How To Save a Life [Echo]

[Echo Ashaelyr]

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Ariadne was on the trail of a pack of direhounds when she heard the screams.

She knew there was a small town nearby called Farrow, and the screams were in that direction along the road. Pulling out her broom, the demon hunter sped off towards the sound of fear and chaos. As she got closer, she could also hear the cackle-snarls of something inhuman.

Demon.

The direhounds could wait, people were in mortal peril and she wasn't about to leave them to be butchered by a demon. As Ariadne shot over the rooftops of the village, several things became instantly clear. There was just one, it had killed several townspeople already. And it was powerful.

A greater demon. Just her luck. These things were tough, cunning, and usually had a lovely arsenal of weapons both physical and magical.

"GET INSIDE!" Ariadne shouted as she shot towards the greater demon. It stood on six blade-like legs, with a humanoid torso, long neck, and elongated human-like face. The face was mostly taken up by a mouth filled with ragged pointed teeth, and three purple oval-shaped eyes. Reverse rune-patterns were marked all over its body in glowing purple tattoos over sleek black skin. The demon had four arms with large, many-clawed hands.

Dive-rolling off her broom, Ariadne fired off several stunning spells rapidly, drawing her sword as she continued with the momentum from the broom and slashed at its back legs.

The greater demon howled and spun on her, knocking her back into the wall of the nearest shop. Ariadne froze one of its arms, but it broke free of the ice and pointed at her. Purple flames sprouted where she had been a split second before. She stole a quick glance to see that all of the townspeople had rushed inside the moment she had arrived.

"INCENDIO!"

Flames sprouted in a circle around it, but the demon cast purple flames that swallowed the red fire. It swiped at her with its front legs, one caught her boot and sent her sprawling. Just as it lunged at her, she rolled to the side and stabbed it in the shoulder with her sword. Black blood streamed from the wound; the greater demon reared back, screaming in fury.

For what seemed like an hour (but was only twenty long minutes) they continued in that manner, trading spells and blows, doing damage to the other but neither gaining the upper hand.

But Ariadne was tiring quickly. Her numerous cuts and bruises were draining on her. At last she managed to freeze it in a block of ice, with several seconds to spare before it broke free. With her free hand she pulled out a large silver bell with runes inscribed all over its surface. As soon as the demon shattered the ice, she began to ring it, chanting a binding spell as she rang the bell in a pattern.

At first she thought it was going to work. The demon paused, looking confused, then alarmed as it began to shrink. But it was more powerful than she thought, and in an instant it lunged forward and bit her right hand. She screamed as the needle-sharp teeth scraped against the bones in her hand, then the blood-venom in its teeth seared into the wound. The pain nearly made her pass out, and the demon struck out at her, its bladed leg impaling her through the right shoulder. It brought its face close to her and its burning breath caught her on the right side of her face.

Ariadne desperately pulled out another bell and rang it along with the other bell, putting all of her will into the binding. The demon began to shrink, then slowed down, as though moving through molasses. It tried to pull its leg from her shoulder, but she took her sword and, with all her might, drove it through the demon's heart.

A high-pitched wail escaped the greater demon as it pulled away from Ariadne, staggering from the death-blow. She fell to her knees, her strength ebbing away. But before the creature dissolved into black soot, it hissed words at her in demon-tongue. And even though she didn't know what it was saying, the meaning was clear. She would always remember the alien words.

It had cursed her.

The pain spreading through her shoulder and hand were agony, and she watched in horror as her right hand began to twist and turn black, as though decaying. The skin stretched taut over lengthened bones, claws curled from her fingertips. She fell on her side, unable to move as pain and blood-loss stole her remaining strength. As her vision began to blur, Ariadne saw the villagers rushing out of their houses. Ariadne wanted to ask, why no one had tried to help during the battle?

"Is there a medi-wizard here?" She croaked, but faltered as the crowd gasped and pulled away from her. "Please...I need your help!"

But they were backing away, looking at her with wide, horrified eyes. Several of them made an evil-warding-off gesture. Within minutes the street was empty, and Ariadne lay on the cobblestones, her life-blood seeping away, and a terrible, empty feeling yawning inside of her.

She knew that she was dying, that if she did survive this, she would still be a stranger, even to herself.

Summoning up her last reserve of strength, Ariadne climbed to her feet, and spun on her heel, focusing her fading thoughts on a destination she didn't even know she could reach in time.

St. Mungos.