A few days later, we were deep in the woods just outside Vermilion Post. The air was thick with the sound of claws slicing through the wind, and the occasional grunt or laugh as we sparred. Claw-girl, or as we’d come to learn, Tania—was a force to be reckoned with. She had that tough, rough exterior to her, but I came to learn that she actually enjoyed our company, even if she didn’t want to admit it.
Claws met claws in a blur of movement, and every time, her strikes were stronger, faster. Her claws were bigger than mine, and sharper. I dodged and ducked, trying to keep up, but she was fast. She feinted a move, and I fell for it—hard.
Before I could react, her claws slashed across my face, a sharp sting of pain following the impact. I hit the ground with a grunt, blood trickling down my cheek. Tania’s laughter filled the air—wild and reckless, ready to strike again. She fought like a maniac, grinning like she was born for this, her own face covered in blood.
Lance, who had been sitting and watching us with that ever-present frown, suddenly jumped to his feet. “Stop!” he shouted, rushing over to me. I was already healing, the warmth of my magic soothing the cuts on my face, but Lance’s concern was clear.
“It wasn’t so bad,” Tania said with a shrug, walking away, chin up, clearly not worried at all.
“That’s because you only got like a tenth of the damage you caused!” Lance replied, clearly irritated at her nonchalant attitude.
He knelt beside me, but I grabbed his hand. “Let me help,” he said firmly, his hand starting to glow with the soft, familiar light of healing. Just as he started, I felt it—a whisper in my mind.
[Archangel’s Touch II]
Finally.
“About time,” I muttered with a grin, pushing the healing harder. The cuts closed faster, and the dull ache in my face began to fade as the magic took over. I sat up, still working through the last of the wounds, and glanced over at Tania.
“How do you improve Demon Claws?” I asked, curious about what she knew.
She shrugged, her demeanor casual. “You just use them,” she said while admiring her long black blades that didn’t resemble fingers at all.
I nodded, having already guessed that. “How advanced is your blessing, anyway?”
She smirked, clearly proud. “Fourth stage.”
I whistled in appreciation, impressed. “Not bad. So what are we waiting for?” I said, standing up and flexing my fingers, letting the sharp claws clank against each other. “Or do you need some rest and healing first?”
Tania grinned, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “You’re on.”
Lance, ever the cautious one, sighed in exasperation. “You two are going to get yourselves killed.” But he stepped back, getting out of the way as we squared off again.
⟡⟡⟡
We sat around the fire, the glow illuminating our tired faces after all the training. Even Lance had taken a turn with Tania, though it was clear he wasn’t as comfortable with her rougher style of fighting. He kept adjusting his clothes, looking annoyed every time something got ripped. I, on the other hand, was completely spent. Using my blessings repeatedly, especially against someone as fast and sharp as Tania, had left me utterly drained. I tore off a piece of bread, chewing slowly while my muscles ached.
The fire crackled, and for a moment, everything felt peaceful. Then I heard it—a sharp snap of a twig coming from somewhere in the trees. My body tensed immediately, and I noticed that both Lance and Tania had heard it too. We all looked in the direction of the sound.
A monster?
Slowly, we all got to our feet, not taking our eyes off the treeline. Whatever it was, we were ready. But before I could say anything, an arrow came whizzing through the air, narrowly missing Lance as he jumped back. It landed with a solid thunk right where he’d been standing just a second ago. Cold sweat prickled down my spine. Monsters were one thing, but people? That was a whole other problem.
Another arrow followed, but this time Tania was prepared. With a flick of her wrist, her claws snapped the arrow mid-flight, her irritation clearly growing. “This isn’t good,” I muttered.
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We didn’t waste time talking. The three of us exchanged quick nods before charging in the direction the arrows came from. Lance, with his longer legs, surged ahead, deflecting another arrow with his sword. Tania and I split, one to either side of him, trying to flank whoever was shooting at us.
Lance reached the source first. He lunged, but instead of a person, he stopped short, realizing he’d just slashed at a tree stump covered in a robe. Too late. Tania and I had jumped straight to our target. As soon as I landed, the ground beneath me gave way, and I felt the net close around me and Tania, lifting us both off the ground.
“Lance!” I shouted, struggling to free myself as the ropes tangled around us. Tania growled in frustration, our claws slashing at the ropes. But as sharp as they were, it still took a few moments before we managed to cut ourselves free. We tumbled to the ground in a heap, limbs tangled with the ropes. Lance was already engaging someone in a fierce battle nearby.
Before we could even catch our breath, another arrow came flying toward us. I ducked just in time, the arrow embedding itself in the tree inches from my face. My heart pounded, but there was no time to think—Tania and I charged in the direction the arrow came from.
Lance was still fighting another attacker, steel clashing in the distance, but my attention was locked on the archer. I spotted a figure darting between the trees, another arrow already nocked and ready to fire. Tania and I moved carefully this time. We weren’t falling for another trap.
Tania stopped me suddenly, her hand gripping my arm, and pointed to a nearby tree. I looked at her, confused. She seemed irritated but gave me a quick nod before starting to climb the tree. Her claws made it look easy, each movement swift and precise as she disappeared into the foliage above. I hesitated, conflicted about leaving Lance to fend for himself, but I trusted Lance, and I also wanted to trust Tania. I gave Lance a quick glance, knowing he could handle himself, and followed her up into the tree.
As we settled into the branches, Tania made a shushing motion, then pointed ahead. There, a few trees away, was the archer. He was moving carefully, clearly unsure of where we’d gone, getting closer each moment. I could see the readiness in Tania’s posture, and the wicked grin spreading across her face. She was going to enjoy this.
The archer crept closer, unaware of what was about to happen. Tania tensed, then, without warning, dropped from the tree like a shadow of death. She hit the man with such force he barely had time to let out a shout before her claws were tearing into him, slashing and cutting in a savage blur. Blood sprayed as her claws ripped through flesh and cloth alike, and in seconds, he was a bloody mess on the ground, barely recognizable.
I dropped down after her, landing next to the carnage, feeling a bit useless. She looked up at me, grinning, her chest heaving from the rush of the kill. I didn’t have time to say anything before my mind snapped back to Lance. I sprinted toward where he was, adrenaline still coursing through me.
When I reached him, Lance was wiping his sword clean, his opponent already lying motionless at his feet. He looked up at me and gave a tired smile. “Took you long enough.”
I nodded, catching my breath. “Tania went a bit overboard,” I muttered with a smirk.
The three of us regrouped, standing among the fallen. I glanced around, my nerves still on edge. “Think there are more out there?”
Tania shook her head, her claws still dripping with blood. “I don’t think so,” she said flatly.
Lance wasn’t so sure, his eyes scanning the shadows in the trees. “Let’s not take any chances,” he muttered.
We searched the forest for a bit, our eyes scanning the trees, listening for any sign of movement. But it was quiet now, save for the distant calls of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind. Whatever threat there was, we’d dealt with it—at least for now.
“We should check the bodies,” Lance said, his voice low.
We made our way back to where the archer had fallen. Tania grinned at the sight, but Lance’s expression darkened as he approached the mess of flesh and blood that used to be a man. He crouched down, glancing at the mangled remains, but after a moment, he sighed in frustration. “I can’t search him like this.”
“Guess that’s my fault,” Tania said with a shrug, looking far too pleased with herself.
Lance stood up and gestured toward the other body—the one he had fought. “Let’s check him instead.”
The second body was in far better shape, only a few well placed cuts marking where Lance’s sword had struck. Lance knelt down, more comfortable now, and began to search the corpse. His hands worked quickly as he rifled through the man’s pockets. After a few moments, he pulled out a folded piece of parchment and a small handful of silver coins.
He pocketed the coins and then unfolded the parchment. As he read it, his face went pale. I watched as the color drained from his cheeks, and without thinking, I stepped closer.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to get a look at the paper. but Lance didn’t answer me.
I frowned, leaning over his shoulder to see. At first, it seemed like a simple list, but as I scanned the parchment, it became clear it wasn’t a list. They were descriptions. Detailed descriptions of us.
“But it’s way too soon!” I argued, my voice coming out quieter than I intended. My stomach twisted as I stared at the words on the page. Height, hair color—it was all there.
Tania, who had been standing off to the side, moved closer, peering over our shoulders. “Shit,” she muttered under her breath. “Looks like they found you.”
Lance folded the parchment again, his expression grim. “This isn’t good,” he muttered. “This isn’t good at all.”
I nodded, my mind racing.
Tania didn’t seem as rattled as we were. “Well, whoever noble sent them, they’ll have to try a hell of a lot harder next time,” she said, flexing her claws. “This was nothing.”
Lance shot her a look, clearly not sharing her confidence. “We can’t take this lightly. They know where we are.”
I could feel the tension in the air. This was more than just a fight for survival now—it was a game of cat and mouse, and we were clearly losing.
“We can’t go back to the post,” I said, trying to think clearly. “We’ve to figure out our next move.”
Tania simply stretched, completely unfazed. “Lead the way, ‘Your Highness’,” she teased, but even her usual smugness couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling in my chest.