Chapter 32: Confrontation

Vina stepped outside, the air chilling with the darkness overhead, making her breath mist. With Selenia in her right hand, she studied her adversary with a critical gaze. Amaya maintained an aura of calm, her face devoid of emotion. The haunting extra set of dead eyes on her face only added to the eerie atmosphere. Vina had faced adversaries in the past, but there was something about Amaya that sent shivers down her spine.

Creatures moved in around them, forming an inescapable but wide circle. All six of their eyes remained open, and she felt their gaze heavily on her as they stood still and silent. Blood sense warned her of how many were slowly packing the streets and homes around her, like a silent parade of monsters in her honor. Her mind lingered on Refuge Recall, but she knew she couldn't leave Langternem behind. For now, the only thing she could do was give Tressi time to escape.

"Amaya, I didn't want to kill your children. I thought I was defending myself," she tried to reason, her words dissolving in the cruel silence of the night. She knew how futile her words were for the grieving mother.

Amaya's only response was a wistful gaze. "I was just a young mother…" she started, her tone devoid of any emotion. "...when the Darkness came and consumed my town. My children were drawn to it, becoming a part of it. I went to The Asharaina of The Eight Paths, and she taught me. I trained against the sword you now hold. Then I fought The Darkness to get them back, but I learned..." Her voice trailed off.

"But Stine was behind it all, wasn't it?" Vina implored, pleading with the grieving mother before her. "It manipulated your family, forced you into joining it."

Amaya looked over her shoulder and gestured to someone in the crowd. “You’re safe here. I won’t let her hurt you again,” she called out. Duscan stepped out from behind the line of creatures, his eyes already beginning to darken. He huddled up next to Amaya, and she pulled him close until his head rested on her shoulder.

"The Darkness did not manipulate me," Amaya continued, gently caressing Duscan’s hair. "It merely showed me the truth. The Darkness... it is a part of this world, just as we are. Just as Trina is. It isn't inherently evil, nor is it benevolent. It only exists to teach us our truth."

Vina frowned, struggling to comprehend the logic behind Amaya's statement. "But it took your children, forced them to attack me."

"The Darkness didn't take my children," Amaya retorted quickly, her voice unsteady for the first time. "It showed them their truths, and they accepted it far sooner than I ever could. They were lost to me long before the Darkness came upon us. Just as Duscan has done today. His journey has been long and painful, but not once has his path been touched by the Darkness. Yet today he made his choice." Amaya kissed the top of his head lovingly. “It’s okay. You can go now. Go see what awaits you.”

As Duscan moved back into the crowd, Vina watched in further confusion. “I… I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Vina said. "Amaya, please. Let’s find a way to save everyone."

Amaya frowned. “It said you were slow to learn. I’ll be clear. There is no one left to save, Vina.” Amaya paused as she searched Vina’s face. “I learned that I couldn’t move on without my children. It’s time for you to learn the truth too," Amaya finished grimly. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “It has given me permission to kill you if you won’t learn.”

Vina furrowed her eyebrows and gestured to the crystal resting safely on the road to the side. “Langternem…”

Amaya interrupted, “...Is a consequence The Darkness has found a way to overcome. You made sure it learned when you visited its island.”

Before Vina could respond, Amaya moved with an agility that exceeded their previous confrontation. She lunged forward, her sword aimed at Vina's heart. It was a devastatingly fast attack, but Vina was prepared. Her heightened dexterity and honed instincts allowed her to side-step the lunge at the last possible second.

Their blades clashed in the deserted streets, the resonating sound echoing in the stillness of the night. Amaya's movements were swift, methodical, and deadly. Vina, however, managed to deflect and avoid each attack, her blood-drunk enhanced agility coming to her aid.

As she avoided another strike, she felt her stamina slowly draining. Her thoughts drifted towards Tressi and Croft. Were they safe? Had they managed to escape? The uncertainty was a distracting thorn in her mind.

Despite her precision and skill, Vina could feel the inevitability of her situation. Amaya wasn't slowing down. Her attacks were relentless, her speed increasing with every passing second. It was a war of attrition, and Vina was beginning to realize that she was on the losing end. She watched her hemovore affliction tick down and begin to flash in her vision. “What happens when I lose the dexterity?” she wondered. She imagined Selenia becoming an awkward weapon in her hand and knew the moment that happened she would die. She prepared to activate Refuge Recall just as something else slammed down in the middle of the square.

“Saryne!” Vina gasped, and the large creature took a swipe at Amaya, who deftly stepped out of its reach, though Vina knew it had managed to nick her skin with a claw. Aboard his back, Tacey stabbed at any creature within her range.

“Get on!” Tacey growled at her, holding a free hand out for Vina to grab. “We’re leaving now!”

Vina reached up, her hand almost clasping Tacey’s, when a sharp whistle pierced the air. At that moment, a dark shape launched itself from the rooftops, soaring over Vina’s head. It collided with Saryne with a bone-crushing force, sending Tacey sprawling. Saryne and the assailant were immediately locked in a fierce struggle, their claws and teeth flashing as they roared and growled. Amid the chaos, Vina's blood sense provided a clear readout: "Three thousand two hundred and twenty." Her eyes widened as she recognized the spikes and claws—it was the creature from the island. Realization hit her like a cold wave. Amaya and this creature had used portal rings to travel here. "The Darkness can use the portal rings," she whispered, her voice tinged with dread.

Tacey was already on her feet and waved her hand in front of the crowd. Chaos and hisses sounded in every direction, but Vina saw no discernable threat to the creatures. Tacey then ran to Saryne’s side and attempted to stab at the creature still locked in a fight with her companion, but their wrestling match was overpowering even for her. “Use everything I have, Saryne!” she shouted at him.

“What are you doing?” Vina shouted at her.

“Aspect of Perception.” Tacey yelled back at her. “I can control what they perceive, but using it like this takes divinity!”

The spiked creature suddenly let go of Saryne and backed away, shaking itself. It seemed to wobble as if drunken. It didn’t seem much worse off than when Vina had seen it before. In fact, it barely lost any life at all in their wrestling match. Saryne, on the other hand, was bleeding from several wounds, but they were swiftly closing. Saryne roared in rage but fell back to Tacey’s side with a slight whimper.

“I took away its ability to perceive equilibrium until Saryne can recover. What about this one?” Tacey asked, gesturing toward the woman.

“She’s Amaya. A swordmaster. There’s not a lot of blood here, so I’ve had to fight her straight up. Can you use the Aspect of the Hidden to get us out of here?” Vina panted while she watched her stamina slowly recover.

“No. There’s too many eyes. Why aren’t they swarming us?” Tacey asked while her eyes constantly scanned the mass of creatures around them.

“Stine is watching to see if I learn. It’s like you said; this was a trap,” Vina answered.

“Can you travel like your sister?” Tacey asked. “Get us out of here?”

Vina shook her head. “I can travel, but I can’t bring you with me. It’s limited to just myself. I can’t even bring Langternem.”

Tacey laughed despite the situation. “Well shit. All that time holding your hand…” her voice trailed off. “That creature is nearly a match for Saryne and me. We can put it down, but it’s going to take a long time.”

“Give me a drop of your blood, and I might be able to fight Amaya alone.” Vina requested. “After that, we can take that creature together.”

Tacey frowned. “Take your time. It’s going to be a long fight.” She moved to fulfill her request. Amara, however, didn’t give them any more time to plan. She was already moving back in to engage.

Despite the relentless attacks from Amaya, Vina and Tacey fought back with determination. With Tacey as an ally, Vina saw many more openings now in her opponent’s attacks, but every time she struck out, Amaya found a counter. Her memories worked overtime, bringing up every combination of movements she had seen for the current situation she faced. Her body reacted almost exactly how she required, but still the hemovore icon flashed in her vision and ticked down. She felt herself getting more tired as her stamina reached the halfway mark.

You have gained Advanced Proficiency with the Thrusting Sword. Damage Increased by a total of 250%.

Vina noticed Tacey's control over the spiked creature beginning to waver. Its movements grew less erratic and more coordinated, signaling that it was regaining its stability. Recognizing the urgency, Vina knew she had to act quickly. "Tacey, stab yourself. I need your blood!" she shouted, her voice piercing through the chaotic sounds of battle.

Tacey swept her spear across her unarmored hand and sliced open the tip of one of her fingers. Vina felt the blood and called out to it with her title’s ability. It sailed through the air directly onto her lips. She activated her hemovore skill and licked them. Attempting to ignore the taste, she relished the moment Tacey’s vibrance intermingled with her own. A surge of energy coursed through her. She could feel Tacey's attributes merging with her, granting her a heightened sense of all her attributes. “Holy shit…” she whispered as she gripped Selenia firmly in her hand.

“Best of luck!” Tacey called out as she ran to Saryne’s side.

Vina readied herself for Amaya, but the swordmaster merely swung her blade to the side. A creature stepped forward to impale itself on it. Shadows cracked from its back and flew into her eyes a moment later. Vina watched in fascination as black blood began to ooze from her midnight eyes. “There is no way out from this, Vina. Every… single… one… of these creatures energizes me.” Amaya intoned ominously. She rushed forward and Vina found herself in an only slightly better position than she was in before.

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She found her strength more than sufficient to deal with Amaya’s strikes, and her body made every movement she needed to defend herself. However, the swordmaster’s technique was beyond Vina’s ability to break through. Every time she thought she had an opening, it was a cleverly designed trap, and she immediately found herself once again on the defensive, burning more stamina to protect herself. Her mind raced trying to find a solution. There was only one thing that came to her mind.

She pulled at the blood in her necklace and created a blood burst. She condensed it down until it was life threatening and launched it at the swordmaster. When it exploded, the woman flashed into a flicker of movement as Vina expected, but she took the moment to launch another blood burst into the crowd beside her. She detonated it to great effect.

Blood and viscera erupted to the side of her and she immediately launched a small blood burst to begin converting it to her own blood. To her horror, thousands of insect sized creatures scuttled across the ground and the living creatures, covering almost everything in the blast area. In just a few moments, they had lapped up every bit of liquid on the ground and scuttled away again

“Vina…” Amaya said, getting her attention once more. She held her sword out and a creature leapt onto it once more. Shadows cracked open from its back and entered her body. “I believe your mother is dead. Please, let me guide you now.”

“She’s not dead!” Vina shouted back at her, but instantly regretted the outburst. Exhaustion had started to grip her, leaving no energy for such arguments.

Amaya’s lips parted, ready to form a retort, but quickly closed. The words remained unspoken.

“She’s not dead.” Vina insisted, her voice only slightly louder than a whisper. “I don’t know where she is, but Stine does. It knows who can lead me to her!”

“Vina, if The Darkness doesn’t know where Priya is, she must be dead. It only knows who has laid her to rest.” Amaya responded.

“No! You’re wrong!” Vina’s cry echoed between them. She activated charge with her sword held ahead of her and struck out at the swordmaster despite the burning in her lungs.

Amaya defended herself, a smug smile playing on her lips as she spoke through the effort of defending herself. “I… understand why The Darkness… provokes you,” she managed between deflecting blows. “Pain sharpens your learning.”

As Amaya launched into a series of swift counter-attacks, Vina fell into defense once more. A lapse in judgment cost her, as one of Amaya's blows found its mark, cutting through her right bicep. Pain shot through her and she nearly dropped her sword, but she instinctively activated Blood aid on herself. She lashed out lamely with a weakened arm as her body repaired itself. Amaya, however, quickly retreated, creating a six-foot distance between them. Giving her arm only a moment longer to heal, Vina activated Charge again, clashing swords with Amaya once more.

In her weakened state, Vina was stabbed almost immediately, but the result was not the same. Amaya’s sword impacted the scales and deflected widely to the side, knocking the swordmaster off balance. Vina took the opportunity to slam her sword into the woman’s shoulder, reaching out with her clawed hand at the same time, intent on activating blood stained hands. Amaya blurred in a swift movement, causing Vina’s hand to swing into thin air. Vina stumbled and felt two more quick strikes deflect off her side. “My armor is impervious to piercing damage?” Vina thought. “It only took one hit!”

With a deep sigh, Amaya sliced through another creature, summoning shadows into her shoulder to staunch the flow of black blood. “This is why The Lady of the Eight Paths taught us to target people’s eyes. Vina, remove your armor, or I’ll blind you. With or without sight, you will learn.”

“Stop saying that.” Vina muttered. She suddenly felt Tacey, Saryne, and the creature move beyond the range of her blood sense. Inwardly, she sighed. “Besides, I was almost blinded by Stine earlier. I’m not that worried.” She switched the sword over to her left hand. “Let’s see if this arm is feeling any better.”

Amaya stared at her for a moment and then smiled again, “Am I to believe your skill will be even better with your left hand? Is that why she gave you that sword? You’re full of surprises, child.”

Vina nodded solemnly. “Before she died, Seassa said I was the last to follow this path.”

Amaya’s smile faltered. “And yet, you remain oblivious to the truth.” Her voice trailed off, her gaze dropping to her own sword. “She has met death many times, Vina. She will return for her sword and slay you in the process. Then, she will restart her path.”

“She told me to keep it safe until she does,” Vina said, trying to slow her breathing and get it back under control.

Amaya shook her head and gestured to herself. “You still don’t understand. I am one swordmaster. She is many swordmasters. All of them may come for you someday.”

Vina nodded at the confirmation. “I suspected so.”

Amaya gave a lilting chuckle. “Are you resigned to a pointless death then?”

“No.” Vina answered. “I figured out Stine’s game while traveling to Norfany. It tricked Seassa into killing her Dedicated and killing herself. She left me the sword and an excuse for our paths to cross again. Then Stine tricked me into killing your family so you would have a reason to fight me to the death. I now have no excuse but to figure out how to kill you. When I figure that out, I just need to apply it eight more times to Seassa. You’re just another pawn in its game for me to kill a fellow Asharaina. Do you have enough free will to walk away?”

Amaya didn’t move for a long moment as she seemed to absorb Vina’s words. “I am free to go, Vina. But I won’t,” she said, shaking her head gently. “I’m willing to let that truth exist. It is not in conflict with mine or my children’s. I do believe you’re not seeing the entire picture, but I see your potential,” Amaya acknowledged. She stepped forward with her sword back up again. “You’re not there yet, though.”

With a heavy sigh, Vina raised Selenia once more, her every muscle screaming in protest. "No, I'm not there yet," she conceded. "But I'm getting closer." She ignored the throbbing pain in her lungs and activated charge as well.

Their blades clashed again and again, each strike echoing across the battlefield. Despite the exhaustion and pain, Vina matched Amaya, blow for blow, their deadly dance becoming more desperate with every passing second. Vina recognized that Amaya no longer aimed for her body; she targeted only Vina’s face. Yet, Vina still could not break through Amaya’s defenses. “This isn’t working…” Vina thought.

“There’s another way. I always wanted to be invulnerable,” she considered, but immediately realized it wasn’t one of her own desires. “Strength and near invulnerability. I could have both right now.”

“Stop it,” Vina muttered as Kaliq’s memories flooded her mind. She stepped back to regain her composure. More brutish strength was just a decision away, and her armor granted her Kaliq’s nearly identical durability. She only needed to protect her fingertips with ruby claws and her face. She knew she could fight like him now. She struggled for a moment, pushing down the memories of battles she never fought, which tried to overwhelmingly convince her.

“Vina…?” Amaya asked as she too relaxed her stance.

Vina glanced at her sword, then back at Amaya. A sudden understanding coursed through her. She was not Kaliq, not Seassa. But she carried a piece of each within her. Kaliq’s strength and resilience, Seassa’s finesse and wisdom—each had shaped her in profound ways. She had their memories, knowledge, and skills, but she stood independently from them. She was something new, a unique amalgamation of these two teachers while retaining her own life experiences.

“You’re not wrong,” she murmured, acknowledging her past memories. “But you’re not entirely right, either.” Tenderly, she pushed Selenia’s tip into one armored scale of her leg, observing as the sword inflicted a delicate puncture. Then she stopped with a smile. She activated charge one last time and brought her sword up to bear.

Amaya brought her own weapon up to block just as Vina expected. "I don't want to kill you, Vina. I just want you to learn," Amaya breathed, as their blades locked together when Vina activated her Bind & Disengage skill. "You don’t need to die."

"Neither did your family," Vina shot back, a bitter edge to her voice. "But that didn't stop Stine, did it?"

Amaya's eyes flashed with rage at the reminder of her lost family. "You murdered my family! Not The Darkness!" Amaya shouted into her face as she unsuccessfully tried to pull her sword away from Vina’s.

Seeing the swordmaster so irritated, Vina knew she had an opportunity to change tactics. Switching every infusion she had in dexterous manipulation to forceful muscles, she let go of Selenia and lunged forward. With her armored hand, she seized Amaya’s weapon. Amaya attempted to withdraw her sword, but Vina’s armor held fast, impervious to the blade’s sharp edge. With superior strength on her side, Vina drew the swordmaster towards her, using her free hand to activate her Ruby claws and clutch Amaya's arm.

Caught off guard by the unexpected grappling, Amaya struggled, kicking Vina in an attempt to break free. The first kick nearly caused Vina to let go with the amount of force Amaya was able to exert against her. Vina felt the sword begin to cut into her scaled armor as it switched to defend against blunt damage, and she formed a second ruby claw to protect her other hand and hold the sword in place. Amaya’s next kick did nothing, and Vina flung her to the ground while activating Blood Stained Hands.

The effect was instant, but Vina had precious little time to savor her victory. The spiked creature entered the range of her blood sense once more. “It’s fast,” she whispered. A moment later it crashed through a building and slammed into the stone lined road and ground to a halt just in front of Vina on its side.

She glanced between Amaya, who was bleeding out beneath her, and the creature struggling back onto its feet, hampered by claw marks and punctures. Several of its spikes were now missing, but only a quarter of its life was gone. It groaned and growled before turning its six eyes on Vina. Looking through the hole the creature made in the building, Tacey was nowhere in sight. “Well, shit,” Vina said to the creature she now knew was being directly controlled by Stine.

Vina let go of Amaya and dissolved her ruby claw into a globe of blood. She tried to compress it into something capable of finishing Amaya off, but Stine leapt and tackled her to the ground. She held the half compressed blood crystal, while still forcing more of her own blood into it between them. She made sure it could see what she was holding. “Try me!” she shouted at it as she pressed the crystal against its skull. It stood over her for a moment before stepping off with a growl. Then it backed away until it was close enough to help Amaya back to a sitting position, careful to not let its still deadly nails injure the woman further. It took a protective crouched position behind her. Its six open eyes remained fixed on Vina while it growled out something softly.

“She’s gained a little understanding, but not as much as we hoped,” Amaya said mournfully.

The creature leaned forward and placed its hands on her shoulders. Amaya slumped slightly when it growled in her ear. “Yes. Teach her now, and then give her Tacey. I’m ready.”

In one movement the creature bit down on her neck and ripped its head in one direction while tearing her body in the other. Vina cried out, and turned her head away from the sight. Blood sense told her what happened, but she didn’t want the memory her eyes would lock into her mind. When she looked back, shadows left the woman’s body and coalesced beside the creature. Amaya’s dark shape and details materialized in a matter of seconds. She gave Vina a sad smile before walking away into the mass of creatures.

Your target was killed by an entity not affiliated with this system. Unable to calculate your contribution. No experience points awarded.

Stine stared at her, then gestured first in the direction it had come from and then to the creatures surrounding Vina. One at a time, some of the creatures turned on each other. They cut each other open, and their black blood spilled on the ground. Vina watched in confusion as blood ran in the streets. Their shadows entered the creature’s eyes and it was soon completely healed from the damage Tacey had done to it. Stine held its hand up in a mocking manner as it stretched its long body upward, still supported by Amaya’s remains.

She knew what it wanted her to do. Still in a seated position, she held her hand above her head and activated a blood burst. As quickly as she could, she converted the blood around her to her control. This time no creatures came to clean up her work.

Vina sensed Tacey and Saryne reenter the periphery of her blood sense, swiftly converging with her on the road. The strain of combat was apparent on them; their bodies bore multiple gashes and wounds, which, fascinatingly, began to quickly heal right before Vina's eyes. Neither Tacey nor Saryne appeared overly troubled or hindered by the lacerations adorning their bodies, despite the fact that Tacey's kaliter armor appeared irrevocably damaged.

Simultaneously, Vina and Stine shifted their attention towards Tacey.