Fen sighed as she finished the soup and bread and licked her lips. Hunger might have been an intense feeling, but relieving oneself of that hunger was well worth it. She looked over at her companion who was not quite done with his plate. He gave her a smile at first, then froze hearing a sudden metallic sound a little ways off. It was as if metal had hit against another surface.
"Hm, what is it, Liko?" The boy ignored Fen and stared off. Soon enough though, he shook his head and continued with his meal. Fen waved her hand slightly at him as a joke, and he rolled his eyes.
Fen took this time to look around at the others sitting at the bar. There were quite a few people crammed into this small inn, she thought. Paz really must have been famous for vagabonds. Everyone was dressed differently. She hummed to herself.
Liko seemed uneasy. Fen's gaze darted to him as he put down his bread and looked down. Around the same time, one of the men sitting at the bar stood up and walked towards them. Fen watched him as he slowly approached. Something about him was oddly familiar. It was like a familiar scent that emanated from him and reminded her of those few moments she could recall from Purgatory.
"Ah." Fen put her right hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. What was with this sudden pain in her head?
Liko's hands balled up into fists. The man finally stopped behind the two fallen, and his hand went to tap Liko on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir. What is that you're eating over there?" He asked a harmless question. Right now, Fen just wanted this person to leave. Her hand dropped from her forehead, but her eyes were blank as if she were lost in a flashback.
Liko barely turned when he glared at the figure behind him. He seemed to recognize him, but Fen wasn't focusing on that right now. Her hands were on the table, and she couldn't do more than stare at them. She was remembering something from that dreadful place, Purgatory. She knew this scent. She was certain.
"No! No, no!" Fen shut her eyes and gripped the sides of her throbbing head. "Go away! Go away! I won't go back!" She said and shook her head. Her eyes were wet.
Hearing her suffering, Liko became infuriated. He assumed it was this man making her say things. He sprung up from his seat instantly, and leaped onto the bar as his nails grew into long claws. Swiftly, he slashed with them at the man, who skillfully dodged. The dishes on the table were swept onto the ground and their plates cracked sending shards of glass flying. The large ruckus caused everyone in the inn to turn their heads. Some people began to scream and flee the scene screaming about a monster. Liko wasn't concerned about any of the humans around.
Fen might not have remembered this person, but how could Liko forget his face? The boy still possessed all of his Purgatory memories. He would never forgive the Demigods for what they had done to him. Sure, he had disobeyed the higher beings, but did he deserve all of the cruel things the Demigods had done in retaliation? He wouldn't believe it in a second. They had robbed him of his flight, his voice, his sight in one eye, and of so much more. The punishment did not fit the crime here. He wouldn't do it. He could never forgive this Demigod standing in front of him. To make it worse, the man was making Fen suffer. Therefore, this person should suffer.
Liko bared his sharpened teeth, and jumped down from the bar. With a swift movement, he swiped again at the man with claws, and then while using one hand for balance on the ground, delivered a harsh kick. This person however, was no amateur when it came to these type of situations. He stepped back again, dodging the attack, and Liko twirled around to deliver another kick with his right leg this time. The man's arm snapped up instantly blocking with a sharp movement, and the two almost froze from the impact. The Demigod was strangely calm, despite the fact that Liko was so quick.
The boy's eyes showed hints of surprise. Never before had he been so evenly matched in speed or reflexes. Even when his wings were being torn in Purgatory, he fought back with such persistence they had to bring in even more Demigods to subdue him. And even after they had done that, and had blinded him, they still weren't able to get rid of the last of his left wing. Yet here was this man, blocking his attacks without a flinch.
It was at this time, Fen had regained her senses. The fallen turned around to see the fight ensuing right in front of her. What she wanted to know was why Liko had attacked so suddenly. Though she knew the boy was a formidable opponent, she didn't know how long he would hold up against this unknown person. Right now, she wanted this fight to stop so she could gather what was really going on.
The Demigod drew his katana then with his left hand. He gave the appearance of swinging right, so Liko moved accordingly in order to dodge. However, it was misdirection. The katana actually went left and the boy suddenly leaned backwards to avoid the slash at the last moment. It was a clever trick indeed. The tip of the blade nicked his face, and gave him the tiniest cut below his left eye. Liko growled at him, and quickly recovered from his lack of balance. He drew his arm back and stabbed forward with his right claw. When he missed, he stuck the claw into the inn's wooden wall and used it to climb up around the man. He dodged the katana's slashes as he climbed and finally jumped down to kick again.
Fen was becoming fed up with this game of cat and mouse. She wouldn't sit on the sidelines any longer. Besides, her head was feeling just fine now.
"Stop it! Right-" Fen dived forward and interfered with the kick by blocking it with both forearms. "...now-!" She grabbed Liko's ankle then, and pushed him to the ground, away from the man's next quick attack, which she also dodged then by turning her body suddenly to the right. Liko was so surprised, it took him a moment to realize that Fen was the one that had intercepted the kick. He stared dumbfounded for a moment, before remembering who exactly it was he was in a fight with. There was just no way he would back down, even if Fen got involved like this.
The boy sidestepped past Fen with stealth and continued his assault on the Demigod, his true target. Liko crouched down and then moved his leg across the floor as if he were trying to trip his opponent. When the man jumped up to avoid, Liko quickly surprised him by slashing at his chest with a claw, causing the Demigods clothing to tear. He had only landed one hit.
Afterwords, the two figures were moving so quickly, Fen could hardly discern what was going on from this point of view. She stepped back trying to see where the attacks were coming from. They were using the full space of the inn now that most if not all of the humans had cleared out from the space. The tables were being shredded between Liko's claws and the Demigods katana.
The Demigod leaped onto one of the few unscathed tables now and pushed off of it with his left foot. He flipped causing some disorientation on Liko's side. With the hilt of his blade, he struck Liko on his blinded side and the force was so intense he crashed into the inn's wall. Blood dripped down the side of his face, and he made a raspy sound. If he had his voice, it would have probably been a cry of pain.
Fen was furious. She rushed to Liko and threw herself into a kneel beside him. Delicately, she pried him from the wall, and cradled him in her arms. With the palm of her right hand she wiped away the blood from his face and put some pressure on his wound. She of all people knew about how painful a head wound could be.
"I told you to stop! This is what happens-! Why didn't you listen-!?" Fen exclaimed. Liko exhaled sharply and claws slowly turned back into regular nails. He thought maybe it wasn't so bad to listen to her now. He was done trying to vent his anger. For now, he would try to calm his rapid breathing. With tired eyes, he looked to the Demigod who pointed the katana down now.
"How dare you! You attack a child, you insufferable being!" Fen spat at the Demigod as she held on to her only friend. Something about this man brought her back to her days in Purgatory, and she wasn't about to let someone like that near her or Liko again. She glared at him, but she knew a child could very well glare too. Challenge him? Taking care of Liko was her first priority right now.
The man approached her, and held up his blade just a few inches from the ground. Slowly, he brought it to her chin and lifted her face with it. Glaring might have been futile, but that didn't mean she would stop. She glared even more so with even more intensity.
"Mercy is the one thing not making me push this sword another few inches forward." The man said coldly in response to her insult.
"Mercy." Fen grabbed the blade with her hand until it drew blood. "I don't need it from someone like you. You disgust me. You're just like all the other Demigods!" She shouted. She knew what he was. There was no other explanation for why he had the scent of Purgatory on him.
The Demigod seemed not to be phased by her words. After a moment, he tugged the blade away from Fen. He sheathed the katana.
"Oh. I didn't mean to insult you." The man said. "I was only telling the truth." His gaze went to Liko, who's eyes were now closed. The boy must have been feeling a bit light headed from the sudden injury.
"Speaking of truth, you need to keep that dog on a leash." When he said this, Fen punched ahead with her right arm. but the person, of course, moved out of the way of the strike. Ignoring the man now, Fen wrapped Liko in her cloak so that his left wing was hidden once more.
"Leave us alone." Fen said as she picked him up. She wore a solemn expression now.
"If you must know, I wasn't the one to throw the first punch." The man said. "I was simply defending myself. You were there, you should have seen." The man kept his sword close, and he was blocking Fen's exit from the inn. She looked to Liko and sighed. So the boy was the instigator, was he?
She looked down. "Step aside." Fen said.
Suddenly, the bar tender that had served Fen and Liko before, stood up from behind the bar. He must have been hiding the whole time under the counter.
"My inn! How will I ever-!? Who's going to pay for this!?" The poor bartender looked around, pitying his poor establishment that was now wrecked.
Fen turned and flashed a smile at the poor man. "Oh, this person here said he would cover the damages. Good day." With that, she left in the direction of Kiele's shop.
--------xXx
Notes: Draft version of 3rd Memory
Will be edited later.
Feel free to drop a comment if you're reading :3
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Some fantasy stories.
Tale of a Fallen | Daronian Rose
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Ember-Nine-Tails
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