House of Dark-Stalker

Prompt for Warrior Wensday

Droplets of blood ran down into Aes’s palm from several accidental cuts and stabs, as she struggled to cut the robes that dug into her wrists. Breathing deeply through the slow and painful progress. The stranger provided more than enough of a distraction for her savage captors. At times, she couldn’t help but stare in awe at the display of skill.

This man, or thing, fought equally with ferocity and grace. Dodging, diving, slipping between strikes. He moved among the barbarians, with a flurry of strikes to vital points. He only had a sword, but used it very well. Striking with edge, pummel, and guard. Surprising blows from his fist, feet and knees. 

Martial prowess was not his only forte. Before Aes could even shout to warn him. The fighter’s very shadow solidified, coming to life to parry a strike from behind, running the savage through with masterful fluidity, before returning to its owner. 

Having cut herself free, Aes fell upon her hands and knees. Looking up through her dark curls, she watched as the barbarians fled with their failing bravado. The black clad fighter refused to yield in his merciless assault. Unleashing a barrage of arrows from a bow he wove from the shadows. Stopping only once all movement had ceased, he turned back to face Aes.

She stared up at the tall fighter walking towards her. Unsure of his motives, Aes tightened her fingers around the handle of the dagger, slowly rising to face him. His stature backed her against the stake they had tied her to. She could make out his features the closer he came.

Though he appeared human, maybe even more than human. His eyes were completely black with artic white skin, youthful and smooth, decorative scars around his cheeks and brow. He seized her wrist with inhuman strength, ripping the dagger from her palm. With a cold expression, he glanced over the weapon, while Aes clenched her fists to slow the bleeding she had inflicted on herself.

He spoke to her in a deep whispering hiss, never looking at her, only the black dagger. Unsure of what to say, Aes shook her head and shrugged, but this didn’t bold well. With otherworldly strength, he pinned her against the stake with his hand on her throat. Repeating the words in the same tone.

“What do you want?!” she shouted in gasps from his tightening grip. Aes grabbed his writst with both hands, struggling to break free. Fiercely pounding her fist against his arm, was painful, like striking a piece of steel. He moved in closer, whispering the words slowly into her ear, pressing the dagger directly under her chin. Its sharp point slowly puntuncutred her skin.

Struggling to hold her composure, let alone breath, Aes repeated the words. Struggling to remember their meaning.

“‘Where’…’where’…’get’…” she whispered, fighting back the tears of her fear. He nodded and repeated the words again. Rationalizing that he must be asking about the dagger, She struggled to find the words.

She knew where she got it. The question of how to answer in a language she was barely able to understand, let alone speak. Struggling to remember what to say and how to say it was difficult enough, with this thing choking her to death. She muttered out several words,  hoping to say the right ones. He tilted his head confused, by her random muttering, the only expression he made so far.

“D-d-drau!” she said with a breathy exhale. He repeated the word back to her in a tone that seemed to suggest a question, loosening his grip on her to answer. She nodded in short bursts, cautious of the dagger at her throat. He stared at her a moment, responding something back to her that she partly recognized.

‘Untrue.’

Aes slipped to the ground as the fighter forced her back harder. His hand tightening over her neck, her bare feet made small ruts in the ground as she tried to break free. He pressed the flat of the blade against her face, its point aimed directly at her eye, collecting several of her tears. She repeated the word several times in earnest, struggling to push him off. 

A soft hiss on the skin of his hand, the fighter dropped the blade to the ground. Pulling his hand back to look at the cross-shaped burn in the back. He shook it in pain before turning his attention back to Aes, throwing her to the side. She rolled several times, her chest heaved as she gasped for air. Coughing and hacking on the ground.

The fighter winced as he stared at the burn, then at Aes, who hurried to grab her dagger and run. Stumbling several times from the lack of oxygen, she barely managed to get six feet before the fighter’s shade intercepted her. With a swift strike to the gut, Aes went down. Kneeling over in pain, already unable to breathe. 

“Ye’ga” the fighter hissed as he approached, drawing his sword. Aes had heard that before, though she didn’t know what it meant. The shadow grabbed and pinned her down. It’s boot pressed firmly down on her left wrist. Tears of pain and fear ran down her face, Aes could only hope her death would be quick. A clump of her hair was seized by the roots and as the fighter rose his blade, Aes’s face fell back towards the ground. 

She blinked several times, turning back to see what horrors had been done. The Fighter stood over her, dark eyes coldly glaring down upon the poor human. In his hands, we wrapped something up in a weave with a small robe. A familiar raven black thickness. Aes reached for her scalp, lower lip trembling, sadness and rage bubbled in her eyes. This demon had cropped her hair off.