About Your Father... [Charon]

[Raiha]

Raiha listened attentively, sipping at her mead. She wasn't, however, about to allow herself to get too invested in what Shalzar was telling her. They might not even be the same person. Relatives, maybe. But surely one would know the other. But until she had met him and had an opportunity to talk to him… alone… then she would not get her hopes up. One shouldn't count their chickens before they were hatched, after all. It just set you up for disappointments down the road.

Both souls of the Akontak listened attentively, each wondering and giving the other an earful of their own considerations. A tactician. A problem solver… Kanikra mused. Interesting, very, very interesting. One would suppose that the Akalak varied considerably from one another… but that was true the world over, now, wasn't it? Besides, it would make sense that they were thinkers, too. Just about each of the blue-skinned men that she had met before coming here had lacked an overtly-bloodthirsty demeanour, all the while being perfectly capable of holding their own.

They really are, she agreed with her twin. We'll see how it goes. Isn't that what you kept saying? But she seemed to consider Shalzar's question briefly, though the gold eyes didn't look away. "I don't know," Raiha shook her head after a moment. "She did not confide that in me. But I have a letter for him, and I promised that I would deliver it to him personally." She knew a bit about Akalak and their honor, and surely he would understand about a promise. And it wasn't a complete lie, she told herself - her mother had given her a letter to give to Raikev when she found him.

If she found him.

It was in a book in her backpack to keep it safe from being wrecked during her journey. It was something that would, hopefully, explain the situation a little bit if the man didn't believe her… which was entirely within the realm of possibility. An Akontak being born was considered important news, and siring one and not knowing until his progeny showed up on his doorstep some twenty years later… well… he mightn't be too pleased. But Tana had said she had tried, and Raiha trusted that her mother was telling the truth in that regard. What reason had she to lie?

Do you really want me to answer that? Kanikra sighed at her. Hurry up. I'm sure he's about ready to go. You're so gullible.

Their glass wasn't quite half-empty yet, and Raiha did not want to just toss it back. She wasn't much of a drinker, but she did at least finish half of it. Well, if we take our time, Nystir might be done, and he can confirm…

Relax. Just relax. You're fretting. Stop it. You're getting yourself worked up over nothing. Don't trust anyone… including this one. Isn't that what I keep telling you? There was a bite to Kanikra's words that made Raiha straighten her spine up a bit, and nudged her unfinished glass towards the bartender with a tip. If it turns out Shalzar has the wrong man, and Raikol doesn't know Raikev, then we'll come back here and talk to Nystir.

Raiha turned back to Shalzar, and smiled a bit, half-sliding off of her seat. "Are you about ready to go?" The massive dog got up at her words, clearly anticipating a walk.

[Baku]

Shalazar looked up at Raiha, swirling the liquor that remained in his cup gingerly. He got that look of study for a moment, trying to gauge he emotion behind her words. The way her eyes shifted, a possible swallow of built up saliva, any hint that she may have been speaking untruth. Finally, he tipped his cup backward, drinking the remainder of the liquor. “Very well then, let us be off.” Shalazar said, slowly standing up. “Best put on any comfortable shoes you have though, it’s a bit of a walk,” Shalazar then noted as he began moving towards the tavern doors. “He lives close to the Arena, so we have two tiers to walk up.” Shalazar then waited near the door, waiting to see if Raiha would follow or not.

[Raiha]

Raiha stretched her legs a little bit, waving to the bartender as she followed Shalazar out of the tavern. Shoes she wasn't worried about - the boots she wore were well-suited to working and walking, having been broken in before, and she found them perfectly comfortable. Still, it was sound advice. She had no doubt that he had likely seen his own parade of unsuitably-attired people who were new to the city that just didn't realize quite what they were getting into. That was fine. She wriggled her feet in her boots, deciding that the laces had held long enough, and would hold until she got where she was going. If it a meant a hike up two tiers to find someone who might be related to her, then it was a hike up two tiers.

But it was a good day for it, and Raiha wasn't afraid of a walk. She met Shalazar at the door, Diallo at her side, and followed him out. This could be a neat little tour. "Does the Arena see a lot of use?" the Akontak inquired as she followed along, not wanting to give the appearance of being disinterested or sullen. "Is it traditional for each Akalak to fight in it?" She reached out to scratch the Deerstalker as he gamely hung around her side, sniffing occasionally at the paths and scents. But he knew better than to wander off, especially somewhere new.

[Baku]

Shalazar gave a slight shrug as he walked just slightly ahead of Raiha, peering slightly over his shoulder at her as he moved. “It does see its use. Some use it to practice,” Shalazar said giving a shrug as he stumbled a bit for a moment in his step, regaining his balance quickly, “but for the most part, it is more often used for settling disputes or making those convicted of crimes fight in order to just live. Most the criminals lose though.” Eventually, the pair of them reached the first tier of Riverfall, Shalazar stumbling here and there along the way, the alcohol seeming to affect his coordination to some extent. The streets, as Syna began to make her descent towards the horizon, started to thin out. Still, with the dispersing crowds, both Raiha and Kanikra couldn’t help but feel they were being watched. Maybe it was the fact that they were Akontak, or the fact that they were female. There was a sinking twinge of suspicion possibly that it was due to where she had been heading or the questions she had asked in the Tavern. Someone was watching though. Shalazar soon took a turn about a hundred paces from the Arena itself, before heading between a small alley of small buildings. He paused for a moment, slowly turning as he began to peer around, looking past Raiha and at the few passing Akalak that were still visible. “Huh,” Shalazar said, scratching his head before his eyes settled on Raiha again, “must be my imagination. Well, here comes the spooky part.” Shalazar then motioned down the alley. It was poorly lit and away from sight out of the main walkways of Riverfall’s first tier. “He lives in a small home at the end there. A place really no bigger than a shed.” Shalazar said, giving a slow shrug of his shoulders. “It’s odd though, with his skills he could be earning more coin, but he rarely charges that much.” Shalazar then looked to Raiha then once again. “Certain types, I suppose.” Shalazar added before he covered his mouth to muffle a belch. “Anyhow, if you want to meet this Akalak, I can take you to his home. If you decide you’ve changed your mind and want to try him later, now’s the time to back out as well. I know the dark alleyways can sometimes be a little, unsettling.”

[Raiha]

Raiha nodded as he explained about the arena. That made sense, she supposed. Entertainment. Trial by combat, Wysar and Myri guide their weapons. Innocent would be proven innocent, and the parties that were in the wrong would be punished. Or maybe the parties in the right were just crushed by opponents who knew how to fight better. Might makes right, after all, was a proven concept, even if it wasn’t always an honorable one.

She followed along, trying to take in the city and keep track of where they were going. Diallo trailed along beside her, but both souls of the Akontak felt and could not shake the feeling that there were eyes on them. Raiha had kept a low profile since she had arrived in Riverfall, staying close to Sanctuary and only very rarely leaving it – this was her first trip back into the city, basically, since she had left it to come to Sanctuary with Kavala. It had taken some time for her to get her legs out, put on the big-girl pants, and go looking for what had brought them to Riverfall in the first place. It wasn’t the Call that her mother’s people had – this was something she was doing because if she didn’t, things were going to get worse.

Don’t ignore it. Just go with it. The important thing is is that we know that they are watching us, Kanikra made an attempt at consoling her twin. Just relax, and stay calm. If you cannot stay calm, it will go to shyke. You’ve got Diallo. And besides that, no Akalak is going to do something to you here. Why would they? They don’t have much to gain from it, if anything, considering how they and the Konti tend to look at us. Still. Keep your guard up, Raiha. Always keep your guard up. You didn't say too much there, so stop worrying about that. But just keep your guard up, and...

I know. Be prepared. Always protect yourself, Raiha followed Shalazar’s gaze, glancing about for what had gotten him scratching his head. She glanced down the alley as she reached to scratch behind the Deerstalker’s ears, feeling for tension to see if he had picked up anything that she didn’t. She glanced around Shalazar’s hand as he motioned down the alley. The darkness didn’t concern her unduly – the twilight and the nighttime, she was at home in. She didn’t know if she was so at home in Riverfall, but the shadows and the night were the realm of her NightMother, who, Raiha was certain of it, would be watching. Besides, Shalazar couldn’t be –so- drunk that he himself would do something to her, surely.

She nodded, but shrugged slightly. “Money isn’t everything. As long as a man can earn his way, he has enough.” You couldn’t take money with you when you went on the final journey with Dira. She tilted her head slightly as she looked down the alleyway, and focused on her Auristics, lighting the walkway up with the auras and having a good look. She had a couple options – back out and come again another day, or go on through with it now. If she did go through with it, he seemed willing enough to take her. And, well, what did you say to someone if that was him? Hi, I’m your daughter from the Konti you walked away from 23 years ago? Of course not. Besides, what if this wasn’t even Raikev? “I’d like to meet him, if you wouldn’t mind,” Raiha smiled a bit as she studied Shalazar’s aura, looking for any details about the man that she could discern, limited though her skills were.

[Baku]

“And if a frog had wings, it wouldn’t bump it’s ass when it hopped.” Shalzar said with a slight shrug when Raiha made her comment about money. “I’m not one to really judge, but I like money myself in the end. Just me. If this guy is your pops, you can give me the money to get myself all sorts of drunk tonight.” Shalzar then gave a nod as Raiha said she still wanted to meet him. He gave a slow bow, taking a quick turn as he began walking down the alleyway, leading her down. His aura, when she began peering into it, fluctuated with colors of yellow, noting a slight amount of excitement in him. Whether this excitement was due to being in the company of an Akontak like herself? Raiha couldn’t tell. The only other thing she manage to garner from his aura at that moment, was a scent. It was faint, but something she would recognize as a paste of some sort, the kind some human women would use as make up when trying to negotiate their contract with some of the Akalak suitors in the city. “It’s just right up the way.” Shalzar then said as Raiha would notice one of his hands slipping along his chest in front of him. “This meeting, should be interesting.” Then, before Raiha even noticed it, there was blurred motion as the silhouette of a figure suddenly came bolting out of the shadows, one of his hands swinging through the air as a small sphere was thrown through the air. It’s clay shell shattered as it hit Shalzar in the face, spreading it’s liquid contents within all over him. The figure bolted past Shalazr, uttering words in Tukant, the only ones which she could make out were, “disguise” and “face” as the figure came rushing at her now. In the blurred motion, Raiha could only see the light blue tone of the Akalak’s cheeks, the rest remaining hidden under the shadow of his hood. He moved so fast, inhumanly fast as his body leaned forward as he closed the distance between himself and Raiha in only a fifth of the time it would have taking even some of the faster Akalak Raiha had seen. To her surprise, the Akalak then suddenly shouted at her in Kontinese. “Go limp!” the Akalak yelled as his head then ducked even further, slipping under any guard or arms Raiha may have been able to raise to shield herself from his incoming. If Raiha was late in reacting, or just chose not to, she would then feel the wind knocked out of her as the Akalak’s shoulder plunged into her abdomen, his arm wrapping around her waist as she was forced to drape over his shoulder. Raiha would then here a quick “yelp” of surprise as her deerstalker was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by the Akalak’s other hand and the trio suddenly leapt into the air. The sensation of then suddenly using inertia and speed to jump back and forth along the walls of the building in the alley and eventually land on the roof might have been enough to cause Raiha a momentary sensation of nausea, one which would take a bit of willpower to keep the drink she had been sipping at earlier down. But as her vision cleared, she would then see Shalzar spinning around , four other Akalaks suddenly running out from various hiding spots within the alley coming to stand beside him. Shalzar looked up, smears of blue pain running down his face as patterned black marks lined his cheeks. “So it’s to be a hunt then,” Shalzar said, slowly wiping a small trickle of blood from his nose away, “Raikev?” The hooded Akalak slowly reached up, his arm lifting Raiha up a little more before the tips of his fingers tugged at his hood, pulling it down. Thick, wild hair, wavy like a flame, dark as night, stood upward even in the stiff wind. Pale blue skin seemed to glisten with a newly formed layer of sweat. Golden iris shot to the corner as he turned his head and peered down at Shalzar. “The shadows speak of your intent,” Raikev then said, his voice deep, but slightly winded, “you will not get your hands on it.” “Best get your running on then.” Shalzar said, a smile broadening over his lips, “being the spook you are, can’t go to the city guards. Council will deny you exist after all.” “I’ve no intention of going to the guards. We’ll settle this soon Shalzar.” Raikev then said before his body leaned forward again, rushing forward, that awkward sensation of movement washing over Raiha once again. “Silly child.” Raikev then said to her in Kontinese. “You should not have sought me out. You’ve now placed yourself in danger.”

[Raiha]

When Shalzar mentioned the word ‘pops’, Raiha managed, only barely, to keep her heart from going into her throat, and sought to put a blank expression on her face. Didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, no. “If it’s the man I’m looking for to deliver this letter to, I’ll certainly pay for your getting sloshed,” she agreed, watching his aura as she followed him, Diallo at her side. She had no idea what caused the excitement, and the smell was odd. Strange, even, and she wasn’t sure that she was picking it up through his aura, or if she was picking it up now that they were outside.

Strange.

She was surprised at the way the auras sprang up on her from nowhere, trying quickly to make sense of what was what, of the words around her as she brought up her hands, forming them into fists on instinct. No weapons - but she had never thought that in Riverfall she would actually need them. Her brain translated what little bits of Tukant she could figure out as Kanikra was far too busy shouting at her to be smug. It was a mishmash, the voice in her head and the commanding shout of the cloaked Akalak, both giving her opposing directions. Limp Raiha went, though, though she lost her breath when she was thrown over a shoulder, and she heard Diallo’s yelp. No one had picked her dog up that way since she’d got him as a pup – ever. And now, weighing in at a solid 150 pounds… no one ever lifted him, though she was sure the Akalak could – this one certainly did. Her head was spinning, particularly when they finally stopped moving, and the sudden shifting and changing of auras… It was overwhelming as she stared down from her new vantage point, staring at the marks on his face that had been painted over.

Paste.

That’s what it had been. Her eyes were huge, and her throat dry and tight as she stared up at the Akalak Shalzar called Raikev. The shadows speak… Her father… Was this her father? What did they mean that the guards would deny he existed? What did Raikev mean by saying that the shadows spoke? Did they? Was this some sort of Akalak code? And through it all, Kanikra was strangely excited by these going-ons. It wasn’t that she was eager to get into trouble, not quite, but this was a decided difference from what Kanikra had decided was fairly staid living at Sanctuary. But it was their lifestyle because Raiha insisted on it – it suited her, thank you, but Kanikra was enjoying the thick dusting of spicy powdered pepper that their life was rapidly being covered with. This was interesting. This went beyond the bones and flesh of animals, the hunting of small game with Uzima, all the while peering out at the big blue men that occasionally visited, secretly wondering and never admitting it to anyone else, least of all each other, what their father was like. They both knew.

But neither of them could ever admit it.

And this, quite frankly, was not something Kanikra had planned for. They both clearly needed to learn more about Riverfall and the Akalak, and be far more weary that people were definitely not who or what they seemed. “Who was he? Was he Cerulean?” she asked Raikev, glancing up at him, her gold eyes enormous. “I have a letter for you,” she told him, breathless as they moved again. The auras… trying to sort them out was getting harder and harder. “I promised I’d deliver it... Where are we going? Why did he say that the guards would deny you existed? You're right here." She was showing her age in those questions, but she had definitely had a bit of a shock as she tried to study his aura with her auristics, just browsing it, trying to figure out a few basic facts about him.

[Baku]

Perhaps it was the events that just happened, or the rush of seeing her father for the first time, but by the time Raikev came to a stop, Raiha found herself surrounded by thick vegetation, humid air and the crashing sounds of the great falls nearby. The had entered the gardens. His aura was a mix of several colors and patterns. There was calm and panic, desperation and logic, love and sorrow. Raikev‘s emotions seemed to be a plethora of contradictions. Whether this had to do with his twin soul being a part of that was uncertain to Raiha, but the mix hinted towards a balance she had rarely seen in Akalaks. One thing was certain in his aura, however. And that was there was a hint of magic flowing within him, dwindling down and appearing to affect his muscle mass, especially in his legs. “You ask to many questions where I can give no answers daughter,” Raikev said, slowly setting her daughter and dog down to the feet. He grunted slightly as he began to step away, quickly surveying their surroundings, a light limp in his step suggesting he had injured his leg in their escape. “The less you know about this situation, the better.” Raikev then slowly turned, looking down into his daughter’s eyes as that wild hair of his fluttered in a small, moist breeze through the forest. He remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a slow exhale, reaching into the folds of his shirt. “For all intents and purposes, Raiha, I do not exist in Riverfall.” Raikev said, pulling out a folded piece of paper. “Ever since I was younger, the council saw something in me that was suited for special tasks. For tasks they would not want to get out, tasks they could deny involvement in if I was found out by those I moved against. Some of them was simple information gathering, others were more…………invasive tasks. My visit to Mura was an assessment, one that was to make movements towards a stable future for Riverfall, despite what else you may have heard or learned second hand. Your mother was not even aware of this. When your mother and I, joined, it was not part of my mission. I was originally sent to study the Konti culture, and to see if a union between two desperate races could be formed in order to benefit both. My findings were that it was too soon, though your mother and I proved to be an exception to my findings.” Raikev’s hands suddenly snatched out, grasping Raiha’s shoulders and remaining tense as he suddenly looked around, his ears twitching slightly at every sound that echoed out in their area. He looked poised to throw Raiha off to the side and out of the way of any potential danger. His gaze then slowly moved to look into Raiha’s again. “Know that I didn’t leave because you were not a son, I left because my duty to my people would not leave room for me to be a proper father to you. You are still my daughter though, and you deserve to know the truth in the end.” Raikev then explained. He slowly shook his head, his gaze lowering a bit. “There is a chance that things may end badly here, so I wanted to give you at least that much, rather than letting you always search and wonder. If I do happen to survive this day, just know that while I’ll always love you, making up for any sort of lost time between us will likely be next to impossible still. There will always be another task the Elders will send me on, and I will accept them all. And each one will possibly bring danger to you just by association alone.” “Listen, there won’t be much time before they enter the gardens, and they will know I have traveled to this area due to its seclusion.” Raikev explained quickly, suddenly thrusting the piece of paper he had in hand towards Raiha. “If it should appear that they will overwhelm us, I want you to run. To run as fast as you can. I will cover your escape with my dying breath. At all costs though, you must escape and give this paper to Elder Nevar and no one else. Tell him I sent you as well as “Salathemith” It was phrase he and I had in store in case an event such as this transpired. Just be aware that if you look at the contents of this note, you will be pulled into a world which you will find difficult to escape from, so please side with ignorance of it in that case, for Nevar will test to see if you know.” “Save the letter you have for me until after if we both survive.” Raikev then said as he stepped back, pulling Raiha towards some covering among the vegetation. A place to conceal herself. He reached over his back, pulling his cloak free from his body as it fell to the ground. Along his back and chest were lined several throwing daggers, all of them glimmering in a way when the sun that managed to break the garden’s canopy caught them just right. At his waist, two identical Lakan’s were sheathed, their hilts long and covered in a black ivory, a fixed golden ring at the butt of the hilt themselves. “If you have any skill in defending yourself daughter, I suggest you prepare to use them soon. I will attack on the move, you simply defend yourself if any approach and try to move yourself towards escaping.”

[Raiha]

His Aura fascinated her, so much that she properly pulled herself away from it, promising she would get another chance at it after, when they both survived. Not if, when. The way his Djed was manipulated made sense. That was the Flux, wasn’t it? That would be logical, and that would be what made sense. She remembered it from her studies, but now seeing it up close and in action, that was interesting. Kanikra had thought it might be worth studying, especially with the copious amounts of Djed reserves that they possessed as an Akontak. But with big potential came massive risks. If anyone would be able to blow their legs off following a simple attempt, it would be them. She did note, however, the way he limped, and practically felt Rak’keli’s power pull itself out of her, trying thrice to make the unseen wound better with each pass of the her hand as it glowed white. Her ability to heal was limited, and time even more so - so that would have to do. She only hoped that it would be enough.

As she did that, though, she listened to what he had to say, though, taking it all in as much as she could. She understood duty. It was the way of life, for some, and service to his people and city was clearly incredibly important to her father. Just as what she did and the way she helped out at Sanctuary was crucial to her. She latched onto the explanation, trusting and believing that he was telling her the truth. That had been important to her, and to Kanikra. To know the truth of why he had left - and now she knew that it wasn’t because she wasn’t a son worth taking back to Riverfall. This definitely meant that there was not likely to be any father-daughter time now or in the future. And that, well, that would have to do. She couldn’t very well expect that everything would drop for her. He had a life, after all, that was his own.

It was so much to take in. Her father was some sort of, well, shadow. That was really the best way to put it, wasn’t it? “Will I see you again?” she whispered at him as she let him guide her to the foliage, her eyes on his face, even as she opened up her awareness to Auras, looking for that which might be concealed. It took a Master Aurist, she knew, to manipulate and hide their aura, and she glanced up at Raikev, pulling out her suvai and gripping it, her fingers wrapped around the handle in a defensive position. Dangerous or not their association may have been, he was still her father. She kind of hoped that she would. Kanikra certainly did. She wanted to know more about him, what he did and why. “Down, Diallo. Wait. Guard,” she told the dog in Kontinese, barely a murmur. She took the paper, though, and touched her father’s hand briefly, just for a split second, before tucking it away, deep in a pocket. Salathemith. Elder Nevar. Head of the council, wasn’t he? Then she’d... she’d do that. She’d go right from there from here. She remember the way she had come, and she knew that they were in that big white building on the second tier of Riverfall, so one way or another, she would have to make her way there. It was a prominent landmark. She couldn’t miss it. “I’ll see you when I see you,” she decided. So she would see him. Had to. She hadn’t come all this way to meet him and lose him again. She had no intention of looking at the letter, though - some warnings were not just so others could listen to themselves speak. This was one of those times.

Give over, Kanikra ordered her. She didn’t need Raiha hesitating. Not when there was something this vital at stake. It wasn’t that Kanikra was any less level-headed than her twin, but more to the fact she analyzed far more quickly and didn’t hesitate from second guesses. They would work better in unison, but for now, Kanikra would have to be in. So Raiha did give over, and Kanikra clenched the suvai a little tighter before relaxing her grip to an appropriate level. “We’re holding the letter for you,” she promised Raikev, and crouched down, considering each way out and the direction of which she had to go. At any rate, she was going to have to go down from the first tier to the second, and that meant hanging thattaway. Neither soul was under any illusion that they could do any damage to these men that they were going up against. This is why, Kanikra told her sister, we are going to have to learn to be deadly. Because even in home turf... enemies are everywhere.

[Baku]

Raikev remained silent for a moment, crouching down to rest his leg further as her daughter’s questions rang in his ears and her healing abilities of divine origin healed some of the damage done. An echoing cackle in the distance, almost like a hyena’s call, sounded that things were about to start. Even as Raiha’s vision adjusted, filtering out the aura’s that made up the garden’s foliage and her own father’s aura under strain, she caught a soft smile in hues of gold sharpening the corners of his mouth as he looked over his shoulder at her. “We live for centuries, my daughters.” He said encouragingly. “So long as we live, there is always a chance we will see each other again.” It was then that the aura’s of eight others began to slip into Raiha’s view. They moved towards both Raiha and her father, their forms separating and beginning to surround. A ninth, who Raiha already recognized as Shalazar, followed at the rear casually. Raiha would notice the movements of her father next, as she heard him whisper, “Just a little further, father of us all. This is all I ask.” And like a beacon of hope, Raiha then noticed a mark of the divine on her father, as an almost blinding radiant aura in the shape of a blue flame began to burn vigorously along the back of his neck. Then, like a wave of heat along the horizon, there was a blurring in Raiha’s Aruistic vision as the wave traveled outwardly in all directions before fading. Raikev slowly stood, his eyes closing as Djed began coursing through his body once again, filling every muscle fiber as a small grunt escaped his lips and his mass grew slightly. As the auras of their pursers came within two hundred feet of them, Raikev’s movements blurred as hands shot up to his chest and then flicked outwardly. Daggers went flying as fast as a bolt fired from a crossbow, slicing through leaves and thin branches as if they were nothing more than wisps of smoke before embedding deeply into their intended targets. Three were hit instantly as one found a throwing dagger piercing flesh and bone in his leg, causing a hairline fracture that caused him to scream and drop to ground. Another found the dagger aimed at him severing tendon and ligaments in his shoulder, breaking away the ball and socket joint and nearly separating his arm from his body in the process as he dropped his weapon to the ground. The third found his dagger burying deeply into his larynx, causing a muffled scream that soon gargled as his airway began to fill with blood. The remaining five that had been moving to surround them then began to run quickly, on slipping around and now coming up from behind Raiha, a battle axe being raised above his head as he began shouting out a battle charge, a killing intent shining fiercely in his aura. Without even looking, Raikev’s hand snatched two daggers from their sheet, before his hand was flicked backward, the pair of them spinning past Raiha’s head, one coming close enough to almost brush along her snow white hair before they pierced into her charging aggressor, one piercing his leg, the other piercing his arm it dropped limp to his side. Neither dagger was a killing strike, but they slowed the Cerulean’s movements as he continued to limp towards Raiha, dragging his large axe with him. Raikev’s hands slipped to the hilts of his twin lakans now, his index fingers slipping into the golden rings at the ends. As he withdrew them, the spun along his fingers before the hilts slapped into his hand as he prepared to meet the other now converging on him alone. “Defend yourself child!” Raikev yelled. “Then escape.”