The inner compound had been destroyed. Huge chunks of the buildings had been cut and sliced into, clearly by Xiang's sword, as when he swung it flashes of golden light would follow behind. There were broken and battered disciples littering the courtyard, completed collapsed and strewn around without a care in the world.
Kat was somewhat glad the pain had dulled her hearing so that she couldn't make out the breathing of the disciples over the clashing of swords Xiang and Hu were engaging in, she didn't want that knowledge of who still lived.
Hu and Hong were more than a little battered. They stood bleeding from a huge number of cuts all over their body that made Kat think they had to be more blood then skin at this point. It was almost certainly more blood than a human could lose and keep fighting, but Kat just guessed that they had blood replenishing pills. It made more sense than many alternatives.
Kat was shaken with just this much, but it was what sat behind the brothers that drove home Kat's feeling of despair. Behind them was two cribs. She couldn't see if they were occupied, but the fierceness of the brothers' attacks more than answered her question, if the next shout didn't hammer the last nail in.
Hong was shooting arrow after arrow, and had three discarded quivers around him. Hu had his signature coated in so much blood it was becoming more like a club, and based on 'Xiang's' appearance, it had to be Hu's.
"Oh look, the other one showed up" said Hu bitterly "Do you have no HONOUR!"
Hu charged 'Xiang' again before being smacked away with the flat of his blade. Clearly Xiang was playing with them. Forcing them to attack over and over, and be beaten back further and further after every strike. His sword danced and intercepted any of Hong's arrows, littering the ground with them.
"You're right Hu, I don't have honour, but even this is a step too far, for any decent sentient being" said Kat, pushing her energy to rotate once again. It tried to fight against her, but she forced it to move. Kat shot forward, pain nearly blinding her, but she channelled that pain into her hands forcing flames to form over her fists.
Kat drove her hands back to slam into Xiang, fire and all, at the same time that Hu charged again, coming in from the side to slash him. Yet, Xiang didn't falter for a second, he smashed his sword into Hu, throwing away, the same time he extended he leg behind him and kicked Kat into the chest forcing her back.
Kat's bodied tumbled, rolling multiple times before slamming into a large piece of rubble and falling down face first into the dirt. Kat felt her body screech in protest as it got to work healing her. It felt more like it was trying to tear her apart in the process, but she concentrated as best she could on the specific injuries and felt them healing alongside the pain.
Before she could recover fully Kat was already trying to push herself back to her feet. Her legs groaned in protest so she tried for her wings. More pain came for her, but they at least heeded her call. Hovering more like a drunk fly than her usual grace and speed, Kat wobbled in the air as her body BURNED.
*Come on Kat. Revenge is one thing but kids?! I can't allow that. I draw the line there.* Kat forced herself to fly forward, gritting her teeth and ignoring the pain. Hong saw her new charge and reached into the tattered remains of his robe to pull out an arrow he had strapped to his leg.
"Arrow From the Edge of the World" whispered Hong to himself. Not even Kat could hear his hesitant voice as he drew back his bow. The arrow started to glow with a pure white light, gathering it in a spiral focused on the arrow head.
Hu looked over at Hong, and grit his teeth in pain. Hu then started to choke his words out through clenched teeth. "Sword of Sacred Flame"
Hu leapt first, taking Xiang's first strike. His flame seemed to spread to Xiang's sword, but then the sword in Xiang's hands just flashed gold as he started to throw Hu away. This was when Kat tried to slam into him. Xiang raised his foot again, but this time Kat was ready, right as Xiang kicked out, Kat bent around the foot and kept going towards his chest.
It wasn't enough though, and before Hong could finish charging his attack, Xiang MOVED. His sword backlit by golden light, threw Hu away, sending him flying straight into the back wall of the compound, narrowly missing the two cradles.
For Kat, his legs both shone with gold light, before he spun in place, smashing into Kat, but she was ready for that too. She let out as much fire as she could straight at Xiang. He reflexively summoned a gold skin around him, but the fire clung to it anyway. Kat was smiling through the pain as she swore that the gold skin was being worn away.
Until Xiang reached up with both hands on either side and ripped his golden armour in two before hurling it at the wall, along with her flames. Kat tried to stand, to launch one more attack against Xiang. To stop him from doing something horrible… but, her despair started rising when her body didn't respond.
With Kat on the ground, and Hu buried into the wall, Hong grimaced as he held the arrow before him. He didn't make any movements, except the slight wobbling strain on his arms from having the bow pulled back. *Move dammit.* Kat felt her tail twitch slightly in eagerness to help at all, but nothing more.
Xiang took a few more steps forward before looking around. Golden eyes acting like searchlights scanning everywhere. They moved over Kat's prone form and Hu's form buried in the wall, as well as Hong's.
Then Xiang wasn't there anymore. He was in front of Hong in a flash of golden light. Kat didn't see the transaction, or when Xiang kicked him in the chest and sent him flying as well. Then Xiang started to walk over to the cradles.
Kat's blood ran cold. She screamed at her body for it to move… and it obeyed, kicking and screaming as well. She couldn't feel much energy in her if she still had any at all. Her wounds had healed but the pain had not. She didn't care though.
Kat ran forward as fast as she could, which was nothing better than a jog at this point. Xiang looked over her, before looking back at the cribs and raising his sword very slowly, clearly taking his time, allowing her to approach. Kat ran, like a drunk stumbling home, using everything she had to get just a bit closer before Xiang swung that sword down.
Kat was only a few paces away, when Xiang's face twitched just slightly. The edges of his mouth flickering down just the slightest amount before settling again, and swinging the sword down.
Kat didn't know what she was doing, but she acted. She kicked off the ground with everything she had, throwing energy she wasn't sure she still had into her legs, and launching her forward. Kat slammed into the crib knocking it out of the way, before the sword was brought down upon her.
The sword bit into her neck. She was still crouched down, so for once Xiang stood over her, and he looked just as emotionless as before. His eyes flicked to the sword and then back to Kat who stood in defiance and grinned at him. *Got there… in… time.*
Xiang pulled the sword back, before stabbing it forward, letting it sink straight into Kat's stomach and out the other side. Kat's body was ready to collapse, but she saw a hint of movement in the corner of her eye, and instead, she pushed herself forward, digging the sword further into her stomach and gripping onto Xiang's shoulders hard.
"Hold" Hung let out a hacking cough "Him just" more coughing racked through Hung but he kept speaking "Right there"
Kat couldn't nod, couldn't do anything. She kept her grip tight but her vision was fading along with the pain. "May this arrow send you back to its home. RELEASE" shouted Hung with a cough at the end.
Before it hit though, Kat felt herself falling backwards vision dimming. *Is this enough? Was this enough revenge? You have destroyed the sect, decimated their warriors, and nearly killed their children. Please let this be enough.*
Right before Kat's vision disappeared completely, she saw a familiar wall of burning text.
Potential deadly attack found. Banishing demon before damage sustained is too great.
But Kat's mind didn't see the words. She just hard a warm feeling in her chest that said everything was going to be fine.. She was certain that it wasn't the burning sensation of a sword being ripped out as Xiang was sent flying by Hung's arrow.