Darris watched as the girl sank to her hands and knees. Her body shook with grief. 

Though he jeered and mocked this girl who called herself Angel Knight, his heart wasn't really in it. All he felt was a sickening pain in his stomach. Or maybe that was just the servant of Urzuran trying to claw his way out of it. He didn't know or care.

If Darris had really wanted to kill him—which he had been very tempted to do—the little lint ball was quite susceptible to a good chew between his teeth. The bugger deserved it. After all, he had been rather annoying with the whole hero act and the constant apologies. The bird should apologize to the girl for bringing her to him, but it didn't stop it from being obnoxious.

Darris wondered if the bird was one of the fabled Ezirons, the people of Urzuran. Most likely. He had heard they were difficult to kill from the old Ahngreel who still cared to remember that infernal Great War—though they were supposedly large, winged humanoids, not…whatever he was now. What had happened to him then? And if that were the case, the bird would probably survive his fantastic voyage.

As for the girl… She was most fascinating. There was something about her that was familiar. Not in appearance. Looks-wise, she was rather unextraordinary. But the way she looked at him on occasion. Her eyes…

It made him want to see just how much he could provoke this girl, to test her mettle as a person. Not just her but the abilities Urzuran with which had gifted her. More like cursed her with. Then he would grant her a merciful death. 

It would indeed be a compassionate act to free her from the fate in which she had tangled herself. Death was typically the only way out when one was in as deep as she. What did one have to do to deserve such cruel treatment from the universe?

Darris wondered if the girl was somehow chosen by Urzuran post-mortem for some larger, "nobler" purpose. He did not believe in accidents, so it was either some act of divine will or the will of the universe itself. Either way, this girl had fallen into the trap of becoming an object in her own life. She let others decide her fate while decrying her lack of agency. She was just another self-proclaimed victim of circumstance. Someone who would rather blame the world for their failures instead of seizing control of their destiny in defiance of what the universe wanted from them. Nobody deserved what fate doled out. But they did deserve the consequences of blindly following its flow. 

He supposed this was the universe's test for the both of them—her and the bird—a test of whether they deserved to live. It often did that. And now he was their judge. Whether fate dictated it or not, he had decided to fulfill this role entirely on his own, regardless of his true feelings. 

One final push. 

"What's wrong, little duck? Oh, did I eat your pet? Poor you. Are you going to cry about it?" The blood in his veins churned with delight at his remarks, though he suppressed it. Let the girl hate me. Then he would see that fire she kept hidden. Her true self that she veiled right behind her eyes. 

Though she was still shaking, the girl tensed and then curled into herself.

Ah, he thought with disappointment, I suppose it was too much for her. People in the modern era really were weak-hearted. He had hoped that she had been different. Perhaps Urzuran's power would be much more suited for someone of a tougher countenance. Perhaps an Ahngreel such as Iosh or Warrick would do? 

But then he heard a scraping sound and a deep guttural rumble. Both came from the girl. He could feel excitement welling up from deep within him as the girl's energy began to grow. It was a flicker. Then a flame. Then an inferno that radiated from this child.

The girl looked up so suddenly that even Darris was startled. Or maybe he was stunned by the loud bellow that erupted from her. He had no idea something that small could make a noise like that.

"What the—?" was all he managed to say. He had expected anger but not on this level. 

She scrambled, no, leaped to her feet. Her face was a twisted mask of pure rage. Hands clutched around chunks of stone.

"YOU GODDAMN BASTARD!!"

The girl charged at him and grunted with effort as she threw one of the chunks at Darris's face. It was only by instinct that Darris dodged the projectile. 

What was this?

Then came the second chunk. This, too, was easily dodged.

Which seemed only to make the girl angrier. Her face twisted further, now the color of brick. Her teeth bared like a wild animal.

"I'm gonna wipe that stupid-ass grin off your face!"

Wait, was he smiling? Why?

The girl's hand extended outward. Immediately, the staff flew to it, just as it had earlier. This time, Darris allowed it to happen. He wanted to know more. Her battle language must be as loud and dirty as the words she screamed. What more could this girl tell him?

He expected another ridiculously named spell—and if they were anything like the last spell that had cured his exhaustion, they would only be a boon to him—but none came; only violent swings as she held the staff like a club. There was no technique or thought put into any of her attacks. She was unrefined, like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

It was clear she had lost control of herself. She was only acting on violent instinct. A costly mistake in a fight. Each of her attacks was clumsy and easy to read. Darris dodged every single one. Each miss fueled the girl's anger more, especially the ones he allowed to get oh so close to him just to take the piss out of her.

"Give him back to me! Give. Him. BACK!!" Every word was punctuated by a broader, more reckless swing of the staff. Each time they hit the ground with a clang, the delicate-looking wings sank into the stone like an ax. On her last scream of "back," the girl threw her staff so hard that after he evaded it, he heard a distant splash as it landed in the bay at least a hundred feet away.

Darris so wanted to look back to see the ripples of where it actually landed. But he had eyes only for the girl who resorted to throwing punches now that she was unarmed. They were just as unrefined and only reached his upper chest as the girl only stood as tall as his abdomen. However, it was clear that she was somewhat practiced with her fists. What unfortunate person had provoked this girl enough to be on the wrong end of those fists?

It was at that moment that Darris saw the girl's eyes. Really saw them. The figurative flames pouring from her crazed blue eyes sent shivers down his spine. Not out of fear but out of pure, unbridled excitement.

No Ahngreel who challenged him had ever looked at him with eyes like hers. Eyes of desperation, of fury, and most important, of purpose. She wanted him dead for the bird's sake, hoping for rescue.

So that's who you are…

This was no longer a challenge… This was a battle! Albeit a one-sided battle. He felt his blood begin to quiver with excitement at the prospect. He quelled it. I am the master. He would not let his blood have its way. When he killed her, it would be an act of mercy, not pleasure. Still, why not have a little fun?

Darris danced around her so that his back was to the metal crates. As expected, the girl followed, trying vainly to land at least one blow. But Darris wouldn't let her. She had to earn it.

He stepped backward as he led her closer to the crates until his back was pressed against the stack.

The girl's face twisted into a malicious grin.

"I've got you now!"

With that, she let out a barrage of punches, but they only sank into steel as Darris was far too quick for her. With all the speed he could muster, he leaped into the air and landed atop the crates. To the girl, he would appear to have simply vanished into nothingness. This was confirmed as her wild eyes cast around for her target. But Darris had concealed his presence from her, and her eyes passed him without seeing him. Though he feared the girls would snap her own neck with how violently she jerked her head around.

It was best to let her calm down enough for her to gain rational thought. She needed to be in her right mind to face her death. So, what would she do now that he was gone from her sight? 

Darris didn't know what to expect from the girl. He had never imagined that she would be so volatile. She was an active volcano amid an eruption. And he had set her off. How long would it last without a target? Has she reached her peak yet?

The answer to his question came immediately as the girl screamed in frustration, "Where the hell did you go?!"

Then she rounded onto the wall of crates where he had been and immediately began to kick it. She kicked and kicked and kickedandkickedandkickedandkicked, working herself into even more of a frenzy. She let out a string of very nasty swear words that was most unbecoming of a young girl, which then devolved into a wordless howl as her kicks grew even faster. 

This really is nothing more than a temper tantrum.

The unfortunate crate she had chosen as her target of frustration began to cave from the force. However, in between each kick, the steel repaired itself only to crumple again with the next.

Now that was interesting. But no time to think about it. The girl's kicks were less frequent now. She was either wearing herself out or calming down. Or both.

Darris silently dropped back to the ground, right in the girl's blind spot, standing sideways so she wouldn't be able to see him in her peripheral vision. Even if he had a medium build for someone of his size, he was still twice as wide as an ordinary man.

 He watched as the girl's kicks came to an end. She panted loudly and placed her hands on the steel wall in front of her to support herself, head down, as she tried to regain her breath.

"I'll find you…" she wheezed, "Then I'm gonna rip your guts out… and pull him from your still-living body. You hear me? That's a promise." She emphasized this by burying her right fist deep into the crate in front of her. From the looks of it, she had punctured all the way through the metal.

Her strength was quite impressive. Though if this was its peak, it wasn't comparable to even the weakest Ahngreel. Darris supposed this was all she could show him. The girl had tenacity—and anger issues—but she was nothing more than a rampaging child. Either way, it was time for his fun to end. Darris debated whether the girl was worthy to die by the sword. She certainly was more deserving than the guard. He stood there for a few moments as he waited to see what she would do next. 

Without so much as a warning, the girl yanked herself free from the crate, whirling around to stretch her already open hand toward him. 

He had expected something like this. He reached out his senses to find the staff as it flew out of the bay, only to find it right behind him. 

Darris was still fast enough to evade it but not entirely. The staff whizzed past his left shoulder; the wings sliced through the sleeve of his beautiful red coat. It was not deep enough to reach his skin, but it nonetheless left a small gash in the cloth. The girl caught the summoned staff as she grinned triumphantly at him.

"Gotcha, asshole!"

Darris looked at her for what felt like hours but was barely a second. 

What…? WHAT!?

When had she summoned her staff? It was at least a hundred feet away and who knows how many feet down at the bottom of the bay. At the speed it was going, it would take at least ten seconds to reach them. How had it arrived so quickly? Unless…

He looked at the hole she had punched into the crate, which was now closing. A grin spread across his face.

Clever, girl.

She had hidden her hand on purpose—under the cover of anger—so she could summon it without him noticing. 

When had she formulated this plan? And how had she known where he had been standing? A thousand possibilities and scenarios ran through Darris's mind. However, they all held one common element: the girl had an excellent battle instinct. She certainly had earned her hit on him.

Darris had indeed underestimated her. He was ashamed of himself for ever thinking she was not worthy of dying by the sword. He knew better now. 

But tonight was not the night she would die. He would not let her. It would be a waste to end this girl's life whose inner fire far outstripped her current power.

That being said, it would behoove him to put this girl in her place. The girl had indeed pulled a fast one, but she would not be allowed to think she was anywhere near his level. He would force the girl to kneel to him in despair. She had fooled him once; he would ensure she knew it would never happen again.