Aliénor

Partially hidden in a slight crevice on the southern side of the clearing, you can only wait with growing anticipation as the newcomer grows ever closer. Soft, measured footsteps approach your location and you feel a surge of adrenaline rushing through your stunted frame. Your legs tense, ready to give you a quick boost through the air as you launch yourself from your hidey hole. You feel a slight tickle as the long, prickly barbs on the end of your tail unsheathe themselves to their full length, scraping against the rock behind. More than anything, the tightness and weight between your thighs increase perceptibly. Your entire body coils, ready to spring into action.

Aliénor strides into the room, eyes narrow and suspicious, thick black hair billowing behind her majestically. In her right hand, she clutches her spear in a firm grip. In the left, her shortsword, drawn and menacing, glints in the improved light. You hesitate. You stare at the captain, searching for a hint of weakness, a way to distract her. As previously noted, your strength is most certainly not the result of any great physical prowess. Aliénor is too alert, too dangerous. She scans the glade intently…

…And spots you! Eyes lighting up, the captain marches forward spear held aloft. Your hiding place was too obvious! With a horrid urgency, you push yourself out of the dank hole, flapping your flimsy wings desperately as your try to gain purchase. You hover with some difficulty. Aliénor closes the distance quickly, circles you briefly, and then sends a quick, vicious jab in your direction! You barely dodge the blow, gliding to one side and lashing out with your tail. Your opponent deftly avoids the attack, before swinging up her sword in a wide arc. You dart backwards, but a splash of crimson blood tells you that it wasn’t enough.

You stop instinctively in mid-air to inspect the damage. You look down and gawp at the bloody stump of a tail below. Another cut finds its mark, and your severed member crashes to the ground, as do you, overwhelmed by the pain. The impact is harsh, the stone ground unyielding. Aliénor steps towards you and pulls back her booted foot. It is the last thing you see.

You crash back into your human consciousness as if kicked across several planes of existence before smashing straight into your skull. The sensation is less one of pain, although the experience certainly isn't pleasant, and more one of shock. Your eyes snap open and you groan, equal parts angry and disappointed. That...didn't go exactly as planned. No matter. With a familiar, cooling incantation, you massage your temples for a minute to regain your composure. Then, turning back to the task at hand, your eyes fall once more on the obelisk before you. You click your fingers.

Before you plunge into the seeing stone this time, a thought crosses your mind. Why didn't you design the map to show which dot was which?! You make a mental note to fix that later on. Right now, Aliénor really could use a good seeing-to.