Leno, Serafina, and Saif were panting from their sprinting.
They had entered the labyrinth together for the first time and they had found themselves in a terrible gate.
DING!
SURVIVE THE COMING OF THE BRUXA BROOD!
THE NIGHT IS LONG AND THEY HUNGER FOR A HUNT!!
“Vampires? Great.” Serafina moaned, and in truth leno agreed with her. He hadn't personally fought anything like a Bruxa, but the faction tower had a library, and it was wondrous. Filled with notes, tomes and scrolls on the beasts and creatures others had come across inside the labyrinth.
The gate had led them to a ruined village, most of the houses and homes were broken down. But the few that still stood, were boarded up and covered as well as possible. There was one building with its doors still open. A temple, Leno was sure there was something ironic about that. But he had no time to figure that out.
“Into the temple.” He bid the girls, and they sprinted forward, the gift of grace that elves seemed to have in abundance. He had been following the words of Jazmel, focusing on balancing his stats. He pushed most of his free points into agility and dexterity now. They were the lowest and they didn’t grow as quickly as his others.
A loud hiss pierced the sky just as Leno stepped through the doors of the temple. At first it sounded like one large animal, but soon he realised it was more than that. No it was a chorus, a choir of hisses.
Then a chattering in a language Leno was unfamiliar with, could be heard. Then they could hear giggles, laughter that rang across the night sky. Leno pulled his silver blade free and then conjured up an iron blade.
“They are going to come for us, let’s get ready. Any that come close, we will kill them. If they try to stay far, both of you use your arrows.” Leno expressed and the girls quipped their bows and prepared.
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The laughter in the night shrieked and Leno shuddered. Something uncanny about vampires giggling in the night made him worried.
The first to appear was a naked woman, she looked young. Maybe in her twenties, but she landed daintily on the doorstep. Her mouth, throat and chest was drenched with blood. She didn’t cover her body at all, instead she was stark naked. Her skin pale as the moon she flew under.
“Fresh blood, the night gifts us all!” she grinned, her eyes wild and maddening.
She darted forward, if not for an arrow hitting her high in the shoulder. She might have struck him full in the chest. But he didn’t falter, he blinked the wind out of his eyes. Parrying her clawed hand. He slashed upwards with the steel fin tuna blade that Jazmel had given to him.
He dragged the blade up and slashed her pretty face. He felt the blade pierce her eye and scar her beauty. She shrieked out and back pedalled. But he followed her, striking with both blades, steel, and iron. He buried them into her heart and wrenched them free, pulling her heart from her chest.
She wailed, but didn’t die yet, no she turned monstrous. Rushing forward, her body almost mutated. She pushed forward both clawed hands aimed to tear him asunder.
Three arrows hit her, with the effect of a full Mana blast. One after the other, the first broke her defence, the second knocked her backward and the third knocked her off her feet.
Serafina was releasing arrows with erring accuracy. Saif was beside her and she yelled at Leno.
“Throw it up!” she shouted; he didn’t register what she meant for a split second. Then he realised he was still clutching the heart which was thumping; beating as it remained pierced by his two daggers. He shucked it from his blades and tossed it into the air.
Chaos coil!
Saif shot an arrowhead conjured from her chaos Mana. It hit the heart and igniting it in black and green flame. It screeched as its heart burnt like kindle. The body jerked and spasmed. Leno watched with a tiny piece of empathy as the pretty girl. Who had been a Bruxa, died before him.
DING!
TIER I BRUXA KILLED!
EXP ACCRUED!
+2 AGL
+1 DEX
The death brought experience and stats. But the howling on the wind told him it wrought anger too. It was going to be a long night.
“Get ready!” Leno commanded, taking the leadership, and steeling himself for the night.
Just as the doors burst open, off the hinges and dozens of Bruxa’s flew into the temple.