Ambush, like the farm.

I took my position on the second floor, wanking myself idly to keep my cock primed for the fight. Simple was best, I figured, so I kept both my claws and my cock ready, to kill or corrupt depending on the nature of the presence.

To my great pleasure, the presence turned out to be a woman, cloaked in black with flashed of plate underneath. Her hair was long and true-red, tied into a practical tail, and she had a tattoo around one eye. She came in with a confident stride, followed by a plump woman in her mid-thirties.

It took me a moment, but I realized I recognized her. 'Ma', from the farmhold; it felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a few days. She looked far better than the last time I saw her, despite the weary lines on her face and the redness of her eyes. She wasn't laughing mad, and her expression wasn't fixed in a hollow smile.

I nearly came just from the memory of that first night.

Nadia began welcoming the pair, while Kali sat at one of the tables, wearing the illusion of a drunk. The woman in black looked around with wary eyes and for a moment I saw a glint of red flash. She answered Nadia, asking questions of the mercenary who'd captured the witch, and was soon directed to the second floor.

It was a simple plan, and even 'Ma's' presence wouldn't change much. She'd come up the stairs, and Kali would strike her from behind with magic. Then, while she was stunned I would entrap her mind. A classic sort of plan, elegant in it's simplicity.

The woman in black crossed the room towards the staircase, her cloak trailing behind like wings of darkness, and then she drew steel and vanished from sight. I blinked from my vantage and jumped as the sound of shattering wood.

Kali's head flew through the air, painting spirals of blood in the inn, and came to a rolling stop at the foot of the stairs. The illusion shattered a moment after and I looked back towards the woman in black, too stunned to do anything else. The sword was in motion again, shining silver as she flourished it into throwing position.

My head jerked back and I found myself staring up at the roof and the hilt of her sword, my world half dark.

Fading.

Gone.