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It had just been a whim of hers, but, in time, it proved to be a dangerous mistake.

Of course, she could say that about a lot of her decisions, but this seemed to be a special singularity. What was it that compelled her this morning to stumble out of bed and decide that today - yes, today - would be the day she traveled to Magatia? What had guided her in thinking that she could most certainly accomplish something spectacular there and make herself known, as if absolutely anything in the medieval town could be conquered with the help of sweat and determination? Why had her heart been tugged to this small, almost Gothic city with its laboratories and dark macabre? It could definitely be said that she was fond of the area. Being a vampire, she could never sustain herself for very long in the harsh, direct sunlight many other places offered. Hats often graced her head in these situations, despite her dislike of the accessory. The darkness provided a cool environment for her. She also particularly liked the thrilling atmosphere here, as if taken directly from a horror novel. The air seemed to always be crackling with sparks of electricity, so close to bursting into flames. It spoke of abrupt decisions, fiery and impetuous encounters. It was that energetic mood that the independent and fickle girl loved and thrived in.

But, otherwise, it was something of a mystery as to why she had a craving for Magatian quests. But, then again, it was always a mystery.

Teagan Ulysses wandered through the town, vibrant red eyes well-adjusted to the dimness. Her vision swept across the landscape with the practiced gaze of an adventurer in search of an epic undertaking. Having arrived an hour earlier from Maelstrom Academy, she had yet to come across any interesting quests. Her kukri sheathed at her side, she almost seemed to predatorily stalk around the streets. It wasn't difficult to distinguish her as a person of strength and power. It was either that, or she was extremely good at faking it. And, well, if asked which was the truth, she would simply just flash one of her dark, cryptic smiles, turn on her heel, and saunter away. Undefinable, that's what she was, what she sought to be. She would not easily allow herself to be characterized and predicted.

It was not long before she grew tired of the town and its lack of entertainment. She walked along until she approached the western outskirts of Magatia. It was darker around here with less torches that kept the town from being swallowed by darkness. If anything, she preferred this. The dark was comforting, it was a shield, a blanket that fell across her vision comforting. Yet this blanket could suffocate, it could muffle and choke and extinguish any signs of life, she would come to learn. But, it was never something to be feared. Never to be avoided. Never to be underestimated, never to be disrespected.

She heard it before she felt it. A low, primal growl, no doubt antagonizing, that originated somewhere to the left of her. Its sound reverberated in a ghostly tone with an almost eerie quality that echoed into a decrescendo. Suddenly alert, Teagan unsheathed her weapon and swiftly pivoted to face the creature. Her ears caught another sound, a stomping against the ground that grew in volume. All her eyes managed to glimpse was a writhing mass of brown that emerged from the darkness before being knocked off her feet backwards. She landed painfully on her back, temporarily stunned. Her eyes refocused as she took in the beast who had mauled her and caught her off guard. At first, she thought she was still in a dazed state of mind as she observed two canine heads, growling in a menacing way. It was standing over her, paw weighted on her sternum, causing an aching pain that spread from her chest. Its maw ferociously shot down to snap at her, but she was already in the motion of bringing the kukri in her left hand to slash at its side. Its hide was tough, though, and while it did relent from its attack and retreat for a moment, Teagan could plainly tell that the damage wasn't as great as she hoped. A thin film of dark, maroon blood was on her blade, and she flicked it at her side to get rid of most of it.

The Maelstrom student took a moment to take inventory of her wounds. Her abdomen seemed to be bruised after having been tackled, but it was impossible to tell the exact damage. Where the beast had pinned her down was also in pain, its bulky paw having been cumbersome on her upper chest. It was most likely bruised as well, and the idea of a paw print-shaped bruise seemed almost comical if not for the peril she was in. She also took advantage of this intermission to analyze the enemy. It indeed had two heads, joined together at the neck. Its brown fur was visibly bedraggled and grimy. She wondered vaguely if this was a creature who had escaped from one of the laboratories. It was fairly large for a dog, its height meeting her at a little lower than the shoulder. Yellow eyes glared back, and she couldn't tell if it was appraising her or cursing her. Perhaps both, she decided. The beast's most notable feature perhaps was the serpent that emerged from its back side in the place of a tail. The snake hissed and squirmed, obviously eager to attack again.

The rest of its body followed suit, charging toward her again to attack head on. Teagan readied herself in a defensive stance but was unprepared for the onslaught of three hungry mouths. When her kukri was aimed at one of the dog heads, the other one would snap at her and the snake would strike at any exposed flesh. She found it almost impossible to try and cut off the serpent. It was much too difficult to bypass the two snapping jaws, and it was quite adept at dodging. They fell into a comfortable rhythm where the dog would lunge and she would back away to dodge. In turn, she would either parry or make a strike of her own which the creature would evade. It was quite obvious, though, that this battle was one-sided. The Capricorn's stamina was failing, and while she had yet to be bitten or struck again, the enemy hadn't taken anymore damage either.

The opponent suddenly changed its tactics, finding a new burst of energy to lunge at her. Teagan backed up, but not quite quick enough. She was again pinned to the ground, but this time, her kukri had been knocked out of her hands and dispelled to the right of her out of arm's length. Unfortunately, the creature's forepaws were both immobilzing her, and she had nothing to defend herself with. In the dim darkness, she was aware of a small boulder that was to the left. She clenched her jaw in concentration as she tried to telekinetically lift it to bludgeon the dog, but she feared it would take too long. The beast, who had been admiring his prey, was getting ready to descend on its meal.

Indeed, her whims often lead to these sorts of perilous consequences. Life-threatening. Living on the edge. That is Teagan. Or, perhaps it would be more fitting to say that was Teagan.