The creature's eyes darted around, keeping one on Celeste's drawn weapon, and the other on her face. Before the sword had even reached the apex of it's slash, Taggerung tilted his body to say, fully dodging the slash before it could of struck him. As he did so, his hand shot forward towards Celeste's face, open palmed. It was now visible that the creature possessed claws. While not long, nor particularly sharp, they still had the power and speed to rip flesh apart. The claw was aimed directly at Celeste's throat, with Taggerung following through with the grab. It was fairly impressive how such a malnourished being could move with incredible speed and agility. As Taggerung moved at his incredible speed, ripping and tearing could be heard, much akin to the sound of fabric being ripped.

Of course it wouldn't be so easy. Celeste ducked her head beneath the creature's blow with almost inhuman speed, narrowly avoiding the claws. Even if her strike had missed, she'd managed to get her sword out, a fact she was thankful for. As she ducked, she darted forward, underneath the creature's already raised arm. Her footsteps were light, and her movements seemed surprisingly graceful for someone in the middle of combat. As she darted forward, she made a slash towards Taggerung's armpit. Her forward motion could push the edge along deeper into the skin if it struck, but even if the attack missed, her foe would have to turn around to strike her.

Due to following through with his strike, and the seemingly extremely light body of Taggerung, he was easily able to push off lightly with his feet, sending him soaring over the blade of Celeste, and sending him well past the woman. Taggerung caught the ground first with the hand he used to make his strike towards Celeste, gripping the grassy dirt and spinning himself around, attempting to conserve his momentum. Easy for a thing so small and light. Taggerung renewed his charge towards Celeste, a grinding sound could now be heard as the creature ran, as if he was wearing a ton of armor, clanking with every movement he made. Taggerung made a swipe with his claws at the lower waistline of Celeste, with both claws simultaneously. It was likely any armor she wore would easily be able to block the swipes, however.

Celeste was a bit surprised at the creature's extreme mobility. Her eyes followed Taggerung as he lept over blade and landed several feet away. He charged again, and she prepared herself for the incoming attack. He was fast, that was certain, and she had no intention of finding out how sharp those claws were. The creature charged forward, a strange grinding sound filling the air. Celeste watched closely, her knees bending ever so slightly as her foe approached. Almost....there. Only a moment before Taggerung struck, she kicked off the ground, throwing herself into the air. As she jumped, she pulled her knees up to her chest and flipped clear over Taggerung's head. She landed softly on her feet, and turned with a quick pivot the moment her feet struck soil. There was a sound similar to ripping fabric, and the golden blade of her curved sword tore through her cloak in a stab towards Taggerung's spine. Her hood had fallen back in the quick maneuver, revealing a head of brilliant crimson hair, pulled into a ponytail and reaching a bit past her shoulders.

As Celeste flipped head over heels over Taggerung, a snapping sound could be heard. A soft thud. Her feet touching the slightly moist forest floor. A sound similar to ripping of cloth. From his leaned forward position, Taggerung dropped to the forest floor. A moment later, a blade swung where his back had previously been. Now on all fours, Taggerung arched his back, bringing his legs under him in support of his light body. In a burst of speed, Taggerung bolted on all fours, putting distance between himself and the warrior. Once that distance was achieved, Taggerung returned to his full standing position, and turned back to face Celeste. In a sick sound of sounded like snapping twigs, Taggerung's jaw begun to unhinge, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth. The teeth gleamed and shone, each teeth approximately six inches long. Taggerung then reached up with both his hands, pulling down on his jaw, causing a sick pop sound to be heard. His jaw had dropped even more. Taggerung's mouth now appeared as if it could fit a full sized dog in it. With another burst of speed, Taggerung shifted back down to all fours and charged Celeste, kicking off with his rear feet the last few feet, mouth wide open and aimed for Celeste's midsection. As much speed and power Taggerung had put into his jump, he had no question if he missed that he'd have plenty of room between himself and Celeste to recover.

Celeste cursed to herself as the creature ducked under her blade. Her eyes followed him as he scurried across the clearing, turning to face her. The creature then proceeded to unhinge it's jaws, revealing a massive mouth filled with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. Her feet slid apart, preparing to move, whatever this creature intended to do. As he was still unhinging his jaw, Celeste's left hand exited her cloak. The hand seemed to be almost entirely wrapped in thin ribbons of white cloth, similar to bandages. The hand gripped the clasp around her neck. In a moment, the creature was barreling toward her on all fours. As he kicked off the ground, the woman darted to the side, pulling the clasp and removing her cloak in a whirl of white. The garment flew towards the creature's face, in an attempt to blind him, if only for the moment. The removal of her cloak revealed the woman's body. She wore a robe of white beneath her cloak, it's sleeves reaching just past her elbows. At her waist was a cloth belt, with two sword sheathes tucked neatly into it. The one on her left hip had been drawn, but the right still rested in it's sheathe. The entirety of her body, starting just below her neck and seemingly ending at her ankles, seemed to be wrapped in the same white ribbons that covered her hand. The strips of silk seemed to form a sort of body suit, and were vaguely reminiscent of mummification. As Taggerung passed by, she darted after him, going into a spinning motion and striking with a wide horizontal slash towards his waist. As the blade traveled through the air, it seemed to leave a trail of brilliant gold light.

The teeth tore through the fabric of the cloak as if the cloak had never been there, only leaving tattered parts of the cloak behind as Taggerung worked his jaw. Keeping up with his observation of keeping one eye on Celeste at all times, he was able to see the attack coming well before he ever landed. Taggerung had done exactly as it had been planned. He had been flung quite a distance from his momentum, and caught himself on his two front legs, bursting himself around, slightly, to face the new attack. Taggerung kicked with his right leg towards Celeste, his body still side faced to the charging woman. The horziontal slash of the blade was in direct line with the middle of Taggerung's mouth now, which was already starting a chewing action, intending to chew right through the blade, and the woman, it seemed. From this distance, the muscles in Taggerung's jaws were clearly visible, pulsating with each motion of his jaw, no doubt a tremendous force behind the bite.

It was clear Taggerung's mouth was a dangerous weapon. Celeste gritted her teeth. The creature had reacted more quickly than she'd expected. He rushed forward again as she struck. She threw herself into the momentum of her swing, but she saw the tip of the blade make contact with the razor sharp teeth. Sparks flew from the collision. Her knees bent as she spun around, allowing Taggerung to pass over her. As the creature flew over, She made a hard vertical swipe toward his torso, throwing the weight of her body forward as she did so. Whether the slash hit or not, she used the momentum to propel herself forward, darting across the clearing in a flash of white. She turned on one foot to face the creature again, bringing her blade into an odd stance over her head, with her free hand extended outward towards Taggerung, palm down.

The blade definitely made contact with Taggerung's skin, but with the creature landed, there was no cut, and there was no blood pouring from his wound. Taggerung came to a rest on all fours from his leap through the air, and whipped himself around to face Celeste, one eye on Celeste, and the other constantly darting around. Taggerung's jaw moved up and down, the sharp teeth scrapping against each other and producing their own sparks as the grinded against one another. Taggerung once more charged towards the woman, now in a defensive position. As he charged, Taggerung closed his mouth, an amazing feat as he closed his mouth near to it's original size. At the last moment, he dived towards Celeste's knees. With a sick twist, Taggerung's neck popped backwards, facing almost directly up. Taggerung, at the end of his dive, once more opened his mouth, and let loose with a powerful bite, hoping to snag Celeste in it.

The woman's eyes widened at Taggerung's apparently uninjured body. It seemed it'd take more than a passing blow to do some damage. The creature's jaws clamped shut, and once again the abomination was darting straight for her. She took a deep breath, preparing herself. This would have to be precise. Taggerung dove for her knees, twisting his head in a sickening manner as he did so. She lept upward and over the creature, throwing all of her weight into the top of her body and raising her legs just out of her foe's reach. She landed on the palm of her free hand, and threw herself back into a standing position. For a moment, her left hand flew to the hilt of her other sword. No, not yet, she thought. The woman darted towards Taggerung, as if preparing to strike. Just before she hit, she made a quick twirl to his side, and threw all the force of the spin into a quick horizontal swing, aimed for the creature's thin arm.

Gareth finished his plate, and he exchanged looks with Eva across the table. He listened to Sophia and Mentha initiate a conversation, and Harker's sense of alert peaked before subsiding into the innocence of a child. Of course, it didn't vanish, but it was in the back of his mind and he still kept note of the boy's lone presence with no adult. "Hello, excuse me, Mentha, my name is Gareth," he interjected after Sophia ended her question and the boy responded. "Why are you here all alone? Where are your parents?" Gareth's voice sounded sympathetic, and it was indeed sincere; a child shouldn't be out by himself in any case, unless it was only for a very brief period of time or to a place where he'd be safe. The boy's clothes indicated he was from around these parts, but the eyes were very bizarre.

Maria frowned, she hadn't known what she was expecting Lily to say, but figured a merchant would at least have some clothing. She looked at the woman as she gave her commentary. It was true, the height difference alone made sure of that. Wearing someone else's clothing just didn't feel right anyway. "I'll go there, then, thanks," she said, returning her eyes to slowly panning the room. A bolt of white hair stood out from the crowd, a little girl sitting among friends at a table out on the floor. The likeness was uncanny, and her stomach turned at the idea that girl she was looking at might be Sophia Octavia. There were only so many dire consequences that put a royal in a tavern, and kidnapping was one of them. Her frown deepened as she looked around the room, trying to find someone else watching this particular girl. She wanted the girl to be some random girl, but there were few people matching the likeness of a Lyoki royal in the middle of Mullen Trinan turned back around in her chair, standing up and fetching her cloak from the table. It was time to get clean. "I'll be back in a bit," she said flatly, cradling her wounded arm as she walked off towards the rear of the inn to find her room and some free time. The girl was another problem, she'd have to find out if it really was, and who exactly the youths she was hanging around with were.

Slick Blackhand had always had a penchant for getting himself into trouble. He was one of the younger Shadowmages, and wasn't exactly the scholarly type. He liked danger and all things dangerous. Now it seemed that it was the perfect time. However, even his subtly hyper streak dissipated when he saw the man 'reveal' himself - or itself? - to the hooded woman. He immediately sent out an arcane ripple to his comrades, who grudgingly came to his side. Once they saw the Taggerung's true form, everyone knew what they had to do. They each materialized one by one, making sure to keep their faces beneath their hoods - and simultaneously hurled a ball of black fire at the white abomination.

The blade crashed into the arm of Taggerung, cutting the thing flesh. As it struck bone, sparks flew from the bloodless wound, showering the two combatants. The strike prompted a quick kick off from Taggerung, kicking himself away from from Celeste. The fight was far from over, with Taggerung not having expended any of his seemingly endless energy. Taggerung dug his feet into the ground, prepared to take off with immense speed. Before yet another charge from the creature, he froze completely in place, both eyes now darting over the entire scene around them. The skin on Taggerung twitched slightly, prompting Taggerung to spring his legs, and jump up, reaching nearly 10 feet. The ball of the black flame crashed into the area Taggerung had been only seconds earlier. Taggerung landed gently on a tree branch, making now sound as he scanned the area with one eye, while keeping the other lodged onto Celeste. It seemed that Celeste had back-up, or maybe it was a third party that was interested in the fight.

---

The boy shook his head at Sophia's question of his origin, retaining his boyish grin as he did so. The smile disappeared as Gareth interjected himself into the conversation, appearing to listen intently to what the older man had to say to him. After Gareth's question, the boyish grin once again returned to the young boy's face. The boy placed a finger on his chin, and looked up towards the ceiling, as if to mock that he was in deep thought. After a moment of this joke, he looked back to the two, his boyish grin replacing the deep in thought face he possessed moments earlier, "They're in the same place as Jezin!"

A faint smile crossed the woman's face as her blade struck. No blood came from the wound, but she knew it had struck bone. She lept back, away from the creature, landing a few feet away. Seconds later, she heard the sound of smoldering flame. A quartet of black fireballs struck down towards Taggerung, who dodged the attack handily. She felt the heat as the magic struck the ground nearby, erupting in a dark explosion. Celeste's eyes quickly followed the trajectory of the attack to it's origins, and noticed the shadowmages from before. It seemed she had some assistance, from the most unlikely of sources. She gave the group a nod, before returning her eyes to the fight. It was then that she noticed a glint of steel nearby. The long sword Taggerung had tossed earlier was lying only a few feet away. The woman dashed towards it, rolling as she snatched the weapon from the ground with her left hand. She stood from the roll, twirling the blade about with surprising ease. She'd studied Western swordplay, and though she wasn't quite as skilled with such a weapon, it was a better than the alternative. Her eyes glanced to the black hilt at her waist. She approached the branch on which Taggerrung stood, taking an odd stance that put the longsword behind her back, with her own blade in front of her. Her green eyes locked with Taggerung's.

---

Sophia's eyes grew wide, and the color drained from her face. A slight tremble could be seen in her hand. Surely she'd misheard the boy. There was no way he'd just said what she thought he said. No, no, he'd said it for certain. His parents were where Jezin was. Sophia stared at the boy, utter shock taking over her face. "They're... how do you...what?" The horror that seemed to be flowing through the girl was obvious. "W- What do you mean?" She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Eva had been quietly enjoying her meal until she heard the boy's words. Her eyes cut across to the child. Beneath the bar, her hand slid quietly into the folds of her dress, gripping the hilt of a knife. Her orange eyes glared over the Princess' head at the boy. This was no ordinary child, that was for certain. How did he know about Jezin, and just what did he mean that his parents were where he was? Were they dead, or was the boy's comment meant to be more specific? She turned slowly in the bar stool, ready to act if necessary.

Lily nodded as Maria left. "Alright, if I'm not here when you get back I'll see you around." She spoke with the same warm, cheerful voice. Once the Scout left, Lily brought her gaze back towards Sophia, but when she did, the smile on her face collapsed. The girl looked positively terrified, and Eva didn't look particularly happy with whatever had just happened. She was sitting too far away to hear the boy's words, but it was obvious whatever he'd said had deeply offended the Princess. She frowned. Whatever was going on, it didn't bode well. Perhaps going to get her cloak wasn't a bad idea.

Gareth jumped from his seat to a standing position, and his abrupt movement disturbed the plates. His eyes bulged from his face with bewilderment and suspicion as he looked on the child, eyebrows raised and face tensed. Blues darted back and forth between the three accompanying them. One hand peeked behind his back and placed itself on the front edge of his bow in preparation to draw. All trust he had in the child shattered, and Harker readied himself to kill if it was necessary. "What the hell are you..." he muttered under his stiffened breath.

The child kept it's innocent smile, switching his attention between Gareth, and Sophia. As Sophia asked her question, the kid almost giggled as he prepared his answer, "They're all part of the quilt now." The child replied, his cheerfulness and grin betraying the statements sinister nature. Mentha snapped his head towards Gareth as he asked his question, "Just a rose." He replied, his grin slowly twisting into a more sinister smile. Mentha's head then traveled back to Sophia, the sinister smile growing wider and wider, "Come! I'll show you where Jezin is! You can meet my parents, too!"

Sophia's look of horror only grew worse as the boy explained further. The quilt? What was he talking about? The girl's hands shook and she stood up, slowly backing away from the boy, shaking her head. Her eyes were wide. "N-no... What's going on? Are you... you're with him." The realization started to come together. Was this boy somehow tied to Taggerung? Was he too part of whatever sinister plot was unfolding around her? She backed away slowly, her eyes locked solely on Mentha, not even noticing the other people in the Inn.

Eva rose from her seat quickly, one hand behind her back. The boy seemed to have sinister intentions. She threw a quick nod across the room, towards Lily, and looked at the boy. "I'm afraid she won't be going with you. You should probably leave." The Tauran spoke with a firm tone, taking a step sideways to place herself between Mentha and Sophia. There seemed to be no escape for them anywhere. She cursed to herself. A rose? What the hell was the boy talking about?

Lily caught Eva's nod and slipped down from the bar stool, quickly sliding past the other patrons of the inn and slipping off to the back of the establishment, to the area where the personal rooms were. She disappeared through the doorway. Once she was out of the main room, her speed increased to a full sprint, darting up the stairs and speedily unlocking the door. She slammed the door behind her, and turned to a coat rack beside her door. A long cloak made of black fabric hung from it. Of all the times to make a move, it had to be when she hadn't slept. She sighed.

As Celeste grabbed Taggerung's longsword, two inch long fishing hooks sprung from the hilt, embedding themselves into Celeste's flesh. Four hooked each finger, the hook snugly fitting itself around the bone. Two hooks hooked into the thumb, the upper and lower bone. Finally, two hooks dug into either side of her palm. Taggerung watched as Celeste gripped the sword, knowing now would be the best time to strike once more, despite the third party now involved in the fight. Taggerung crouched his body, in the same vain that a spring is wound tight. With an immense push of his legs, he launched himself into the air, high above even the trees. The force behind the kick-off had broken the wooden branch, sending the branch crashing to the ground. Nearly 35 feet in the air now, Taggerung positioned himself almost directly above Celeste, both eyes now on the woman. Taggerung hurtled towards the ground, mouth slightly agape, and claws out in front of him. Taggerung brought both claws down in front of him, attempting to bring them down Celeste's chest, starting at the bottom of the throat. Taggerung made sure to land at least a foot away from the woman, as landing directly on top of her would not be beneficial for either party.

Celeste's eyes widened as the hooks dug into her flesh. The hand behind her back shook for a moment, and red splotches began to form beneath the white cloth that wrapped her hand. A trap. She gritted her teeth, gripping the sword that was now attached to her hand tightly, with blood slowly leaking out from her hand and onto the grip. Taggerung lept from his position with unbelievable speed and force. Her eyes followed him, but his movement was almost too fast. The pair of claws came falling towards her, ripping through the morning air. She kicked back off of the ground into a backflip, moving her upper body up and out of the way. As she dodged the attack, however, she felt a sharp pain run through her leg. She landed a few feet away in a crouched position, and her eyes glanced to her leg. Blood was running from her shin. She remained in the crouched position, sliding one leg back a bit. She felt a wave of numbness wash over her body. Her pupils focused to near pinpoints. It seemed for a moment that the woman's already paper-white skin faded to near transparency. In that moment, she bolted forward at a much faster pace than she'd exhibited for most of the fight. A white blur flew over Taggerung, the woman's body twisting around in mid-air. She came down, spinning on one foot as she landed behind the pale creature, and lunging with full force, attempted to pierce the creature's back with the long sword. Her own curved sword came over the blade in a guarding position.