While Vas fought off the relentless attacks, Lily drew out several needles hidden beneath her dress, her tight revealing a glimpse of her thigh as she moved. With practiced ease, she flung the needles at their unseen assailants, each one finding its mark. Zola, on the other hand, had unsheathed her twin fans, their sharp edges gleaming. The two women exchanged a glance, their expressions hardening in unison. They moved together, diving into the fray with lethal precision.
As they fought, Vas finally caught a glimpse of their enemies. Humanoid creatures, twisted and grotesque, resembling decomposing monkeys with patchy fur and decayed flesh. Their bloodshot eyes gleamed with hunger, their movements erratic but powerful.
"They're Forgotten," Morrigan noted. "Blended with humans, by the look of it."
Vas grimaced. "This isn't the first time I've seen them, but it's been a while."
"You'll want to handle this quickly," Morrigan advised. "And when it's over, I suggest recruiting those two. They're wasting their potential."
"I'll think about it," Vas muttered, his focus shifting to the offensive as he slashed through the horde.
His twin blades sang through the air as he cut down the Forgotten, his wire entangling their limbs and pulling them into the path of his deadly strikes. Lily's needles flew with blinding speed, taking down enemies before they could get too close, while Zola's fans whirled in deadly arcs, slicing through flesh with precision.
Together, they fought, but the battle was far from over. The Forgotten wouldn't relent easily, and neither would they.
He twisted his body in a tight arc, the green wire trailing after him as he wrapped it around the neck of a particularly large Forgotten. With a sharp pull, he yanked it off balance and sent his blades crashing down in a blur of steel, cleaving through its decaying flesh.
The warehouse shook under the weight of their battle, the creatures advancing from all directions. Their bodies were grotesque, their limbs elongated and twisted, hair matted and falling out in clumps. They growled and screeched, but their rotting bodies made them slower, weaker with each passing second. Yet they were relentless. For every one they cut down, two more seemed to emerge from the shadows.
The ground beneath Vas cracked as he launched into the offensive, the Blades of Tenebra spinning in his hands like extensions of his will. He moved like a shadow, blending into the chaos. His blades flashed in the dim light, cutting through the enemy ranks with ruthless efficiency. Every move was precise, every strike calculated to either kill or incapacitate. He ducked under a swipe from one Forgotten, severing its arm with a clean slice before flipping backward and lashing out with his green wire, which coiled around two more creatures, pulling them into his waiting blades.
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Lily and Zola fought alongside him, their movements synchronized in a deadly dance. Lily launched her needles with pinpoint accuracy, striking down enemies before they could even get close. Zola's fans twirled through the air, the edges catching the light as she expertly blocked attacks and countered with swift, lethal strikes.
But Morrigan wasn't done. "You'll need companions, Vastian. These two have promise. I can bring out more of their abilities."
As Vas decapitated another Forgotten, he had to admit, Morrigan had a point. The enemies were overwhelming, and while they were holding their own, the sheer number of them meant this fight would drag on. He watched as Lily expertly dodged an attack and drove a needle into the eye of a Forgotten, while Zola spun with her fans, cutting down another in one fluid motion.
With renewed determination, Vas pushed forward, his blades a blur as he sliced through the remaining creatures. He ducked, dodged, and countered each attack with the ease of someone who had fought his way through much worse. The Forgotten may have been numerous, but they lacked the finesse and strategy to truly overwhelm him.
Vas spotted the guy who had triggered all of this, standing frozen in fear as the battle raged on around him. Vas' eyes narrowed, his fury bubbling beneath the surface. He was going to have a very serious conversation with that guy when this was over.
But first, they had to survive.
With a surge of energy, Vas leaped into the air, his blades spinning in a wide arc as he brought them down, slashing through a group of Forgotten that had gathered near Zola and Lily. The wire coiled around another, pulling it down with a sharp, sickening crunch.
The last of the Forgotten fell, its body crumpling to the ground in a heap of decayed flesh. The warehouse was eerily silent for a moment, the only sound being their heavy breathing. The battle was over.
Vas glanced at Zola and Lily, both of them bloodied but alive. Zola gave him a tired smile, her fans still gripped tightly in her hands.
"Okay," she said, panting. "You owe me that explanation now."
"Not yet," Vas said, his eyes narrowing as he turned to face the man who had been harassing Lily moments ago. The fear on the man's face was unmistakable now, his arrogance long gone.
"Where is what your friend gave you?" Vas demanded, his voice icy.
The man's hands shook as he fumbled in his pocket. "R-right here," he stammered, pulling out the shattered remnants of the stone that had caused the transformation. His hand trembled as he held it up for Vas to see.
"That's a lot of Forgotten anima," Vas muttered, his expression darkening as he examined the fragments.
"What?" Zola asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"I'll explain later," Vas replied curtly, his focus returning to the man. "Give me that. Now."
The man opened his mouth to respond, his face pale with fear, but before he could move, the shards suddenly came to life. They writhed in his hand, glowing with a sickly light, before they embedded themselves deep into his flesh. His eyes widened in horror as his body convulsed, and a guttural scream tore from his throat.
"What the—" Zola began, but Vas cut her off with a grim look.