The Black Shroud

"Hah....hah....haah!" Rebecca exhaled, running deeper into the woodland, her heart pounding in her chest, and sweat ran down her perspired features. She had been running for nearly three days with little rest. She was sure, absolutely sure, that Abdel sent a search party for her. They won't let up! Why I'm so important that they'd sick a Lamia on me?! She thought, looking at the pistol she took from the guard she knocked out in her escape. She managed to break out of that freaky prison in the desert, and with limited provisions made it this far. But after her second day on the run, she began to notice the slither and shape of a creature that resembled the Apophis that guarded that prison... experimented on them...

She closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head vigorously. I can't think about that now! I get some miles between me and that creature! I forget where the Harbor is, but I've got to be in the Minktail Woods at least! She thought, also remembering about hearing rumors of dangerous fauna and flora as well of the arrogant elves of the region. She didn't care, as long as it keep her tracker at bay, she'd embrace the very hells it self! She continued on, using the forest canopy as cover, climbing and jumping from limb to limb, hoping she was still ahead of the Head Hunter!

Rebecca felt that sensation of being watched again! She remembered the appearance of the cobra like woman, her purple skin, traditional Domescan garb... She was one of the Apophi who kept teasing her because of her nekomimi blood origins... though, she was human in appearance it can't be denied that she had her father's traits. Though, what she couldn't do to have a pair of ears and tail, she'd be more agile and able to hear the serpent!

"She can't be still following me, can she?" She asked herself, her foot suddenly snapping a branch, her eyes wide and her mouth agape! "OH SHI-!!" She screamed, the branch snapping and she fell out of the trees, falling onto a path below while screaming loudly!

The Bulldog was able to power through the Minktail with little pause. The overgrowth was avoidable through taking the trading route paths, so Kisaragi was making decent time. She hadn't came across any elves yet, which was also a good sign. I don't want to stop and get inspected by them. She thought, glancing back at the duraluminum cases in tow.

When she returned her eyes to the road ahead of her, Kisaragi's eyes went wide, and she pushed down hard on the breaks! Ahead of her, a young woman fell from the trees, landing in the road. The Bulldog's thick tires ground into the dirt, the large vehicle swerving slightly to the right to avoid hitting the woman! Dust kicked up around the tanky vehicle, and once it settled, Kisaragi was able to breath. What the hell?! She breathed heavily, turning her eyes to the girl outside the cabin. She opens the door, and slowly steps outside.

"The hell are you doing?! I could've killed you!" she exclaimed, walking towards the girl, closing the vehicle's door. As she inspected the fallen girl, she noticed the strange cuff on her wrist, the gun, and her perspired features. She seemed almost around her own age on closer inspection, but body wise was less... meaty. "Hey... are you... okay?" She asked, leaning towards her with a more concerned look, but couldn't help but eye the handcuff again...

Rebecca cringed, stunned for a moment, when she turned her head to the sound of an approaching vehicle! "Oh GODS!" she curled herself up into a ball, cowering as she expected to become a stain on the path! Nothing. Then, a voice. She blinked, looking up at the... very curvaceous woman. She spotted the gun on her hip first, and out of instinct pointed her own at the woman for a moment. She didn't know if she was one of Abdel's goons, but lowered her aim when she seemed to be friendly, however she was staring at the cuff on her wrist. "I-I'm fine!" She turned her eyes from the woman to the vehicle. With that, she'd outrun the head hunter by 1000%. She stood up, shaking with adrenaline. "Look, I can't explain but-" she was about to ask for the woman's assistance, for the vehicle when her coral red eyes turned to movement in the brush. Gold eyes... I saw... oh Gods... is she here? she thought, turning from the brush to the woman again. Instead of continuing with her explanation she cringed, gritting her teeth. I can't get her involved! Damn it!

She kicked up dust, and bolted into the woodland, away from both the Lamia and the well rounded woman, continuing her escape while she still could run!

Kisaragi held her arms up at the prodding of the pistol, her concerned look becoming slightly sour. "Hey, no need to be pointin' that thing at me!" she scolded. When she saw her lower the pistol she lowered her arms as well, sighing with relief. "Hey, whats the matter?" Something was obviously not right between the girls appearance and gun, to her frantic attitude. Her body felt a sudden chill. Her Beijionese blood... she could sense something foreboding about the air, but couldn't tell where the ill intent came from. She looked about cautiously, taking her eyes off the young girl for a moment. What was that? She thought, when she heard movement, turning to face the cuffed girl who was now bolting into the woods! "Hey!" she screamed, reaching out for her, missing her. "Don't go out there, its dangerous!" she exclaimed, following after her. She paused though, turning to the vehicle, locking it remotely before heading into the woods after the fleeing girl, slipping her keys into one of her side packs. "Hey! What the hell are you running from?!" she screamed, slipping down into the brush after her.

Rebecca looked over her shoulder, eyes wide at the sight of the woman still in pursuit! She gasped, looking forward again, slipping between the trunks of thick trees and sliding down their roots with the grace of a cat, rolling onto the soil, her short shorts splatted with dirt and leaves. She patted her butt and continued forward, hoping to lose sight of the woman. She dared not to say anything, as to not draw either Lamia or woman to her position. Pressing her back against a thick tree for cover, she lay in wait, holding her breath as she did so; her perspired figuring glistening in the thin rays of light which broke through the canopy. She peeked around the trunk, noticing the woman was heading slightly away from her, yet still pursued her.

Kisa had a hard time catching up with the Neko, who seemed to vanish as soon as she began chasing after her. After a short chase, the girl was no where in sight. "What?" She blinked, confused, looking around. "Look, I'm not here to hurt ya!" She exclaimed. "Whats going on? You look like crap, at least let me offer you some water or some food..." she says to the open air, frowning. What the hell was she doing in the trees... why is she running? she asked herself.

The Apophis smirked slightly as she warped the shadows and became smokey and shadow like as she phased past Kisaragi, the only hint she was there was a slight, distant hissing sound, and a rumble of the ground beneath the woman's feet. In the shadow plane, the creature's hooded headdress and it's bejeweled with eye shaped Philosopher's stones, which were alight, their enchantment enhanced the creature's vision, and lit up both women like roman candles even from behind solid objects.

"Time's up, halfbreed. You will make an excellently mixed meal." he creature hissed from beyond the shadows at the half-neko.

Darkstorm Zero wrote:The Apophis smirked slightly as she warped the shadows and became smokey and shadow like as she phased past Kisaragi, the only hint she was there was a slight, distant hissing sound, and a rumble of the ground beneath the woman's feet. In the shadow plane, the creature's hooded headdress and it's bejeweled with eye shaped Philosopher's stones, which were alight, their enchantment enhanced the creature's vision, and lit up both women like roman candles even from behind solid objects.

"Time's up, halfbreed. You will make an excellently mixed meal." he creature hissed from beyond the shadows at the half-neko.

Rebecca's eyes widened, feeling her skin crawl and hairs stand on end. She felt her resolve dwindle, and her body shiver with fear as the Apophi's voice cut through the air like a dagger. "Why... Why? Why does this have to happen to me? What did I do?! I may be an orphan, but I was fine in the Galideno slums!" she cried, pulling away from the tree and heading down another path, gripping the pistol tightly.

Kisaragi blinked, the earth below her rumbled and she thought she heard something hissing. "What was...?" She then heard the girls voice, turning to the direction of her voice as she ran again, deeper into the Shroud! "Hey!" she screamed. "Damn, why does she keep running from me? I'm only trying to help!" She cursed the air, looking back down at the ground where she felt a slight rumbling. "I gotta get off this unstable earth." she says to herself, slowly easing herself down a slope. She had a mission to complete, but she couldn't just leave this girl out here, especially after being this invested. "I can't travel too far... I'll need to be able to find my way back to the Bulldog." she grunted, being careful as she slid down the earthy slope.

"You ask why? I ask you, do you know who your father was and what he did? He had a debt, and since he died before he could pay, you get to inherit the check. And I have come to collect." replied the shrouded Apophis callously. Her utter indifference to the whine for mercy lost on the reptilian woman. The serpennt of the Black Legion kept up with the fleeing halfling with a professional ease of a trained killer.

"And now you have dragged in a human from Minktail into your debt. Ah well, she'll make a good supplemental meal, and you get a friend in my belly, for however long you last. I can make a tody profit from her truck. A good day it will be today.... Oh yesssssss."

Rebecca felt a tinge of pain hit her soul when the beast uttered those dark words. She paused, her boots crunching under the fallen leaves and twigs. She turned, eyes watery, fangs bared! "I'm tired of your talk!" She screamed, shakily. "I'm not going back to Abdel, nor am I going to let you eat me you fat titted slut!" She screamed, thumbing back the hammer of the Domescan .38 Service Revolver. "I am no ones check!" She screamed, her eyes stinging and blurry with tears, her face cracking between furious and despair!

Kisa was now within walking distance of the girl when she thought she heard her call her a fat tited slut... "Hrmph...." She grunted, folding her arms under her bouncy assets. "Hey! That's not very nice to say to someone! You fall out of a tree in the path of my truck, point a gun at me and keep fleeing me when I'm trying to help!" She scolded the teen again. She began to make her way to the Neko, her expression far from disgruntled. "What are you running from?!" She screamed at last.

Rebecca Kozuki wrote:Rebecca felt a tinge of pain hit her soul when the beast uttered those dark words. She paused, her boots crunching under the fallen leaves and twigs. She turned, eyes watery, fangs bared! "I'm tired of your talk!" She screamed, shakily. "I'm not going back to Abdel, nor am I going to let you eat me you fat titted slut!" She screamed, thumbing back the hammer of the Domescan .38 Service Revolver. "I am no ones check!" She screamed, her eyes stinging and blurry with tears, her face cracking between furious and despair!

The Apophis let out a hissing chuckle. "As if the words of the daughter of a traitor and a poverty stricken tavern wench will deter the law of Emperor Abdel." answered the snake witch.

Kisaragi Hinomoto wrote:Kisa was now within walking distance of the girl when she thought she heard her call her a fat tited slut... "Hrmph...." She grunted, folding her arms under her bouncy assets. "Hey! That's not very nice to say to someone! You fall out of a tree in the path of my truck, point a gun at me and keep fleeing me when I'm trying to help!" She scolded the teen again. She began to make her way to the Neko, her expression far from disgruntled. "What are you running from?!" She screamed at last.

The Apophis smile grew sickening as the sheer psychitic joy of a fresh catch overwhelmed her normally stoic face. the Apophis choise that moment to appear behind Kisaragi. "That would be me" she whispered, before going for a powerful slash aimed at severing her quadricep muscles in the back of her thighs to disable her movement, and a second slash at the achillies tendons would follow to compound her immobility.

She turned to the woman with an angry scowl. "Not you!" she says to the idiot girl before Rebecca let out a shriek as the snake appeared behind her! She raised her weapon, but realized with her knowledge in firearms being limited to action flicks, she wasn't sure if she could shoot the snake with 100% accuracy. She leveled the weapon, shaking. "B-Behind you!" she screamed, but it was already too late. Unsure what to do, she froze. Should she help? Granted... though cold, the injured woman was easy prey for the Cobra. She could take off now, leave her for dead and keep running till she hit a civilized area. Even the Apophi wouldn't risk international incidents for what she may perceive as a lean snack... considering the woman in front of her was quite... ample.

She gulped. Then there was the prospect of what she knew was right. Then, there was the fact there was no guarantee she would stay and feast on the young woman in front of her. Decisions, decisions... she didn't know what to do!

She raised a brow, but a sickening chill ran up her spine as did the cold serrated steel of a dagger digging into her thigh, making her squeak! She turned her head over to face the golden eyed woman, her glossy pink links trembling and agape at what she heard!:

Darkstorm Zero wrote:
The Apophis smile grew sickening as the sheer psychitic joy of a fresh catch overwhelmed her normally stoic face. the Apophis choise that moment to appear behind Kisaragi. "That would be me" she whispered, before going for a powerful slash aimed at severing her quadricep muscles in the back of her thighs to disable her movement, and a second slash at the achillies tendons would follow to compound her immobility.

It was then she felt the pain from the prior slash, using her free leg to push off the ground, stumbling forward before the second slash could claim her achillies tendons! "Ack!" she gasped, hobbling on her left leg, her right hand grasping the back of her right thigh, one eye closed the other half open from the cringing pain!

She glanced up, bearing her teeth, staring at the woman. Huh, you speak about an Apophis and they come.... she thought, feeling a little sick to her stomach. "Wh-who are you?" She gasped, between strains of pain. She didn't go for her gun, not yet at least. Glancing back at the  teen, she turned to face the Apophis again. Kisa did nothing to provoke the serpent, so she felt she didn't need to be too cordial. "Son of a bitch that stings... why the hell would you do that? What does the girl mean to you?!" She scolded the Lamia now, swinging out her hand to the girl, motioning her to stay back!

The Apophis smirked as her eyes went like pinpricks as she whipped her finger at Rebecca, the tip of her fingernail flashed like a spark, and sent a Black Dart spell at the half neko, intending to imobilise her as well.

"You are not getting away... You coward. You planned to leave this woman as bait for me, didn't you. Just like your father, willing to sacrifice others to escape." hissed the Lamia in thinly disguised disgust and rage beneath the veneer of smug self satisfaction. "Now another innocent must pay for your conceit."

Darkstorm Zero wrote:The Apophis smirked as her eyes went like pinpricks as she whipped her finger at Rebecca, the tip of her fingernail flashed like a spark, and sent a Black Dart spell at the half neko, intending to imobilise her as well.

"You are not getting away... You coward. You planned to leave this woman as bait for me, didn't you. Just like your father, willing to sacrifice others to escape." hissed the Lamia in thinly disguised disgust and rage beneath the veneer of smug self satisfaction. "Now another innocent must pay for your conceit."

Kisaragi saw the Apophi's fingernail flash, and she turned to see that the younger woman was the target! Why she after you so insistently? Could she be escaping... Abdel? She thought in the split second it took to force herself into the path of the Black Dart Spell! "Run!!" She cried out to Rebecca, taking the 'bullet' so to speak!

Rebecca gasped, watching the woman take the Apophi's spell for her! She listened to the Lamia's twisted words, shaking her head erratically. "N-no! He didn't! I didn't! You're people, the shit Abdel is doing, that-that is sacrifice!" She screams, raising the pistol again cracking off a shot at the Lamia before listening to the woman's words. She didn't know who she was... but she was right about telling her to run! If only to perhaps draw her away from eating the curvaceous woman!

She runs deeper into the woodland, firing another .38 round at their direction.

The apophis looked at the strange human who deliberately took her paralysis Black Dart for a complete stranger with a look of puzzlement. "Is this woman insane?" she thought briefly, before Rebecca yelled her defiance at her, and fired her gun, causing the Lamia to dodge swiftly.

"You don;t know how many people he killed to escape. How many lives he took... Abdel does many things, but he is the king, these are his lands. Some sacrifices the ruler must make to lead and be victorious. You have no right to judge him when all your doing is putting others in your wake in danger." the Lamia answered skillfully as she slithered and darted after Rebecca.

"No right... Not after whom your father murdered to get away from justice...." the hiss followed the half neko like an echo on the wind.

Darkstorm Zero wrote:The apophis looked at the strange human who deliberately took her paralysis Black Dart for a complete stranger with a look of puzzlement. "Is this woman insane?" she thought briefly, before Rebecca yelled her defiance at her, and fired her gun, causing the Lamia to dodge swiftly.

"You don;t know how many people he killed to escape. How many lives he took... Abdel does many things, but he is the king, these are his lands. Some sacrifices the ruler must make to lead and be victorious. You have no right to judge him when all your doing is putting others in your wake in danger." the Lamia answered skillfully as she slithered and darted after Rebecca.

"No right... Not after whom your father murdered to get away from justice...." the hiss followed the half neko like an echo on the wind.

Kisaragi felt a jolt of numbing pain from her injuries, then felt numb from the spell hitting her. She fell flat onto the grass, arms ahead of her, her head cocked to the side. I...can't move... she thought, lips trembling while she listened to the Apophis speak. Glancing up at her, she shivered. "N...No..." she began, weakly. "You're... in the Elven territory. You're breaking... international... law...." she gasped, correcting the Lamia. As it were, where they were was the Black Shroud, the forest depths of the Minktail forest which was not Abdel's, but the territory of the High Elves of Minktail. The Apophis, should she be caught, would cause an international incident. "Check... my GPS.... you're... out of your jurisdiction..." she gasped again.

Rebecca was in awe by the other woman's selfless sacrifice, and breathed with a sigh of relief when she noticed she was still alive after being hit. Regardless with the Lamia still pursuing her, Becky figured it best to flee for now and then return the favor when she could. She fired the .38 single action again, her arm recoiling slightly before she took off into the woodland ahead. If I can get some help, or get the lamia into a situation where I can perhaps trap her, I can go back and help that other woman! she thought, continuing on through the brush!

Kisaragi flinched as the shot rang out, but smiled after hearing the sound of the fleeing girl's feet rushing off into the brush. She turned her eyes back to the Lamia, with a sly look. "Even...with your right to chase her by Abdel's name... the Kingdom will retaliate against you and Abdel... I'm sure he will be happy to know that one of his Lamia was to blame... heh... that is if the Elves don't turn you into a pair of snake-skin boots... purple's my color anyway..." she taunted, though unable to move yet. She wanted to anger the Lamia, keep her from going after the girl, even though it put her at risk.

"I guess... you're trying to cut your calories eh? Gotta keep your figure in line? Going after such a skinny little girl, I guess your on the 'slim fast' diet. Don't blame ya, you look a touch overweight. Me? I like my size. More to love, so to speak. I guess you figured it may be easy to slide her down your gullet...?" she teased with a savage grin. "Someone so small, she'd hardly fill you out I bet. There be no sensation of her wiggling and squirming form, I bet she wouldn't even bulge out your frame before you digest her. I hear what’s left becomes gems. Tell me ... do you shit gems, or do your kind eat them first? I never quite... understood that about you hooded freaks, aside how you can managed being in high winds with those kite like hoods. You kind shit those stones out like your a damn diamond mine... either its something you cant control, or perhaps... you do eat gems and then shit them out because you enjoy the feeling? Feeling something hard probing your anus, huh? Or is it because when your done, you feel special because people flock for your shit gems? You know what? Give me a moment to recover, and I'll be more than happy to make you feel special when I stuff my gun's barrel up your ass!" She laughed, still on her chest upon the grass. Her massive bust crushing against her made it rather uncomfortable, but she would manage till she either directed the Lamia's anger towards her or the spell wore off!