After Leaving Cristina with Branko, Lucilla started making her way through the Lords army, disposing of any weak individuals along the way. She didn't kill everyone, but those she deemed to be too much of a threat was killed without mercy. Using only one of her blades she decapitated a Hunter. As the body slumped to the ground lifeless, with the head rolling towards her feet, she turned to Sara who was behind her."
"Any idea where you father could be?" She asked, creating an ice dagger and throwing it to the side. The sound of someone crying out in pain was heard from the brush, evidently, they thought they could get the jump on her.
Walking over to the injured person, Lucilla pulled back the plant life in her way, revealing a mercenary. She held her shoulder as it bled. Seeing Lucilla, she attempted to gain some distance by tossing one of her own daggers and backing away, but the monster woman was quicker. with a swift kick to the head, the woman was knocked unconscious.
"Well?" Lucilla asked once again turning to her student.
"He should be either back at their camp, or somewhere near the middle of the formation." Sara answered. "The forest has messed up their usual formation so he's probably not in the exact middle like he should be."
"I see. So, we have to just keep looking." With a sigh Lucilla once again started walking.
Weirdly enough, the longer she walked the less opposition she met. She sniffed the air, trying to see if she could catch something, despite the fact she couldn't make out individual scents at the moment. Yet something did catch her noise, a horrible rotten smell. Her fight or flight instincts flared, and they told her to find the source of this scent and eliminate it. She stopped in her tracks, taking in a deep breath as she tried to locate where the scent was coming from as a low growl escaped her.
"Teacher?" Sara asked hesitantly hearing her teacher growl.
Instead of answering Lucilla picked Sara up from the back of her cloths, like a mother cat picking up its children, and ran towards the rotten smell coming from the southeast. When she made it to the source, she found herself in a small clearing, in the scenter she found two men who looked similar to each other. They both wore mithril armor on. She also noticed the presence of multiple people surrounding the clearing, hidden from view.
A trap.
Before Lucilla could rethink her decision and leaving the area, Sara broke from her grasp. "Father!" She called out, running into the clearing.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Lucilla tried to grab her, but when she entered the area, the soldiers that wear hidden, revealed themselves, enclosing Lucilla and Sara with the two men. Sara didn't notice, but Lucilla secretly channeled Chi imbued with the wind element into her legs, drawing her second blade. She had also grabbed Sara, and held her close, slowly, keeping a good distance away from the two men. The younger looking one is where the rotten smell was coming from, so Lucilla's attention was on him specifically.
"Sara?" The older man questioned. Lucilla recognized him a Drakove, so she guessed the younger looking version of him was his son.
"I told you father; she would come straight for me. She's a monster too, so she would be attracted to my scent." Spoke Vadim.
Drakove wasn't paying attention, he instead directed a hate filled gaze towards Lucilla. "What are you doing with my daughter!" He roared stepping forward.
"Wait, it's not what you think!" Sara started to explain. "She actually saved me!"
Lucilla cautiously looked at the soldiers surrounding them, something was off about them. If this was a trap like she suspected, then they would all be looking at her, ready to intercept if she tried anything. Instead, they were all looking towards the two men. No, they were looking at Drakove. Their eyes followed the man as he stepped towards them.
Her eye's glanced over to her right, noticing four more presences still hidden.
Continuing to glare at the silver haired woman, Drakove addressed his daughter, "What do you mean by that?"
"My brother... Vadim tri-"
"You see, Father, the monster woman here saved your daughter and has indoctrinated her into its cause. Killing you in the process to take over the city." Vadim Said, cutting off Sara.
"What are you- ack!" Drakove started before the blade of a silver sword pierced through his chest. "Wha...?"
Almost as if he were in a trance, Drakove touched his chest, where the blade protruded out from him. Pulling back his hand he saw his fingers slicked with blood. The metallic smell and taste of blood filled his nose and mouth as he coughed up the red liquid, causing it to splatter to the ground. Eyes wide with shock the Lord slowly turned towards his son, his breath labored.
"Wh- why?" He asked, disbelief drawn across his face. Collapsing to the ground, he continued to stare into his son's eyes.
"Such a shame. A young mind corrupted by the evil monster woman." Vadim sighed, a regretful expression crossing his face. "Tricked into killing her own father. A tragedy for the ages."
Blood trickled down from both his wound and mouth, and with on last agonizing breath, the man collapsed at his son's feet. His empty and blank stare still looking directly at Vadim. The young man just grimaced in response since blood splattered onto his shoes. He kicked the corps away from him with annoyance.
"How... how could you!?" Sara yelled, anger bubbling inside her like never before. Even more so than when her teacher had the hypnosis done on her. She respected their father greatly, and the blatant disregard for family her brother had displayed when against what she was taught.
In a blind rage the young girl ran full tilt towards her brother, pulling throwing knives out from hidden compartments on her person. Without hesitation she threw three of them at the young man. Before they could hit him however, one of the guards ran in front of him and blocked the attack with his shield.
"Sir, get back." They spoke. Vadim, glanced at his sister before ordering another guard to pick up his father's corps before backing away.
Lucilla's eyes narrowed. 'He moved quickly.' She thought, noticing the distinct smell of the wind element coming from the man. 'He must be exceptionally trained.'
Looking at the other soldiers in the area, she came to the conclusion the one that blocked the attack was most likely the strongest on here. The other reactions were far more delayed than his, and they still seem confused on what happened exactly. He was probably about the same strength as Lucilla right now.
'Well, it would be more accurate to say I'm as strong as him right now'. She said to herself bitterly.
First, she had to grab Sara and run. The plan was to talk with the father, but that was currently impossible. She couldn't fight and protect the girl at the same time, that just wasn't a skill she had. Using the Chi running through her legs, she closed the distance between her and Sara. Scooping her up and carrying her over her shoulder she attempted to turn around.
*Clang*
Instead, she found herself fending off a strike from a sword. The soldier had moved at the same time as her and managed to close the distance just as Lucilla was about to flee. Gritting her teeth, she directed his sword to the ground before kicking at him. Her foot hit nothing but empty air, the man had let go of his weapon of all things and moved out of the way.
Taking this chance Lucilla channeled her magic through her sword and summoned a blacken ice wall between them. Ominous black fog rolled off the structure, causing the other soldier to pause. It almost moved like a living thick sludge. The soldier noticed the black fog started to move towards him unnaturally. Backing away from the ice wall, the soldier motioned for the others to keep away.
Vadim, seeing the caution the man was giving the ominous ice wall retreated all the way to the tree line. Seeing that his charge was safe, the man backed up further away from the wall.
"Carful, she's protecting herself with Miasma!" The man yelled. He couldn't believe someone would use such a thing casually. If this wasn't proof the monster woman was evil, then nothing will.
Noticing that none of the others dared to get closer, Lucilla crouched down and touched the ground with her right hand, a circular ice platform forming beneath her. Standing up she stomped the ground once, causing the platform to rapidly rise into the air, launching her and Sara into the sky and deeper into the forest. Seeing her figure sore into the air, the soldier reached out his hand, causing his sword to fly into it, before throwing it like a javelin in Lucilla direction. The sword grazed her leg, causing the woman to cry out in pain, but ultimately nothing else.
The monster woman escaped, landing somewhere deep in the forest.