Kingdom of Hallos, The Gold Feline Cortigiana, Present day.
Xeto instinctively reached for his sword.
The courtesan wore a fancy brown garment with black leather leggings underneath. "More Zuland swine want to die with alongside their commander?" said the girl as she cleaned her blade on the bodice. "I can arrange that." Within a second she closed the gap swinging her shortsword.
Xeto freed his blade just in time to meet steel with steel. "Stop!"
The girl quickly spun as she swept her leg under him.
A small end table was reduced to splinters as Xeto toppled to the ground.
The girl's sword was inches from Xeto's neck as Roy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her away.
Xeto's quickly got to his feet as his heart pace quickened.
Roy struggled to keep hold of her as she quickly kicked off a nearby wall, using the force to push him straight into a bed post. "Damn," he exclaimed as he let go. He quickly rushed in to take hold of her once more.
"Roy wait," shot Xeto. His words fell on death ears as the girl ducked under Roy and took hold of his arm, twisted it and threw him over her back.
Xeto quickly dashed in and blocked her sword from landing a fatal blow on his fallen friend. "Who are you!?"
The girl's blue eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.
The eyes of a soldier. Xeto quickly pushed her blade aside and went for a thrust. He missed as he cut only through her regal garment.
She dove back and rolled across the wide bed. As she reached the opposite end, she ripped off the damaged clothes, revealing a sleeveless deep crimson tunic underneath.
"We're not your enemies," exclaimed Xeto.
The girl's tunic was tightly woven out of a material that resembled leather, almost like armor. It reached only to her upper stomach, leaving her abdomen and navel exposed. She kicked a small nearby stool violently.
Xeto predicted its trajectory and cut it cleanly in two. As expected, the girl used that tactic to close the gap once more. They engaged in a dance of parries as Xeto moved back. He was losing ground as the girl's strikes came faster. His back was nearly against the wall as he looked for an opening that never came. He grunted as he reached the wall. Her fighting technique was based around relentless offense, so how in Elsire was she besting him? He threw out another ill-timed swing.
His opponent snaked under the slash as she took hold of his waist.
Everything spun as she once again kicked off the wall, flipped over and sent him to the ground. He knew what followed; another attempt to finish him. He quickly encased his arm in dark crystal and caught her incoming thrust inches from his eye. His muscled tensed as he caught a glimpse of a silhouette at her rear.
The dead general had turned. The newly-born demon closed in on the unsuspecting girl.
Xeto took ahold of her wrist with his opposing hand, overpowered her, and pulled her aside before the demon's fangs dug into her nape.
The demon's snarls quickly turned to gurgles as an arrow flew into its mouth out and out of its neck.
"Now, mate!" yelled Roy as he readied another arrow.
Xeto took no second for granted as he pounced atop it and dug his claw into its cranium. A splatter of warm blood painted his upper cheek. The smell alone made his stomach churn. He stood and backed away from the corpse.
The girl's eyes were wide with trepidation, bouncing from the him and the demon. "You spoke the truth after all…Roxas," she murmured.
Roxas? "How do you—"
Distant yells and commands grew louder as a group Zuland soldiers flooded the door. "What is this!" The men shared looks of shock as they pointed their weapons at the false courtesan.
"General Chonsey is dead!" said one.
The girl quickly got to her feet and dashed towards a window at the end of the room.
"Wait!" yelled Xeto.
"Murderer! Don't let her escape, men!" The Zuland soldiers closed in.
The window shattered as she dove through it and landed on a rooftop ten feet away.
"Get back here, assassin!" The men froze beside the fracted window frame. None of them risked attempting the jump and falling three stories to the stone paved path below.
"Quickly, men. We must go around!" He looked at the pair. "You two stay here and keep guard."
Who is she? Xeto waited for the platoon of men to leave the room.
Roy shared his in his confusion. "Roxas?"
"I'm going after her." Xeto readied himself before dashing at full speed. His heart raced with every step towards the edge. Wind howled in his ears as he lunged across the gap. His chest reignited with content as he landed on the clay tiles. "Let's go, Roy!"
The rooftops of Beswind were closely spaced, allowing for easy traversing. The maze of orange plates almost formed bridges, as if built deliberately so.
The girl wasn't too far ahead, she glared back at her pursuers. She ripped the remaining skirt portion of her garment before continuing down the rooftop.
Xeto ran behind her, his balance threatened by some of the loose slates. "Wait."
She reached the end of the roof and climbed up a large vertical wall without a cut in her speed as she ran down the alure.
Roy's footsteps loudened as he caught up. "I'll help you up." He quickly pressed up against the wall, locking his fingers like a sling's cradle."
Xeto stepped into his hands and was boosted up. He got to his feet and followed behind her.
She was reaching the end of the wall walk.
The surrounding rooftops were now far below them as the wall ascended in a sharp incline.
Nowhere left to run. Xeto panted aloud as is throat stung.
The girl leapt atop the wall battlements as light particles surrounded her hand.
A light auror?
She formed a light crystal in her palm and threw it like a spear to the rooftops below. Without looking back, she vaulted off the edge.
She won't survive that fall! Xeto threw out his hand off the edge. "No."
Midway through the air the girl vanished in a flash of light.
Xeto uncovered his eyes from the bright assault just in time to see the girl reappear on top of the roof. Light teleportation. It was a feat he had heard rumors of, though he had never witnessed it before. He exhaled as he readied himself to follow suit. He leapt off the wall. His chest tensed up, midway through flight he formed a crystal shield and cradled behind it. A second later the heavy impact was partly absorbed by the cracked gemstone, allowing him to roll and break his fall. He took no second to admire his accomplishment.
The girl's brow glistened with sweat as her lips parted. She gritted her teeth before vaulting over a chimney and down into an alleyway using nearby barrels and crates.
He followed through the dusty alley and back into the light. They now ran across the city streets dodging crowds of civilians. They reached a bridge that cut above the lower streets where a countless river of people walked about. Some ignored the pursuit as if it was an everyday sight while others pointed fingers and wore masks of visible confusion.
"Sorry lads," said Roy, who was following from the lower streets.
Xeto noticed the large open courtyard-like at the center of the city which had bridges connecting to all sides. He better understood why Beswind was titled 'The City of Bridges'.
The girl jumped over a collection of small stalls by running on the outer walls of the surrounding buildings.
They reached another alleyway infested with barrels and moldy crates. At the end was a fairly large garden that was surrounded by high walls and with no exit in sight.
The girl sprinted down the paved path at the center and slowed her pace. She hunched over, hands on her knees as her chest rose and fell.
Xeto put up his hand defensively. "Are you done?" he asked between breaths.
Roy came from his flank. "Phew…" He leaned against the wall. "You…you have nowhere left to run. There's two of us, you're trapped."
Xeto pushed his bangs aside. The taste of salt lingered on his lips from the continued sweat.
The girl returned a glare to the duo. "I could care less. Besides, I'm not the one who's trapped." Her voice was cold.
Seconds later a collection of men bearing the same tattoos as the girl jumped down from the surrounding rooftops. They were armed with a multitude of weapons from swords to spears.
The girl shrugged mockingly. "Enjoy the daylight, this is the last you'll see it."