The group continued their way through the valley, following a road that slowly gave way to rolling grasslands. A short wall of stone bordered the path that Flora traveled upon in a short-bouncing gait of balanced skill while Axis walked beside Allura with Rune clinging to her chest.
"What did the prayer say this time?" Flora questioned, earning Axis's attention.
"Prayer?" he raised an eyebrow.
"A young mage has been kidnapped," Allura revealed as she gently pet Rune's back. "Her father prayed to multiple gods for help, but Visushio is the one who has listened to him," she explained, and Axis came to a stop, making all of them pause.
"You're answering prayers for gods?" Axis pressed, and Allura's gaze fell to him.
"Yes," she answered plainly, earning a slight frown from him.
"What do you get out of it?" he searched for her reasoning, and she almost look confused, but after a moment she shook her head, earning a sigh, "Next you're going to tell me you're that crazy bastard they're calling Unicus," he grumbled, and Allura smiled, resuming her pace while Flora giggled, "You're not fucking serious, are you?!" he exclaimed while marching up to Allura, and he grabbed her shoulder, claiming her befuddled attention. "Are you crazy?! What if you get hurt?!"
"Then she has me!" Flora chimed in, and Allura gently took his hand, moving it off her shoulder.
"You're ridiculous," he grumbled in defeat before they continued their way through the day.
The rolling valley seemed endless as the grass swayed in the gentle breeze, and the lazy sun sunk its way into the afternoon. Allura slowed to a stop with more trees accompanying the grasses and bushes, and the other two halted with her, looking to her for direction.
"There's a town up ahead," Allura revealed as she moved to Flora, and she handed over the sloth, "The kidnappers are just south of here, so take Rune, and I'll meet you in town."
"But what if you need me?" Flora hesitantly pressed while her concern started to rise, and she held Rune against her chest in comfort.
"Then I'll know exactly where you are," Allura assured her with a smile before she looked to Axis. "Stay with Flora, and make sure she doesn't follow after me," she ordered with less softness to her voice, and Flora stuck her tongue out at her.
"Fine," Axis grumbled with a sigh, and Allura gave a thankful smile before leaving.
Axis stood in watch as Allura disappeared into the nearby woods, waiting for her to be out of earshot before looking to Flora who wore a threatening glare with a speech ready to fall from her mouth.
"If you think you're-"
"Come on," he cut Flora off as he began walking after Allura.
"Oh..." Flora blinked in confusion, trying to decipher what had just occurred before her eyes lit up, "Wait for us!" she chimed, and jogged after him with Rune, echoing her in a squeak.
~
The day grew dim in the forest as the whispers of voices reached Allura, and she silently drew her bow, carefully continuing her way. Metal glinted in the flickering light of a campfire, teasing the view of a cage holding stolen children. Armed men sat without care around the fire while engaged in idle conversation, and their first watch patrolled the area.
Allura drew closer, and she quickly ducked behind a rock with nearing footsteps. The guard soon began passing while none the wiser, and her gaze washed over the others to find no eyes on him. Allura started sneaking her way to him, slipping her bow on her back, and she silently drew the claw knife from her hip as she crept up behind him. She closed the gap without delay, clasping a hand over his mouth as she slashed his throat, and his life was over in mere seconds. Allura hooked her arms under the corpse's, and she quietly dragged it into hiding. Once the body was safely out of sight she slowly continued her way, silently eliminating each guard she came across.
"I may have taught her how to fight, but she's a natural at stealth," Rixacaeles boasted, "I wonder just what she could have done if the hell dog had chosen her..."
~
"Did you hear that?" Flora whispered to Axis as the voices reached them, and they swiftly hid behind a rock.
"Shh," Axis hissed, and Flora rolled her eyes with her gaze falling to the ground but they widened with a gasp.
Axis's hand clamped down over Flora's mouth before she could scream at the sight. Bodies laid painted in their own blood from their slashed throats. Their complexion was ghostly, and their eyes dull and empty, never to learn of who ended them, but Flora knew.
~
The sky continued to darken as the guards fell one by one to Allura, and she drew closer to the camp's heart where the cage resided. She focused on it, and she furrowed her brows with none of its prisoners appearing to be the teen of the prayer, but she was not far.
In the dancing light of the flames a man in fine armor towered over the teen. None of the others even batted an eye as he looked over the girl with malcontent, they simply enjoyed their rest at the fire.
"What can you even do, runt?" the leader questioned while grabbing the girl's chin to get a better look at her face before growling, "You're a mage aren't you?"
"I have the gift of sight, and I can see your rotting soul," she spat, only to cry out in pain a moment later as his fist collided into her stomach with brute force.
"You know what, maybe I have the gift of sight, but your clothes are just getting in the way," he smirked as he grabbed the front of her tunic, and she started to fight back, only lasting a moment before he struck her down.
"STOP!" Allura's voice broke through the air, announcing her presence with her bow drawn, and the resting men quickly scrambled to her feet, taking up their swords.
~
"What the hell is she doing?!" Axis snapped under his breath, and his flames flickered over him as he watched with Flora from safety. He didn't hesitate to move, but Flora stopped him with a hand on his shoulder before he could alert anyone.
"She knows what she's doing," Flora assured him, but tears filled her eyes while she refused to look up from the ground.
"She knows exactly what she's doing," Rixacaeles confirmed.
"Then why are you crying?" Axis pressed with a snarl.
"I hate when people die," Flora whimpered as she clutched his shoulder tighter, and Rune gently stroked her hair.
~
"And just who are you?" the leader's tone challenged Allura while a smirk played on his lips.
"Just let her go!" Allura's voice pleaded while aiming the bow at him with trembling arms.
"That's right my dear, make them underestimate you," Rixacaeles praised.
"If you lower your weapon, we can have a chat," the leader offered as he opened his arms to Allura, slowly approaching her, and she gritted her teeth, reluctantly lowering her bow to her side. "Now that's a good girl," he grinned with his men circling behind her.
"Just let the kids go!" panic seemed to claim Allura's voice, and the leader broke into a fit of laughter before the three men closed in on her.
A sword swung in from her right, but she ducked beneath, allowing it to lacerate his comrade. The injured stumbled back, clutching the new gash across his chest while Allura drew an arrow. She rammed it through the first attacker's foot, pinning it to the ground before she surged to her feet, landing a heavy blow to his gut. The first crashed to the ground, screaming in pain as the arrow broke off in his foot.
Agony filled the air while Allura drew the dagger from her thigh, and she focused on the other injured, ramming it through his throat, and barely giving him a moment of her time before she spun on her heel to expertly deflect the man behind her.
He stumbled back, and Allura swung her bladed bow at his broken guard in a precise blow that unleashed a torrent of blood from his throat. Her motion did not stop as she brought her weapon to the ready, nocking an arrow and loosing it without a second thought. Its fletching sang through the air before embedding its point into the writhing man's skull, adding to his new collection of arrows, leaving the leader as the last man standing.
Fear stumbled the man backwards as he tripped over himself with reality telling him his life was coming to an end with the new arrow nocked in Allura's bow.
"Y-you- You're Unicus..." the leader's voice trembled as he cowered before her.
"And you're dead," Allura stated coldly as desperation filled his face, and he threw up his hands in surrender, forcing her to hesitate.
"WAIT! I have a family! They'll starve without me!"
~
"Is it over?" Flora questioned with her gaze still fixed to the ground.
"There's one guy left," Axis mumbled, "He's begging for his life, using his family and shit," he sighed in disappointment while Flora bit her lip, "She's probably going to let him go with that sob story."
"She won't," Flora knew better as her whispering voice trembled.
~
"Please!" he cried, "Don't let my kids grow up without a father! I'm begging you!" he continued to plead, and Allura lowered her bow.
~*~
Crunching echoed quietly in the room as Allura took a bite of her apple, and a heavy sigh left Rixacaeles.
"I don't think you understand," the goddess's annoyance was clear in her tone, "A person will say any-"
"Anything to survive," Allura cut her off with a glare. "I know. I fell for it once when I was younger."
~*~
Allura slowly withdrew her arrow before returning it to her quiver.
"Thank the gods..." the leader breathed, and her grip tightened on her bladed bow, "Wait! NoNo-"
The swing was effortless, and his life forfeited. He fell back, choking on his own blood in his final moments as Allura leaned over him, and she claimed the key from his pocket.
"May Morsimum devour your soul," her cold words were a promise, shaking the dying man to his core in his final moments, and his last thoughts were of Unicus, the champion of the gods, calling for the god of death himself to damn him.
Allura looked for the next threat, but none could be found, allowing her to slip her bow onto her shoulder. She took a small moment to breathe and to remember her warmth before her focus shifted to the teen. The girl was trembling on the ground with fresh bruising on her face and tears in her eyes. Allura kelt beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, and the teen flinched before looking at her.
"Are-are you really Unicus?" the girl questioned meekly, and Allura offered her a warm smile of assurance.
"It's going to be okay now," she promised, and she undid the girl's shackles before helping her to her feet, "I'm getting you and the others out of here now."
" You never fail me, Unicus," Visushio smiled.
~
Axis watched in disbelief as Allura failed his expectations.
"I-I thought she was..." his voice failed him as his shock continued to hold him.
"I hate seeing her like that..." Flora nearly whimpered, and Axis's shock left him in the sight of Flora's struggle. "Let's go, we need to get to town."
"If you hate seeing this so much why did you come?" he growled with his agitation flaring at his own lack of emotional experience.
"I need to be there for her," Flora answered weakly, "Just in case... Come on, or she'll find out we didn't listen."
"What? Are you afraid of her?" he pressed, struggling to wrap his mind around everything, and Flora shook her head.
"She'll be upset if she knows I saw," she mumbled while hugging Rune to her chest a bit tighter, "She knows how I feel about her killing people, so she tries to protect me from it..."
"I see," Axis breathed before looking back to Allura, and their eyes met, "Shit..."
"Come on," Flora sighed, but Axis lingered in Allura's gaze for a moment longer before he finally left with Flora and Rune.