Anika was standing in the middle of a more open area, inspecting the soil for footprints of creatures she had already met before. It was a complicated search, but not for someone who already knew what to look for. These monsters... Morem's creations, there was no doubt. Many had been infesting the woods of the region, from what the villagers recounted, but most of them escaped the light. She had been out for hours now; it was about to get dangerous, with the last rays of a red, setting sun barely filtering through the vegetation, but maybe she could find their hideout before they could pose an actual threat if she hurried up...
Finding out that she wasn't alone was the first surprise she didn't expect. A clueless soul, apparently, but with a quite peculiar appearance that she never encountered before. She seemed friendly, but her calmness was what agitated Anika the most. She was open to danger. That was not good.
The second one came with the spike of agitation emanating from the medium. Those creatures fed on fear, and they couldn't miss such an opportunity, especially as their stalker lowered her guard.
Eyes opened in the dark of the bushes, staring at them with murderous intent for no more than a few seconds before lunging forward all at once. That quick series of events had been enough to let chaos unfold from a completely quiet situation. The mage couldn't hold back a curse before leaping away herself, closer to the other woman to defend her instinctively, at least until she could get in an offensive stance instead. "Stand behind. Don't let them catch you!"
By the time everything was over, Anika landed close to the woman, her luminous wings shedding light where the sky could only barely cast its peaceful color on, her rapier still charged with energies that seemed to mix and repel each other at the same time. Her muscles were sore, her back hurt from the strenuous beats of the bony structure allowing her to fly, and she had to wipe her eyes from the blood to gain full sight again. She had been reckless; multiple wounds covered her body, but the enemies had suffered more than she had, as the silence around them testified. Furthermore, the magic coming from her mentor and the runic enhancements she recently obtained were already at work, she could feel it...
Of course, nothing of this made the situation much easier on her for what concerned the pain, but adrenaline still kept her on her feet. She turned back to the other, especially as she reached forward with her makeshift bandage; the cut on her face stung, but she managed to offer only a smile in return. It was a tired one, but genuine. "You're kind, miss. That's a beautiful trait to have, but it won't help you if you endanger yourself. My condition isn't a priority compared to yours." With a quick swing and twist, the tongues of black and gold fire around her blade dissipated and she could safely store it back at her side. She carefully opened the bag to her side then, indicating a glass vial with a red liquid inside that swirled with luminous bubbles.
"Please. Take that potion and pour a little of it on your hands. It should stop them from hurting, at least."
