Destiny's Pursuit

It's true! I kinda sorta started a new story. I have several in the works actually, and I'll post them as they are completed and edited. When the writer-bug sticks me, it's just not in my power to resist. I hope you all enjoy!

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Alex drew her cloak closer as she stepped through the doors of the tavern. None of the inhabitants looked up and that was fine with her. She hated this part of town, the less people who noticed her the better. All she wanted to do was find that damn Witch and get on with her business. Her gaze swept her surroundings, out of habit mostly, and determined there was no immediate threat. One could never be too sure. The man in the corner looked questionable though, and that was saying something considering everyone else who was there. He was big and dirty, and judging by the whip hooked to his hip, he was involved in the trade somehow. He looked up at her then, and Alex quickly averted her gaze. Definitely not someone she needed to get the attention of.

She made her way to the bar, and sat on one of the stools. The bartender nodded in her direction to let her know he'd be right with her. Alex took a deep breath and looked around. There was nothing really redeeming about the place; the walls were brown and grimy, and looked layered with dirt. Gross. She tried not to think about the weird stuff she was coming in contact with just by sitting there. Now at the top of her to-do list: bathing.

The bartender finally finished up on the other end and walked over to her. He wasn't as dirty as whip-guy, and that wasn't saying much. It was clear he was sizing her up and that fact made Alex a little uneasy. She cleared her throat and ordered a drink, "Dark ale, please."

The guy looked at her as he placed a surprisingly clean mug in front of her. "That'll be five pieces." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for payment.

Alex retrieved the pieces from the pouch hanging from her belt and slapped them down. "Here."

He looked at the money, then at her and grabbed the coins. Well wasn't that good customer service. Alex glanced around again as she sipped her drink. Where the hell was that Witch? She grew anxious and stood. Waiting around hadn't really been a part of her plan, maybe she would try back a few days from now. Not that she had that kind of time. Alex chugged the rest of her ale and headed for the door. She glanced around one more time - other than whip-guy being gone, everything looked the same.

As she pushed her way outside, noise from across the way tickled her ears. What was that? She squinted to get more information but only made out a hulking form standing over something. Whatever was going down was none of her business. Better not to get involved. That's what she told herself, anyway, until she heard it - well, two things actually. The first sound was the sickening crunch of bones being cracked and the second was a strangled plea of, "Please...." That didn't sit well with her at all. Alex squinted harder and saw the form getting ready to deliver another nasty kick to whoever belonged to that voice. They must have seen it coming too, because the next cry was louder. "No! Please!" It was a girl. Her desperation sliced right through Alex, but she tried to ignore it. She had her own problems, and frankly she'd like to keep it that way.

Then something else reached her, the sound of boot connecting with ribs. Before she could stop herself she was already walking over there. So much for staying out of trouble. As soon as she got close enough, the hulk rounded on her. He looked angry. Upon seeing she was a woman though, his demeanor relaxed a little bit.

"Well ain't you a pretty one. Come to join our little party, have you?" He smiled showing yellowing teeth. Alex noticed what one of his hands was fingering and instantly regretted her move. Damn. He was whip-guy, probably Mr. Handsome to his friends.

"Not exactly." Alex looked down at the body lying curled up at his feet. The girl was young, and judging by how slender she was, probably underfed. The anger that'd been slowly building went up another notch. Blonde hair was dirty and matted to her head with a great deal obscuring her face. Why exactly was this man interested in her? Alex slowly let her gaze leave the girl and travel slowly up the brute. There were no weapons she could see save for the whip. The question was: was it a regular one? If it had been altered then she might be fucked. Her Magic, plentiful as it was, was unavailable to her. And it would remain so as long as she was running. That left her negotiation skills and her dagger, if things went bad.

Beady eyes were staring at her, a cross between appreciation and plain old meanness. She hated traders, they were society's bottom-feeders. How many stories had she heard about innocent people being captured by these freaks and sold? Sometimes for sex, and other times... not. Alex doubted the girl was being hauled off to be someone's bed sport. She was too young. Purchasers liked plucking their playmates at the height of their physical maturity. This poor thing still had a few years to go. That meant she was special some other way. Making a deal would be difficult.

"Then do tell, treat. A man should know why his fun was interrupted." He rested a boot on the girl like she was some tree stump and smirked at her. Classy.

Alex's eyes flicked down to the girl again then back to his. She smiled, "How much for the prize?"

He tensed up at her question. "Who wants to know?"

"Me."

"That so? Well she ain't for sale." He licked his lips, "But don't let that stop us from a little what's-what."

The sad part was, he was serious. He really thought she would deign to touch him like that. Idiot. He probably smelled worse than he looked. "Not for sale?" Alex moved so some of her dark hair fell forward and she slowly brushed it back. Her brown eyes fell to half-mast and she pouted. "But you didn't even hear my offer."

He laughed then, even threw his head back. "Aye, you're right. How 'bout you tell me later, after I've ridden you hard and fast." Mr. Handsome took a step forward.

Oh this was great. This was what she'd wanted to do, get herself killed messing around with a dirty trader. Alex took a step backward, some of it was fear and some of it was to save herself from catching a whiff of him. The latter happened anyway. Had this guy ever heard of soap and water?

She glanced at his hand and saw it was fingering his whip again. Alex's own hand slipped inside her cloak and grasped the hilt of her knife. Apparently negotiating was out. It was just as well, scum like him deserved to die.

"As nice as that sounds, I'm only interested in one thing." Her voice was calm, but underneath it was steel. Mr. Handsome picked up on that and his stance changed. Good for him, he wasn't just looks. His easiness vanished and he stood up straight.

Alex spared a quick look at the girl, it didn't seem like she was breathing. How funny would that be? How funny would it be if she risked her skin for someone who was already dead? She willed the girl to do anything to prove she was alive; to show that what she was about to do wasn't pointless.

Nothing.

Perfect.

"Maybe I can change your mind, yeah? Maybe you need some talking to?"

"I don't th-" she never got to finish her sentence. The bastard had unfurled his whip and cracked it at her.

Alex managed to jump to one side, leaving the brute striking nothing but air. Damn. For some reason she'd still hoped it wouldn't come to this. The sound of the whip was loud in the night air and the few people on the street stopped to watch. A crowd. That was always good. Her cape settled about her and she stood breathing heavily. The dagger was still ready for use, but she didn't unsheathe it. Not yet.

"Is that how you get all the girls?" Alex mocked. She didn't like fighting much, but when she did this was her favorite part. Say the right thing and it threw the other person off. Her and her new friend moved in a circle now, guards up.

Mr. Handsome smiled a deadly smile and rotated the wrist holding the whip. "Aye. And I'll have you soon enough, don't you worry."

"Oh, I won't. You should, though. All these people are going to see you killed. By a woman, no less." She laughed, or tried to. Sounding confident was not the same as being confident. Another glance at the girl. Nope, still dead... or alive.

"Doubtful." And with that he cracked his whip again. It moved faster this time, so fast she almost couldn't see it. On instinct, she grabbed where the tail should be and grunted when her hand closed around it. It hurt... a lot. As quick as lightening, she brought her other hand out of her cape, raised it in an arc, and sliced down. But the damn thing didn't sever. A feeling of dread coursed through her then, like when you know there's bad news before anyone ever says anything. The whip was altered.

After that underwhelming show of action, Alex felt a sharp tug on the hand still wrapped in the whip and she was facedown. Her forehead hit the earth and for a second, there was nothing but pain. She heard footsteps stop beside her and soon a boot landed right in her side. She gasped out loud, releasing air in a hiss. No wonder the girl was crying for help. This shit was terrible.

Something new to add to her "never again" list: getting kicked. It didn't feel all that great.

He used the same boot, still lodged in the center of pain, to roll her over. She blew the hair blocking her view out of the way, and found her head was lying to side facing the girl. She was awake now and looking directly at Alex. It was ludicrous, but Alex smiled at her. A real smile. A smile one didn't usually find on the faces of those getting their ass kicked. It wasn't returned, instead, the girl's purplish eyes flicked upwards then grew big. Well that wasn't encouraging. Alex blocked out the remaining pain and turned her head. Mr. Handsome stood above her now, a sick delight on his face. "Looks like you were wrong, treat." She followed his up-stretched arm and saw the tail of the whip, it was glowing an unhealthy red. One blow in that condition and she was dead. All this for some girl she didn't even know. Way to not get involved.

She prepared herself to move fast when he struck; reflexes were her thing. Years of being on her own had taught her to hone them and to trust them. So far, they had never let her down. He gave the slightest twitch and that was her cue. Alex rolled on her side and threw. Even the people watching didn't see her do it. In fact, no one thought anything had happened until the whip fell harmlessly to ground and the man who once held it suddenly dropped to his knees. He clutched at his heart where her dagger was sticking out. Blood seeped through his dingy tunic, spreading a perfect crimson circle.

Relief coursed through her, and suddenly she could breath again. Alex stood and moved close to the dying brute. He'd fallen on his stomach, much like she had earlier, and blood now leaked from his mouth. She squatted on her haunches next to him and spoke so only he could hear, "I'm never wrong."

His eyes stared into hers, slowly losing the life they once possessed. He coughed, spilling more blood as he managed to choke out, "Bitchhhh..." Ha. A sore loser to the end.

Alex turned the body over and retrieved her weapon. She cleaned it and slid it back in its sheath. Heroes: 1; filthy traders: 0. She walked over to the girl, who was now sitting up, and extended her hand. The girl grabbed it and Alex hoisted her to her feet. Good grief she was small. The waif wavered a bit, then steadied herself. She just stood there watching Alex with her big strange eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The girl said nothing, her gaze was focused somewhere behind Alex. She gasped suddenly and Alex turned around. Three men were coming toward them and none of them looked too happy. There was a murmur from the crowd, but Alex couldn't make out anything being said. "Get away from our property!" Now that, she heard clearly. The shout came from the one holding the crossbow. Oh no, this was bad. Alex looked from the approaching men to the girl. They needed to leave, and in a bad way.

"Look, we need to get out of here. Can you run?" The girl nodded, at least it looked like a nod. Alex couldn't really tell. All she knew was, nothing good ever came from being shot at. She quickly took off her cloak and fastened it around the girl. Seconds later, she grabbed her hand, pushed her way through a few people and took off.

They ran past the tavern and cut to the right. The density of the woods would give them a little cover, hopefully enough to lose the maniacs altogether. She held the girl's hand tighter as she picked up speed. Alex didn't have a clue as to where she was going, but that wasn't the most pressing thing at the moment. What was pressing, however, was the item that flew past her head. Too close. She chanced a glance behind her and was shocked to see them right on their tail. How the hell had they caught up so fast? Something else whizzed past her and the smell was unmistakable. Paralyt. One shot of that and they'd be immobile for hours. Damn.

The girl wasn't making a sound as they moved deeper into the foliage, but she was doing a good enough job of keeping pace. They continued on, moving branches and other obstacles out of their way. Alex saw a clearing up ahead and was trying to decide which way to go once they crossed it, when something hit her in the shoulder. The pain was immediate and intense and radiated outward, making her falter and fall. She let go of the girl's hand and gasped as she hit the ground. Whatever it was, was trying to burn a hole right through her. "Ahh..." And she thought getting kicked had been bad. Alex reached her arm behind her and tried to snatch the projectile out, but she couldn't reach it. She looked up at the girl, but couldn't get a handle on her face. "Listen, can you pull it out?"

The girl's body language screamed fear, but at least she spoke. Finally. "Y-yes." She kneeled down beside Alex and grasped the protruding instrument tightly.

Before she tugged, Alex put a hand on her arm to stop her; a few things needed to be said. She gulped. The men were moving closer and closer. "Once you remove it, keep it okay? If it's poisoned, the residue on it will help me pinpoint an antidote." That is, if she didn't die first. The girl's eyes grew wider and she nodded. Alex grimaced as the burning intensified. "Second, you need to hide. The cloak you're wearing is good protection, but only if you use it right. Keep it wrapped around you at all times." The girl nodded again, and Alex braced herself. In a shaky voice, she squared her shoulders and gave the okay. "Alright. Do it."

Nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught of agony. Alex arched her back as the girl pulled, and screamed so loud people in the depths of hell probably heard her. She panted as she fought to keep from being overwhelmed. One more thing to add to her list: refrain from getting attacked. She felt the ends of her cape brush against her as the girl ran off to hide just like she'd told her to. Thank goodness for that. The girl might have been frightened, but at least she didn't panic. Alex tried to move the injured shoulder, but could only wince and curse. She struggled to her feet and balanced herself. Shortly after, the men emerged and loosely formed a semi-circle around her. They didn't look any better than one she'd dispatched; all were dirty and all looked like they suffered from various personality disorders.

And all three were pointing things at her. The man in front of her had the crossbow... and the paralyt, by the smell of him. The man to her left had some kind of short sword, and the man to her right had a really fancy looking blowgun; clearly the one responsible for her shoulder. The sword she could handle, and so far, whatever Blowgun hit her with wasn't doing anything more than hurting a lot. But Crossbow, he worried her. Alex knew enough about paralyt to know it was hard to come by, but the jerk could still have several more shots hidden away.

Short Sword spoke first, "Where is she? Where's the girl?"

Alex's breathing was labored, partly from exhaustion but mostly from all the soreness and throbbing her body was feeling. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The expression on his face almost made her laugh. But she didn't because her side still hurt; and because her shoulder still burned; and because these men didn't think anything of killing her. Of course she felt the same way about them. Filthy traders. Short Sword took a step toward her. "Now you listen to me, you little-"

"Can we just get it over with and off her?" Blowgun interrupted and was eyeing her with unabashed hatred. "She stole from us and knifed Jacoby in the middle of the fucking street! This whore shouldn't be allowed to draw another breath."

Alex could see why they'd be a little upset, but by no means should they take it so personal. They should be thanking her really, she'd rid the world of one less piece of trash. She took a deep breath, holding her side as she did. "Was that his name? Jacoby?" She attempted a smirk, "We weren't properly introduced, you see."

Short Sword didn't like that and started forward again, but Crossbow shot him a look and he stopped. Alex's eyes fell on the obvious leader of the group then down to his weapon. Damn, she could really do without that kind of hazard. "Just tell us where the girl is and we can forget about this." At that, Blowgun made a sound of objection, but another look silenced him.

Crossbow was lying of course. He must be reciting from the bad guy handbook. Rule number one: make an unrealistic offer; rule number two: kill the idiot dumb enough to take it. "I tried to buy her fair and square, but your friend wouldn't cooperate." Her gaze ran over each of them. "What's so precious about her anyway?"

Nothing but silence. Alex hadn't really expected an answer. She was only talking to buy some time. Time for what exactly, she wasn't sure. But as far as she was concerned, a living Alex was much better than a dead Alex. She was still breathing heavy, and for a few moments, that's all anyone could hear. Then suddenly Crossbow moved in close to her. Alex was surprised, and a bit put off at not catching his movement. She must be more tired than she thought.

He placed the thing right at the base of her throat. If his finger slipped, it was lights out for her. Alex found herself hoping the girl was okay. Who knew the evening would lead here. None of this would've happened if that Witch had been where she said she'd be; or if she hadn't stepped outside and heard those cries; or if she was cold enough to leave well enough alone. But, whatever. Her eyes locked on the loading slot and there she saw it. The little vile filled with liquid that glistened in the fading light. No mystery there. The bastard was locked and loaded. Double damn. Alex swallowed hard.

"Now, I'm going to give you one more chance. Tell us where the girl is." He pushed the crossbow further into her skin. "Even if you don't, we'll hunt her down anyway. She couldn't have gotten very far." He wasn't giving her much of a choice. There was no way she was giving up the girl, so that only left one thing.

Alex held his gaze and very calmly replied, "No."

His jaw tensed and something in his eyes clicked. He was done with her now. She flicked down to his finger then back at his face. It was time.

In that moment, Alex did something she hadn't done in six years. It was difficult at first because she had to unbind it, but the spell locking it down wasn't nearly as potent as when she'd first gotten it from the Witch. Once it was undone, though, her Magic flowed greedily around her. It lapped at her, calling her to join with it. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like. It was electric. She could feel her skin crackle and she knew it was completely released. Her brown eyes lightened with the return of power and she got ready to strike. The timing had to be just right; all of this would have been in vain if she didn't manage to act before Crossbow pulled the trigger.