A tall red Ancient leaned back against her chair in the sun, her fur pressing against the wood as she lifted the mug to her jaws. It was hardly past the afternoon, yet the Ancient guzzled down the mug of foaming beer and wiped what remained off what remained on her lips with the back of her hand. Her green eyes scanned the bustling city, watching as wolves and cats alike strode by in quick steps and judgmental glances. She flashed them all a toothy grin with a quite classy wave of her middle finger. She rolled her shoulders back, adjusting how the sweatshirt lay against her fur. It was odd not wearing armor, but Scarr had insisted on her wearing something casual for once. She didn’t necessarily enjoy how vulnerable she felt, yet she had done it anyway. He’d smile, at least.

Her ears lowered a little at the thought of it, thinking of how silly that must sound. She tipped her mug back only to remember it was empty. Her muzzle wrinkled with a scowl. She put the mug down and yawned.

“Drinking already?”

Jade glanced in the direction of the voice. There stood a large Red Wolf dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. A blush played on his cheeks, embarrassed as equally as Jade when her eyes settled on his shirt’s design.

“You actually wore it!” Jade grinned, standing. “Hell yeah!” She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it out a little so she could see it fully. A stylized red Ancient was curled into a ball in the middle of the fabric with a few hearts dancing around it.

“And you wore yours,” he said. The darker brown wolf reached for her shirt, thought better of it, and grinned as his hands fell back to his sides. Jade released the fringes of his fabric and glanced down at what she was wearing. Casual jeans, torn from use before they landed on the bargain rack, and  a sweatshirt that mimicked Scarrborough’s—except a Red Wolf lay in the middle of her shirt. They stood there, awkward for a moment, before the owner of the bar bust out of the front door.

The two spun around, Scarr startled by the interruption, while Jade’s face fell into distaste. The bar’s wooden doors slammed against the brick wall and she was sure she’d somehow get blamed for the damage. Unlike in other parts of the city, no vines or moss climbed the side of the building to soften the blow of wood versus brick.

“I’ve had enough of you not paying your bill!” The black Ancient snarled, fur bristling, ears back. He was large, but more so around his gut. He didn’t wear a shirt—which was unlucky for anyone who had eyes—but he did manage to put pants on that were tied with a rope. His fist clenched. Scarr cast Jade a glance, then stepped in front of her.

“How much does she owe?” he asked, eyes resting on the figure.

“Glad you asked,” growled the Ancient. He pulled out the bill tallied from every time Jade had run off instead of paying. She came on the days he wasn’t here, and no one had the guts to cut her off. Except him, apparently. The owner shoved the paper forward, and Scarr’s face fell, drained of blood.

“How on earth do you owe so much?” Scarr hissed over his shoulder at the crimson wolf. She flashed a sheepish grin.

“A girl’s gotta drink.”

“It’s time to pay, Jade.” The Ancient stepped forward, “And if you don’t have the money, how about I just make you work for it?”

Jade groaned and thrust her thumb down. “Boo. Working is so last year.”

“Jade, don’t you have the money?” Scarr’s eyes settled on her, brows upturned. “I think he’s really going to try and make you pay it off.”

“Bull. He wouldn’t come after me. No one makes me work.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pointed her muzzle away, snorting breath from her nostrils.

“No one makes you—? I thought you said you were going to get a job!” Scarr frowned. “What about the money I loaned you?”

“Uh, the money you invested in me, you mean.” She puffed out her chest and pounded on it, flashing a smirk. “I’m a slow growing stock, ya just gotta give me time.”

“Time isn’t something you have!” snapped the owner. “And I’ve hired men to make sure you can’t run off this time.” He lifted two fingers to his mouth and whistled. In seconds, six men leapt at the two lovebirds, grabbing at their arms and throwing punches. Three for Jade, three for Scarr. The two expertly dogged, backing themselves against each other.

“Why does this always happen to you?” Scarr muttered.

“People just don’t get the investment metaphor. I worked hard on it, too.”

Scarr groaned. “How long?”

“About like, two weeks. The whole world of stocks is quite confusing. I’ll stick to punching things.”

“Ready?” he said.

Jade grinned. “Ready.”

Scarr spun around, grabbed Jade’s arms, and launched her into the air. She landed on the head of a hired wolf, shoving him to the ground. She snickered, turned her attention to the alleyway in front of her, and took off running, Scarr on her heels.

Her feet slammed against the smoothed, cobblestone roads. The alleyway was darker than the plaza she had been in, but her eyes adjusted fast and she was able to evade the bins of trash and the sleeping drunks slumped against either wall.

The breeze caused by her movement rustled her fur and for a moment, she realized how light she was without armor. A small smile curled its way onto her lips.

“It’s sort of nice to run without armor on,” Jade chimed, looking over her shoulder to eye the pursuers and screaming bar owner. “Did they really think six men would take us down?”

“He must not know you very well,” Scarr replied, humor in his voice. “This makes it, what? The fourth bar you’ve been ran out of?”

“Yeah.” Jade reached her hand out and spun around a corner to her right without losing momentum. “I’m running out of places to invest in me.”

Scarr rolled his eyes and stayed on her heels. “Good thing we’re not going to a bar for lunch.”

Jade laughed. “Good thing. Where are we headed, anyway?”

They burst out of the back streets and into a crowded one. Stalls lined the streets, merchants calling out the names of their goods. Men and woman pushing carts yelled for pedestrians to get out of the way while children played throughout the street. Jade didn’t have time to take in the simplicity of life here with wolves still barking not far behind, so the two mingled with the crowd. Jade snagged a blanket from a passerby’s basket, wrapped it around her head, and tugged Scarr closer to the ground. Without his height or her red color to betray them, the pursuers rushed into the crowd and hesitated. They dispersed and began to spin strangers around in hopes of catching their prey. Scarr snickered.

“All right, this way.” He took her hand in his, weaving through the crowd before taking a left turn when business started to dwindle. Jade hung her blanket on the side of the building they passed by way of a jutting brick, and strode alongside Scarr.

“So who made these shirts?” She looked down at her shirt and smiled, fighting the heat that rose to her face.

“A friend made them,” Scarrborough said, looking down at her. “You wouldn’t know him. He’s from the guild.”

“The illusive mercenary guild.” She cooed. “Is my birthday gift getting to try out?”

“It’s dangerous,” he said. “I’d hate if you got hurt.”

“Hurt?” Both her brows raised and a sarcastic grin marred her features. “Ha! I’ve fought in a war, Scarr, I’ve been hurt before.”

“We’ve been over this, Jade.” The Red Wolf sighed. “You haven’t fought against strong opponents for over a year since you’ve been in this kingdom. Besides, your stealth skills are crap.”

“Oi, they could be improved upon, but they aren’t total garbage.” She pursed her lips. “Besides, I’ve fought plenty of people while I’ve been here.” They turned a corner and shops dotted the road. Inns, blacksmiths, horse masters. Not as many Ancients frequented this area during the afternoon, most opting for visiting stalls or, for some, going to work.

Signs swung as a light breeze played with the chains that held them. Jade was suddenly aware of how cold it was without thick pieces of armor covering her fur.

“You mean drunks?” He took her hand and squeezed it, smiling over at her. “I’m not doubting your skills, but we’ve been hired to do some tough jobs lately, and I don’t want your first day back to get you killed.”

“I’m not easy to kill, Scar-boy.” She winked at him. “What about you take me along on the next job you get? How’s that?”

Scarr sighed, his shoulders falling. “Fine, fine. Come on, this is us.” He stopped at the end of the road where a massive building took up its own block. With large black bricks, a wooden gate, and turrets jutting upwards, the beast of a building was made to look not only intimidating, but like a castle. Jade arched a brow.

“What’s this?” Jade asked, tilting her head to the side. “I don’t think I’ve seen this place before.”

“It’s a new place, just opened.” He grinned and looked over at her. “Happy Anniversary, Red.”

Jade flushed. “Don’t go on one knee, now. C’mon, let’s just go inside.”

Together, they strode to the gate and shoved it open. It took both of them and when it did budge, it only opened enough for them to slip inside. There, a large hallway spanned the expanse of the first floor, with a red rug rolled out to welcome them. It was lit by sparse candles hug on the wall and from the ceiling. The heavy door swung shut behind them.

“Wow,” Jade hummed, looking around. “Where is everyone?”

Scarr grinned, ecstatic. “Well, actually, there might only be people on the top floor.”

“What?”

“I rented the day, so it’s just us here.” Scarr said, triumph in his voice. Jade whirled around.

“That’s why you couldn’t pay my bill!” She laughed. “This must’ve cost a fortune!”

“Not too bad, actually.” He started down the hall, still holding her hand. “The goal of this place is to get to the top of the castle. It’s like a haunted house sort of thing. They said it gets scarier the further you get. If you win,” he glanced back at her, “you get a free three-course meal!”

“Ah, hell yeah! I love free stuff!” She quickened her steps to walk alongside him. “Must get pretty scary then, if they’re willing to bet food. You won’t wet yourself, will you, big guy?” She tilted her face up towards him.

“Me? I should be saying that about you!”

The two snickered like fools before continuing forward. They found the stairs at the end of the rug and walked up the short spiral staircase to the first floor. There, the candles were even fewer and it made hard to see. Jade peered into the darkness.

“Well, maybe they were willing to bet food because they figure you’ll get lost in the dark.”

“Ah, we’ll be fine.” Scarr squeezed her hand. They stepped forward and a gate shut behind them, closing off the stairs. Jade spun around, arms raised for a fight. Scarr snickered.

“Scared already?”

“Better safe than sorry, tough guy.” She lowered her arms and together, they started into the darkness. It wasn’t long until Jade could hear a light humming.

“Hey, there’s someone here!” Scarr chimed. “You think the workers are in masks?”

“Yeah,” Jade muttered, hair standing on end. “Hey, who owned this place?”

“A woman by the name of Voshell? A foreigner. She seemed like sweet lady when I met her, and when I checked up on her background, she had a clean past, too. She said she’d throw in a little something extra for our anniversary.” He smiled. “Why?”

“Because the song sounds familiar.” She scratched her neck. “Heh, man. Did tell her anything about us?”

“Just names, really. I told her you were scared of spiders.”

“Spiders?” Jade laughed. “I’m not scared of spiders.”

“I know.” He grinned, the light catching his teeth. The humming grew louder as they walked. Without anything stopping them, they reached the next staircase.

“This is a piece of cake,” Scarr said. He squeezed her hand. “Hey, are you okay?”

Jade nodded, sweat starting to gather under her fur. “Yeah. It just reminds me of something from the war.”

“Do we need to leave?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” She shook herself out, ruffled her hair, and dragged her hands across her face. “I’m good.” She grinned and released his hand, charging up the stairs two at a time. “C’mon, slow-poke!” She hollered somewhere out of view. Scarr followed her up. The next floor had two candles, both next to his side of the room. Without any windows to light his view, everything before him was pitch black. His ears pricked, a light chuckle rumbling from his throat.

“Hey, the actors are supposed to jump out at us, not you!” He chuckled and walked forward. The gate shut behind him. He glanced back at it.

“Hey, Jade?” He sniffed the air. He could smell her, sure, but it was clouded by a mixture of other scents that made it impossible to tell if she was close or not. “C’mon, we’re supposed to do this together!” He waited for a response. “Jade?”

The humming was loud now, and it transformed into the lyrics of a song. It was not a pleasant one.

My momma said I wasn’t pretty so she sliced me back and forth.

            My momma said I wasn’t kind so she sliced me back and forth.

            My momma said I wasn’t strong so she sliced me back and forth.

            Cut and bite, cut and slice, back and forth, back and forth.

            Cut and bite, cut and slice, back and forth, back and forth.

            Cut off the ugly, slice me back and forth.

            Cut off the meanness, slice me back and forth.

            Cut off the weakness, slice me back and forth.

            Cut and bite, cut and slice, back and forth, back and forth.

The singer was distinctly female, her voice soft despite there being something like a dagger underneath her soothing tone. Scarr felt shivers run up his spine. He took long strides through the room. Light flared on, fire flickering against the walls. He froze. Blood was everywhere. He dashed to the wall, pressing his hand against the red blood—

Paint. It was paint. He pressed his nose against it and inhaled, confirming what he felt. His chest loosened, forcing him to realize how tight it had been moments before.

“Jade!” He shouted, looking around. Scarr strode further. “All right, you got me. C’mon, come on out!” The next staircase rose before him. He paused a moment. “Jade? Did you already go ahead?”

“C’mon, Scarr!” Jade’s voice came from above. Scarr started towards it. He reached the third floor that had a total of four candle sticks protruding from the sides of the wall. Two by him, and two by the middle of the room. Despite this, shadows dominated the majority of the room and it wasn’t easy to see anything but a red carpet on the floor.

Jade was just ahead of him, laughing. “Sorry, I just hate that song.” Her face was flushed. She swayed backwards.

Scarr’s shoulders slumped as he sighed with relief. “It’s all right.”

“I gave you quite the start, didn’t I?” She winked at him. “Let’s finish this then, yeah? How many floors are there?” She turned and walked a few steps forward.

“Oh, I’m not—” The gate slammed shut, separating them. Scarr jutted forward, trying to push the metal back up, or find a way to make it bend. Jade whirled around and ran at him, face mixed with fear and worry.

“No fair,” Jade grumbled, trying to pull the metal beams apart. “This is cheating!”

Scarr slumped against the gate, groaning. “I can’t go back, the gates are closed that way, too.”

“It closed behind you, then? It didn’t close behind me when I rushed through that floor. I didn’t even think about it this time.” Jade made a face. “This sucks. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a big deal.” He grinned at her and reached through to squeeze her hand. “You finish it. This gate has got to open sometime.”

“Yeah, but it’s not fun doing it separately. And what if you can’t get the meal, even if I win?”

“I suppose we’ll figure that out—” He cut off as he saw a figure appear from the shadows behind Jade. The Ancient-like being had grey fur with maple stripes crossing over him and a long tail extended from his spine, resembling that of a lizard’s in shape. A large sword dragged behind him, the rug masking the sound. Scarr’s eyes widened.

“Zsarrette! Jade, turn around!”

Jade’s hand slipped from his and she spun around as Zsarrette swung his sword in a large arc. Jade dove to the left, but the blade dug down one the side of her arm, slicing a large slab of fur, skin, and fabric from her body. Blood squirted and splattered against Scarr’s face. Jade grimaced and pressed herself against the hallway’s wall, grabbing the gash that extended form her shoulder to her elbow. Her fingers curled around it, but blood would not stop pouring. She cursed bitterly under her breath.

“Hello, Blacklilly.” Zsarr’s eyes fell on Scarr, a smirk twisting his lips. “I’m glad you’ve enjoyed our attraction so far.”

“This was all a set-up!” Scarr pounded his fist against the gate.

“I’m so glad your dim head could figure that out, Blacklilly.” Zsarr sneered. “But it wasn’t just for you.” He turned to Jade, who had gotten to her feet, green eyes aflame. “There’s someone who would very much like to see you dead, dear.”

“Tell her visiting hours are over,” Jade hissed.

“I don’t think so.” Zsarr hummed. “I think they’ve just begun.”

“You’re fight isn’t with her, Zsarrette. It’s with me.” Scarr growled, eyes narrowed.

“Oh, you’re quite right. But you see, there’s a problem of strength. I am not strong enough to fight you one-on-one. Someone else is.”

A pair of footsteps grew louder as someone strode down the hall. When Scarr could finally see who it was, he did not recognize her.

The Ancient had white fur and odd, purple markings across her face and chest. Her red eyes gleamed as if a demon had possessed her. She wore a small top that only covered her large chest and a brown, tattered skirt hung down from her waist to rest by her heels. On her hip was the hilt of a sword that mimicked the appearance of the weapon Jade was so fond of. Scarr glanced at Jade, whose face was hardened. Fear consumed her eyes. Scarr turned to the newcomer, his suspicions confirmed. This was the woman Jade feared and woke many nights due to the nightmares of her that plagued Jade’s unconscious mind. This was A’doxia.

“Ah, I’m so glad we can meet in person.” A’doxia hummed, walking to the gate but remaining just out of reach of Scarr’s fingers. “I’ve been keeping tabs on you two. What a happy little couple you’ve both made.” She straightened and turned her gaze to Jade. Jade looked as if she shrunk under the woman’s eyes and the usual fighting fire in her eyes was but a few lingering coals.

“I am happy to see you, too, Private. Did you miss me?”

Jade’s lips curled upwards to reveal her teeth. A’doxia laughed, the sound like wind chimes.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Where is your weapon? Don’t tell me you left it behind for this wolf?” A’doxia snickered and tossed Jade the weapon from her hip. “I will give you a fair fight. Though you injured her arm.” She glanced at Zsarr, who grinned.

“I couldn’t help it.” He said.

A’doxia reached over and touched Zsarr’s cheek before walking behind him. Jade looked over to Scarr.

“Just run, Jade,” Scarr hissed. “Just run. You haven’t fought a serious opponent in a year.”

“She hurt me.” Jade said. The fire that had gotten her into so much trouble before returned to her emerald eyes. Scarr’s face fell.

“No, this isn’t the time, Jade.”

Jade turned her face away.

“Jade!” Scarr slammed his fist against the bars. “I know you’re strong, I know that! You don’t need to prove it to me. Please, Jade, please, just get out of here!”

Jade’s shoulders raised, tension starting to fill her body. “She won’t hurt me again.” With the suicidal words spoken, she strode into the hallway to face A’doxia. Zsarr out of the way to be certain Scarr could see.

The flickering candle light cast black shadows against the two women, who squared off near the second pair of candles. Jade raised the hilt of the weapon and a blade jutted out from it, the blade glowing red. Scarr’s heart stopped. Why hadn’t she brought her own weapons? She always did, every time they had met—

His face fell. She had said something to him not long ago, about how she longed for a normal life. One without war. Did that make her leave her weapons behind, so that she could start to regain a life of peace back? And if that were the case, why was she so adamant about joining the mercenary guild?

Jade swung first, slicing for A’doxia’s head, who ducked and gave Jade a swift knee to the stomach. Jade coughed but didn’t miss a beat, bringing her elbows down against A’doxia’s back. Dox scowled, slipped away and roundhouse kick for Jades gut. Jade brought her blade up to block the hit when Dox swung over the blade and spun back into her fighting stance. Jade smirked.

“You’re screwed.”

A’doxia smirked. She opened her mouth and began to sing:

Beautiful wolf, how strong you will be.

Jade’s face fell. “Stop it.”

A’doxia continued:

Beautiful pet, how loyal you will be.

“Stop it!” Jade screamed, swing her blade down at A’doxia’s torso. Dox slipped it out of the way, grounded herself for a moment, then leapt at Jade. A bundle of electricity danced around Dox’s bundled fist which smashed into Jade’s nose and filled her entire body with lightning. They hit the ground hard and Jade clenched her mouth, though blood had startled to spill from the edges and drizzle from her nose. Dox’s fingers spread and grasped Jade’s muzzle, lightning spiraling down. Jade kicked, water burning the edges of her eyes. She flailed, attempting to force A’doxia off. A’doxia did not budge. Jade could not take it any longer. Her eyes squeezed shut and a scream broke free from her lungs. Her voice was raw. She went on for what seemed like hours, biting A’doxia’s hand, scratching at her face. She swung with her sword but A’doxia’s other hand caught her wrist and shot lightning through those veins. It wasn’t until Jade collapsed, her body numb, that Scarr realized he had been screaming with her.

A’doxia laughed, pushing herself into a standing position and staring down at the shaking Ancient. Jade struggled to stand, the electricity still visible as it spun around her arms and danced near her muzzle. Dox smirked and kicked her in the gut. Jade fell against the ground, coughing, crimson splashing against the ground. Dox knelt down and picked up the sword.

“I’ve been waiting so long to do this.” She lifted the blade.

“No!” Scarr screamed. A’doxia turned her heat to gaze at him over her shoulder. She smiled.

“No!” Scarr cried, heart pounding. The corners of his vision wavered with black. A’doxia laughed. She looked back at Jade.

“NO!”

A’doxia dug the blade into Jade’s heart. There was no blood. Jade did not scream. The blade pierced her and she twitched once. Another cough wracked her body and that was it.

Jade did not move.

The gate rushed upwards and Scarr staggered back, eyes filled with rage. Venom pumped into his system. His eyes remained on the unmoving body of Jade. The sweatshirt was covered from the blood she hat spat out during their battle and now a burned hole tore through it. He realized he was shaking. Dox sung a note of joy. The edges of his vision darkened.

“No.” He whispered. “No!” He cried. “No!” He yelled. He rushed forward, producing the pair of daggers he had kept on him. He rushed forward at A’doxia and swung his blades downward. She lifted an arm, allowing the blades to dig into her arm. He noticed her grinning just as he felt the bite of a blade cut through his spine. He spun around to retaliate against Zsarr, but his legs would no longer hold him. He fell to his knees. Zsarr laughed.

“Happy Anniversary, Scarrborough Blacklilly.”

 

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