Aria pushed herself to her feet, scrambling over to a nearby corner where she could hide. A loud crash fell near the guards, and in a split second, they all went into the mouth of the creature. Her back pressed against the concrete wall, while the sounds of cries filled her ears. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, threatening to burst. Her breathing was heavy, taking long strokes to fill her lungs. Chills filled her body and her bones rattled. Gripping her wrist, she tried to stop her body from shaking. With a thump, she pressed her head against the wall.

The mixture of sounds continued to fill the air. She could hear the wet noises from its inky body bubbling and sticking to the ground. The low tone of its hissing and gurgling voice shook Aria to the core. A monstrous sound that made her knees weak. The fact that people were screaming made her feel no different, instead, a wave of guilt loomed over her.

Gritting her teeth, she peeked her head around the corner. Her eyes soaked up every detail. A giant snake that was far bigger than normal, with its head rising up past some of the smaller houses. Its body dripped with wet ink. Slithering across the pavement, a trail of black followed behind it. A tongue shot out of its mouth, as it sensed around to get its bearings. Aria watched as the creature snaked around the fountain. It turned its head towards the statue, lashing out, the snake took the statue into its mouth and broke it from the fountain. Rubble fell from its body, and pieces laid on the ground covered in black goo.

A loud crash came from one of the stands. The snake whipped its head and hissed at the direction of the noise. Aria spotted a man running across the square the moment the snake turned his head. Her heart dropped.

"No, wait!" were the words that went through her head. Her hand was outstretched, watching as the creature devoured him whole in one move. She slammed her back against the wall again, while her body continued to shake.

She stood there, frozen by what she had just witnessed. Her fingers began to dig into her palm while she bit her lower lip. Counting to ten within her head, she slowly looked over the wall once again. Her eyes looked around the town square until they eventually met with a little girl who sat underneath a stand. Raising her finger, Aria pressed it against her lips as she snuck a glance at the snake.

Scanning the area, she formed a plan within her mind. Aria wasn't going to fool herself, it wasn't a good plan. However, she couldn't stand by when she knew who created that thing. It meant that they were near, or at least Drake was, and she knew the weakness of his pets.

She bent her knees, swaying back and forth as she mentally prepared herself. Her eyes were glued to the creature, watching its every move. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her nerves. Words echoed from her mouth as she gave herself some form of encouragement.

Three.

The snake slithered around the fountain. The small girl held her hand to her mouth, watching as it stalked passed. Hissing, the snake stuck its head around a corner of a building. The tar tongue continued to flicker from its mouth and left splotches of ink.

Two.

Aria picked up a nearby brick. The snake lifted itself from the corner, moving over to the stands. Pushing over of the carts, the little girl flinched and covered her head. Its body jerked moved towards the cart of that the girl hid under. A loud hiss emitted from it as it slowly opened its mouth.

One.

Aria jumped out from behind the corner. Lifting her arm, she threw the brick as far off in the distance she could. Immediately, the snake lunged at the source of the noise. She quickly turned and ran towards the fountain.

Jumping over the fountain, Aria landed near the cart. She quickly pulled the girl out from underneath the cart. With haste, she took the girl to the closest building. However, the door was locked. Gritting her teeth, she rammed her shoulder against the door. Glancing back, she spotted the snake lifting itself from the ground. Her fingers gripped at the girl's hand, dragging her to the window as she ripped it open the wooden panel. She lifted the little girl, allowing her to climb through the window.

Aria turned back to the snake. She was met by its inky stare followed by a low, monstrous hiss. Aria turned on her heels and ran down the walkway. She could hear the snake hissing behind her, as well as the sounds of a large movement. Taking a quick left, Aria ran down a narrow alleyway. At the end, she could see a small stone wall and hear the sound of running water.

Looking over her shoulder, she watched as the snake banged its head against the wall while it struggled to make its way through the tight space. She jumped over the wall, landing on a small platform near what seemed like a water passage from the surrounding moat. She ran to her left, running along the side of the edge that dropped down to the water. Her lungs burned, pleading for her to stop. The beating sun broke her into a sweat, drenching her forehead.

The snake was catching up with her. It moved along with her, staring her down while it glided along the floor. Its body smacked against the buildings and the small wall, causing rubble to fly around. Lifting her arms, she attempted to shield herself from the pieces of falling rubble.

Her eyes locked onto the running water below her. Looking back at the snake, she gave it a sneering smile. She knew he was watching throw the golden eyes of the creature. It's mouth shot open, showing her its fangs as it launched itself towards her.

Aria moved back, jumping off of the ledge that descended down to the water. As she fell, she stared into the monster's mouth. It was like a dark void coming to swallow her whole. Closing her eyes, she heard the sound of the jaw clamping shut. Her body jerked as it was pushed around by the substance of the beast. The tar-like fluid made it nearly impossible for her to move.

A mix of sounds surrounded her. The snake collided with the water, its body slowly degrading in it. The creature shrieked as it thrashed around in the water. Aria lifted her head, feeling as the ink loosen its grasp on her body.

"I win, Drake," she said with a grin.

Water began to elope around her feet. Aria took a deep breath and held it as her body slowly submerged into the water. She thrashed her arms around, eventually pushing herself to the surface. Wiping away the water and ink from her eyes, she looked around the black water. Aria looked around for the man she had watched get eaten earlier, as well as the soldiers. Eventually, she saw them float to the surface one by one. Grabbing the man, she pulled him to the ledge out of the water.

Aria pulled herself out of the water and instantly dropped against the warm stone path. She rolled over to her back, staring at the sky as she breathed heavily. Her eyes caught sight of the bird as it flew in the distance. She filled her lungs slowly, feeling the wet clothes cling to her body with every movement. Her eyes closed. Allowing a moment for her to regain herself, while the sounds of approaching footsteps emitted from her right.

"Ms. Sparrow?" A familiar voice called out.

Aria opened her eyes and looked over towards the source of the voice. When her eyes locked on Zadyn, she mistook him for a brief moment to be William. His long black hair was tied back into a bun. This time, he wore a gilded robe with a pin of a sparrow at his neck.

"Ser, he's not moving," a young guard stated as he stood next to the man she had pulled out of the water.

"Give him a moment, he'll eventually wake up." As soon as Aria said those words, the man's eyes shot open while his body jolted up. He landed on all fours and his hand pressed near his stomach. "You might want to get the others out of the water."

The man coughed aggressively and his face slowly morphed to pain. Holding his hand to his mouth, Aria watched as a black liquid began to seep through the cracks of his fingers. Once again, he hurled himself over the edge, choking as the dark substance erupted from his mouth. Each moment a large amount left, and saliva trailed down his lips. His nose ran from the pressure of the substance spilling from his throat, and every time he believed it was over with, it kept coming. Aria, Zaydn, and the guards watched as this man continued to force the vile, black stuff from his body. Subtly mouthing the words "Oh imir," after each wave.

Finally, he rose his body from its defiling position and turned to the guards. Aria saw the black ink dripping from his lips as well as some of it being splattered against his shirt. His eyes were red with tears and snot ran down his face from his nose. To most, it would have been truly a disgusting sight, but to Aria, she had seen it enough times to no longer be affected by it.

The guard took the man away and began helping the guards in the water, leaving Zaydn with Aria. He bent down and held his hand out to her. Aria pushed it away and lifted herself off of the ground. Zaydn clicked his tongue at her, proceeding to cross his arms against his chest in the process. She turned back to the water and watched as the ink slowly drifted with the current.

"The people won't be happy once they hear about this," Zaydn stated while he walked up to her side. His hand fell on the hilt of his sword, while his eyes stared at the water below. A sigh spilled from his lips.

"Why wouldn't they be, the beast is dead," Aria replied. Zaydn turned his head towards her, as well as pointing down at the water.

"It may be dead, but at the cost of homes and their drinking water." Aria pressed her lips together, while also swaying her body to look away from him. As if to mock him, she crossed her arms across her chest. "Perhaps you fail to understand....no, you don't understand at all. It isn't easy to rebuild homes here as easy as it is from where someone like you would come from."

"Someone like me," Aria said with a growl. "Why don't you just go ahead and say it. Someone like a slave, a bandit, or perhaps a savage. What word were you thinking of using? Or was it a word I wouldn't have known, after all, how could I compare to someone who grew up in stone buildings while I grew up in the dirt!"

Aria face had flushed red, and with a quick shove, she pushed past him. As her fingers dug into her palm, her boots stomped against the ground. Loud clanking could be heard behind her. She was about to run, but Zaydn grabbed at her wrist and tugged her back to him. With a quick turn, Aria placed her hands on his chest and pushed him towards the ground.

"Do not touch me," she said with narrow eyes. "You see me one way, and so I shall remain that way. If it weren't for me, that snake would still be in those streets taking people. I knew how it worked because I have seen it before. Now, leave me alone, or else I will become the vicious savage that you see as."

"Ms. Sparrow," Zaydn interrupted. "You cannot blame me for the way I see you. I was raised differently than you. We will always be from different worlds, and as a law of nature, those worlds will forever clash. I am glad that you killed the snake, but you cannot pin frustration on me simply because I was concerned about the people I have sworn to protect."

Aria paused for a moment. Zaydn watched as her head tilted slightly with her eyebrows raised. She gave him a puzzled look. She didn't understand.

Zadyn placed his hands against the ground and slowly made his way to regaining his feet. His eyes locked onto Aria and slowly began to narrow. With a few steps he walked to her side, however, he faced a different direction than her. With a quick glance, he looked at her, before returning his gaze forward.

"You'll do wise to start learning to hold back your arms," he began, "I've been kind. But, this is your last chance. The next time you put your arms near a guard or knight. Will be the last time you have arms."

Hey guys! This chapter was fun to write and I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did. I managed to follow this schedule, so let's cross our fingers that I update next Friday as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on it. Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!