It took us a good bit of time to get distance from that place, the crux of a situation that I could have just as easily have avoided. But where's the fun in that? I took her with me and made it almost to where I was staying: a little inn on the outskirts of town, near the gates and a convenient little hole that avoids the gate and its guardsmen. As we neared the building, I heard the usual unpleasant sound of soldiers questioning commoners. I acted before I thought, and grabbed for my small blades. She stopped me before I moved to attack them, "No!" she whispered harshly, "We can't leave a bloody warpath on our way out! If we're getting out of this village, we have to think rationally." After an exasperated sigh, I nodded and took my hands off my blades.
"I agree, but I have to get into my room. I have to get some things that I left a few hours ago."
"What, back when you were looking for a snack?" She smirked.
"...You could say that... But regardless, we've got to get into that building. Trust me, things will go a lot smoother should we get caught in a bad situation, as long as I can get my belongings. Now, if we can't do things the easy way..." I looked around for anything that might help out, found nothing and sighed again, "Just...don't freak out."
"What?" She looked at me with a genuine curiosity and then shock. "Wait... What are you thinking? I have to say I don't like the sound of your voice right now." I smiled, holding back a laugh due to our...extenuating circumstance.
"Will you just shut up and hold on?" I smiled again and picked her up, waiting for a second while deciding if this was the best idea. Apparently, she thought I was thinking of other things, cause before I figured it out, she had looked at me funny and slapped me lightly.
"I don't think that what you're thinking is going to get us out of this mess, but I can assure you it will certainly get us into another one." I sighed at her a third time, smirked, and went to set her down, only to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. She yelped a little in response, and hit me in the back.
"Hush you, it was worth it. Now stay quiet; this is the fun part." I figured that the soldiers had heard her yelp, and they would most likely be rounding the corner to see what the sound was, so I decided it was time to move. I wonder how it looked to her, to see the ground rise up, and then move rapidly away for a second or two. But I've done it numerous times. Something about the demonic blood had made me more agile. I've jumped higher than this, and it was extremely easy for me to make it onto the roof of a single story building. I let her down slowly, and she was surprisingly calm. You're very intriguing, I hope you know that. I looked down to see the guards right around where we were standing, and she came up to me and grabbed my arm, trying to pull me back. "It's all right, they can't see us. They don't really expect people on rooftops. We'll give them a minute to scratch their heads, and then see what we can do to get in."
While we waited, we talked. I introduced myself, and explained why I was in this town in the first place. I told her about the trail of bodies that I had followed from village to village, all connected to a murderer that no one could quite recall. She started to tell me things about her, when I heard something...unnatural. "Hold that thought...Diana, was it?" I walked to the other side of the building, and looked down to find a bloody trail leading into the building I was staying in. "...Great. We may have a situation."
"What do you mean, a situation?"
"See for yourself." I turned toward her as she stepped up to the roof edge, and watched her eyes search the bloody image below. "We need to move. I need to get my gear and we need to leave. I have this feeling that this isn't coincidental." She nodded, and I grabbed her up, taking a moment for her to get ready, and stepped off the roof. I made sure to hit the ground as easily as possible, and I surveyed our surroundings as I let her down.
There was a bloody smear moving from around the corner into the doorway of the small inn, and what looked like a leather chestpiece in shreds laying just in sight. Diana noticed my silence, and turned to me. "What's wrong?"
"We'll see once we get inside. But I have this suspicion that he knows I'm here. He's found his way out, and it looks to me that he might try to use me as a scapegoat. In short, he's trying to pin his little spree on me." I assume that she had noticed the change in my eye color. I had caught a glimpse of it myself in a reflection from a window: the usual bright red had cooled to a flat gray. I saw a slight hesitation as she turned away, looking into the doorway.
"Do you think he's inside?"
"I'd rather like for him to be...so probably not. But I'm open to surprises." I took out my two knives and handed one to her. "I don't want to do this, but the moment I walk inside without you, he'll end up out here tearing you apart like those soldiers. And I'd never hear you scream, because you wouldn't get the chance. So take this, stay close, and don't hesitate to use that." She nodded and held the knife in her right hand, and placed her left hand on my arm.
"This isn't the first time you've done this, is it? Don't worry, I can take care of myself."
I looked at her one more time with my now flat gray eyes, placed my free hand over hers for a slight second, and sighed. ...If only I hadn't heard that before.
