THE CLAW AND THE BLADE

She stood in front of her, her hand twitching, glaring at Zasha, who stood breathing deeply, corpses around her.

Isis was shivering, her mind being flooded with memories, as her gene triggered, she let out a scream before springing at Zasha. Three tails sprouting from her back,

swords drawn, she let out a fury of slashes, faster and faster, her mind crazed, eyes and heart filled with blood lust,

She kept screaming, as the crimson blade was pushed back, the rage with which she struck, had anyone of her blows struck it would have cleaved Zasha easily.

And suddenly Zasha stepped over the body of one her knights, and with a gush of emotions she had kept hidden she too lashed out. The crimson blade, one the mightiest warriors of her time, for the first time in a long time, let go of all her restrains, her presence itself attracted storm clouds, her skin giving off an aura, she charged, attacking with unreal might as well.

Isis, struck with a cut along the length of her leg, avoiding a critical strike got even madder. Her three tails turned black and solid as steel, combined with her swords, the tails struck like whips, at times striking like bullets, even faster than before. Isis herself to the onlookers appeared blurred. Her reflexes pushed to the limit as the attacks fell like rain on the crimson blade, who herself was overcome with grief, forced to draw her dagger, the same with which she had claimed Cyer.

The clash of steel on steel yielded sparks, as the ground shook beneath them. Zasha herself taking several half-guarded blows on her armor. The sheer number she had to deal with forced her to only make sure to avoid critical strikes, any of which could prove fatal.

The guarded blows fell instead on her mail, chipping at it little by little.

Isis was covered in bruises, dodging the major blunt of the slashes. Her body trying its best to cope with the poison that was infused in the blade of Zasha. But they did start to take their toll. The matter was going to be settled soon, one way or the other.

"ENOUGH," Zasha finally cried out, lifting the hand with the dagger.

"My curse is mine to bear, by my mother who wrought havoc, I invoke what I cast away."

Zasha chanted as Isis's eyes widened, her entire being forced her to jump away, Her reflexes saving her. As if an invisible cannon had fired from Zasha's hand, the entire areas where she had stood mere seconds ago exploded.

Isis jumped yet again, barely in time, as another explosion blasted at her feet, Zasha stood there, her hair flying in the air, her eyes filled with rage, explosions at her whim, her hands out drawn down.

The reaction time Isis got kept getting shorter, as the explosions started becoming greater and greater.

The crimson blade, living to her repute, showed exactly why she was ranked one of the strongest in her time.

Isis, forced to back off, turned herself invisible, still keen on killing.

Unable to locate her, Zasha blew away the entirety of the area around her, in a radius the explosion intensified, with her at its center. The ground turning into a huge crater.

In the air behind Zasha, Isis who had drawn her swords and her tail to shield herself got hit, the explosion catching her from all sides, in a matter of milliseconds.

Her invisibility canceled, and she faded into view, most of her assassin armor damaged or broken, still managing to land on her feet. Isis's rage melded in with fear of this foe, who having gotten serious revealed strength beyond her.

Zasha slowly turned, and swung her sword at Isis, who managed again to dodge, this time the entire earth got cut. A slash with an unreal length dug into the mountain, tearing apart the rocky surface, glowing crimson. The scar on the earth spewed what appeared to be lava, as the crimson of the molten stone melt away the ice. Isis jumped away again, as similar swipes followed one after the other.

Such that in a few moments, the entirety of the land was covered in furious scars.

Trying to approach her in a swift attack, Isis found that an invisible field surrounded Zasha, and there was nothing she had that could approach her.

The crimson blade was a spectacle that gods gathered to witness.

Isis caught glimpse of Zasha's sword; it had a strange inscription on it.

The crimson blade was a title that Zasha held, among gods and men alike, but her actual sword, for which she was titled, was a blade of legend itself. It was an ancient weapon, which chose its wielder, a weapon that cast fear among the strongest of demons and gods.

Zasha held the blade back and looked directly at Isis.

"Farewell, assassin," she said as Isis saw crimson lights descending from all sides. There was nowhere to run. The only thing that she wondered was why, why Zasha had not used this power from the start.

...

The crimson lights landed on Isis, or they would have but she found herself covered in an orb, as the slashes struck cracks appeared on the shield.

A hooded figure slowly walked up, Zasha looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

Lear simply gave a courteous bow, looking at the legend in front of him, the shield he had cast was hit with yet another barrage of slashes, followed by yet another. It seemed as though the sword Zasha held kept repeating her last command without her having to give it again.

Realizing the presence in front of her Zasha ceased her attack and descended to the ground again, the last of her slashes managing to shatter the shield. It was as though clear glass breaking, and immediately in the wake of it, Isis vanished, invisible again.

Lear looked in her direction, a stern look, before he could begin.

"Lord Lear, what brings you here?" Zasha inquired.

Lear looked back at her. "You look just like your mother" He answered, the words only seemed to anger Zasha more.

"I have nothing to do with that woman."

"And yet you use the powers you inherited from her."

Zasha looked away. As Lear shook his head, "I will be taking this child back with me." Lear began looking at the invisible Isis again.

Sighing, Zasha sheathed her sword. She looked at the chaos that was around her.

"As long as I never see her again."

There was a gust of wind as a lady clad in a red long dress appeared in front of both of them.

Immediately Zasha withdrew her sword, Lear himself looked up surprised, as Lilith beamed at them.

"To think a kitten would have my Zasha call on me, Oh what a joyful day," Lilith smiled such a brilliant smile that the sun would have shied.

Without a word, Zasha struck at her. Nothing happened.

"Is that the way to treat your mother?" Lilith smiled again. "Zasha dearest I taught you better than this."

"YOU TOUGHT ME NOTHING!" Zasha screamed, as Lear raised a shield again.

Shadows descended from the sky, one after the other. Gods clad in heavenly armor, stood ready, aiming their blades at Lilith at one side, A group clad in a special armor belonging to the wolf stood at another side, they had weapons pointed at the goddess as well.

Lear shook his head once more, as more and more warriors amassed.

"Lilith, it seems that you still attract the wrong sort of crowed," Lear spoke as he vanished.

Lilith smiled, as Isis who Lear tried to take with him stayed where she was, Lilith had her own shield upon her, as soon as Lear went, Lilith waved her hand and Isis vanished as well.

The entirety of the mass that had gathered attacked the Goddess, who smiled at Zasha, appearing beside her in a swift motion, the illusion of her that was attacked evaporated as a rip appeared in space and time, at the point.

She kissed Zasha who was caught off guard. And with a whisper in her ear escaped.

The various gods, who were tracking her, followed suit, so did the wolves.

And soon Zasha was left alone, among ashes, Lilith was being hunted by the gods and the wolves, Isis the assassin managed to escape again, and Lear who had personally come to collect her, "what exactly was going on. Why had her mother risked coming to save the life of a single assassin?" Zasha was in thought, if only Iliea was here.

Lilith managed to shake off her pursuers having them chase illusions the goddess of mischief, laughed. These young gods were a few centuries too early to try and capture her. The wolf guard only pursued her till the ends of their domain.

Isis found herself standing alone in a large space. A projection of Lilith appeared before her,

"Isis my dear, take your time mourn the loss of your sister. You are in Alfana, west of here, you will find a village with your fellow assassins. In your pocket you will find what your sister risked her life to procure."

With these words Lilith vanished once more.

...