The Villainess Will Not Bring Dishonor To Her Family

99 - Into The Skies - Part 2

Arven's Point Of View

"Why are we stopping?" The sergeant behind us asks curiously, since we've come to a complete standstill. I'd like to give him a good reason, but... with the reason being what it is, I am not sure whether to joke about it or not.

"The Lady spotted an oversized cat magic beast, and she's trying to communicate with it. She said it was either that or killing it, since it would try to pick off people during nighttime. She said it's a nocturnal prowler."

I decided to take the safe answer in case the silence lets her hear me.

The sergeant widens his eyes for a moment. Then thinks. Then gives a little nod.

"If it's the Lady, then communicating with it might succeed."

Of course he says it with no ill intentions. I guess that with her other odd traits and preferences, we just find this acceptable.

This odd situation started about ten minutes ago, with us walking through what appears to be endless piles of snow... furthermore, because of the backpacked plate armor, we sink into the snow quite deep... so we were... and are... walking through that, as the Lady suddenly freezes in her movement like a statue. Her eyes fixated on a spot for several moments. She claps Peony's shoulder, who turns to the look of her hushing him, and motioning for him to stop Asher and Vitis.

Her eyes had then darted all over the area around us with a nigh frantic excitement... which then dwindled quickly... still, she went to 'communicate' with the beast, but now she's staring at it quietly and seems like she's trying to get a read on it while approaching very slowly. Since it doesn't growl things are probably fine, but she waves back Asher who's trying to stay within range of her. Of course, his paranoia won't help the communication, so she's going in stubbornly on her own.

As for the big cat itself, it's white with some odd black spots on its fur. It's crouched down into the snow and is locking eyes with the lady. It's growling softly but just watches intensely. I can barely see it from here though. It's very well camouflaged. I don't even think Peony spotted it at first, but now he seems to be itching to go kill it. Felix, as a former hunter, seems interested as well. Though... he seems uncomfortable and keeps looking between our Lady and the beast. I want to know what he's looking for, because right now everything looks quite calm.

Taming magic beasts is doable, and some magic beasts are intelligent enough become companions as well.

"Our Lady may be called child of Scorog, but our general understanding of her is slowly turning to her being more suited to cats... no, perhaps part wolf and part feline then?"

I joke gently with the sergeant, who just grins back at me and gently shushes me as we both glance to the Lady. All in all the mood is gentle and light.

"Don't-" He was about to reply but instead goes quiet and tenses.

The situation worsens in an instant, and without any seeming warning, ripping all of us from our calm fascination like a nightmare rips you from sleep. The beast jumps out of the snow with an agility neither of us was prepared for. It dashes right for the Lady with speed that should be impossible in this deep snow, with fangs and claws out, ready to rip and bite.

Asher jumps forward, but the Lady has stepped quite a bit forward during the attempt to communicate. He won't make it in time.

The Lady lets out a roar, "That is enough!"

When the magic beast doesn't stop nor reacts, she puts her arm up as it lunges for her throat. There is no fear, just anger and sorrow. The rest of us draw weapons and charge in along with Asher to get the beast off of her... but the best lets go in an instant and tries to retreat into the snow... though the Lady doesn't let it. She gazed at us just once as the beast had bitten her, and I couldn't miss the hint... the hint of worry for us... and the words her lips formed... 'Not from this'.

As it tries to move its mouth off of her arm, she grabs the throat of the cat with her free arm and shoved her other arm further into its mouth, while she ignores the sharp claws that rapidly begin to slash and claw at her.

"Get its chest!" she calls Asher who is closest, ordering the death of the beast she had tried to befriend. She doesn't even look like she can feel it's teeth digging into her arm, nor the claws trying to rip her arms and throat as it struggles to get free, and out of her crushing grip. You can see how her bloody red fingers dig into the beasts throat, even it's loose skin wouldn't be able to let it slip away.

The furious and yet choked roars and growls of the beast echos in my chest, and my chest seems to shake uncomfortably in return. Still, I run towards it. It's no different from the roars of angry bandits, even this beast by all means is worse... and yet... it ends anti-climatically as Asher sinks a sword into its chest... the beast goes quiet...

The Lady seems to double check whether it is still alive before grimacing.

"What a waste," she hisses out, as the rest of us calm down just a little...

Asher forces the beasts' jaw off of her arm, and her crimson blood soaks both her clothes and the snow around her as it drips down from her fingers. We all stop up in brief relief that things appear to have ended without problems... but as the snow goes red from their blood, the scent of blood becomes... overwhelming... it rapidly permeates the fresh mountain air and the air begins to glimmer and tremble just as when lightning is about to strike.

The mood gets tense again, and my senses are telling me not to sheathe my sword yet.

The Lady speaks some final rights for the dead beast and begins to rub snow against where she was clawed and bitten, while Asher insists that she heals it.

"No time. We will need it," she bushes him, almost frantically.

I saw her healing first hand after the fight with the snake, and I understand why she is currently refusing to use it... my hairs are standing up, and my gut are telling me... t... telling me...

'WooooooOoooooOoooOooo'

The... unnatural sounding call makes the snow tremble, and my eardrums tremor. I nearly drop my things to block out the sound... but... I'm left stunned as the shadow of another... another thing... appears in the sky above us, gliding through the air elegantly and slowly.

It's small eye stare down at us... and... though I say small... I... it's probably as big as the Lady's torso... it's long sleek form is perfectly streamlined except for four pairs of massive translucent... almost water fairy like wings... of find...that span our entire view.  The glimmering scaly body is... between 40 and 50 meters... and each... each wing is at least as long as the body itself...

It's eyes face forward like a reptile despite its other fish like traits... and it's eyes focus on the Lady... another call appears... and the ground shimmers again... and with it thousands of smaller versions of this creature appear, most of which are but the size of a hand or an arm.

The air beneath the massive beast glimmers... and to our horror, it has summoned ice shards... lured by the scent of blood, and the glimmer in the air.

"Defenses up!" The Lady screams loud enough to pull us out of our dumbfounded states.

A figure darts towards the beast with... vigor and clads his spear with flames... Peony is off to hunt while the rest of us summon whatever defensive magic we can to block the incoming icicles.