place.
"There she is!" he shouts, pointing at me.
Moments later, a tall man follows him into sight. Wearing what looks to be some kind of metal tunic and with a sword carried on his back, he looks like the kind of guy who'd be perfectly at home ripping people's heads off on the battlefield. And right now, he's staring straight at me, while reaching for his sword.
V anguard
"What are you waiting for?" Sharpe shouts, punching my thigh. "Go and get her!"
I carefully slip my sword from its sheath and prepare to strike. The human female is barely twenty, at most thirty meters ahead of us, but she's staring straight in our direction, which means we no longer have the element of surprise. She looks to be frozen in place with fear, which is fairly typical of her species. Humans are hardly known for their robust fighting abilities, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if she fainted. Frankly, she is most likely stunned by the magnificence of my appearance; in the human world, she is unlikely to have ever encountered such a fine warrior as myself. Still, I would prefer to expend as little energy as possible while capturing her, so I'd rather not do anything yet that sends her scurrying away.
"She's going to run for it!" Sharpe hisses at me.
"Patience," I reply, keeping my eyes focused on the female. "I am an expert hunter. You, I must point out, are nothing of the sort."
"If you lose her again..." he mutters darkly.
"Human!" I call out. "My name is Vanguard! I am a Lord of the House of Lacanth. I have slain ten thousand men. I have led armies around the entire circumference of the Library, and I do not bend! Whether or not you have heard of my legend, you must kneel before me!"
The human stares wide-eyed at me. It is impossible to miss the sheer terror in her expression.
"Did you hear me?" I continue. "My name is Vanguard! I am a Lord of the House of Lacanth. I have -"
"I heard you," she replies, interrupting me in a most infuriating manner.
"Good!" I say, stepping forward. "Now kneel!"
"Don't come any closer!" she shouts.
"You misunderstand the situation," I continue. "I have identified myself. I am clearly your superior. If you do not kneel at this very instant, I shall be forced to interpret your behavior as a challenge to my status, and I will have no choice but to remedy the situation by removing your head."
"Keep back!" she says, still moving away from me.
"Kneel!" I shout.
"Put that sword down first," she says.
"There will be no negotiations here," I tell her. "Kneel before me!"
"I'm not trying to negotiate," she says, clearly panicking a little, "but I'd really, really like it if you could put that sword down."
"You have no choice in this matter!" I insist.
"Just put the sword down," she stammers. "Please..."
"Kneel!" I roar.
She stares at me for a moment, before turning and running away along the aisle.
"See?" Sharpe says with a sigh. "Now you'll have to go after her."
"No problem," I reply, starting to follow the human. I quickly get up to speed, bounding along the aisle with great speed. Humans are noted for their ability to run fairly fast, but this pathetic little creature will be no match for me. I'm already starting to gain on her, even as she attempts to lose me by turning left to go down a different aisle. Given my greater size, I'm a little slower at negotiating a change of direction, but I'm soon back on her trail. She turns right, then left, then right again, but as soon as I follow her around the final corner, I realize that she seems to have vanished. Standing still, I listen for the sound of her feet, but she's nowhere to be seen. My knowledge of humans is far from extensive, but I was not aware that they had any ability that might allow her to get away from me. I take a few steps forward, determined to work out where she has gone.
"Face me!" I shout. "You can't run! Face me, and I will show you mercy!"
Just as I'm starting to fear that she might, indeed, have escaped, I hear a
"There she is!" he shouts, pointing at me.
Moments later, a tall man follows him into sight. Wearing what looks to be some kind of metal tunic and with a sword carried on his back, he looks like the kind of guy who'd be perfectly at home ripping people's heads off on the battlefield. And right now, he's staring straight at me, while reaching for his sword.
V anguard
"What are you waiting for?" Sharpe shouts, punching my thigh. "Go and get her!"
I carefully slip my sword from its sheath and prepare to strike. The human female is barely twenty, at most thirty meters ahead of us, but she's staring straight in our direction, which means we no longer have the element of surprise. She looks to be frozen in place with fear, which is fairly typical of her species. Humans are hardly known for their robust fighting abilities, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if she fainted. Frankly, she is most likely stunned by the magnificence of my appearance; in the human world, she is unlikely to have ever encountered such a fine warrior as myself. Still, I would prefer to expend as little energy as possible while capturing her, so I'd rather not do anything yet that sends her scurrying away.
"She's going to run for it!" Sharpe hisses at me.
"Patience," I reply, keeping my eyes focused on the female. "I am an expert hunter. You, I must point out, are nothing of the sort."
"If you lose her again..." he mutters darkly.
"Human!" I call out. "My name is Vanguard! I am a Lord of the House of Lacanth. I have slain ten thousand men. I have led armies around the entire circumference of the Library, and I do not bend! Whether or not you have heard of my legend, you must kneel before me!"
The human stares wide-eyed at me. It is impossible to miss the sheer terror in her expression.
"Did you hear me?" I continue. "My name is Vanguard! I am a Lord of the House of Lacanth. I have -"
"I heard you," she replies, interrupting me in a most infuriating manner.
"Good!" I say, stepping forward. "Now kneel!"
"Don't come any closer!" she shouts.
"You misunderstand the situation," I continue. "I have identified myself. I am clearly your superior. If you do not kneel at this very instant, I shall be forced to interpret your behavior as a challenge to my status, and I will have no choice but to remedy the situation by removing your head."
"Keep back!" she says, still moving away from me.
"Kneel!" I shout.
"Put that sword down first," she says.
"There will be no negotiations here," I tell her. "Kneel before me!"
"I'm not trying to negotiate," she says, clearly panicking a little, "but I'd really, really like it if you could put that sword down."
"You have no choice in this matter!" I insist.
"Just put the sword down," she stammers. "Please..."
"Kneel!" I roar.
She stares at me for a moment, before turning and running away along the aisle.
"See?" Sharpe says with a sigh. "Now you'll have to go after her."
"No problem," I reply, starting to follow the human. I quickly get up to speed, bounding along the aisle with great speed. Humans are noted for their ability to run fairly fast, but this pathetic little creature will be no match for me. I'm already starting to gain on her, even as she attempts to lose me by turning left to go down a different aisle. Given my greater size, I'm a little slower at negotiating a change of direction, but I'm soon back on her trail. She turns right, then left, then right again, but as soon as I follow her around the final corner, I realize that she seems to have vanished. Standing still, I listen for the sound of her feet, but she's nowhere to be seen. My knowledge of humans is far from extensive, but I was not aware that they had any ability that might allow her to get away from me. I take a few steps forward, determined to work out where she has gone.
"Face me!" I shout. "You can't run! Face me, and I will show you mercy!"
Just as I'm starting to fear that she might, indeed, have escaped, I hear a
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