Hearts of Darkness (Part 2)

            As night fell the Man circled the inn like an animal trying to get in, but it was to no avail. Everything had been boarded up. Getting ready to give up he staggered around to the back door of the tavern hoping to find some sort of crevice or crack to barrel his shoulder through when lady luck came rushing to his aid.
            As soon as the Beacon opened the door he was upon her, eying her up for potential. When he had his answer he slowly brought his revolver up to her head and pulled the trigger. Her scream woke up everyone in the inn as the gun managed to only produce a clicking sound. Seemingly dumbfounded by this the Man continued to pull the trigger, uncertain why it wasn't working. Eventually giving up he let the pistol hit the ground and started to feel his body go limp- his eyes returning to their natural color. And that's when the Beacon struck, forcefully shoving the Man back into the snowbank just outside the door. It was a blow initiated out of frustration if nothing else. Slamming the door behind her the Beacon turned to face the stairwell where Jazmin came trotting down with the Poet and the Pestilence following closely on her heels. They had heard the scream and come to investigate. What they found was the Beacon, now alone, with eyes radiant and red.

            For several seconds there was a standoff between the two sides until the Beacon inexplicably charged forward, desperately trying to connect her fist with Jazmin's face. It was a futile attempt however. Jazmin was the most trained and seasoned fighter among all those who had made the journey to Kaltbury. There was just no way it was going to happen. That didn't stop the Beacon from trying though. And for her efforts she was repaid with body blows, mainly because Jazmin didn't want to kill her. She merely wanted to knock her out, or at least try and persuade her give up the fight. That too was futile. Every time the Beacon got kicked to the ground or shoved back she would lunge forward with new vigor. It got to the point where Jazmin thought she might tire if she had to keep it up much longer. She was going to have to put the Beacon down for good pretty soon.

            And that's when the Poet and the Pestilence entered the fray. They had frantically disappeared when the fight began but now returned with rope in hands. Jazmin understood what they wanted and thus tackled the Beacon to the ground, pinning her arms until they could be tied up around her back. They didn't stop there though. They keep looping coils around her body until they ran out rope. There was no way she was going anywhere. Eventually coming to terms with this the Beacon stopped struggling and let her body fall still. The light in her eyes dissipated and she passed out.

            Immediately after letting go of his knot the Poet felt a boot press against the side of his face. Sliding backwards he could see the crimson in Jazmin's eyes as she turned her attention to the Pestilence. There was nothing he could do. The Pestilence turned just in time to see her attacker approaching. She only had a split second to react but that was all she needed. Her eyes went black and Jazmin disintegrated into a pile of ash on the floor. The Poet was too stunned to even know what to do. He barely remembered to breathe. The Pestilence's eyes then returned to normal and the two stared at each other. Neither said a word. A deathly silence fell over the inn for what seemed to be an eternity, only finally being broken by the Librarian asking if it was safe to come out.