"Disgusting."
"Moon-Touched."
"Waste of air."
"You don't belong here."
"Do us a favor and just leave."
Though the crowd was silent, Yoona heard the voices. Echoes of a past she hoped to never hear again. She back stepped knocking the butcher's cart all over her. A bloody red, meaty mess. Anyone who'd just now walk into the scene would likely suspect she just torn a person to pieces. Unfortunately that was the case as a squad of town guards had just shown up.
"What's going on he -- OH SWEET SALEEN! Get ready to subdue that beast, men!" The squad captain shouted. He was tall and bulky. His dark green skin and tusks gave everyone immediate awareness to his orc blood. His three lackeys, two human men and an elven woman, began enclosing on Yoona with their weapons drawn. One of the men reversed his spear around to brandish the adjustable leather strap on the end. A makeshift dog catcher's pole.
"No, stop! Yoona doesn't want to hurt you!" She cried out putting her hands out to show she wasn't holding a weapon.
"Save your lies for someone who'll listen, beast!" The orc shouted. He motioned to the dog catcher. "Leash and muzzle that thing already!"
The guard with the catching pole stepped forward thrusting the end trying to get it around her neck but instead struck her in the side of the head with the pole. Yoona let out a yelp with the sudden sound of shattering glass as an invisible glyph triggered on her shoulder.
The catcher was launched backwards several yards slamming into a fruit stand. He was knocked unconscious from the impact. "Watch it! It knows magic! Eliza, prepare wards!" The elf woman started drawing several blue runes in the air as they formed into large pains of watery glass.
Tensions were high as Yoona didn't want to move and risk escalating the situation, and the guards didn't fully know how to proceed with such a potentially dangerous individual. "Boss, what's the plan?" The still standing man asked. The orc thought for a second. "Eliza, start pelting that thing with simple fire spells. Fizzle out as many glyphs as you can. Z, grab your brother's spear. Get ready to move; I'll be right behind you."
Eliza began shooting tiny wisps of fire in Yoona's direction. Yoona started using a literal meat shield to protect herself to conserve her glyphs; all while having an internal debate whether to sate her hunger or continue her self preservation tactics.
Just as soon as the leader and his subordinate we getting ready to charge but were intercepted by a grey and black figure skidded into the center of the market. With a loud bang a blue streak of lightning pierced the clouds above.
"OI! EVERYONE KNOCK IT THE FOCK OFF!" Bounty shouted, his accent as thick as his anger. "What's going on 'ere?!"
"Stay out of this cat --" The orc was interrupted by Bounty hissing at him.
"I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU, MATE!" Bounty yelled then turned to Yoona.
"Yoona knocked over the meat cart and they started attacking her." She sat and spoke sadly like a dog knowing it's about to get scolded.
"Alright, everything's fine then." Bounty said calmly. His anger was no longer directed at Yoona.
"What do you mean everything's fine? Do you even realize what you are interfering in?" The orc questioned loudly.
"Do you even know what YOU'RE interfering in?" Bounty bit back stepping up to the orc pulling the writ from his pocket. "I am Bounty Hunter-in-the-Bush, a member of The Vulgar Dynasty performing a confidential task for thee King Elias Winshire!" Bounty stood on his toes to get up into the orcs face but still only met his chest as he shoved the writ in his face.
"~Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch~." Bounty mocked wide eyed and condescendingly.
The orc read the writ with fury on his face. He turned motioning his squad to stand down. "Nothing to see here people! Everything was just a simple misunderstanding!" The orc yelled out to the crowd.
"Come on Yoona, we need to find that damn lizard!" Bounty grabbed Yoona by the wrist pulling her up. She just barely grabbed the half cooked sirloin before she was dragged off.
"Is Bounty not angry at Yoona?" She asked still following behind.
"Of fucking course I'm angry! Do you know how worried you made me?" Bounty yelled, but Yoona could only look up with a slightly stunned expression. "Can you stay by my side from now on? I don't need you running away on me anymore."
Yoona's maiden heart skipped a beat. This was the first time she had heard someone tell her, if not explicitly, that they wanted her there with them. An unnoticeable shade of pink formed under the fur of her hyena cheeks. She regained her sense upon getting a new smell. She stopped in her tracks forcing Bounty to stop with her.
"What is it? You're sniffing around a lot."
"Yoona smells blood."
"Are you sure that it's not the butcher's cart you knocked over."
"Yoona is sure. It's not the blood of animals... It's the blood of man, and elf, and many others." Yoona's face only got more worried as she continued to smell it, but Bounty only made an angry grumble.
"Why do I feel like the lizard has something to do with this?" Bounty sighed. "Lead the way, Yoona."
XXXXX
"There you are! What did you do this time?" Bounty yelled as they approached Ave who was standing outside the old colosseum.
"I found our objective." Ave stated not even looking at Bounty, but instead pointed at the portcullis doors of the massive marble structure. He too caught the stench of death on the wind.
"It's here." Yoona said with a hint of fear behind her voice. "This is where the smell is coming from."
"I'll have to take your word for it... Hold on I'll get this thing open." Bounty said as he stepped over to scale one of the marble pillars allowing him to jump in through a second story window. In a few moments the sound of chains and pulleys could be heard as the portcullis began rising. He peered his head around a corner on the inside. "You guys coming?"
The finally made their way into the colosseum proper. Only to then to be met with a gruesome sight. "I thought this place was abandoned..." Bounty spoke in awe as they all looked over a sea of red. There was hardly a place to walk with the amount of fresh bodies lying around. They all couldn't have been more than a few days old, and every single one of them wore the armor of the Arkisium army.
"All of their bodies cut, and their swords bloody." Ave said inspecting a corpse. "Did they all kill each other?"
"I don't know but --" Bounty stopped as he saw something at the center of the arena. A single figure slumped down his knees. A longsword stabbed through his back and into the ground keeping him propped up like a scarecrow guarding a corpsefield. Bounty could instantly recognize his face from the mission briefing.
"General Traren Shurath..."