The Cursed Reapers

Prudence stood on the peak of one of the mountains, with her bow made from blood in her hand, and an arrow knocked and ready.

Still climbing the mountain were her forces.

She had been the first to reach the top and find her enemy waiting there for her.

The place felt strange, as a mysterious purple wind blew around the snow.

The werewolf that stood before her seemed to be incredibly strong.

Probably one of the captains.

She had already transformed into her true form, so her naked body was covered in blonde fur and muscular.

The woman kept her distance, and she seemed to be alone.

It created an awfully serious battle location.

Unfortunately, she's severely outnumbered, so her strength doesn't matter.

Why did I get such an easy battle?

Prudence let her blood arrow loose and sent it flying towards the werewolf; she ducked and let it pass over her head.

Alright, alright. Just checking if it would work.

As she manifested another arrow, she heard a cry come from behind her, where the other Nocturnals and Eversleepers should have been following.

Huh?

She turned to peek down the edge of the hill and noticed something incredibly strange.

The purple wind that seemed to be hovering around then was pushing those who tried to join her on the peak, and one of the Eversleepers had just fallen down the mountain face.

What the hell is that?

"The Unworthy Heights." The Werewolf said from the other side of the mountain, her voice softer than Prudence had expected.

"What are you talking about? What is this?"

"Once two souls are locked into battle atop this mountain, no others are allowed to join us. It was used to settle disputes between the werewolf clans. A convenient location for us to do battle."

Prudence glanced down the mountain again, noticing how the wind continued to push against those who tried to climb.

"Seems like you aren't lying." She said, knocking her arrow and aiming at the werewolf again.

But before she could let it loose, the werewolf spoke again.

"Are you not going to ask for my name before we battle to the death?"

...

Silence hung in the air for a few moments before Prudence finally replied in a casual tone.

"No."

She let the arrow fly, but before it had reached its target, she had already conjured another one and sent it flying, too.

The werewolf dodged gracefully, dancing around arrows whilst maintaining her distance.

Prudence conjured three arrows at a time, knocking them back using her fingers, and sending a spread shot towards her opponent.

This time, knowing that the attack would cover too much distance, the werewolf jumped into the air.

Got her!

Prudence conjured the largest arrow that would work in her blessed blow.

It was brimming with blood energy and put a drastic drain on her body.

But she did not care. This attack would be the killing blow.

Whoosh

She let the giant arrow loose towards the werewolf in the air.

It travelled at incredible speeds despite its size.

But the werewolf pulled off something that she had not expected.

Howl!

The werewolf let out a howl that was so loud that the air distorted around her, creating some sort of forcefield.

When the arrow reached the field, it evaporated.

Her strike had been rendered useless.

However, Prudence was not the 3rd rank for no reason. She adjusted to the situation in merely seconds.

After the werewolf fell back to the ground, Prudence sent arrow after arrow towards her.

But her opponent simply danced along the snow, dodging each strike with grace.

No... She's so elusive. The worst type of combatant for me to go up against.

Then, from out of nowhere, the werewolf closed the distance.

She dashed towards Prudence with speed, catching her off guard.

Slash.

She struck with her claws in an upward strike, and Prudence wasn't able to dodge in time.

The blood bow was large and slowed down her movements in close-quarters combat.

The strike tore through her clothing and left a shallow cut up her torso.

She winced from the pain but had no chance to be distracted.

The werewolf struck again.

Prudence allowed her bow to evaporate, making it easier for her to dodge strikes, but it was still hardly enough.

She created shields made from blood to defend against the strikes, but they kept being destroyed by the Werewolf's claws.

Not only that, but Prudence was running out of blood. She felt her body becoming weaker and weaker with every shield created.

Not like this. Not like this!

Prudence jumped high into the air, meters above the peak of the mountain, and tapped deeper into her blood source.

Not to a werewolf.

...

Her opponent looked up at her and jumped into the sky to chase.

I will not die to a werewolf!

Prudence activated her blood blessing, conjuring something demonic.

Many would call this her blessing, but she had always found it to be a curse.

Not just because of its nature, but because of the effect it had on her mind and body after use.

Whilst in the air, a dark red aura began to radiate around Prudence's body.

It was so powerful, that the purple winds seemed to be stained by their colour.

The werewolf recoiled, shocked at the burst of power that Prudence had been able to muster.

Then, from the depths of her power, two mystical beings began to materialise on either side of Prudence.

They were like knights made from blood, wearing armour so excellent that it rivalled those of the myths.

In their hands were two incredible blood swords, both the length of a human.

And most terrifying of all, was that they were giants. 7ft in height.

They belonged to Prudence, but still, the sight of them put fear in her heart.

The Cursed Reapers.

Prudence was left completely drained. She knew that she would not be able to fight any longer.

But it did not matter.

Fight, my reapers. Finish what I couldn't.

The bloody knights looked at her, nodding their helmets, before dashing through the air towards their prey.