Lanius now looked at the female figure without saying a word. Same for the three others.
"I can tell by your expressions you've never met a superior being." the figure exclaimed.
"That's not it, we've met quite many and judging by your flashy entrance, you're at the bottom of the list." Rakan replied.
The figure spun her weapon and vines surrounded Rakan, binding him in an instant.
"Rakan!" Xayah rushed towards him to help him.
"Watch your tongue, peasant! I'll not be so kind next time!" the figure replied.
"Your ice magic is quite good, I'll give you points for that. That and for the flashy entrance." Lanius cracked his shoulder joints. "But attacking my friends...that's a major flag right there..."
"An elementalist such as me isn't common. Your ice wolves are also good, traveller. But can you keep up with me, Qiyana Yun Tal?"
Without a word, Lanius summoned an ice spike below him that send him on the wall. He landed in front of the figure in a crouching position.
The figure backed away, into the edge. Lanius was able to see her better now. White hair, brown tights and a green leotard. She looked relatively young too. "A child, huh? We got ambushed by a child with a ring blade?" he thought.
"So, Qiyana Yun Tal...I'll give you another point for being so brave." the young man said and got up. "But if you think that you and your ring blade can handle six warriors that you're unaware of their capabilities, just because you're a Yunalai...you don't know what you're dealing with." Lanius coldy added.
"It's not a ring blade, it's an ohmlatl, Idiot!" Qiyana glared at the Winter, as if he had insulted her. "And you think that I'm not capable of defeating you, mere ice mage? Perhaps if you grovel at my feet, I'll forgive you!" she added with a smirk.
"Child...do you really underestimate me?" Lanius asked.
"Do not call me a child, plebeian. I shall show you now who you underestimate!" Qiyana rushed towards the Winter with her weapon ready. Lanius summoned his "Krigsoks" (he finally found a name instead of "poleaxe".) and instantly slammed it against her Ohmlatl.
He'd go easy on the kid, as she was simply too arrogant to see the truth. She wasn't fighting another intruder...but rather nature.
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The hunter dove yet again to avoid the vesani's orb.
Each wave of hits came for him harder and harder. Each time the orb was flung at him, he felt as if something left his body. He felt as if he was more and more tired.
"What...are you doing...to me?" the hunter growled.
"Nothing much...just stealing your life essence." the vesani began to toss the orb around with her tails.
"You...you drained my soul?" Rengar was left speechless.
"Indeed...and I gotta say that you taste pretty good." she added and licked her lips.
Rengar felt nauseous. "You sick demon..."
"You asked for it, kitty." Ahri smirked again.
The hunter roared and hurled his bola at her. Ahri dashed away and flung her orb at him yet again, hitting him on the shoulder.
The Hunter stumbled with a pained yowl...and collapsed. Perhaps he could trick her.
The vesani approached him. Rengar held that position. A strong urge to sleep overtook his senses.
The hunter now struggled to keep his mind clear as the vesani stopped directly above him.
"Poor kitty. If only you knew that I didn't suck your soul...but instead threw you the same thing that you used to drug me. I dipped my tails into your pouch while you thought I was subdued...and covered the orb by tossing it around with my tails. Little by little, you inhaled it...oh poor kitty."
Her scent grew closer. She was...directly above him...and perhaps leaned over his bulky body.
"And one last thing...perhaps you might listen to me now, but who cares. I'm not the soul demon you're so eager to hunt...I'm just a vesani...or perhaps I'm the so called demons offspring...who knows." the vesani chuckled.
Rengar had heard enough. He grabbed her leg and threw her on the ground. The vesani yelped. He then got above her. She was clearly shocked, the always trick worked.
"Offspring, huh?" he now asked as he gripped her neck with one hand, with the other, he searched for his weapon.
The fox's eyes widened. She tried to speak, but the hunter tightened his grip, cutting off any sound besides some choked yelps. "So you're the demons offspring...making you another demon regardless. You came in Ixtal to rip people from their souls...so it still makes you my prey!"
The fox then looked enraged. Rengar suddenly was overwhelmed by a feeling of dread, followed by his ears ringing.
As his vision darkened, he saw the fox smirk...
Then the hunter fell back, into the grass covered dirt with a loud thud.
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Ahri gasped for air. The fact that she saved her windpipe from getting crushed at the last moment, by actually sucking a portion of the Hunter's soul was nothing but a miracle.
Riker softly pressed its snout against her right shoulder. Ahri sat down and took a few deep breaths. That thrill seeking lion would wake up in a few hours...without any memories of her scent.
Under other circumstances, she wouldn't have attacked him...but he left her no choice.
"Should we get back to Lanius?" she wondered.
As an answer, Vitiate came and sat next to her. Ahri stabilised her breath and just sat there. "I guess I'll allow myself a few minutes of rest, before we go find the others."
Vitiate stuck its tongue out and yapped.
"Yeah...that kitty was so mad. All it had in his head was hunting. Hunting one after the other. Gee!" Ahri sighed as she rubbed Riker's snout.
Suddenly, the wolf darted up and began growling at the sky, followed by the other one. Ahri's ears flopped back as she tried to pinpoint the threat that agitated the two ice guardians.
Just then, a giant avian being swooped from above them towards the location of camp. As it did so, a few flakes of shredded ice dropped on the ground.
Ahri jumped up. "Rest time over!" she exclaimed and rushed off with the wolves in front of her.
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Qiyana sliced at the young man with her ohmlatl. Lanius raised his Krigsoks and blocked the weapon. He was tired, yet he kept fighting with ease.
The woman was experienced with her weapon, but so was the young man with both ice magic and the Krigsoks.
The weapons collided yet again, and sparks with shredded ice flew. Qiyana summoned a combination of rocks, ice needles and vines at the Winter, but the young man summoned ice walls to defend himself.
"Good moves, young one. You really know how to handle your ohmlatl...sorry, I mean ring blade." Lanius replied as he slammed his Krigsoks at her weapon.
"It's not a ring blade!" Qiyana yelled as she threw a watermelons sized rock at him.
Lanius raised his Krigsoks and sliced the rock in half. He didn't intend to harm her, yet he also didn't intend to get damaged himself.
"You're good yourself with ice magic, for a peasant!" Qiyana exclaimed.
Lanius chuckled and changed his stance. "Oh...I'm more than an ice mage, but it matters not."