------------ Allie ------------

Allie’s legs burned. They hurt so much, but she dared not stop running. The town was now only a few hundred metres away. All she had to do was run past the ever-green wood’s clearing and she would be safe. But the monster behind her, despite it tripping over every rock and exposed root in its path, was catching up fast. It’s muscular wolf legs pumping with raw bestial power, compensating for each fall.

As the town slowly came into sight, Allie could tell she wasn’t going to make it. It just looked too damn far away. She screamed again for help. But with each effort-laden step, she became a little slower. Just one more step, she thought, just one more. Until finally, her lungs gave in and she collapsed into the soft embrace of the meadow grass.

Gasping desperately for air, she looked back in horror as the beast entered leaping distance. Allie giggled nervously. This game of cat and mouse was over. She had lost. Even if the Choski didn’t kill her, the tightening in her lungs eventually would. But no matter what, she would not give up, she would be defiant to the very end.

“You… are a fucking asshole, you know that?” She smiled at the beast, wheezing with effort, “I’m not even married.”

The Choski growled, venom dripping from its scythe-like fangs. Its eyes glazed over by primal instinct as it dug its hind-legs into the ground, preparing to pounce.

Grabbing a jagged rock beside her, Allie screamed, “Come, you fucking animal!”

------------ Dangou ------------

“Come, you fucking animal!” The gatherer screamed.

How brave and admirable, thought Dangou as he stepped between the two, hands resting on Osiro’s hilt and sheath.

“Alright Mr. Choski, I’m going to have you stop right there.” He grinned, taking a glance back at its victim.

Ooo, it was a girl. Quite young. Twenty or abouts. Long hazel hair. Slim, but toned from farm work. Dangou approved. But she did seem to be having respiratory problems. Better end this nice and quickly.

The Choski snarled in anger as it realised yet another obstacle had come between it and its prey. Rearing back on its hind-legs it let out a thunderous roar, as though to tell its opponent to leave if he still wished to live. Dangou, however, stood unfazed and wrapped his fingers gently around the hilt of his blade.

“Osiro.” He commanded, “Long sword.”

The beast watched as its enemy’s weapon extended and took new form, then growled in confusion.

“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?” Dangou winked, then gritted his teeth, “Now, it’s time for you to go.”

------------ Allie ------------

Allie lay exhausted among the fresh smell of trampled grass as she awaited her death. It was strange, the Choski seemed to be taking longer than usual to pounce.

Glancing upward with her oxygen-deprived, hazy vision, she caught glimpse of a young man wearing nothing more than leather as armour, wielding a longsword.

“What are you doing here…?” She whispered, but the man didn’t respond.

She watched the man take a step back as a gigantic shadow leapt towards him. There was no way he could win, the shadow towered over him like a mountain to a molehill. With a quivering hand, she gripped the man’s leg, warning him to run through short, efforted gasps.

Eventually running out of breath, her vision dulled and she wasn’t sure what happened next. Only that there was a roar of pain, a distinct scent of blood, lots of running and lots of shouting. After that, her breath finally ran cold and she blanked out.

------------ Dangou ------------

Dangou grimaced as the white witch applied her healing salts to the gash on his shoulder.

“A little gentler please…” He winced.

The witch nodded and let go of the packet.

“You’re lucky.” She said, clicking her tongue with disapproval, “To defeat a Choski and live to tell the tale.”

Dangou laughed, but immediately regretted it as his gash opened a little.

“That’s called skill, not luck, my dear angel.” He winked, holding back his pain.

“Whatever you say young man…” she sighed, “But if it had been just a few hours later, you wouldn’t be so lively now.”

Dangou shivered as the witch rubbed yet another ice-cube*along his wound.

“Perhaps.” He replied.

For a while they sat in silence, until suddenly Osiro broke into conversation.

“So how is the girl?” Osiro asked.

The witch jumped back in surprise, startled at the fact that a sword could speak.

“Your sword can speak!?” She whispered in awe, glancing back and forth, between the user and the blade.

“Yes, it’s a rather special enchantment so don’t mind her too much.” Dangou replied.

He had already gotten used to the reactions from his many years in the Queens’ court.

Gulping down her astonishment, the witch nodded slowly and returned to mending his wound.

“The girl is physically unharmed.” She answered, “but her mind is stuck in the dream-realm.”

“Limbo?” Dangou asked.

“Of sorts.” She nodded, “We managed to save the body, but the spirit is lost.”

Dangou nodded.

“So what can we do?” Osiro asked.

The witch turned to face the sword and smiled.

“Well… Much like how you were probably created, we need an anchor for her soul.” She explained.

“For you, it would’ve been the enchantment, but for us humans, it is something by which we identify deeply.”

Osiro flushed pink.

“Find that anchor and she’ll come flying back huh.” Dangou noted.

“Yes.” The witch replied. “Hopefully.”

“Well.” Dangou sighed, “Any ideas?”

Suddenly, the door creaked open to reveal a heavy built man wearing a blacksmith’s apron.

“Yes,” Said the man, “I do.”

------------ Chapter 2 End ------------

*Ice-cubes were used to dull the pain around by chilling the pain-receptors around the wound*

"Sorry if this chapter was a bit average I had a writer's block half way through >"

- BBBTheSecond