"Ave, slow down. I'm sure Bounty can handle himself against whatever is hunting him. We were all chosen as the hero. Remember." Ag tried to verbally stop the hastily moving lizard, but to no avail.
"There are no heroes. Only those who hunt and those who are hunted. I will not tolerate another halt of my mission, and if you try you will become one of the latter." Ave hissed never taking a moment to look at Ag, but rather forward. An almost literal 1000-yard-stare as his gaze was focused on his prey.
"We can keep moving, just ease up a bit. Mordeki is trying to catch up. And if this so called beast is as powerful you say, we're going to need more the two of us." Ag reasoned. Ave still wasn't having it.
"Speak for your--" Ave abruptly cut himself off as he clutched his head. His eyes glinted purple as he groaned in pain. His bones clinking and scrapping as he fell to his knees.
"Ave! What wrong?" Ag reached down to grab Ave's shoulder only to immediately recoil after feeling something sliding, almost crawling underneath his scales.
Ag took a moment to peer into Ave's soul and was hit by a strong sense of dread. Ave's three separate flames were trying to form together into some monochrome monstrosity. Ag instinctually knew he didn't want to find out what happens when their shape is complete, but even he didn't know what he needed to do to stop it.
"Ave, what's happening? How do I help?"
Ave groaned and hissed before finally getting the words out. "Stop. The. Bell."
Ag was use to the constant noise of the city. Most sounds simply fell into the back of his perception. Only now that it was mentioned he could hear it. The toll of the bell of a town crier.
"Terrible news from the town of Cheval!"
TING!
[You were our Apex.]
"The H.M.S Nevalaid found crashed against her rocky cliffs."
TING!
[How could you just abandon us?]
"All crew and cargo lost to the watery depths!"
TING!
[How could you abandon me, Ave?]
"The lighthouse meant to guide her was missing it's light gem, and the keeper was found dead!"
TING!
[You should have never been the Apex...]
"Eye witnesses give us two potential suspects--"
CRUNCH!
"Aye! What gives?" The crier yelped. He backed up upon seeing the dragonkin standing above him holding the crushed metal of the bell in his hands.
"Sorry, but it was a life or death situation." Though Ag meant to be reassuring, he only gave a stern glare.
The crier let out a nervous laugh. "Haha, alright. I guess I don't need the bell anyway!" He backed away visibly sweating. Ag tossed the scrap metal onto the ground and ran back to Ave who was now being looked over by Mordeki.
"What's wrong with you?" Mordeki asked in a concerned but annoyed tone.
"I should ask the same of you." Ave retaliated in his usual emotionless manner.
Mordeki stood back up straight with Ag's approach. "Is he okay?" Ag asked.
Mordeki scoffed. "Other than his body barely being held together on his own... which is a miracle in of itself... he's fine."
"Good." Ag sighed to himself. He then checked on Ave's flames. They were back to normal. Well, THEIR normal.
'Ever curious.' Ag thought to himself. 'Built like he's already waste deep in the grave, yet he's somehow incredibly spry. Are his three flames actually working together to keep him alive? Then what was that merge they were attempting? It caused such distress. All caused by what... a fucking crier's bell of all things? Unbelievable.'
Ave stood to his feet. "Let's go. My hunt isn't over."
"OH NO NO!" Mordeki stepped in front of Ave to stop him. His frills flaring in an offensive stance. "You just had some sort of attack, or seizure, or something! You need to rest."
Ave simply gazed deeply into Mordeki's eyes. Mordeki's frills fell as he stepped out of the way. Ave pushed past and continued his hunt.
"What was that? You're the world renowned court mage of the Talvadi Queendom, and you back down to a half dead lizard." Ag whisper yelled at Mordeki.
Mordeki brushed dust off his coat. "A dragonkin could never understand the self preservation instincts of the lizardfolk. They say the eyes are the window to the soul... Do you know what I saw?"
Ag stood silent in anticipation.
"A monster that neither me, nor you, nor anyone can stop if it's unleashed."
XXXXX
Later that evening, across town.
XXXXX
"Oh, hey Alley Cat."
"It's Lily, remember?" The disheveled little girl responded.
"Sorry, I'm bad at remembering the name of every Sheila I meet unless I work with them for a long time." Bounty laughed.
"Then I'll just have to make you remember me." The girl giggled cutely.
Whistle grabbed onto the back of Bounty's collar and pulled him away.
"Oi! Mate, what the fuck!?" Bounty struggled to get out of his grip, which he succeeded only after Whistle had pulled him a good distance from the child.
"We need to talk, now." Whistle commanded in a unusually serious tone.
"Shit, was I giving off a weird pedo vibe? I swear this is only the second time I've seen her!" Bounty nervously confessed. This prompted a confused Whistle.
"What? No! Listen, there's something off about that girl." Whistle whispered.
"If you didn't like children you could of just said so without being a cryptic asshole."
"Ohmygodsfuckinglisten!" Whistle said quickly and exasperated placing his hands on Bounty's shoulders. "Before I came here I've had to deal with liars, thieves, and killers on a day to day basis. Trust me when I say that that 'girl' is one of them."
Bounty let out a disbelieving chuckle. "And I made a career out of hunting liars, thieves, and killers on a day to day basis. I think I can handle some little girl." Bounty pushed Whistle's hands aside and went walking back to Lily. Whistle cautiously watched from the distance.
"So, whatcha need Alley Cat? Wait, let me guess; some money for candy?" Bounty joked.
"Your coat." She said with a cheeky smile.
"Seriously? This again? Sorry kid, not going to happen."
"Why not?" She said with a sad whine.
"Because this coat has a lot of sentimental value... and it would also be way too big on you. Why do you want it anyway?"
"Cause I like the pretty dark grey color!"
Bounty looked at his own duster rubbing his fingers along the smooth black leather. "I think it's more like a light black, but to each their own I guess."
"Bounty! Watch it!" Whistle called out.
Bounty looked in Whistle's direction, then his body lurched as he felt a piercing pain in his calf. He looked down to see Lily pulling a knife from his leg. She looked up flashing her sharpened teeth. "Told you I wanted your coat."
Bounty fell to the ground clutching his wound, but was able to get a kick off with his working leg knocking Lily a few feet back. She then dodged a glass arrow with adept grace, and glared in Whistle's direction with a predatory grin.
Whistle nocked another arrow pointed for Lily. "Back up! I'm not too keen on killing a child, or whatever you are, but I'll do it if I have too!" He shouted. The few nightly pedestrians on the streets had all been alerted to the skirmish. Some simply backed up to give space and spectate while others made a run for it.
"Then I guess you'll have to!" Lily giggled back as she charged towards Whistle. She jumped over the first arrow and got down on all fours. She barrel rolled away from another and was quickly approaching Whistle before he could draw his next.
Just before she could pounce forward a rogue trident stabbed into the ground infront of her stopping her in her tracks. "Step away from the cats you little freak!" Reggie called out charging forward towards the skirmish.
While Lily was suddenly distracted by the new adversary. Whistle subtly flashed a barely visible green rune infront of himself. His forearms glowed with an eerie orange. He gestured towards the trident causing it to spin in place moving the shaft to slam into Lily's face; bloodying her nose.
"Ahh! Dammit!" She cried out. She scurried backwards and started to run. She took cover in the crowd disabling Whistle from taking another shot.
"Damn! Amazing timing Reggie, but I need you to follow her. I'll watch Bounty in case she comes back." Whistle ran over to tend to Bounty who was already trying to tend to his own wound.
"Fuck, I was hoping I had enough of chasing kids around today." Reggie pulled his trident from the ground and gave pursuit.
"Shit, Bounty, I got you." Whistle sat up next to him.
"Don't worry... I-- AH-- got myself." Bounty winced as he continued his effort to tourniquet his leg with scrap cloth he ripped off his tunic underneath his leather armor. Which was now leaving his chest exposed.
"Stop moving, let me help!" Whistle commanded. Bounty finally let go and Whistle took over to get a proper tie for the tourniquet, as well as a bandage for the wound. Whistle pulled back suddenly getting really flustered.
The smoothness of Bounty's fur. The muscles under his fur. The pain expression on his face. He's even gently biting his own knuckles.
'If it wasn't for the almost deadly situation...' Whistle thought. 'This would be so hot!'
"Aye! What the hells is going on infront of my establishment!" A bald dwarf with a braided orange beard called out. "Make way, make way!"
The crowd started to disperse as the spectacle was gone making the dwarf's entrance it a bit easier. He was instantly upset at the sight of a catfolk bleeding all over the road.
"Hey! Could you two go bleeding on some other street. You're messing with my business!"
Whistle was about to start going off on the dwarf until a fuzzy, blood covered hand pressed on his face. Bounty groaned sitting himself up. "Are you... Rusty?"
"Yeah? What of it?"
"I need... ah... Lixin Special."
The dwarf's expression changed from angry to a serious concern. "Grab your friend, and bring him inside." The dwarf unlocked the door to the Moonlit Musician.
"We're taking him to 'her'."