don’t you?” Saida heard Faceless’s voice behind her and to the right. “I killed her,” Saida whispered softly. Everything seemed to be muffled to her. “Indeed you did,” Faceless replied, coming around in front of her. They looked at her hand then into her eyes. “I can bring her back if you so wish.” Saida met Faceless’s gaze. “You can?” She asked hoarsely. Faceless’s head bobbed in acknowledgment. “Yes, I can. There is a price, of course. Are you willing to pay the price for it?” They asked. Saida was silent for what felt like an eternity before she answered, “Yes.”