Leo eyed the pouch with suspicion. “And what might that be Father?”
“You know of the powder we priests use, correct, Leo?”
He nodded and accepted the pouch. “Of course Father! But is this really-”
Father Daniel shushed the man taller than him with a finger on his lips. “My dear brother of a common God, what might be the issue with this?”
Leo looked hesitant with the sack in his hand, but he placed it in his pocket regardless.
“I mean… won't our brothers in our motherland find offence in this?”
He was right. Only those within the religion who had, at minimum, become a priest were allowed such a luxury.
“My dear child, that is a foolish notion. To restrict the powder would be no better than our previous god in heaven who restricted the fruit from humanity. I'd much rather follow in our lord's footsteps and give you a taste of this succulent gift. Besides, do you not believe you should be rewarded for assisting me?”
Leo looked taken aback and got on one knee.
“I see. Thank you for-”
The small man placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You seem to be mistaken about something. I'd like for you to help me with my experiments.”
Leo gulped before trying to ask what he meant by that. He looked at the woman at the table and couldn't stop himself from shaking. She looked into his eyes, praying for a miracle and continued struggling.
Father Daniel tilted his head and turned around. He giggled before patting Leo on the shoulder.
“Leo, do be serious, would you believe I'd subject you to such a thing?”
He tried to respond but his words wouldn't leave his throat. He began breathing with an increased pace. A gentle slap to his face snapped him out of this delirium and he looked to the Father.
“Your tests will be far less taxing than hers.”
“And what might they be, father?” He asked softly.
“Simple, sample some of the powder and tell me its effects on your body.”
Leo gave a brief sigh.
“Might I ask why Father?”
“Well, it has to do with your constitution. The women I have gathered are all women and since you're a-”
“A Rexman.” He replied. “Are you sure this is meaningful father? The blood in me runs somewhat thin.”
“You have enough. At a minimum, it should tell whether there is any difference between a human and a rexman using it.”
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“I see. I assume I will start now?” he asked as he pulled the sack out of his pocket.
“No, that powder is for you to use how you see fit. I will call you when I need a test.”
“Truly Father? I must say, your generosity is much appreciated.”
“Just make sure you either use it, get rid of it or hide it before we return to the motherland. I can't imagine the headache they'd give me if they found you with it.”
“Of course Father, I wouldn't do anything to embarrass you or betray your generosity.”
….
…
..
.
As he flung his head back in pain, she noticed the sharpness of his teeth. He seemed to put extra care on not exposing too much of his mouth earlier.
(“Those teeth…”)
She looked at his hands and while not exactly claws, his nails were longer than they had any right to be and even looked somewhat sharp.
She soon realised that mane wasn't a form of self-expression but something that grew naturally.
“Are you one of those beast people?” she asked. “I didn't know your kind harboured such disgusting beliefs.”
One of the two remaining henchmen no longer cared about what Leo commanded of him and brought his sword down with one hand at her.
She stepped aside and grabbed his bicep when it reached the highest point of its swing. She roughly dragged it backwards with no attention to the joints that held it in place, dislocating it as casually as picking a daisy.
She grabbed the dropped sword and slashed at his throat, as he held his arm in pain.
The other lackey realised there was no hope and quickly began running. She threw the sword and it made a home in his back. Unfortunately for him, he had worn leather armour to protect his back unlike one of his more prepared comrades.
She dusted her hands and turned to Leo.
He had stuck a finger in his mouth and covered it in saliva. He placed it into his pocket and pulled out his finger covered in a black substance.
(“It was unfortunate she took two of the three magic users before they had time to use theirs but if my eyes don't deceive me, I believe both the crossbowmen are alive.”)
Before his finger reached his mouth Elizabeth slammed his jaw, sending him into a nearby bush.
(“Was that powder, the same the fat bastard used?”)
She was taking no chances and ran towards him but her focus on him took her attention off her surroundings.
She nearly tripped and had to regain her footing. Something grabbed her leg. She looked down to see a root wrapped around her foot. A whistle in the air forced her to try and drag out the root. It was stronger than she anticipated and she narrowly ducked the arrow, with with new scrap on her forehead.
A smile on the face of the man with his hand on the ground soon turned to terror when he realised she placed her hands on the root. The other man was still reloading.
She pulled out the root and pulled the man along.
(“It's connected to his hand?”) She thought.
He cancelled the magic, turning the root to dust and stopped himself from being dragged any closer. He was left on the floor after being dragged. He attempted to get back up to his feet but Elizabeth took this opportunity to stomp on his head when he reached a crouched position. The cracking of bone was heard when his head came in contact with the forest floor. She spared him no more attention and ran towards the final lackey.
He leaned against a tree unable to get to his feet due to the arrow within him. He hurriedly tried to pull back his bowstring. It was just centimetres away from being set and he would be able to defend himself.
He finally managed it and… looked to see Elizabeth in front of him. He tried to aim the crossbow but she stomped on it crushing his fingers. He removed his fingers from it and wailed in pain before receiving an arrow between his eyes.
Elizabeth picked up an arrow from the corpse and loaded it.