The lurker rattled its scales, slithering its lower body across the forest floor. Its upper half remained erect, and two, large scales lifted away from its head on either side of it. The scales fanned out like a flower's petals and started to flutter open and closed at a high rate of speed. Lowering its head, the lurker swept its head side to side.

Watching closely, Vatra noticed the scales had lifted away to reveal what she assumed were its nostrils. It made sense to her. The creature's face had no room for its nose.

Thick saliva dripped down from its partially opened mouth; a gaping hole that might as well have been a direct line to its stomach. Flashing teeth encircled nearly its entire throat, too.

Remaining still, Vatra knew the lurker had her scent. Anywhere she went, the creature would be on her heels. Her best option was to fight before it knew she was on the run. Lurkers always liked to hunt their prey.

She crouched down, steadying her grip on her knives, and lunged for the lurker's head. It had lowered it far enough that she didn't even have to jump. All she had to do was take a few strides and swing.

As her right arm came around with the knife toward the soft part under its nostril, Vatra found the wind ripped from her lungs. A force like a car running her down struck her in the back.

Vatra flew through the air before hitting the dirt beneath a thick layer of vegetation. Sprawling out on her stomach, Vatra fought to get her breath back. The world spun around her.

Fingers sprawled beneath her face, Vatra realized she'd lost her knives. The hit to her back had spasmed all of her muscles, and sent her weapons to the undergrowth. Groaning, Vatra rolled to her back in time to see the lurker's tail sweeping over where she lay.

Hundreds of legs clacked together just a few inches above her. Vatra managed to gather her thoughts together long enough to look around for her knives. One of them had fallen not far to her left. Grasping desperately, Vatra gathered a handful of dirt along with the hilt of her blade.

The lurker slammed down its tail. Vatra lifted her legs and caught a majority of the blow with the soles of her boots. She bent her knees as the hit traveled down further, and just as it was about to crush her, Vatra struck with the knife repeatedly into the exposed underbelly.

Yellow goo spilled from the wound, dripping down over her with an audible plop that made her involuntarily gag. The smell was putrid. Like rotten eggs and decaying flesh. Vatra flung off a majority of the liquid before climbing to her feet.

Unsteady legs wobbled beneath her. She would need to sleep for an entire day after everything was said and done.

A screech ripped from the lurcher as it spun around to face Vatra. The injured tail whipped around behind it like a limb hanging from its last threads.

"Oh, you're pissed now, huh?" Vatra questioned. She tossed her knife to her dominant, right hand and gave the forest floor a quick scan. The glint of metal revealed her other weapon just in front of her.

Diving for the knife, Vatra clutched it in her left fist tightly, never faltering a step. The running momentum carried her forward until she ducked down and pushed off with her right foot. Vatra turned in mid-air and swung her left leg around, timing the lurker's attack with her plan to take it down.

Her left ankle hooked around the lurker's jaw, and Vatra found herself straddling the back of the very creature trying to rip her to shreds.

"This isn't like riding a horse," Vatra said. She ducked close to the lurker and found no place to hold a grip. If she didn't act fast, the slick scales would send her flying back down to the dirt.

Vatra held both her hands out and timed her attack with the hastened fluttering of the lurker's scales. Once the soft spots were revealed, she struck down with both hands simultaneously, using all the strength she could muster.

The blades pierced through the lurker's nostrils. An immediate howl emanated from the depths of its belly. Vatra was thrown to the dirt, still grasping her weapons.

She hopped to her feet, ready to continue the battle if needed. The lurcher spun around for a few moments before thudding into the bushes in a heap. Twitching muscles rippled all along its body, and the purpled scales protecting its back slowly faded to a grey hue.

Another involuntary gag pushed Vatra away from the body. The smell was going to draw scavengers without a doubt. She held a hand against her stomach as she hobbled back down toward where Revna and Enyalius had been hiding. The cowards.

Wiping her knives along the thigh of her jumpsuit, Vatra hoped the stench of the lurcher goo would come out. She couldn't stand it a second longer and almost wanted to strip down to nothing. Except the smell was in her hair, and there was no certainty the lack of clothes would aid in how terrible she reeked.

Vatra tripped over the last bit of vine before entering a small clearing where the grove of trees protected her unfortunate companions.

"I can't believe you took it down on your own," Revna marveled, clearly impressed as she looked Vatra up and down. A hand went to her nose, though, once Vatra approached more closely.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Vatra said.

"I'm no fighter," Revna commented in a quiet voice. "I would have only died."

Vatra snorted. "He's a fighter, though. Aren't you, Enyalius?"

"You left us as bait!" Enyalius shouted, stepping forward with deepened brows. "You were going to let us die, too."

"I didn't, though. I could have waited until the lurker killed both of you. But, the truth is, I couldn't let it kill you," Vatra said. She replaced the knives to their holsters and pressed on, pushing past the both of them. "We'll be able to see Belltower just over this ridge. Once we get back there, you can find someone else to do this job for you."

"I still have questions." Enyalius walked in step beside Vatra. "And this doesn't change the fact you're still the best out there. Your crew can clearly handle themselves against this group."

Turning her head slightly, Vatra ignored the screaming of her muscles with every step. "You don't trust me, but you still want me for the job?"

"I don't trust a lot of people," Enyalius paused, "but Revna likes you. And I trust her."

Someone he actually cares about, Vatra thought curiously. Or it's just another lie. Another front to get what he wants.

The three of them topped the ridge and looked out over the valley. It would take the rest of the night to get to Belltower, but at least they had a view of the structure. The sight of Belltower was comforting, knowing that her friends were waiting for her.

"You'll have to convince my crew-" Vatra started.

A beam of light drew her attention back to Belltower. The pit of dread that grabbed her stomach and pulled it down to her feet was overpowering. She wanted to scream, to cry out and run for her friends, but Belltower was destroyed in a matter of seconds.

The white light had traveled down in a burst from somewhere in the atmosphere, shooting through the clouds overhead until it met the earth beneath the building. A white mushroom plume followed the sound of the explosion, and Vatra watched, helpless, as the trees all bowed down in a circle around Belltower. The circle expanded, ripping branches and leaves off until it reached where the three of them had been standing.

They were all sent tumbling back down the ridge. Somersaulting head over heels, Vatra felt like the battering was an apt description of how her emotions were spilling out. She grabbed a stray root of a tree, finally stopping her own body from ripping along the forest.

Ears ringing, Vatra clambered to her feet. She was angry. Wild and full of rage. Vatra wanted to kill everyone that had destroyed Belltower, but there was only one person within reach that she could blame for their arrival.

Revna and Enyalius had continued on down the ridge further, but not so much that Vatra couldn't make it to them. They were both slowly coming to, without a doubt experiencing the same confusion and ringing bouncing around Vatra's own skull.

Vatra was the embodiment of fury in that moment. She couldn't even feel her own feet moving as she ran, aiming her full force right for Enyalius. The man had barely gotten to his feet before she tackled him.

"This is your fault!" Vatra shouted. Through her muted hearing she could hear the pain in her voice. "You killed them! You always have to kill someone!"

She wrapped her hands around his throat, and Enyalius pushed out against her face. Fingers clawed for her mask until he ripped it off. Instantly, his eyes widened. The fear of death was the realest she had ever seen in them. His features turned red, choking for a breath.

Revna pulled against Vatra's arms, wrapping herself around her back. "You don't want to do this, you can't kill him, anyway!"

"I can," Vatra growled. She pushed off Revna with one arm and swiped a knife from its holster on her back all in one motion.

Enyalius inhaled sharply just as Vatra plunged the godkiller into his heart. 

A/N: Special double update! Wowza! What do you think about what Vatra did in the end? Would you have done the same?