Meera and Dirik stood side by side as they faced who was once the Shadowsteel Warlord. Hilnoa was scribbling something in her book furiously. Whatever it was, Meera hoped it would give them the edge in this fight, as Meera was not so sure anymore.
She knew all her lessons with all the Wardens, and the chief among them were the ones painfully learned from Zona. She had told her to be an assassin. She had to hide and strike from the shadows, but the only problem was there was nowhere Meera could hide that the Cosmarian wouldn't find her. Not to mention, her Ambush Tactics accounted for nil in this fight.
Erenyx eyes were bloodshot, and she trembled with rage. Meera got her level 2 chakrams ready and waited for her to make her first move. In the meantime, she pulled off more level 2 chakrams and had them spinning around her.
The Cosmarian finally made her move. She swept her two weapons in an arc, starting from above her head and going all the way down. Swords, spears, and other pointy and barbed Shadowsteel weapons appeared, all aimed at them.
Meera locked eyes with Dirik and gave him a slight nod while pointing down towards the ground with her eyes. They had fought together enough to know what she meant.
The weapons flew at them. Dirik vanished into the shadowy ground, but Meera stayed where she was. Six level 2 chakrams spun around her. Using Mirror Wing, she had them deflect the coming weapons while staring down the Cosmarian.
Erenyx sneered. "You think your petty discs can keep up with my weapons?"
"No, I think they can destroy your petty weapons."
She picked up the pace with her chakrams. The next sword that came for Meera shattered in two, making Erenyx's eyes bulge in surprise. But Meera was only getting started. One after another, her level 2 chakrams broke through the Shadowsteel weapons as if they were nothing more than cheap blades.
"How are you doing this…"
"It's simple. My weapons are better than yours."
Erenyx gritted her teeth and stepped forward, but at that exact moment, Dirik burst out of the ground behind her and slashed out the armor's back. Erenyx stumbled forward and let out a cry. Meera capitalized on this moment and shot a Mirror Shard Barrage at the armor. Despite it only being a metal armor piece, she heard a notification.
She almost smiled, but the Cosmarian vanished and appeared beside Hilnoa. She gripped the older woman by the throat as she tried to write quickly in her book, but the wild look in her eyes spoke of danger.
Erenyx laughed. "Didn't I tell you that shadows only listen to me here? You cannot escape me."
Hilnoa groaned as Erenyx's fist tightened around her neck. “Who said…anything about…escape…”
Erenyx frowned, but that was all she got to do before two dark doors opened and divulged all the weapons they had swallowed back at the former Warlord, but all they did was bring out more laughter.
The weapons never hit their mark. They dissolved before they could even touch Erenyx. Meera saw an opportunity. She pointed at her and put a Death Mark on her. Now, Meera wasn't sure if it was just her attacks that did more damage or everyone's, and now was as good a time as any to test it out.
Dirik picked up on her clue and dropped into his floor of darkness, only to be shot back out immediately. The darkness that permeated the floor vanished, and they all knew Erenyx was at fault here, but this did bring back Meera's tiny mirrors.
Meera teleported to the closest one to the evil Cosmarian and slashed at the arm that held Hilnoa with a level 2 chakram. Erenyx had wised up to their trick and moved her arm out of the way in time. She was far enough away that even the Searing Effect of her chakram didn't touch her.
"Too slow," Erenyx said.
Dirik responded by throwing a slash of darkness from his blade, which Erenyx nullified with a wave of her hand. Everything they threw at her was falling by the wayside.
Erenyx yelled and unleashed a blast of sharp darts made of darkness and shadows. Meera raised a Mirror Tower Shield to protect herself, but the others were not so lucky. Dirik jumped for the cover of a big column, but his right foot was riddled with the darts.
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Hilnoa, being the closest, took the bulk of the darts. She protected her book with her body. The darts riddled her with holes. Erenyx tossed her aside without a second thought. Hilnoa's body left a bloody streak as she skidded across the metal floor and hit the far wall. She cried out and coughed up blood.
"No!" Erenyx cried out and hunched over, trembling as if in pain.
Meera squinted. No, that's Narikas. He's fighting back for control.
She surveyed Hilnoa and wanted to go to her, but on the other hand, she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and strike. If Narikas could gain control of his body, then they could end this fight here and now.
"Come on, Narikas, you can do it," Meera bellowed. "Push that thing back in the armor where it belongs."
"Shut up!" Erenyx roared in her raspy voice, but she was still trembling, which meant that Narikas was still fighting.
Hilnoa shakily wrote something in her book, which Meera hoped would be a healing skill. Meera locked eyes with Dirik and gave him a nod. Together as one they moved. Meera pulled off a level 2 chakram and slashed at the armor's back, side by side with the Shade.
Erenyx howled in pain and fell to a knee. "ENOUGH!"
A shockwave of dark energy blasted out, pushing Dirik and Meera back, but not by much. Erenyx stood, no more burdened by Narikas's quest for control.
"You are going to die," Erenyx drawled. "All three of you."
Off to the side, Hilnoa had vanished. I hope she's made it somewhere safe.
Erenyx pointed her shadow blade at them and moved, but it was more like she had vanished. Meera's first instinct was to teleport away, but she quickly recalled her chakrams and set them to spinning around her.
Erenyx reappeared behind Dirik and slashed down but he was no slouch. He turned and slapped her blade away. They exchanged a few blows, parrying each other's swords. Each time their swords clashed, it sent out a small shockwave of dark energy.
A spike erupted from the ground from Dirik's right side. He jumped away in time, leaving him open to Erenyx's sword slash. Meera hurled a chakram, which deflected her sword and saved Dirik's head from being cleaved in two.
Erenyx glared at Meera and waved a dismissive hand. The floor underneath Meera's feet wobbled and swayed as if she were drunk. Then, the ceiling fell on Meera's head. It was only thanks to Mirror Step that she saved herself.
Dirik tried to escape, only to be blasted away by a beam of darkness. Meera quickly teleported to him and put up a Mirror Tower Shield as another beam of darkness came for them. The shield was already beginning to crack, which was not a good sign. They had mere moments.
Dirik took out a green potion—a Health potion—with a trembling hand and downed it quickly, some spilling over the sides of his mouth.
"We can't beat her here," Meera said. "She's too powerful in this room."
Just as Meera had finished speaking, a spike shot out of the ceiling. Meera pushed Dirik out of the way just in time, or it would have impaled him through the head. Another spike shot out of the ceiling. Meera raised two Tower Shields over their heads.
Meera got a glimpse of Erenyx through a chunk of her fallen shield. She no longer laughed. She only fumed. Meera had to raise another shield as the Cosmarian sent a dark slash from her shadow blade.
"We're not going to survive long like this," Dirik said.
Meera looked around, and her eyes fell on something. "Can you open that?" She motioned to the window.
"What?" He frowned. "Yes, it should be possible."
"Then wait until I say so."
Meera rolled to the side and teleported behind Erenyx. Without skipping a beat, she shot Vampiric Chains at her foe, immobilizing Erenyx for a moment, and that was all she needed. She pulled off a regular chakram using Mirror Wing and drove it up the steel sword and onto Narikas's meaty hand. Erenyx cried and dropped the blade when the chakram pushed its way up. Her chakram ripped open the skin on her hand as it shoved its way through to rest on her wrist.
"What are you doing?" Erenyx barked.
"You'll see." Meera flicked a finger, and Erenyx flew off towards the window. "Now!"
The window opened, and Erenyx blasted out of the fortress. Meera took off after her. Not wanting to risk having the Cosmarian anywhere close to the fortress, Meera rag-dolled the possessed Warlord all the way over the bridge and out into the clearing. The Wardens were close enough, but it was enough for Meera to have some fighting room.
Erenyx crashed headfirst into the ground, raising a dust cloud. Meera landed beside the dust cloud covering the path to the bridge in case the Cosmarian had any ideas about returning to her seat of power. With a flick of her finger, she pulled off her chakram from Erenyx's hand.
"You think…" Erenyx stood. "This makes a difference."
Soldiers on the ramparts pointed their way, and more than a few talked about their Warlord's condition and why he looked like an ashen reptilian creature. Meera hoped and prayed that none of them were too loyal to come assist him against the outsider.
"It makes all the difference," Meera replied. "For one, I don't have to worry about a spike in the back and having solid ground beneath me, I'm pretty sure you can't teleport anymore, but as for me…" Meera shot out tiny mirrors in every direction. "Now, then, let's do this. Just you and me."
"If you think I'm alone, you're dead wrong. You made a grave mistake bringing yourself out here and, even more so, throwing my husband out here."
Meera frowned at first, but she heard the moaning accompanied by howls—howls of the undead. Then she saw them. Thanks to Doromar, all the dead soldiers from the last battle had arisen and come for Meera and her friends.
Erenyx cackled. "Now would be the time to run."