Siana huffed, her feet stopping on a less traveled pathway. She’d been walking for days now and just about ready to allow her body to drop where it stood. So far her Lavoro had been one of more travel than of battling, but she did as it instructed and passed. Being her third Lavoro, Siana allowed her mind to drift back to the ones before now.

A daughter to a wealthy man was in need of saving from a band of thieves looking for an easy pay. Traveling less than a days walk, she’d found them camped only a few miles from the girls residents. Siana had taken every precaution in order to bring the daughter home alive. When she moved it was only when the wind blew, each breath she took matched that of a mans.

She didn’t allow her temper to befall her as the men tried to rough up the young woman. Her wits needed to stay just as sharp as her blades. Fingers flipped one blade in particular, a favorite of all the ones she carried. Its silver handle nearly matching the shine of its blade. A horse snorted catching scent of her before the men, Siana acted faster than they could.

Cutting across one mans throat when he went to roar into her face, the sound burst blood across Siana’s face. Turning to another man, she gave his head a slam with the flat of her shoe. Shaking his core till everything blacked out. When her eyes meandered slowly, like some kind of deadly snake the last of the thieves stepped backwards. Each unsure what she was, or who should attack first.

Blood dripped down Siana’s chin, she could hear its descent before dying with a low hummed thud to the soft ground under her feet. Giving the young woman a flicker of her eyes, Siana felt pity for the girl. Raised with a silver spoon between her teeth, just like Siana once was, only to see her as this creature who felt nothing towards the rapidly growing heartbeats that stood only a few feet away from her.

Whatever War had hoped for her, could very well be lost along with her humanity.

Feeling nothing as her blades cut into soft stomach and throat flesh, pulling each blade out in speeds unregistered by a human eye. Each pull sprayed blood over the rock walls that lined the hideout the men had picked. Swiping each blade on her leather wear Siana lifted her eyes to the scared woman. Her face had paled dramatically as both hands cupped the ear piercing scream she was dying to release.

Had Siana been just a few summers younger, she’d might of spared the woman from such a horror. But now she just didn’t seem to care so much. Giving the woman little to no option was all she could do to comfort her.

“Stay here and be captured again, of come with me and go home” She walked out of the wide mouthed cave, tucking her favorite blade back near her heart. Soft shuffling gave Siana news of the woman’s close following. They made fair time considering the woman’s distress level. Siana was given a small leather pouch holding the amount that had been written on her Lavoro.

Before she could unroll the parchment to be signed, the markings of the men's signature burned black ink deep within the rivets of the paper. From then on out, Siana realized that each Lavoro would not be completed till the Lavoro’s requestor was pleased. It gave her some what of an understanding. No man could forge or fake a signature, as it wouldn’t appear on the parchment, there for making the Lavoro incompleted.

Her first Lavoro had done its job in convincing the men she was ready for another, and she was handed her second. A little less daunting than her first, but still crucial to being completed. A priceless family heirloom, had been removed from the resting place of a poor family, that felt their loved one's passing would be overlooked should they not have such a treasure to give as a bargain for the ferryman.

Tales of such stories of a ferryman were common in a few of the books War had advised she read. It was said he transported spirits from one place to another, and if you had the right treasure you could buy your way anywhere you’d like. Such stories where unsure within the mind of Siana, but she’d not tell another living soul they were wrong. When she herself wasn’t sure.

Now with her third Lavoro in hand, Siana had to face something greater than common thieves. Miles away from her so called home, was a creature that had been keeping hunters in a remote village from gathering supplies in order to feed families.

Upon entering the starving village Siana’s nose scrunched, eyes burned with the bodies that had been yet buried to rest in what peace they could. She walked through wide open area’s as woman pulled their sickly looking children close to chests. Men scowled at her, sizing her up for an attack. Ignoring their blazing gazes Siana went to the leader, figuring his residents would be that of the largest in the village.

Getting to his door she paused seeing an elderly man sitting just a few feet from the tied off wooden door. His hand carved pipe puffed black smoke thicker than any dragon’s breath she’d seen. One eye opened up for her, allowing the dark black to slide up her body in measurements. Siana faced him off, unafraid of the danger he might pose.

“Yer here for the beast?” His voice gruff, sounding that of a dying man.

“Yes” He grunted spitting what was smoldering within that pipe to the ground. Clothing hung from his boned frame as he rose to a height much taller than she thought him to be.

“Yer only one, and woman at that” It ground out his teeth like two rocks scraping together. Siana did her best not to growl, she was here for a Lavoro and a Lavoro she would finish.

“Where does it lay?” She asked trying her best to avoid the hungry eyes of all who looked upon her body. Another grunt from the male, a hand of his left the pipe wiggling a finger towards blackened woods.

“Somewhere within the darkness” He moved entering the larger hut like home, leaving Siana to guess what to do next. Spinning on her heels Siana headed straight into the darkness as though it had been her home for centuries.

All eyes rested on her already tense shoulders when the last of her body vanished into shadows. No sounds came from within the woods, not like back at War’s. Where birds chirped, while smaller game rustled through leaves in hopes of finding something to eat. Here all that stirred was a few too many bugs.

Having read the Lavoro several times, Siana still couldn’t gather much more than what it said. A beast that could peel the flesh from a man’s bones, razor sharp fangs twisting from every angle, while the snap of a tail would flick you off your bearings. Siana frowned shaking her head a bit.

Normally giving much more than what it had, she became slightly concerned as to what she was walking right into.There was no sense in being silent, when not even a mouse dared scurry about. Sighing outright Siana’s skin began to prickle feeling what could only be described as a far cry from something sweet as those old man’s eyes.

Her body didn’t want to turn around, to face what could be her demise but as she flicked her gave to the looming shadow, Siana felt her heart drop. Now that it was staring her down, Siana could see where the Lavoro would only put so much. Anyone with a wit of a mind wouldn’t of walked into this forest.

His tail nearly the thickness of a hundred summers willow tree, while the extending neck gave his arm sized fangs more ways of taring a man’s flesh off. Eyes so dark their whites nearly concealed within its own hatred for other living beings. Two back legs gave him the movement of a human while two shorter arms flexed three long bird talons.

What made Siana confused was the out of place wings he held onto, tattered to the point of useless. Never to be used in flight again, they seemed to be his only downfall. She watched as the long tentacles around his head moved so rhythmically she almost caught herself falling asleep. Moments after shaking off their effect, that beast of darkness came at her with everything he had.

Catching his wings on trees, helped slow his movements down. But that tail was worse than any bullwhip Siana had seen. It snapped trees thicker than itself, sending them crashing around her. Running as fast as her powerful legs could carry her, Siana doubled around trying to run through trees of greater thickness.

She had gained footing on him, was nearing an area where her skills would do a fair job of killing his moments. But that deadly tail had somehow slithered up, wrapping around her left ankle only to send her face first into the hard bark of one tree. Tasting her own blood was the last thing she wanted to do, feeling the wind on her face as his tail flung her sliding across the ground. Picking up whatever lie in her way.

Feeling each scrape while dirt and debris clogged her bleeding limbs, Siana pushed to her shaky feet. Allowing her arms to hand on either side of her body, while eyes barely kept open to watch the beast. His hissing was only half of what bothered her. That damn smell he carried wherever his breath pushed over, was worse than rotting corpuses.

Not able to stop the bubbling of a laugh, her fingers fumbled for her blades. One of them wasn’t going to leave this forest, but she’d be damned if she’d allow him to walk away unscaved. Toes dug into the soft soil, eyes thinned giving her line of sight one target to concentrate on. All her strength pulled to her core as she allowed her feet to rickashay off.

Moments after her leap, he bellowed out shaking those tendrils around charging just the same. One wing crashed into a tree with not so much give, sending his steps just a little less than her own. It gave Siana just the edge she was hoping for. Grabbing two blades in each hand, they rose high into the air before swinging back down.

Giving her body the push it needed, flipping over his snapping jaws when one foot hit the solid muscle of his backside. Turning on that foots toes a blade shot from her hand, stabbing right between his vertebrae. Those pathetic sized arms unable to reach her from his back, leaving his wings to flap uselessly. Quickly her fingers tired a durable clear line to one dagger, before doing the same to another dagger.

The line so sharp it sliced her fingertips, making it difficult to stay atop the mighty beast while rigging up his death. Finished Siana twirled one dagger around the air above her head, allowing it to be set free, looping it around his neck as it became tighter when she stabbed the center folds of his wings. Catching the swinging dagger, she was then able to pull out the first from his body.

Holding onto them both as if they were reins. Dropping all her weight into her butt, Siana sat between his wings pulling as hard as she could. He thrashed wildly slamming his body into trees to rid her from his back. Gritting teeth Siana pulled harder, screaming out as the thin wire cut her hands when a dagger slid.

She wrapped the wire around her hands holding the daggers handles. Blood covered every inch of her hands, dripping down to her legs. Giving another rough pull, the wire tightened once more, daring to choke out the beasts if he didn’t lose his head first. One last attempt on his behalf sent Siana’s leg between his body and that of a bolder.

The ominous crack she heard didn’t do the pain justice.

(T^T don't hate me...I'm so damn tired I don't know if half of this makes sense..lol. I changed the cover...o.o is it better or worse? Please leave me your thoughts. Thank you)