ÂME MORTELLE, din djarin

iii. a kid with killers

Her attention shifts away from the beskar-clad man as movement catches within the corner of her eyes. Shadows from above are cast down upon them, dancing upon the sandy ground in unnatural ways. The hair that raises upon the back of her neck at the feelings of eyes peering upon them only confirms her suspicions; they're being watched.

The end of a staff buzzes with electricity as it flies past her head, Eden ducking beneath the attack just quick enough. She kicks backwards at the enemy who'd landed behind her, a sickening crack rippling through the air as their knee buckles on impact. Bypassing her blaster, she instead reaches to her thigh, grasping onto the handle of her beloved daggers, taking one within each hand. Using her legs to volt her body from the ground, she lashes out at her enemies neck, their body collapsing to the ground. A gush of an all-too-familiar liquid falls from the fatal wound, gathering in a sickly pool of bloodshed upon the sand.

Daring to spare a glance back, Eden first ensures the child is safe, which, to her satisfaction, it is. Its pod sits away from the place in which a battle ensues between Mandalorian and their attackers. The Mandalorian holds the upper hand in the fight, yanking their weapon from their grasp just before he condemns them into unconsciousness. The ghosts of a half-hearted smirk dance upon Eden's lips, the woman raising a singular brow in his direction. "What took you so long?"

The Mandalorian doesn't bother to utter any words of response, merely sparing a glance back at the woman. From around them, countless more enemies drop to their level, each armed with various melee weapons, ready to strike. They form a tight circle around those they seek to defeat, eyeing them as though they are prey. The pair of bounty hunters maneuver their bodies so their backs are pressed against one another, protecting themselves from more angles than possible alone.

The moment their enemy throws the first punch, chaos breaks loose. The Mandalorian fights against them using their own weapons, while Eden slashes at them with the knives she'd grown accustomed to, and prefers in combat. Holding faith that the man in metal could handle himself in the fight despite the odds, Eden directs her efforts into taking down the three unfortunate enough to be standing in front of her.

Misleading them by first slashing to the right, she ducks down, embedding the blade of her knife within the knee of the biggest one, ensuring she twists it within the wound. A grunt of pain echoing from the one she hit, she darts backward to avoid being backhanded by it. She uses the momentum of its swing to knock it over, kicking its legs out from beneath it. With a simple throw of her knife, it finds a new home within the back of its neck, leaving only two opposers standing against her.

Eden doesn't have the time to retake her knife, as the electrical end of one's spear slams into her chest, knocking her back. She stumbles into the metal armour of the Mandalorian, catching herself before she can hit the ground. Brushing aside the momentary wave of pain that'd come with the mild electrocution, she sends a challenging smirk toward the one that'd hit her.

Rushing at it, she allows herself to take a punch to the stomach, only to gain the leverage that comes with its head remaining guarded. She hacks at its head, wishing to land a blow to its eye, but falls short as it catches her wrist in a vice-like hold. A guttural snarl ripples from its throat as its eyes meet the female's, yet in its moment of taunting, it leaves itself open for attack. With the hand free from his hold, she makes a fist, violently hitting the nose of the creature with a sickening crack. The creature stumbles, and Eden uses the moment to strike, taking out her second enemy.

Wincing at the sudden pain that burns within her knuckles, Eden mutters a few curse words, vowing never to do so again without knuckle guards. Her sore hand becomes the least of her problems as she's tackled to the ground, the hands of another instantly wrapping around her throat, choking the air out of her. Clawing at her enemies hands for a few moments, she finds her attempts futile. Letting go of their wrists, she reaches up, her hands just barely making the distance to their face. Trying her best not to flinch at the feeling of liquid bursting beneath her touch, she forces her fingers into its eyes, stopping not even when an agonised scream erupts from it.