Flashback Little Pig, Little Pig, Let Me In!

[Mazal]

26th of Summer 500 AV

The moon glowed like a diamond cascading its radiance upon the unworthy as the stars shimmered dully in comparison to its brilliance.

Alot had happened since she met Krysus some thirty years ago, cursed with her blessing or blessed by her curse the Dhani hadn't figured it out yet. In the grand scheme of things she was just a rodent scurrying for its life on some proverbial wheel of pain and suffering. Her sense of right and wrong had been diluted into what was right for herself and peth everyone else.

She was an awkward little shrimpy thing standing among her peers, it was the typical hit and run garbage that been going on with smaller clicks. Some scum sucker owed another scum sucker money, that scum sucker didn't want to pay which brought them to the hear and now. Who would stop them ? The knights of Syilra ? This wasn't some gem of the realm, if you didn't like the taste of that turd sandwich of cold bitter truth then you could starve like them bums in tent city. She'd brush the nutty aftertaste out of her mouth, this was sunberth and that was the only thing on the menue there was no point crying about it.

She reached her hand towards the moon, attempting to capture it within her fingers. So close but so far away the dream seemed to slip through her fingers.

Promptly nudged by an associate it was time to get her hands dirty, they lived for this sort of thing.

[Mazal]

A big ole hand came a tumbling down upon her mousy visage, she could only murmur a feint grumble in relinquished resistance to the hair ruffling to come. Somewhere between being guarded and letting her guard down she found a happy medium of sorts. Well that is until enough was enough and she shook the meaty hand off her.

He was one part man and another part mountain, claimed to be a fallen squire of the fabled order in Syilra but then you could never trust them folks from this side of the track. It never mattered what his life story was, it was all about reliability and she trusted him to be there when he was needed. There story unfurled in this cesspool of a slum, it was a profitable relationship. What was better then a stab jack? Two of course, working in a unified and coordinated effort. And while she held the bear of a man in high esteem, she always hid what she was from him.

No point spoiling a good thing afterall.

Blonde her in a discombobulated mess, her irritation in this matter prompted her to nod to her co worker that she was in fact ready.

The only thing she could describe it was like watching flail tumble through wood as the man burst through it foot first. The noise of splintering wood buckling before his strength set the mood for the evening.

Fast, Ruthless and Violent.

[Mazal]

The brothel stood momentarily still, and the whole evening was stirred in a moment of frozen panic by patrons and hired thugs.

Babz as she liked to call him would deal the first strike with his bastard sword. She liked to tease him bout how much the name of the blade suited him and his style. But now wasn't the time for frivolous none sense. When the mountain collided into the mountain it was time for her to spring into action, his blade never met the satisfaction of tasting flesh. No, his sword was stalled by the quick steel of another.

Behind a shroud of fabric her Gladius lifted from beneath her cloak, the draping material had a cute little way of concealing her drawn weapon. This is where things got interesting, all she had to do was stay just across from Barbz swords where there adversary's could not pass. This is the part where it got fun, in a lunging thrust her Gladius would sink its cruel fang into the side of his abdomen. But as her sword sank past skin and muscle and plunged into his kidney it kept going slithering into him until it skewered him like a shishkabob and bore through the other side.

Her gnosis resonated through her sword and played a symphony of wild tormenting pain through the chords of his nerves a cacophony of shrill screams of pain excited the serpent.

As her left hand caught up with her right and wrapped its fingers around the handle Mazal cranked the sword twisting the blade stepping back pushing through the meat in a low swing the blade would liberate itself in a swooping arc that splattered blood across the floor in a crescent pattern.

But as her sword burst free from his lower belly in a complete evisceration it was but a moment before the goons intestines and stomach came spilling out onto the floor like a heap of spaghetti, a mortal wound as he was bleeding out his mind had gone delerius he couldn't comprehend anything but the maddening pain that seared through his slowly ending life.

The pain was not easing, only getting worse and worse as if his body had not been permitted to go into shock.

As he lay there like a fish floundering about out if water she looked at Barbz.

Aye let the little piggy squeel, he's dead anyway lets get moving.

[Mazal]

Mazals conflict resolution skills seemed to have sparked a panic, they seem to clamor like bumbling buffoons cornered like a rat with no place to hide. The immediate danger had been reprieved all that was left was a hired thug lying in his blood and innards like some vegetable soup medley.

But what of these scared patrons ?

Mazal seemed to stare off in there vicinity, assessing the situation in careful deliberation before delegating her final verdict. While they might have not had anything to do with the current affair it was the symbolism that mattered most. Anybody that does business with people that peth there employer was fair game and none would be spared. Barbz merely nodded his head in her direction and she understood the directive with crystal clarity it was like some kind of unspoken language that look said it all.

But Mazal couldn't help but smile, the gorey nature of the evening hadn't phased her. But perhaps by some ironic twist it was not a lack of feelings rather an inability to express them got the best of her. She couldn't pin point what it was but there was something about a man that didn't whine fuss or throw a hissy when asked to get something done. It was a simple trait that she admired, or was it more?

[Mazal]

It need not matter gladius in hand she approached the nearest patron as her form fell upon him, her hand and wrist snapped forward the whir of parting air was followed by a silhouette of glinting steel. It was a fool hardy mistake to throw an open hand in self defense against a sword the razor edge dispatched fingers like a scythe harvesting wheat. It offered little resistance, each finger separated from the hand in one fell swoop the short sword wasn't all that big but even so it outreached even some of the most impressive long knives while easily manipulated within the span of her arms. It simply meant that while his feeble defense had failed his fingers had not been the only thing that parted, as the pointed tip of her blade carved open his throat.

The gnosis that poured through his open wounds like a shot of whiskey to many, it was as if his fingers were still there like phantom limbs forever scorned to the burning embers of some raging fire in the pit of some strange and foreign realm. While the gushing wound from his neck pulsed with agony as vexation plunged its fingers into his throbbing injury. The blood flowed like the river marsh of falyndor from his chest to the floor.

[Mazal]

It was a routine process, they scattered and bolted for the door. And Barbz was there lugging his bastard sword cleaving through what got past Mazal. It was a systematic sweep of the room, and what was better then swinging a sword? Oh ho ho two of course! After her second statement was made her left hand drew her other shiney.

Her agenda was to injure and kill as many as possible, it was a motion that the swordsman was getting used to. The concept was simple however the application was not, it was mostly attributable to muscle memory. But the process was taking shape as her left hand fended off a straight forward fist. A robust block meant a severed arm, as the thick steel severed sinew and cartilage, double edged allowed a pendulum style movement as the sword screeched in reverse hovering in a smooth glide just atop his chest where it arced off and smacked the guys face. Mazal gave that man a shave he would soon not forget, the gladius burst into her adversaries lower jaw plowing through bone and exiting his cheek in some sort of two for one special.

The awkward nature of the counterstrike on that still learning hand had caused more of a ricochet then an actual death stroke. Her left arm just didn't have the power yet to cut through bone like that. And while the weight behind her weapon was substantial she couldn't exactly rely upon this alone to build the momentum needed for such a blow.

However what Mazal had failed to do Barbz would pick up the slack as that big old bastards sword came a tumbling down splitting his skull like a melon.

It was still a frenzy her left hand blocked and her right hand thrust forward, her left hand thrust while the right hand blocked. She was learning in the midst of curdling screams, there terror did not phase her only the reality of it was over when the fun and games ceased to be.

The floor was slippery from the carnage, some were still alive but barely doing everything in there power to hold for just a few moments more. others were dead outright. Crimson plastered across her face and form, that metallic smell it lingered in the air.

She felt great like a terrible burden had been lifted from her the suffering was over at least for a little while. Krysus was pleased, but they still had one last thing a loose end to take care of.

[Mazal]

It was as easy as eating apple pie.

Go up the stairs kick in the door, run the man through and be done with the damn thing.

And that's precisely what the duo planned on doing, Barbz infront and Mazal following from the rear. Easy right? Just kick I'm the door, the whole thing was going easy breezy but she should have known. A moment in time she wished she could reverse, but once the actions on paper there's no going back. The mighty foot reared back and snapped forward bursting the door off it's hinges.

[Mazal]

The only way to describe the noise was something akin to a crackling snap with a resonating twang. It was distinct echoing with its power, so much force behind this sound and was almost immediately followed by fwap or this thwaping clank.

When it finally registered as a crossbow the deed was done, to her horror the bolt had hit his chest pierced his armor and embedded itself in the steel draping his back. It didn't look bad at first, her azure blue eyes seemed to widen larger and larger as sanguine liquid began pouring down his pants as it traveled behind his armor. It didn't take long, sturdy as he was he had some spirit in him as he wobbled a bit before bending at the knee and falling onto his arms that braced his impact to the floor. You could hear the raspyness in his breathing, his lung was collapsing and the other was flooding with blood. The prognosis was grim, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

That pigly little bastard she'd make him squeel, he'd cry for Diras mercy to whisk him from the hellish nightmare she was going to inflict upon him.

By his time the primary target was fumbling another bolt in his shaky hands.

[Mazal]

Few things in this world could prepare her for that moment, a myriad of feelings consumed her. From disbelief, to fear but from that fear came a twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach. Rage, unrefined and primal it drove her forward in a surge of adrenaline fueled fury, Mazal could feel her disgust pumping through her veins. Perhaps surprised of the retaliation she received like a child grabbing a bobbling bumble bee.

This resentment washed away from her being in the form of a mystic residue known as rez. The power of the elements were but at her fingertips, four paths to choose she had traveled upon the road of flames. This substance unseen to the untrained in its primary form oozed from her body converging into one general area around her sword polished blade. Her focus was upon keeping the magic juices concentrated into that one spot

Her primary sword flailed downward as her wrist snapped like a whip.

It should have been a better blow, as the gladius swerved and crashed into his chest. Weight and speed tore into him as vexation screamed through his opening canal of flesh and bone. The bloody channel ripped across his chest vertically as severed bones jetted out. But as her weapon made contact she left him a parting gift as the Rez that was once upon her sword was smeared across his open gash and shirt.

The final step a transmutation

To turn that jelly into a sudden conflagration of fire, it was a pyro clastic burst that started small but quickly consumed the fabric of his garment. Enveloped in fire now her blue eyes seemed glazed in a shiny finish as she watched him, writhe in agony as his flesh bubbled and popped like hot porridge. The dancing orange and red flames licked his form and literally melted the skin of his face. Concentration on his crossbow gone he had slumped over on the bed in defeat, the mattress caught and now what was supposed to controlled became wild as the intangible tendrils roared with new out of control vigor as the mattress was now the least of her concern as the back wall caught aflame.

[Mazal]

All was fine as she began to unrig the leather harnesses and straps to his armor so that she may have a better look at the crossbow bolt but to her realization if she removed the armor the bolt would be removed also as its shaft was wedged tightly in the metal. Still there was no time and she stripped him of his metallic garb. But as her hand came to apply pressure to his wound the unthinkable happened as Krysus gnosis sprang into gear surging crippling pain through his chest cavity. He'd been gored pretty good as blood flowed like a rapid, the more she struggled to help the more dire the situation was becoming.

Barbz heart was racing pumping blood in fear of Mazals unforgiving touch causing blood to spill faster and faster.

He'd had enough as he grabbed her hand and pushed her back, he'd had enough of her help.

Startled, confused afraid of the fire the guilt it all built up to that one moment where she picked up the sword and plunged it through his heart. There was nothing she could do to help him, she ended it as quickly as possible as to save him from the horror of raging fire.

A merciful murder

It was time for her to go