<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Matted hair stuck to the side of an elf’s face, soaked in dirt and sweat. A salty taste hit her lips as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. The Hallow Council would stop at nothing to destroy her kind. They had motive; A grudge from hundreds of years ago. Naya grimaced and glanced down at her leg. It ached with a dull pain. She never ran to survive until now. Her days were numbered; Before she knew it, Hallow Council would be on her tail again and their stubborn ambitions would guide them.<br/>
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“Where’d she go?!” A gruff voice snapped. Naya flinched and bit her lip. She made a mental note not to move a muscle. The thick of the dark green bushes surrounding the tall trees were fickle.<br/>
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“The damn heathen! She’s gone.” The fugitive heard Amrak, Hallow's council supervisor and expert swordsman, yards away from where she hid. He was the one who caught her in the first place and while he'd had plans to kill her on the spot, Mayana, a training specialist, suggested they bring her in for questioning first. Naya shivered as the council barked at each other and moved in closer to her location. Desperation clawed at her soul as she heard one of the members take a whiff of the area.<br/>
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"I smell something... divine," An orc chuckled. "When we find that elf, I'm gonna gouge her eyes out and roast her insides for dinner."<br/>
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<i>By the goddess of war, he knows I'm here. I thought that gruesome beast couldn't smell.</i></span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Naya gulped and reached for her bow lying on the forest floor next to her. Her heart raced and her legs shook. Slow but precise movements accounted for everything, including her life. She reached behind her back to take an arrow out of her quiver, but the sudden stomp only a mere foot away gave her away. Naya's foot slipped and crushed the leaves beneath. She hastily scrambled out from her hiding spot bow and arrow in hand, well-aware that they'd found her and intended to kill her for her unfortunate escape. </span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">"Well, well, well, look who it is. It's our lovely friend, Naya," Amrak spoke, a devilish smirk peaking at the corners of his lips. She scowled at the satyr and glanced over at Xolag, the orc that'd sniffed her out. "We've tried to be patient, dear one. We gave you food, shelter, and what did you do? Betray our trust by running off. Mayana, what say we simply kill this filth right now on these grounds, hmm?"<br/>
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Naya spoke before the dark priestess had a chance to open her mouth. <br/>
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"You won't have me, Amrak," she seethed, her hold on the arrow trembling. She straightened her back and gripped it tighter. "I will not die or become a pawn in your game." </span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">"You can't even let that bow go and injure me child. You're petrified."<br/>
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"I beg to differ." Naya pulled the arrow back further, her fingers close to the side of her mouth, and let go. She murmured a quick incantation, causing the arrow to erupt in a mist of green mana. She darted away from the scene, her legs tired, but her will to live pushing her through. From a short distance, she could hear Amrak yelp in pain as the poison temporarily weakened his strength and agility. She could only pray she'd hit a vital spot on his body. That was the least of her worries though. <br/>
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Brittle sticks and small, sharp rocks cracked under Naya's heel as she ran. She winced as she stumbled when she turned a corner, well aware that she was losing in this battle. The torture she'd endured at the Hallow Council had left her right leg in a weakened state, though not entirely disabled due to an average regeneration rate. The duration and intensity of her run, however, was causing her leg to lose momentum. She knew that if she did not stop to rest and take care of herself, her leg wouldn't heal all the way. </span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">"God of Mercy, please save me," she whimpered. Her life was more important than a limb. </span>