The town of Mosswick is raining ash but there is only the rubbled inn ascending into the air. The townsfolk are gathered around. Dead bodies in armor are placed all along the village. Villagers are terrified and no one is there to save them.

The group is in concern. Aleena sees that the people are scared and hears their cries. But some soldiers in red armor catch her eye. Red armored soldiers are pacing along the village and the people have been huddling close together. But the soldiers are not the village guard.

"Let's go see if we can help," Aleena says, and the group follows her to the villagers.

Lyrian examines the dead guards, and then at the burning inn. "Did the assassin kill the guards?"

A soldier wrinkles his browns at Aleena and she returns the nasty look. "Who are you people?" she asks the soldier. However, the soldier remains silent.

A frightened villager points slowly and the women in red and black armor is waiting with a bunch of other rogue soldiers in the same color. She is human, rounded ears and the same long red hair Faylin saw earlier. Orange eyes mark a crazy thirst for blood.

"It's her, it's the assassin," Faylin whispers.

"What is she doing here?" Lyrian asks.

"I don't know, but she must be here for a reason," Faylin replies. "She doesn't look friendly."

The woman turns her head to see them, and she marks her attention at Aleena. She smiles to the side, an evil grin. Flames ascend from the inn behind the rogue woman who strolls casually towards the group. "Aleena. I knew you weren't dead. A scout caught a glimpse at the old mage healing you. Sorry about the inn, I needed beacon to summon you."

"Our stuff was still in there!" Faylin yells out. "And why do you have the village hostage?"

"Oh, sorry," the assassin shrugs. "But Fay, at least you still have that nice carriage you bought. I'll even help pay for it," the assassin smiles and holds up a bag of coins. A dagger behind the bag rests in her palm. She moves to the salesman Faylin bought the carriage from a couple of days ago. "You're selling carriages right?"

The salesman is in fear, his eyes widen and he holds his hands up. "Yes! Yes!"

She grips his hand and slaps the coins in it for him to take. Though as she lets go of the coins, the dagger slides and spills his blood. The coins bounce along the ground and the salesman falls over to his knees, screaming and he holds his throbbing hand.

"Oh I'm so sorry, that was so clumsy of me," the assassin giggles.

Growing tired, the man drops to the floor, having been injected with the same deadly poison Aleena was struck with. The assassin steps over his lifeless body and walks to the group. "See Faylin? No more worrying about paying that man. All paid off," she taunts in a threatening manner.

Faylin clenches her fists and holds her war hammer. Aleena pulls an arrow from her quiver and nocks it. The assassin and Aleena lock eyes.

"You will pay for your actions, assassin," Aleena demands, keeping a stern look. "Let these people go."

"Oh, and what are you going to do?" The assassin asks, tilting her head.

"I'll kill you, human scum," Aleena replies with a burning rage.

"Oh, you think you can take me? You can barely walk. Your friends will have to help you even stand, you're so pathetic. I don't understand what they see in you. You're just a weak, pathetic little elf girl who should be in chains of a human owner," the assassin taunts Aleena, smiling.

"How dare you! I would die rather to be in the hands of a slaver," Aleena defends.

"That's enough," Faylin steps forward, holding her war hammer in both hands. She swings at the assassin, but her speed is too intense. Faylin misses and the assassin kicks her gut, knocking her down.

"Oof," Faylin hits the dust.

"Pathetic," the assassin spits on Faylin. "I can't believe you're the blacksmith everyone is talking about." She delivers another kick to Faylin.

"This is your last warning. You and the mage will stand aside while my gang here collects our bounty. Or the rest of this village goes up in flames. Each house and shop are all connected by fuses ready set off dynamite. And better yet," she pauses. "I won't even kill these people. Their punishment will be to go homeless and live as a begging refugee the rest of their life. Got it, blacksmith?"

Faylin looks up to the assassin, and Lyrian runs to her side. She holds her paining stomach and Lyrian helps her up. "That was dirty trick, attacking me while I was down," Faylin says.

"Well who's the dirty one now?" the assassin insults. "Now, I need you all to move aside, so I can finish my job. You are welcome to watch if you wish."

"Faylin, Lyrian. Do as she says. This is my fight," Aleena tells them. Faylin and Lyrian nod and nervously steps out of her point of fire.

Aleena stands firm. Her bow is held in her hand, her arrow is ready to be released. Her eyes scan there area. Air is hot from the inn flames, already sweating from a nervous mess she tries to hide. She counts the gang around, a warrior, two rogues, two archers in back, and the assassin leader in the middle.

Lyrian glances around at the buildings. Fuses are connecting each house. Potential for a chain explosion is imminent. All it would take is one match to set off each bomb.

In the blacksmith, there is someone in view through the glass, guarding with the same armor as the gang. He holds a flaming torch.

"Faylin look, a rogue inside that blacksmith is ready to set the bombs off. If we can kill him silently, and you can locate all the bombs in town, I can make stone barriers around them so no one messes with them. Then we can help Aleena."

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"I'm not stealthy Lyrian," her voice wavers.

"You can do this. We have to hurry, Aleena can't take on this many by herself," he replies.

Faylin sighs, "I'll try, but I'm not promising anything." She sneaks off, hiding behind a building as Lyrian waits by leaning on a couple of barrels. She peeks around the corner and sees that the blacksmith is open. She hunches over and grabs a stone. Cobblestone walls hide her presence near the door.

Throwing the stone through the door frame and at the wall of the building, the rogue looks towards the impact. Faylin sneaks in, hiding below a tool shelf.

Dynamite is in a dark pile in the middle of the room.

Readying her hammer behind the rogue bomber, she wacks him on the head with all her might.

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Aleena continues facing the whole gang and the assassin girl in the middle. She is tensing up, "who are you people? What do you want with me?"

"Me? I'm Valery, and I run the Scarlet Flake gang. There's a bounty for your blood," she points her red bladed dagger then holds it with a twist, "and my employer set me on the job."

"What employer? Tell me who it is," Aleena commands, despite her nervous sweat on her forehead.

"That is none of your business, elf," Valery responds and warms up her blade by giving it a spin. "Now how about you stop your useless commanding that no one listens to, and let's get this over with. I have a lot of gold waiting for me after your death."

"You damn humans and all your filthy greed," Aleena snarls.

"Oh you wouldn't know what it's like to have everything taken from you. You're an elf, you have nothing. Just like you elves deserve."

"Elves are proud to have nothing," Aleena lifts her head high. "We actually appreciate what we have in our lives. And we have the one thing that you don't. Family, love, and we value who we have in our lives and stick together."

Valery twirls a dagger and grips it with an evil smirk, "you wanna bet? Because I don't think that will last very long."

"Don't worry, I'll put you out of your apathetic misery," Aleena hisses and lets the arrow fly. Valery dodges quickly and the rest of the gang charges for the elf. Arrow after arrow, she fires, killing one of the rogues, and an archer that had just shot at her. She turns her attention to Valery who is fast approaching. Aleena draws her bladed bow and swings.

Valery dodges and pulls her other dagger from her hip, slashing at Aleena. Aleena blocks with her bow, and parries with a swing. Clashing of metal, a bow against two daggers. Valery is ecstatic. She smiles with each swing. Her silent joy and focus overwhelms Aleena's frustration.

But Valery's taste for blood only fuels Aleena's hate for humans. Aleena attacks. Ding after ding, they continue their close combat. Aleena is not equipped for Valery's flurry of short daggers. She appeases anyway and continues the swing. But Valery does the same.

The two exchange blows, and Aleena gets a large gash on her arm, and Valery has a cut on her shoulder.

"I will end you," Aleena threatens.

Valery laughs and kicks Aleena as her vision blurs once again. Aleena drops to her knees, feeling weak. She looks at her hands which are shaking.

"Have you forgotten?" Valery chuckles. "You've been poisoned again, and now you will suffer the same fate." Valery smiles deviously, "here, maybe a kiss from a frog might help."

A frog emerges from her hair and croaks. Valery giggles, grabbing the small pet and licks the poisonous residue from the frog, "you should really try it, it's delicious."

Aleena babbles on, fast and pants to brush off the venomous pain, "you're mad if you think I'll let you get away with abusing nature like that. Using a dart frog's poisons for your own personal gain of murder." She gasps for air and her heart heavy.

Valery tosses the dart frog at Aleena's face, "fine, take him if you wish. But bubbles loves his kisses." Valery laughs and walks back to the gang. "Finish her," she commands, "she's done."

The dart frog hops all along her hair as Aleena tries to catch the little creature. "Stop," she commands. It jumps from her shoulder and it's cool slimy belly, wet with venom, sits on her arm. She snatches at it and misses, trying again, and again, springing up and down all over her.

Aleena looks to see the frog hop in her satchel and quickly closes it. "Stay," she demands again, falling on a hand as she grunts weaker from the poisons.

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Faylin kills the rogue in the blacksmith and she searches around to see where the bomb is. She finds the dynamite on the floor. Faylin looks out the window waves to Lyrian, signaling she knows where the bomb is.

Lyrian tightens his fist below his waist so no one will see what they are doing. Stone barriers fold around the dynamite in the blacksmith, cutting off all access.

Faylin enters the next building over and locates the bomb in the room, signaling him. Lyrian does the same still standing in his position outside, folding stone around the dynamite with his magic.

They do this again after each dynamite pile is shielded while Aleena is losing to Valery. Lyrian bites his lip watching the fray.

The warrior elevates his long axe high over Aleena who has been on her knees. "Die," he yells and brings the axe down. Aleena's eyes widen and her heart races, the sound of the wind from the blade echoes in her ears. Strength crunches down on her bladed bow above her head, ploughing her into the dirt, and barely blocking it. A silvering axe is pushed away to her side. The blade of her bow cuts through the axe man's boot, slicing his toes in half.

Aleena's vision spins, barely able to stay conscious, but is forced to keep fighting. She pulls the bow from the warrior's foot as he wails in pain.

The next rogue warrior is coming for her. Her bow jabs the rogue's chest. She pushes him to the ground with a foot and is pulling the blade out. The rogue coughs and groans, dying on the ground.

She faces the axe warrior once again, trying to slash at him. Aleena's backs up, but she struggles to keep her distance for ranged purposes. He keeps stepping forward. Aleena's blades do nothing to knock his muscular body back. His force keeps pushing her, too strong for her own blade.

Far from the warrior's reach, he still uses the momentum of the long axe to reach and overwhelm her. Hands are at the edge of the long staff of the heavy battle axe. He swings, knocking her back into the ground and cutting her side.

She rolls away from a slow drop of the axe blade. Her eyes widen at the large silver head in her face, barely missing her head. She swiftly gets up to her feet and faces him.

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Faylin enters an abandoned building as the last building to check for a bomb but there is none in her sight. The attention of a shriek is heard with a pattering of metal. Hissing chirps fill the room along with a clicking high pitched growl.

Peeking along, a cage in the corner of the room with raptor-like forms are inside. Faylin knows it's the perfect chance to kill them so she goes near the cage. One of them screeches, and grows curious with rapid tilts of the head to fully see Faylin approach.

Flapping of it's arms covered in long feathers, it shrieks with a spit splattering across Faylin's face. Her eyes clench and she screams in pain, holding her face. "Damn it!" she yells, "it burns!"

Faylin backs away, and the small bird charges towards the cage and claws at the bars while chewing.

Faylin wipes her face off as her vision fades but backs up into Valery. The assassin turns her around and grabs her collar. She pushes her up against the wall and pulls a dagger to her neck, "you were supposed to stay out of this. I guess the village will turn to flames then. Enjoy your slime."

She smirks and spits in Faylin's face as a mockery. Letting her go, she opens the cage to the pack of sinornithosaurs.

Faylin falls to the ground and rubs her eyes. The creatures approach her and they are about half her size. Smells of venom is thick like vomit, and the sound of claws clicking on the floor is getting closer. Faylin can only hear the creatures chirp, and feels the heating draft of their breathy stench.

The creatures lunge and Faylin swings her hammer. She hits its head and it shrieks but the others hop on top of her. Raptor claws pierce her skin. Slime is soaking her hair and dripping on her. More venom, and teeth pierces her arms and legs. She screams in agony, blind with burning eyes. Bite wounds from birds with teeth are all over and raptor sickle claws are latching onto her.

Faylin fears the worst, being the first time she's ever been poisoned.

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Aleena and Valery fight

image [https://i.imgur.com/YkuhvpF.png]

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Faylin and the pack of sinornithosaurus

image [https://i.imgur.com/bxWBH7g.png]