Morrigan casually ducked under a fireball while pushing Ursara to the side to stop him from getting crushed under a massive axe swung towards him. Shadows gathered around her daggers as she straightened her body, enlarging her daggers. She parried the axe to the side despite it being nearly as big as herself and unleashed the power of shadows on the demons surrounding her. The darkness coalesced around her daggers, lashing out like tendrils of midnight, striking with deadly accuracy at the demonic horde.
A dozen demons instantly turned into ash as shadows severed their heads from their bodies. Even the bigger demons with their thick hides and dense bones could only take 2 hits before succumbing to her wrath.
“Thanks, Morrigan. I was toasted if it wasn’t for you.”
Ursara recovered from the near miss and approached Morrigan. She didn’t respond, instead tracing the streets like a predator. Her silence and golden eyes caused Ursara to gulp. It was true that he was a beastkin just like Morrigan and had animal qualities. Yet, the difference was quite obvious. Despite being a fellow beastkin, he couldn't shake the feeling of being in the presence of a predator, while he himself felt more like prey even with his large frame.
Feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his back, Ursara shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to proceed. He had always heard about Morrigan's strength and prowess in battle and had seen it with his own eyes before, but there was something about her now that sent shivers down his spine. Was it because Whifur, the city where her father had founded was under attack? Even though he knew that Morrigan was on his side, the bloodlust coming from her scared Ursara.
“Another group of demons coming. Come on, move.”
Morrigan turned around so sharply that it caused Ursara to jump. He quickly recovered and ran toward the buildings.
“Come on guys. The danger is gone for now. We need to move. Okay, get in line. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13. Okay, everyone is here. Follow me quickly.”
Civilian beastkins who were hiding in the buildings during the battle ran out and followed Ursara. "Keep moving, everyone," Ursara called out, his voice tinged with urgency as he urged the civilian beastkin to follow him. "We need to reach safety before more demons arrive. Stick together and stay close."
The group moved swiftly through the city streets, guided by Ursara's steady leadership and Morrigan's silent vigilance. Morrigan sometimes stopped the group with a hand sign before disappearing and returning back several seconds later, probably exterminating the demons on the way.
“Ursara.”
Morrigan called out to him, startling Ursara once again.
“Yes?”
Ursara quickly responded.
“You and Blaria… You have something, right?”
Morrigan sounded almost embarrassed.
“Yes. We do.”
Ursara replied hesitantly. The last time people learned about his relationships his uncle had beaten him.
“I heard what happened with Grizzon. That won’t happen in Whifur. If someone does something tell me. This may be not the time but I never had to chance to tell you that.”
“Thank you, Morrigan," Ursara said earnestly, meeting her gaze with gratitude and appreciation. "Your words mean a lot to me. I'll be sure to let you know if anything happens. And... I'm grateful to have you watching our backs."
Morrigan nodded, her expression unreadable as she turned her attention back to their surroundings. Safe zone was very close and messing up here could mean that all effort they put into saving these people could go to waste.
Ursara turned around as he heard murmurs and noticed that some were behind the group.
“What is happening? Are you wounded?”
Ursara ran toward the those behind to check their condition. They were young. When they saw Ursara they pointed towards the bones and ash covering the ground. It was a sign that someone killed a lot of demons here. Ursara didn’t know who but only a handful of people had that kind of power, Morrigan being one of them. Sighing Ursara crushed one of the thinner bones under his feet.
“They are dead. They can’t hurt you. But if you stay still like this alive ones will come and kill you.”
Ursara knew that they were scared. He was also scared. But if they wanted to survive this night, they couldn’t just be paralyzed by fear. He pulled them, quickly joining back to the group.
“Ursara.”
Morrigan called for him the moment he rejoined the group and he ran towards her. But before he could reach her, the space between them distorted, and a man covered in armor from head to toe swung his sword to Morrigan’s neck. Ursara wanted to warn Morrigan but both her and the blade coming down on her head were faster than him. Morrigan and he exchanged several blows, Ursara not being able to follow their movements.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Take them and run towards the safe zone! I’ll handle this!”
Morrigan's voice cut through the chaos, snapping Ursara out of his stunned state. Without hesitation, he turned to the group of civilians huddled behind him, his voice firm and authoritative as he issued orders.
"Quickly, follow me! Head towards the safe zone and stick together!" Ursara urged the civilians, his tone conveying a sense of urgency and determination. He knew that their survival depended on swift action and decisive leadership.
Guiding the civilians with steady resolve, Ursara led them away from the fray, his senses on high alert as he kept a vigilant watch for any sign of danger. Behind him, the sounds of clashing steel and roars of battle echoed through the streets, shockwaves hurting his ears but Ursara knew that Morrigan was more than capable of holding her own.
As they raced towards safety, Ursara couldn't shake the feeling of unease gnawing at him. He prayed silently for Morrigan's safety, hoping that she would emerge victorious from the fierce confrontation.
Morrigan circled the armored man, her eyes looking for a weak point. However, despite her sharp senses and instincts, she saw no weakness. The armor he wore looked bizarre. Normally the joints would be weaker to allow movement but how this armor conjoined was weird. It was almost like Poyraz’s armor which could be put on and off magically.
“Who are you? What is your connection with Regal? Why attack Whifur?”
Even though she barked questions, Morrigan didn’t give him a chance to answer. Her form blurred as she charged forward, her daggers growing sharper as shadows were drawn into them. The armored man countered with swift and powerful strikes of his own, his sword whistling through the air as he sought to overpower Morrigan with brute force. But Morrigan's agility and skill allowed her to evade his attacks with ease, her movements fluid and graceful as she danced around him.
Lily knew who this man was. But when asked about it, he only answered with “Don’t tell Poyraz and I will handle him.” She knew that she should have pressed it further but Lily and his devil’s tongue somehow managed to convince her that Poyraz had enough things in his mind. And now it came to bite her in the ass.
Promising herself that she would kick Lily’s ass when things end, Morrigan leaped forward, clashing against his sword. Despite the heavy impact, Morrigan felt every time she clashed against him implying that the sword weighed a ton, the man kept up with him.
Morrigan gritted her teeth. It wasn’t even skill. His stance was messy. He was blocking his strikes with pure reflex and agility. Frustration gnawed at Morrigan's resolve. She had clashed against monsters, beastkin, and humans with various skill levels but the man standing in front of him felt like he was out of this world.
Growling, Morrigan clashed with him again before using the resistance she felt against his blade to jump back while releasing mana to cover his vision. From that position, she sent shadowy projectiles towards him.
“What?”
The space between her and him distorted as the projectiles hit something invisible before dissolving.
“Spatial manipulation.”
Morrigan thought to herself. So he could do other things than teleporting and he could do it without any chants or gestures. Spatial manipulation was not easy to use, depending on how it was done it required too much mana, formations too difficult to use, or a long cooldown. And this bastard was using it casually.
Morrigan clicked her tongue as her body changed. Using Primal Evocation exhausted her stamina rather quickly but she felt that she needed an edge to overcome him. The sensation was painful at first as her fangs and claws grew while fur poked under her skin but as she used it more and more she learned to embrace it. Her body which carried the body of her Ancestors wasn’t the problem, it was her mind that rejected the change.
She lowered her stance and charged like a predator, her form becoming a blur. She was in front of the man in an instant, her daggers closing on him like a panther’s maw biting down on a prey. The space between them shook but Morrigan already predicted that. She sidestepped with a control most couldn’t maintain when they were as fast as her, clearing the way for her attack. The man dodged and weaved through her attacks while answering back with his sword and letting out a small chuckle.
Morrigan narrowed her eyes as this was the first time the man made a noise. She felt anger flare up inside her. Did he dare to laugh at her? Feinting and dodging with precision timing to gain distance, Morrigan used that distance to stab the ground with her daggers. Shadow blades exited out of the ground yet the man teleported. Morrigan immediately turned around and met with his blade, her daggers creating sparks large enough to light up the night slightly.
He really just teleported behind her with no tricks? Morrigan felt that the man in front of him had no imagination. He was strong and talented but that was all he had. For some reason, she thought that the man in front of him was incredibly similar but also opposite to Poyraz.
Their clash continued. With each clash of their blades, she pushed herself to the limit, drawing upon every ounce of strength and skill within her. Sweat trickled down her body yet her enemy didn’t give an inch. Morrigan had to think outside the box if she wanted to win.
She clashed with him once again but this time when their weapons clashed she extended her shadow to his weapon, binding her right dagger together with his sword. She flipped her body and threw the dagger. Man lost his grip as the sword spun and went flying with Morrigan’s right dagger. Morrigan’s spin also helped her to gain momentum as her dagger closed on the man’s eyes.
“Finally.”
Her dagger pierced through the armor yet wounded the man’s words and her instincts told Morrigan that she was in danger. She tried to jump back but something jumped on her, trying to enter her body through her mouth and nose. The man grabbed her hand, separating her from her remaining dagger. Morrigan fell to the ground as she tried to wrestle the thing on top of her. Meanwhile, the man’s wound closed as he tossed the dagger to the ground away from Morrigan.
“Protection against outside forces… What an annoying ability. I wasted a lot of time because of it. But the deal is complete, Asmoneal. Give me what you promised.”
The man spoke to himself as the slime entered Morrigan’s body, injecting massive amounts of demonic energy into her body.
“No. Destroying the daggers wasn’t part of our deal. I can’t be bothered. Remember, I am a partner, not an employee.”
He glanced back to changed Morrigan before disappearing. Morrigan let out a roar. Morrigan's roar echoed through the night, a primal sound of fury and frustration as she struggled against the demonic energy coursing through her veins. The sensation was overwhelming, threatening to consume her from within as she fought to maintain control over her own body.
Ursara, leading the group of civilians toward safety, paused as he heard Morrigan's roar, his heart pounding with concern and apprehension. Something was wrong. He could sense it in the air, a palpable tension that hung heavy over the city streets. Yet he had a job to do and the only thing he could do was do his part and pray that others would be safe.