Morgianna had felt like she was being watched ever since she had killed Howser. A chill across her skin when crossing the street or a breath across her neck when she was reading.
They had made it back to the guild in half the time it had taken them to go to the town where Howser had lived and consequently died. On the way back catching a carriage that brought them almost right to the door of the guild.
She had promptly handed over the head to Killian who looked at her as if she had grown a second head herself. She did not offer any explanation and only waited for him to pay her before they once again quickly left the town. They did not immediately head for home though, as many eyes were still on them.
It was not until they stopped that night to rest that she cornered those who followed them to ask why. Fafnir had left earlier to find wood for a fire, but she knew if she yelled he would be there in a second.
"I do not wish to kill you, but I will." She was tired of constantly looking over her shoulder. She had not properly rested since she had killed Howser constantly feeling as if there was someone in her shadow.
From between the trees three men stepped forward. All looking at her greedily. "Give us the silver you earned and we will let you go." The one up front spoke, his yellow and decaying teeth on full display.
Morgianna used her ability to look at their stats and was sorely dissatisfied. "Trek, Crawley, and your fearless leader here Jove. All three of you together are not my opponent, I can see why you never raised your rank if you won't even try. You pick on the newer people when they succeed and take what is not yours. You are all three still bronze levels despite being in the guild for several years. Your magic is weak and so is your mind." Her words were like slaps to their faces.
"How dare you speak to us that way!" Crawley who was the smallest of the three seethed. He couldn't have been more than 5 foot 6 and weigh a buck 20. He hated being called weak, he originally joined the guild so he could become strong.
Jove who stood in the front raised his hand to silence him never taking his eyes off Morgianna. "I can let it go how you spoke to us if you give us compensation. Why don't you let us know what you look like under that hood little girl." He gave her a toothy or in his case a rather toothless grin. "You even know our names, does that mean you are interested in us?"
She did not answer his question, instead asking one of her own."You want to see what's under my hood?"
All three men nodded eagerly. Thinking that they did not care if the girl was even attractive if she gave herself willingly.
"What if I'm not interested in you?" She mock pouted in their direction feeling disgusted at the look the three shared.
She knew these types of men weren't just gonna accept no as an answer, and it was in that moment their fates were sealed.
Pulling her hood down to reveal her face all three men stopped to look at her long black hair and mismatched eyes. She was young but she was very pretty. Anyone with eyes could tell that.
They thought that her showing her face was giving permission when in reality she was giving herself one more reason to rid the world of the scum in front of her. She could say it was to protect her identity, but all would know it was to relieve the world of 3 vile creatures.
"Don't scream, we promise not to hurt ya." Trek said as he moved to her right.
"Yeah we will keep you company until your friend returns." Crawley drawled as he moved to her left.
Jove just stood there staring at her as his two lackeys closed in. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Morgianna did not move immediately. Allowing the men to get closer to her before attacking.
Crawley was the first to try to put his hands on her, probably wanting to pay her back for her comment about them being weak. Using his own momentum against him she grabbed his wrist and flung him towards Trek causing both to fall in an awkward tangle of limbs and angry shouts.
She turned to look at Jove a smile on her face. "Oops."
Her attitude was pissing him off. "We were going to go easy on you, but not anymore." He gritted the few teeth he had and charged towards her.
With practically no effort Morgianna shifted backward and tripped him sending him face-first into the dirt. All three men now laid in the dirt around her staring with hatred in their eyes.
"If you had left, I would have let you live. Not only did you plan to steal from me but even thought you would try to touch me, for that you shall die." She flicked her fingers a small fireball forming above her hand growing in size.
"Wait. We can talk about this. We were just joking around." "Yeah we were just joking." "You wouldn't kill a fellow guild member right?" Their voices were frantic as they watched the fireball grow in size and then split into 3 individual balls.
She looked into their eyes and whispered, "Don't scream I promise not to hurt you." Before releasing the balls of fire on their intended targets.
Then flames hit them quickly engulfing their entire bodies. The men's screams echoing into the night so loud she was sure even the towns nearby would hear them.
"You shouldn't have done that." Morgianna whirled to see the man standing behind her. She had not even heard him approach.
He had black hair and red eyes that were zeroed in on her every move. In his hands, he held a scythe the kind she imagined every grim reaper was based on. Its sharp edges glinted under the moonlight as he casually swung it around. His long slender fingers hidden under pristine white gloves held it as if it weighed nothing. He made her two favorite colors look even better, that is if he didn't have a permanent frown etched into his perfect face.
"Why is that? Should I have let them attack me?" Morgianna chuckled bitterly at the man.
"No you should have just left. You and I both know it wasn't their time. You WANTED to kill them." The man's eyes held no emotion as if he was not talking about the death of three men but rather cold hard facts.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I am and have always been Death. You are changing people's lifespans and you shouldn't be doing that. There is a plan for each person." As he spoke he glanced to the bodies nearby, wrinkling his nose at the smell.
Morgianna was about to respond when Fafnir rushed into the clearing looking around wildly. "Who are you talking to? I heard the men earlier but knew you could take them but then after they died I heard you speaking again." He glanced around passing over where Death was standing as if he could not see him.
"You need to stop meddling. He," *pointing to Fafnir* "should not be alive." With those words he rose his scythe quickly swinging it in Fafnirs direction.
Morgianna would not have been able to move fast enough to stop it a scream dying before it even began. The scythe had passed through Fafnirs body as if it was made of smoke.
Death frowned clearly unhappy that Fafnir was not lying on the ground dying. He looked up and met Morgiannas eyes. "You won't be able to protect him forever. Everyone eventually dies, even you." With those words he started to dissipate as if he was made of a black fog until there was nothing left.
Fafnir could only stare worriedly at Morgianna thinking that she had been talking to herself. "Are you alright?"
Morgianna was not sure if alright was the correct term, but for now she was alive so that's all that mattered.
"Fafnir, death was here and he is not happy with me." She began to laugh all the stress of the past couple days erupting out of her in fits of giggles.
She did not know what the future held, prolonging one life, and taking another changed everything. While it was true that nobody was truly immortal except maybe the gods she had no intention of dying any time soon.
Even if everything ended in death, she would know that she tried her hardest.