Serisenia Esparde gasps as she blocks another blow from the rough man in front of her, his fetid breath and rotten teeth make her want to gag. She kicks him in the groin and stabs him in the stomach under his leather jerkin with her arming sword. "Three spells left, I hope the others are safe."
She checks over herself for wounds, looking for any tears in her leather jerkin. After not finding any of her blood on herself she sets out towards the sounds of fighting, steeling her nerves.
Bursting through the underbrush, she sees the caravan guards slaughtered and the merchants being put to the sword. Rage burns in her throat at their terrible fate. "Bastards!" She screams hatefully. Brandishing her blade, she holds her left palm to her side, whispering arcane words under her breath "Ignis zaella gruń." A mote of flame springs to life in her hand and with a throwing motion it springs from her hand and expands, splitting into three separate projectiles that detonate on the chests of three bandits charging her. She walks past their smoldering corpses.
She hears a rustling behind her and turns to see a dark skinned bald man with an axe held above his head. She quickly slashes his wrist, causing him to fall screaming to the ground. Looking around, she sees that the rest of the bandits have started to advance towards her. "You bastards, I will return and gut every last one of you." She snarls and backs away, noting their smug grins and lecherous gazes. She turns to run, that being the only thing that saved her from a blade in her skull. Instead the bandit that had been sneaking up behind her with a spear stabs her through her shoulder. She screams in agony as she loses all feeling in the fingers in her right arm. "Ellarte manim!" She cries in panic, closing her eyes as the light spell blinds and disorients the men.
As she passes the man who stabbed her, she chops her sword into his throat. As he falls she tries to pull it out but it is stuck in his spine so she abandons the blade, running for her life as dark red blood blossoms from her wound. "Ah, damnable bastards." She curses. Holding her arm, she runs, trying to slow the blood flow so as not to leave a trail for the bandits to follow. She can hear them stumbling after her so she quickens her pace, wincing in pain as her shoulder is jostled by the motion.
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She stumbles through the forest. Dusk falls as she wanders aimlessly, providing a dark and sinister undertone to the already menacing forest. "Find that bitch! If she makes it back to town we are fucked!" She looks back in panic at the voices in the distance and picks up her pace. "Boss! I found blood, she's running this way!" Footfalls stomp after her as branches whip her exposed skin.
"There! I found her!" She curses as she hears the footsteps grow closer. "Last spell." She mumbles and focuses as best she can while running. "Deram Serisenia Galvaros nmemisc" She whispers the body duplicate spell and smiles in satisfaction as the mirror image runs to the left. The voices get farther away as she moves, proving that her spell worked and diverted the bandits.
Seris sighs as she sees a cliff face ahead, "end of the line it seems." She murmurs. She limps along the rock wall, using her left arm for support as her vision swims. The world tilts as she stumbles through what she thought was a solid wall of rock. "Ah." She chuckles ruefully. "A stone tomb to die in, it is quite cozy, maybe I will sleep here for a while." She whispers to herself, feeling her consciousness fade.
"It is quite rude to bleed on one's doorstep, young one. Even more rude to die inside someone's home." A thunderous voice rumbles. Seris blinks owlishly as two golden orbs materialize from the darkness of the cave. They slowly creep closer until a pale white snout covered in scales the color of fallen snow creeps out of the shadow. Attached to the fanged muzzle is a neck larger than the body of a warhorse. Seris finds herself momentarily lucid in shock as A storybook comes to life before her. "A dragon..... I must truly be hallucinating."
"Hardly." The dragon snorts in a rich baritone voice. "I am as real as you are." Seris blinks slowly, then manages to groan and sit up, her vision wavering. "Then I must beg your pardon, oh great scaled one for I must insult you by dying on your cavern floor." She giggles. "I would serve as your maid for a year if you'd see fit to save this worthless ones life." She chuckles at the absurdity. "A year and a day." The dragon rumbles. "Deal." She mumbles before collapsing.
