"You'll no doubt be pleased to hear that we won't be taking you back to the dungeon."
Knowing she meant it, and that she fully intended to kill him, strangely, a small part of him was pleased to hear this. Death was much better than living out his days in the same way as the other prisoners that he'd briefly glimpsed, of that he was certain. And having seen all that for himself, if he hadn't been sure before that they were going to kill him, he knew only too well that he'd seen too much to be left alive. He was out of time and options.
Feigning the start of one of his back spasms, he moved with all the speed and agility he could muster. Quick wasn't really apt, in human terms you understand. Unfortunately a naga's idea of quick was very much like that of a dragon. They had outstanding reflexes and speed of thought, much to Flash's disappointment. Rolling across the bed, he then sprung head first at the naga, who hadn't moved an inch. Instead, she shot him twice from the hip with the suppressed pistol, piercing his shoulder and abdomen. Trying to use his momentum to continue forward, the shots slowed him right down. Smiling wickedly, Dr Manilow let go a swift kick with one of her perfectly formed legs, catching him straight in the unmentionables, causing him to curse the fact that his human shaped body had been so accurately formed. Grabbing him by the throat, as blood raced from his bullet wounds, the beautiful Dr Manilow, a sneer on her face, did the single stupidest thing she could have done, the one single thing that would enable him to win. She stabbed him right in the eye with the lancet pen. Automatically he howled in pain and terror, continuing to do so as the compressed magical energy rushed into his body like an out of control freight train. Within a thousandth of a second he'd cast two mantras with his mind, one to heal the gunshot wounds he'd already suffered, the other to protect him from any more bullets. With the doctor gazing straight at him from only an arm's length away, he quit screaming and very carefully pulled the lancet pen from his eye, flooding the area with magic as he did so. Dr Manilow's sneering expression of victory disappeared faster than an MP rushing to claim their expenses. She moved her arm slightly, to aim the silenced gun at his head, but he disarmed her in a fraction of a second with a sharp kick to her right knee, followed by a speeding punch to her solar plexus and then a pivoting kick to remove the gun from her hand. Regaining her composure, Dr Manilow came at him faster than he would have believed possible. Kicks and punches rained down on him as the human shaped naga put everything she had into the attacks. Boosted by the magic, it was as if time had slowed right down. Not only able to anticipate the attacks, but formulate a strategy and then implement it before the assault had even reached him, the shock was evident on Dr Manilow's face. After the fifth such strike from the, by now flagging doctor, Flash made a block with the underside of his right arm and then returned the poorly implemented show of aggression with a sharp kick to the doctor's left knee, instantly rewarded with a sickening CRUNCH, as she dropped unceremoniously to the hard concrete floor. Knowing things had to end now, in one smooth motion, he grabbed the suppressed pistol and pumped the entire round of bullets into Dr Manilow's forehead. With a THUD, her blood splattered corpse slumped back to the floor, motionless.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his right hand, still gripping the pistol tightly, he sat down on the bed, breathing heavily from the exertion of the fight., his whole body shivering violently. Closing his eyes, he fully expected his back to spasm and waves of pain to overcome him. But it never happened. A feeling of nausea and bone weary tiredness swept through him, but he knew he had to push on, or everything he'd been through would be for nothing. With his legs feeling as if they'd turned to lead, willing them to work, knowing that he had to return to the dragon domain as quickly as possible, a plan that had been in the back of his mind all along became a distinct possibility, now that he was aided by a reasonable amount of magical energy. First of all though, he needed to clear up the mess from the fight, starting with the good doctor.
All Crimson Guards were equipped with just about every mantra that had ever existed. From the simplest to the most intricate, nothing was beyond the capabilities of their agents. Mostly, it was just a case of knowing the correct mantra for the corresponding occasion, whilst maintaining a reasonable supply of magical energy. While most situations could be dealt with by rather vague, powerful, blanket mantras, they were by their very nature magically intensive. It was little or no use to an agent to use draining mantras constantly, only to find themselves in a life threatening situation shortly after, with virtually no magic left to draw on.
Taking a few moments to consider his situation, he knew that for his plan to work, he would most definitely need to retain some of his mana for later. If not for his debilitating back injury, he would normally just cast a high intensity blanket mantra that would restore the room back to normal, clearing all the blood, DNA and broken items away as it did so. Not having enough magical energy to spare, he pulled off the top blankets from the rather messy bed and set about the grisly task of wrapping Dr Manilow's body up in them. Pulling one of the pillow cases free, he then did his best to wipe away all the traces of blood he could see on the walls and floor.
'It probably isn't perfect,' he thought, 'but all I have to do is fool people long enough to be far, far away.' After wiping down all the blood he could find, he stripped off the stolen jacket and trousers, making sure the pistols and ammunition were tucked away firmly in the pockets, and added them to the bundle that encased the deceased doctor. Once done, he shoved the wrapped up body as far back underneath the bed as it would go. Reaching out, he let his index finger gently rest against the gruesome package. Closing his eyes, he let the words he'd used hundreds of times before, flow through his mind.
"Blend into the scenery that sits all around,
Invisibility and stealth to you shall be bound.
Only a mantra of power so strong,
Will knowingly undo all that is wrong."
Immediately, the wrapped up bundle disappeared. Pulling his finger away, he then thrust it back out towards... nothing. Sure enough, it hit something solid and invisible. Satisfied that the mantra had done its job in turning everything invisible, he slid out from beneath the bed and got painfully to his feet, still able to hear voices and running feet from the main corridor, but they seemed less chaotic and more measured. Not knowing how much longer he could go without being discovered, he swiftly retrieved the spare leggings and jacket out of his kit bag, shoving them on as quickly as possible, not needing any gloves or goggles for what he had planned, quite the opposite in fact. Zipping up the bags, making the room look exactly as it had before he'd returned, with the exception of some of the bedding, he very carefully headed back towards the corridor and the same exit he'd used to re-enter the base. Using his enhanced hearing, he waited in the alcove until he knew the corridor was clear. Sprinting for all he was worth, he made it to the exit unseen. Checking to make sure no one was visible outside, he carefully let himself out into the snowy wilderness, hoping he had enough magical energy to cast the two remaining mantras his plan called for. If he hadn't, it would all be over.
Standing just outside the door, he closed his eyes and once again found the words he needed, putting just enough belief and magic behind them to achieve his goal.
"Cover my tracks mighty wind and air,