Agni Kai

As the hunting party crept around the edge of the firelight, Artorias heard the distinct sound of running liquid, smelled the acrid stench of wolf piss, followed by the hissing sizzle of fire being extinguished. He glanced up in time to see the general area where water was being dumped from just before the light of the fire died out, and then the world was shrouded in total darkness. The Aegis froze in his tracks, keen ears pricked and strained to pick up every little sound, insignificant or essential. Oxx knew they were here and he had leveled the playing field.

It didn't matter; Artorias had planned for his sadistic brother to have known they were coming for him the moment he left Syanna and Dalila alive. This only meant one thing: Artorias was outwitting him. In the silence of the night, Artorias watched and listened for anything that might clue him in to where the monster was hiding. A shift of a shadow, the scrape of a claw on stone, a scent on the breeze... What he got instead was a very loud and very obvious rock clattering off in the distance.

Artorias scowled; did Oxx think they were idiots? The sound was so far off that it was an obvious trap. Except when a second clatter came and Artorias suspected another diversion, he realized he had no way of communicating what he knew to the others without giving away his position to the enemy. He glanced back over his shoulder in worry. He couldn't see Chimera anymore, and he hadn't seen Rudyard or Ezra since they split up. He just prayed that they were all prudent enough to realize the trick themselves.

The young brute continued to prowl towards the cliff's edge in the dark, taking slow and measured steps to ensure he made as little sound as possible. Artorias moved up to the edge of the cliff and sidled up against it, keeping his ears up and swiveling about to catch every little sound he could. This game of cat and mouse was a matter of life and death. Someone would be dying tonight, and the Aegis would ensure that it would be the villain who did.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"