[Another piece I wrote while I worked out Akakios’ character!]

Akakios’ hooves smashed into the ground as she sprinted forward. Cryus flew next to her, and as they reached their target, Akakios pivoted and sliced her handaxe through the ankle of a blood harpy. Cryus, without wasting a second, shredded the harpy’s arm before diving away. Screaming, the harpy dropped the traveler, who quickly scrambled behind the over six feet tall minotaur who saved his human life. Blood gushed from the severed foot of the monstrosity before her as it desperately attempted to beat its wings and gain ground. Another of its sisters dove at the travelers, snatching a few unlucky souls. Akakios snorted, glanced down at her quite throwable handaxe, and shared a look with Cryus at her side. With a wicked grin, she pulled her arm back and launched the axe through the air. It split the back of a blood harpy, between the shoulders, and she dropped the civilian and plummeted to the ground. As she struggled to get up, Cryus shredded her sharply angled face, then retreated back to Akakios. 

Arrows flew then, piercing through a few of the other harpies too far to throw an axe at. Akakios fetched her own weapon once more and followed the arc to a minotaur the color of wet earth beside a river bank. With horns that twisted into a sharp upward curve and a bow in her hands, this rogue archer managed to kill more of the blood harpies while saving none of the civilians, who plummeted to the ground and splattered when they hit the earth. Akakios suppressed the sick urge to laugh and, seeing the harpies retreat, approached the stranger. 

“Nice to see one of us around here,” the stranger said with a large grin. She stowed her bow and held out a hand to shake. Akakios took it.

“Nice shooting,” Akakios said.

“I wasn’t really aiming for the harpies, but don’t tell the cobble roaches that,” she replied in a low voice.

Akakios arched a curious brow. “Cobble roaches?”

The stranger let go of her hand. “Going out of the mountains?”

“Following the road.” 

“Out of the mountains,” the stranger said, walking towards the caravan. The group was quick to get going again, though a few of the wagons were delayed by spooked horses and missing drivers. “I’ll join you. Why are you leaving?”

Akakios followed. Cryus fluttered down and perched on her horns. “We’re searching for some answers,” Akakios said.

“Ah,” the stranger hummed, looking over her shoulder. “Now that I can help with.”