This had been her mind and while this had been one of Typhoon's memories her mind had adapted it as if it were one of her own that she was making sense out of as she looked back upon the matter. What really happened here had only mattered for the emotion it caused but like a virus her mind attacked the false memories that she had on the matter.

But for actual details of what happened she would have to address him about it later though there was an event here that the memory would work to relay even if she did have a little control as how it was interrupted it was on a subconscious level that she would have been unaware of as had been the very person who had invented the Reflecting Glass to begin with.

She had no real reason as to why she was out here, perhaps it made more sense with the actual memory though Typhoon did not seem too bothered by her appearance. He simply went with the flow her and had noted the effect of his words upon her though he had not pounced on that disclosure.

He seemed to perk up with her disclosure. “I am heading there myself actually. It's still ten miles off and I would have gotten their tonight if I had not gotten held up in the last city I was at.” An understatement though his eyes darted to his injured hand.

“If you like we can go together. I am to enter my studies in Elemental magic despite my age though it is a little daunting never the less.”

He only had her word, of course he had so little to steal. “I'm afraid they were beaten to the punch," he rubbed his hand at the memory and smiled. “Damn rat bastards got me in the last settlement and I was lucky to scrap up this much but the silver lining is that I am alive and do not have far to go now.”

He noted her lack of fondness for the dark. “Garuun City is my destination though I'm not too adventurous, this wound was given to me by one of the bloodthirstier robbers who decided to kill me despite my cooperation. But if I didn't fear them lurking about I would have hung around the last city and pressed charges but all that takes time and proof in which I'd probably get silenced before any sort of trial.”

Flame had recalled where Typhoon initially came from and figured that the notion of seeking Garuun City would hit home while in reality she had no idea how close they actually were to reaching the place. Thankfully their destination appeared to be the same and wasn't too far up ahead, spending the night in the woods whereupon they had a good chance of reaching the settlement before nightfall the following day.

"It would seem as though our fates have been intertwined considering that the two of us got delayed one way or another." She flashed an almost innocent yet deliberately sweet smile, taking little time to consider his offer for the answer had been obvious given her familiarity with the man, well aware that he probably wasn't going to cause her any harm. "I'd be delighted to go there with you. I rarely enjoy the pleasures of respectable company in my travels, especially late at night when most honest folk have long since gotten off the roads."

Somehow hearing him speak of the future in his studies had been an amusing display of uncertainty in regards to his actually quite illustrious career. "Regardless of your age, certainly challenging yourself with the Elemental arts personally will give you an idea of what you have to expect further down the line." She paused. "Perhaps we could study together, I'm a beginner in the Element of Water myself but then again I haven't applied for any establishment in particular either and was hoping to get an overview of the possibilities once I'm there."

In any case the young sorceress lacked goods of any kind. Marcus possessed more than Flame and even he didn't have much to offer, be it for bandits or himself. Unless she had been accepted into a university of some kind and they provided foods for their students, she was bound to earn money elsewhere. Surely few were in need of a Fire Elementalist although an attractive maid serving in a household might fare a whole lot better, but there were limits in the sense that she'd refrain from selling her own body should the scenario last longer than a day.

She dismissed the issue for the time being, smiling as she caught the drift and observed the man seated not far beside her amidst the comforts of the fire. "It was probably wiser to leave and let the matter rest. Some people simply cannot be reasoned with, criminals above all. Should they have bothered following you all the way out here I'm sure I could drive them off without too much of a hassle."

"You should have the wound looked at when we reach Garuun City or at least change the bandage, just in case, it doesn't look too well from here."

The red haired beauty wasn't gloating nor bragging about her talents, these people had caused harm and would be treated equally in their return here though she doubted they'd traverse an extra twenty miles to exact revenge on an escaped victim for fleeing without pressing charges. "You've made me curious, however, why would you pursue studies in Elemental magic at your age?"

“It would seem so,” he readily agreed though if that was convenient or not he could not say. He saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary nor did he smell anything amiss that had gotten him suspicious. There was the flame from earlier that he mistook as a torch but that was all.

Blue eyes flashed in her direction though. “A bit of company never hurt.” He added with a small smile. It had seemed that he was not much younger than he was now but lacked any sort of magical training. To become a master in such a short time showed how brilliant he had to be in order to learn all the necessary matters that had been acquired.

He waged a finger in front of his face. “I would love to study with you but you know Elemental Fire magic so they would have to retrain you, strip you of that knowledge first to allow you to wield water magic so it will be harder retraining you then it would for them teaching me from scratch. In a way I am a clean slate and have no notions as to what I would be doing whereas they would have to dial you back to a Generalist if you are an Elementalist of Flame before you can learn those spells but I do look forward to studying together when that is done at last.

“I am a simple cartographer. I map out the currents near Urik and sell sea charts to mariners. I've spent practically my whole life at sea. My family has a long line of fishermen ….” He explained. Perhaps someone had a look at his charts and figured that the basics of understanding started with the flow of the currents, who could really say seeing how she possessed no knowledge of how Water magic actually worked.

“Though if you are a beginner in the arts then it seems that you have already begun the retraining to a Generalist if you still have Fire magic. So, maybe we will be trained together after all,” he smiled, “it's good having a familiar face around. I have had spent some time at the capital though since I was out at sea a lot the ocean was more my home than any established city but you could say it is probably the place I am best connect too on Terra Firma.”

Marcus smiled a bit. “It's a small stipend but in that case I would like to hire you then in the event we run across any bandits. We may have nothing to rob save for our lives though they might be interested in you.

“I have a knack for understanding the changing currents, one of the professors charted my father's craft to reach some distant islands and he was impressed with my charts and said that I had the blessings of the Water Spirits guiding my hand. It's just knowledge acquired over the years I told him but he convenience my father who decided to humor the man and send me here to see how it goes for a few months. Even if I'm just a novice the change in status from fisherman or cartographer to a mage is great and can even get me noticed in the circles of nobility if I get really good that is, a chance to elevate the family, a long shot of course but one to look into nevertheless.”

In spite of the malevolent deeds someone might suspect beyond her stunning beauty and the good natured facade which Flame put on display, nothing indicated that she brought company and spoke with sincerity in regards to her presence in the gloomy forest at night even though the truth hadn't been more than an excuse given her undefined history prior to arriving on the scene. Merely another traveller on the way to the capital seemed like an adequate role to fill in and while virtually anything would get a free pass seeing how the realm was constructed rather than real, she figured it best to make it an authentic experience.

"It never does." She smiled mildly at that, enjoying his presence even in the anticipation of sinister events though she hadn't missed the almost similar looks of the man she knew and his younger counterpart seated on the log, perhaps he simply proved to be a natural.

"Oh? I haven't considered that." Ultimately getting thrown back to the roots of Elemental magic wasn't much of a concern, years were unlikely to pass until the scenario reached an inevitable conclusion and none of the changes here were going to affect anyone except herself in reality. "Fire magic has always come to me naturally and I figured that getting to know your weaknesses and possibly be able to counter them is another step towards becoming whole, but I'm not naive enough to think that it won't take a great many years to accomplish greater measures of skill in both aspects."

Perhaps in the future Flame would venture out and seek to master more than a single element, but even with eternity to look forward to she planned on setting out for the task upon finishing her travels with Spencer should he agree to traverse the Shadows alongside the buxom sorceress. "In any case, I'm sure that one way or another we'll study together although I'm more than likely going to be the student considering what you've just told me. Personally I wouldn't mind learning from a familiar face, either."

She couldn't discern much about how his past factored into his talents given her ignorance of the most basic procedures that involved Water magic though the tale gave her a faint idea, not the most helpful image and yet informative nonetheless as she began to uncover more of his history in the process.

Her survival depended on regular meals and skills when the time of distress finally came, but even in the midst of a fragment of his memory that Typhoon wouldn't retain did Flame choose to remain benevolent. "You can keep the money, Marcus. You can pay me in food and drinks along the way, I have no need for anything else and would rather you keep what you have left for yourself. Besides, we'll be travelling together anyway and in case of an attack they'll probably focus the brunt of their attention on me, but rest assured that my powers will more than suffice for some lowly bandits."

Elevating the family status, his cause seemed noble at the very least although she wasn't going to disclose the truth to him unless she wanted him to think of her as exaggerrating the possibilities when in reality the enchanting maiden wasn't doing that at all. "You're an ambitious man if you deem it feasible to do so and I cannot wait to see how things develop in the coming months, whether you choose to remain here for a little while longer or head back home in case the professor has been proven wrong. Personally I wish the best of luck to you."

"I've grown up and learned all I know about Fire magic in Sirocco for almost my entire life and have only recently left the relative safety of my father's home in order to forge my own destiny amongst the Shadows. I do not yet know what I seek, perhaps power which can rival the greater evil of the world, maybe wisdom I can derive from experiences and studies in the accumulated knowledge of Humans, Elves, Dwaves, the list goes on." Crimson eyes glanced skyward, eyeing the night sky in contemplation of the information he relayed. "What are your plans if you do manage to accomplish your goals here?"

Marcus smiled a bit. At least she was confident in that he would do well here though he was uncertain. A young man that was given a rare opportunity here though he had not considered too much as far as his abilities had gone. He was a map maker and nowhere close to sprouting flames from his finger tips though by choosing the Element of Water he never would learn the technique he supposed.

“That is nice for you to think so though I haven't a single knack for what I'm doing.”

Again a good natured smiled formed upon his lips. “Well there is the Paraelementals … there is no Steam but you can be a pioneer in a new form of magic that entails the too.” It would be tough, she would have to unlearn what she knew, become a Generalist then master the use of both Fire and Water magic teaching that to an apprentice. Down the road a new form of magic could develop. Of course all that would go beyond this simple scenario but it was a thought that could be done. After all the first Elementalist was a pioneer that thought to harvest the natural world in a way.

“I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in time.” The tough part was learning the Water Element since the Fire came to her naturally.

“Very well, it's a deal,” he wasn't going to argue with her about payment. It was essentially the same if he covered her expenses along the way instead of paying her directly. One part of being smart was that he was less argumentative about matters going with the flow of matters more often than not anyway.

“Those are impressive aims. Tell me, are there really Efreeti there?” He considered her question as he rubbed his aching wounded hand.

“The first order of business I suppose would be to elevate my family. It seems dumb but one specialized in Water magic can make fisherman very happy, particularly with the blessings of the sea. Storms could be calmed too so serving as a guide on voyages helps too. I haven't given it any real thought figuring that nothing would amount from this save for disappointment if I thought about it too much.”

Potentially feigning her abilities as a seer would've gotten the man to realize that there was nothing to worry about in the coming months and that he would be immensely successful in his endeavors to study the Element of Water, but for the sake of reliving the memory as he once experienced it himself she refrained from offering up more than confidence in him and his untried talents.

But laying the foundation for another paraelement seemed ambitious, something to look forward to in the eternal lifetime Flame was bound to live through and perhaps master the combination of the two elements she'd chosen, not here but in the reality where she originally came from. "Sounds like a good idea."

"I'm still in my youth and have few ambitions aside from my desire to pursue the mastery of the elements and what better way to make a name for yourself in the world than possibly creating another branch on the tree of Elemental magic?" She returned his smile with one of her own before pressing on. "A shame about my name, really .. I suppose a nickname will have to suffice once I've accomplished my goals."

Upon settling the delicate issue of payment he had her ponder briefly on what she managed to recall here. A great deal of her memories remained locked behind bars and she didn't mean to get things jumbled although it didn't truly matter seeing how the Marcus before her wouldn't remember any of this anyway.

Flame nodded. "Actually, there are. I've only met one of them in person, but I highly doubt there aren't more scattered around the area."

"While you might know that the vast majority reside on Ignan, quite a few were banished from the Shadow after an attempted insurrection within the City of Brass and ultimately wound up in Sirocco where they founded the settlement of J'zar. I'm unaware of exactly how many exiles are still alive today, but I'm fortunate to know the one I mentioned amongst my closest friends."

"He doesn't seem to trust others of his kind, but from what I've been told his fellow countrymen are likely to betray each other for a rise in power and status and some if not all go as far as to commit wicked deeds purely for the sake of being evil. We rarely speak, but that's the impression I've had since our last conversation because of what he told me."

She paused briefly, wondering if any misunderstandings snuck into her stream of thought though in time her memories would return. "In any case, the Efreeti settlement of J'zar isn't a comfortable place to be, especially for lone women. It is riddled with filth and detestable business practices, slave trade and the like. I wouldn't want to spend another day there, let alone the night, at least not without company."

Crimson eyes skimmed over the traveller, suppressing her amusement in regards to his lack of confidence, shaking her head in response to his words. "It doesn't seem dumb at all. Never in the generations of my forefathers were any of them blacksmiths and yet I would've probably leaned more towards Fire magic even prior to the discovery that I was a natural in my element in order to aid my family in their line of work."

"Perhaps you'll find yourself far more capable than you think, there is no point worrying about it since you'll spend a few months in Garuun City either way." Flame smiled once more, drawing him away from the subject that seemed to trouble him until he realized for himself that he was blessed with a gift. "What you should worry about instead are the ten miles we have to travel tomorrow."

Fire and Water were as opposite as Earth and Air and no one had mastered both elements to forge a new school of magic that used both. Perhaps there was no foundation in it, the two were opposites and no such element of paraelement existed though through determination she could form something, just like Magellan in her reality who sought to prove that the world had not been flat.

So it had it's merits though she would have to give up being a sorceress dedicated to the element of Fire in order to learn and master those water based spells as well.

“Your name? Well I suppose a nickname works like Scald ...” he pondered the issue as if he was giving it some serious thought.

“Really? I have heard stories of them, powerful, yet evil Genies with and affinity towards fire. Of course they are but one of the five types of Genie, the Djinn are probably the best known with the Efreeti being second.

“I know little of them, but being immortal creatures it would be impossible to know their exact numbers especially if those exiled from the City of Brass were both male and female, and the time since the exile too.” He did not know of their history, not much any way.

“You've been to J'zar? I don't think I would be brave enough to approach such a place if it is as you describe.”

He flexed his fingers and winced a little. He contemplated for a moment before looking to the sky seeing a group of clouds outlined in white light given the moon that shine behind them. Blue eyes dashed towards Flame.

“Those ten miles are easy enough to cover. You may take the bedroll,” he stood up and stretched out his back before looking back. "The forest hasn't been too bad. The bandits are in it to the South but I have yet to have problems with them so I doubt we will need watches with my early warning system in place.”

Eternity offered Flame the chance to pursue something new which nobody else appeared to have tried, the creation of the paraelement of Steam since time hadn't truly mattered after a certain point of her existence.

Naturally her travels across the Shadows with Spencer by her side were bound to come first given the life expectancy of Faerie Dragons. It may seem harsh, but she was aware that he might grace her with his presence for merely another decade and there wasn't much that could prevent his fate unless they came up with a cure for the disease which ended their life prematuraly in contrast to other immortal Fae.

Another matter of importance had been Whitney considering that he possessed a great many scrolls, some of which were undoubtedly unique. Aside from the scriptures he could relay the tale of Barnes and J'zar to the nubile young woman in greater detail before he passed away and the knowledge would be lost forever, but in a sense the sinfully seductive sorceress looked forward to seeing to the charming old man in more ways than one.

She recalled his compliments and the vivid fantasies which played upon her senses at the time with utmost clarity, straddled above him whilst continuously descending on his firmly erect shaft, crying out his name to the heavens above in the midst of his personal bedchamber and the potentially delicious breakfast the following morning seeing how the flavor of a venerable scholar had yet to touch her lips. Even though the idea of dating the elder male thrilled his younger admirer, her affection was meant for Nicodemus although their situation remained unclear until she confessed her true nature to the Angel. It wasn't impossible, however, after all he hadn't known about her affairs with Roc and she didn't think of it as likely that he would ever find out if she slept with either behind his back.

Raising a family might be another matter entirely, but at some point she would certainly dedicate her life to the study of the unexplored branch between Fire and Water before someone else claimed that particular triumph.

"I'm sure he would know their exact number, I just haven't asked and it's been a while since I last heard about the tale." She doubted that Typhoon would've wanted to visit J'zar in reality either hence her decision for Roc seemed preferable and yet with the human mage those demons wouldn't have been nearly as threatening.

"We should see to your wound first thing in the morning, all the blood is making me uneasy." Her attention was drawn to his hand, wondering how long it might take to heal. His suffering and her inability to help bothered Flame somewhat, thinking of any feasible option to assist and yet all that she could think of was the cleansing and renewal of his bandage. The damage wasn't going to be permanent, after all, and all they had left were ten miles before they could consult a Healer or Priest should the wound turn out to be more severe than he initially let on.

"Thank you, I really appreciate your kind gesture despite me being a mere stranger who chanced upon your camp." She stood up at the same time, peeling off the overcoat that graced her form before folding the garment and setting it down on top of the nearby rock, the climate comfortable enough even in her shirt alone though she wasn't too keen on sleeping with layer upon layer of cloth around her shapely frame.

"You mean you knew I was close before you even remotely noticed the flame in my hand? I can hardly believe you would've allowed me to get as close as I have unless you suspected the bandits wouldn't send just one person." Somehow that brought a tender smile to her features, her path guiding the alluring female closer to the assigned bedroll. "Don't hesitate to wake me up should anyone draw near, I wouldn't want us to be overwhelmed in case of an attack."

In reality a Master of Water could have been quite valuable in the desert especially against fire creatures though it did not seem as if Typhoon had much combat experience. The exact number of Efreeti did not matter to him, their was no drive to go there and save for an initiate curiosity there as far as trivia should it ever come up or he needed to pass on detailed information.

“The exact figure is not important. It is enough if they have a permanent settlement there. Even if they used magic to create it to need a city to themselves suggests that there is a good many of them.”

He did not dwell on the matter for long though, simply smiling as he turned it over in his thoughts. His hand aching just a bit, particularly the wound and while he had doubted that he had been poisoned given that it had been some time since the injury he had wondered if an infection was setting in. In any case they were near Garuun City and if necessary a Priest could rid it of infection then.

He nodded. “Yes, though I'll chance the bandage before sleeping. I do not think it is bleeding any longer and this dried blood has been from earlier throughout the day. I was anxious in getting away from the settlement that I really didn't stop to do more than dress it at one point.”

He chuckled a bit. “Yeah, I knew. I didn't know if others circled about but I have a good early warning system in place.” As she neared though she could see something wrapped up in a blanket previously hidden from site near the log on the ground in a thick blanket.

Not too alarming though but what was had been the blood stains on it from something that had leaked through unless it was used to clean the wound on his hand ...

Admittedly Flame had been surprised that despite her acknowledged approach Marcus didn't truly appear to be agitated or nervous after his initial concerns of further bandits prowling the nearby woods remained unconfirmed, but ultimately decided to dismiss the matter as there was no point in pursuing the subject any further lest he grew suspicious of her inquiries in regards to the early warning system which relayed her presence to him.

"Very well." He would tend to the bandage while his unexpected guest prepared for slumber amidst the gloomy forest, briefly contemplating their surroundings and yet in the grand scheme of things she fared worse in the past, the bedroll surely quite comfortable by comparison to the ground itself.

But when the nubile sorceress slowly walked towards her moderate sleeping place she'd caught something near the log he resided on from the corner of her eyes, nothing out of the ordinary at first glance and yet the inconspicuous bundle aroused her attention somehow in that fleeting observation given the various crimson stains which graced the surface, stopping the young red head dead in her tracks as she regarded the package closely from her position.

Surely blood would make the most sense following his escape from the settlement where he avoided a gruesome death at the hands of a criminal, having carried his belongings for some time it might've simply seeped through the bandage and into the cloth itself unless an unusually colored red wine bottle had cracked on the inside, or perhaps something far more sinister.

Flame argued that potentially nothing would come of her immediate concern, but the purpose for coming here in the first place had the sorceress mull these things over in her mind, pondering what exactly the scenario entailed whilst eyeing the faintly reddened blanket. Surely her anticipation for the worst had been unfounded in his presence, certainly he wouldn't commit any dreadful deeds and yet fear caused her to wonder what might be hidden inside that previously concealed bundle.

His secret, his memory was involved and being merely another willing participant on the scene the red head wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, but even he would find that she had remained motionless for several long moments by then, staring at it, wondering whether she should let the matter rest or confront him and yet neither of these two options had seemed terribly inviting.

"I don't mean to intrude, but .. what exactly is in the blanket over there?" She dipped her head briefly in that direction with a nod, the smile on her features diminished as she swallowed hard, suddenly feeling as though her throat had run dry. "There's blood on it."

Marcus smiled, his blue eyes swinging in that direction that she indicated. His wounded hand had been clutched within the other as he had yet to unravel the bandage as she drew his attention to the blanket.

“Oh that … it's just the last of the bandits ...” he grinned, perhaps he had been joking though when he turned towards her his bones were shifting quite painfully, his eyes took on a red shade, ears and teeth growing pointed with black fur sprouting from his skin.

He was clearly transforming, she had a moment where he seemed vulnerable or at least incapable doing anything as a segmented tail sprouted from his back. Werewolf? No … but something similar it seemed.

His posture was getting smaller though not by much and it was clear that the ball was in her court at the moment at least as a muzzle began to sprout painfully from his face with the sound of a cracking melon or similar object hanging in the air.

"The last of the bandits?" Flame repeated his words in fearful apprehension, the timid sounds leaving her lips in staggered breaths and wavering composure amidst the heightened tension in the air while she remained unsuspecting of the imminent change that was about to take place, frozen in horror and pondering on what to believe in the here and now until his twisted grimace had been foisted upon her.

His features were distorted in an inhuman transformation, entire bones seemingly shifting beneath the skin whereby the assumption that he indeed retained a minor portion of his evidently fallen assailants didn't appear to be as much of a harmless jest as one might suspect. Fur sprouted from his skin, wicked teeth and sharp ears were merely the beginning of her nightmare and yet she couldn't ever recall slipping into the embrace of his bedroll.

"Oh .. Oh God .." Meanwhile the sorceress found her otherwise gorgeous visage drained of all color, rooted to the spot in shock as a great many questions flooded her mind, accompanied by even more terrifying answers though all the sorceress could do was watch on in trepidation, inner muscles impaired in their capability to intervene given the sheer terror which graced the scene. By the time the former human male known as Marcus gave rise to a tail the fearful woman would've been scared to death if not for the knowledge that staying near his camp might result in much of the same, treading backwards at an agonizingly slow pace in the initial moments of her recovery.

When the violent deformation of his face had occured Flame felt an incredibly daunting shudder rush throughout her entirety, the cracking sound frightening the buxom maiden out of her wits which seemed to be all the motivation she needed to flee.

In feverish haste her hands carried out the necessary gestures which set the bedroll and surrounding terrain between the two of them aflame in a sudden flurry of intense heat, her hopes adequately low that he would be slowed down in the slightest and yet she set out into the night with an invigorating infusion of adrenaline pumping through her veins. Nothing could keep her there, not even the knowledge that he was Typhoon in reality since what might pass for a snack had been wrapped in the blanket, but settling for an appetizer when the full meal happened to stumble across his camp in the middle of the night seemed like a waste of ressources while at the same time their former acquaintance in Carrion prevented her from attacking him outright.

Hence Flame chose the lesser of two evils and ran for the treelines without anything which illuminated her path, crimson eyes strained to pierce the darkness and yet it was preferable to staying beside him any longer.

Her heart was racing, her every fibre screaming for her to run faster when she was already at her physical limits, not even taking the time to look back considering what she believed to have seen mere moments ago. Any second he would give chase, that much she expected to happen with utmost certainty while the images of the procedure lingered within her mind in crystal clear manifestations of the atrocious hound.

His characteristics came close to a Werewolf initially, but didn't quite seem to fit and considering his talents back in the prison where the rats used to bring him his harmonica the young woman thought of making the connection there, but hadn't stayed around long enough to witness the end result of his transformation, not that she ever wanted to find out about the truth.

She had watched in horror, the sounds of bone popping out of and into alignment as the Shape Shifter assumed another identity. Before she had witnessed the finer details like the whiskers she ran. The creature clad in the baggy blue robes common to all initiates of the Water Element though he had yet to start he had the clothes at least, his bloodied bandage still wrapped about his hand though he was lacking any real claws that would allow him to do more than scratch.

But those teeth!

She ran setting a blaze of fire in her wake which he recoiled from out of sheer instinct in doing so. A sharp piercing sound like a squeak of some kind, the experiences and this memory allowing her to guess what was pursuing her.

Red eyes gleamed it the dark and occasionally she heard the whipping of a dagger that lodged into the bark of a tree that he collect in passing unless she had tried to grab any.

Squeaks up ahead, behind her, in front of her … rats, they were alerting Marcus to just where she was and she could hear the rustling of the brush behind her as he was toying with her until now.

A dagger was in each hand and his form had appeared to be a hybrid form between man and rat. Wererat? Was there even such a thing and yet the proof had been staring at her as Marcus approached, his inhuman eyes regarding her in ways that he hadn't before.

Perhaps he was taking his fill of a potential meal, perhaps it was a little more than that. More rustle was all about her now, larger than a rat, other creatures like him. Perhaps these were the bandits or what had become of them … Marcus locked onto her spring at her with those blades as others were clearly on their way.

Flame had taken the initiative amidst the initial window that opened up upon setting fire to the campsite, making a panic induced dash for the gloomy treelines while attempting to ignore the screeching sound which resounded off the sinister scenery, but something of that nature simply couldn't be dismissed. He was no longer fully human and she didn't expect to reason with him, following her instinct into the night when the fear of the dark was reduced in overall importance by sheer terror.

Something metallic flashed past the young sorceress, threatening to throw her off balance in the closeness of their passing whereupon the blade wedged in the bark of a nearby tree, her focus far from collecting additional armaments when the flames would suffice even though she didn't wish to extinguish his life in the cleansing fire. Rather than stopping she tried not to get hit by them, recovering swiftly before diverting off her chosen path for any direction offered the same outcome, the woods an unknown to the red haired beauty which didn't benefit her in the slightest.

Almost instantaneously the woods came alive and had become yet another mortal enemy, lowly critters in the underbrush giving away her position, rats which aided him as though they were in on his intent to bury his teeth in something far more ripe and juicy than plain leftovers, merely enhancing her presumption on the true nature of his being. In the following moments she realised that there wasn't going to be any means of escape, the forest itself acting in his favor rather than her own.

But inevitably Marcus caught up, seemingly playing with his food earlier when they were conversing casually only to hunt the fiery vixen down shortly after, spinning around in the proximity of the latest rustling plantlife which indicated his advance. Armed and dangerous he approached, her mind unable to comprehend the never before seen abomination while the frightened tremble of her arms had been obvious to anyone, having left her overcoat in his camp she couldn't even hope to deflect a glancing blow anymore.

Caught up in the misery of fear and trembling Flame didn't care for what he might've wanted as these blood red eyes skimmed over her frame, possibly contemplating which pieces of the delicate maiden to rip out first whereas the widened crimson flare of her own steered into their surroundings and the rustling sounds which emanated from the shrubbery in cursory glances, realising that others of his kind must've been approaching.

Her heart skipped a beat, the entirety of her body ready to give out at any moment in the overwhelming vortex of sensations which built at her core, the sheer number of assailants making an escape on the horizontal realm impossible.

"Stay back!" She reacted impulsively when he came forth, hurling wide arches of blazing fire at the abominable creature in hopes of slowing him down prior to rushing for the nearest tree, drawing upon her momentum in order to reach one of the lower hanging branches. Flame clung to the last feasible means of prolonging the inevitable with a feeble hold, her limbs turned to quivering heaps of jello in the face of her imminent demise and ready to collapse, but somehow she managed to hold on, trying to heave herself up further with all the strength she could muster.

His fleeing prey wasn't the strongest, barely able to lift her own weight even when her life depended on it. Perhaps she would manage to climb and reconsider her strategy from above, possibly even last the night through denying them the same ascent via the use of flames whereupon they might even turn back to humans, if the approaching collective turned back at all and decided to let her go which the terrified young woman feared wouldn't be the case.

The thing that was Marcus was quick, quicker than she would have imagined and while part of his mind had been more bestial now and he feared the flames he was able to evade them, in some cases narrowly so she was unable to buy herself much time now that he was onto the trick at least on a more primal level.

The opening came as she tried to ascend into that tree, he sprang forth and managed to grab hold of a slender ankle ripping her to the earth with an apparent ease. He wasn't much stronger than a human, far more dexterous than one, but he was still strong enough to pull her and the branch from the tree to the earth.

Having dropped one of his daggers to do this he had but one though pounced upon her in an instant without giving her much of a chance to recover.

“I thought the bandits were easy to deal with,” he chuckled showing that he still had those memories, that this had been a rouse and he was one of the bandits all along and hence his fear at not worrying about them.

He brought the injured hand up to her throat with the blade it held, beady eyes glaring down into her features as other rat-like creatures began emerging out of the darkness, the other bandits … were they all like this?

There were several rats too, some larger others not that seemed to be intrigued by the recent catch as they took a closer look.