Chapter-22 The Names Of Monsters

The training grounds were a cavernous space carved from the earth beneath the Night Court's stronghold, its stone walls damp and echoing with the sounds of steel clashing and spells crackling. Torches set in sconces along the walls burned with blue faerie fire, giving the space a dreamlike, dangerous atmosphere.

The petite girl that look like a cat approach Frederique.

" Hello, I am Lira. Follow me and I will show you around. "

Frederique followed Lira deeper into the chamber. Her steps were slow, calculating, her sharp teeth bared slightly in the constant state of hunger she now accepted as part of herself.

She'd been introduced as the newest member of the Shadow Corp, and already, the tension lingered like a thick fog. The other members watched her with wary interest... too cautious to be welcoming but too curious to ignore her.

Lira, the cat-like Pooka, padded alongside her with a permanent smirk. Though smaller than Frederique, she moved with a fluid grace, her feline features sharp, mischievous, and impossible to read.

"You look tense, Red. Don't worry. I'll help you make sense of all this."

Frederique crimson eyes flicked to her, wary.

"You're the only one talking to me like... I'm not about to bite someone."

"Please." Lira's tail swayed playfully behind her. "You? Bite someone? Never." She paused, then grinned. "Unless they deserve it, of course."

They stopped at the edge of the training pit. Several figures were already sparring. Lira gestured toward them with a flick of her hand.

"Alright, let me break it down for you. That moody Sidhe over there with the frost clinging to her fingers? That's Eirlys. She's as arrogant as she looks but useful when you need a walking ice storm. She prefers duels where she can show off, but she's reliable... mostly."

Eirlys was tall, impossibly beautiful like all Sidhe, with pale hair flowing past her shoulders and eyes the color of frozen lakes. She was sparring with the swamp troll, trading magical strikes against summoned spikes of ice.

Frederique narrowed her eyes. "What's her deal with me? She looked ready to skewer me earlier."

"Eh, the Sidhe have a superiority complex. Especially when you're something rare like a Redcap. She's either intimidated or trying to prove herself better than you. Ignore her. Or don't. I bet you could bite her arm off before she could blink."

Lira shifted to the next. "Now that," she gestured toward the massive troll, "is Vorn. He's not like Groff. Smarter. Cunning, even. His thing? Swamp magic. If you're fighting him in his element, you're done. He likes to play the long game... bind his enemies, exhaust them, then finish them with a single blow. Don't mistake his quietness for weakness."

The troll known as Vorn was twice Frederique's size, with moss-green skin and a heavy brow. Despite his bulk, he moved with an eerie patience, shifting fluidly in and out of the shallow pool forming at his feet.

"And that," Lira said, nodding toward the figure glowing near the shadows, "is Kael."

Kael's skin was cracked obsidian, glowing faintly with veins of molten orange, as if he were barely holding back the heat within. His face, once soft like most Boggans, had hardened... sharp, angular, and cold. When he moved, the sound of stone scraping echoed faintly.

"He used to be a Boggan," Lira whispered. "Then a lava spirit changed him. He's not chatty, but if something needs to be destroyed or erased, Kael gets it done."

Kael's ember eyes flicked toward them for a heartbeat before he returned to sharpening a blackened blade.

"Trust me," Lira added, "you don't want to see him lose his temper."

Lira continued, voice dropping as she motioned toward a pale figure lurking in the shadows.

"And that delightful ray of sunshine is Nyx. Sluagh. All gloom, all the time. Poison, curses, the works. They don't talk much, but you will feel their presence."

Nyx, the snake-like Sluagh, wore dark robes that seemed stitched from the shadows themselves. Their face was long and gaunt, with eyes that reflected no light. Frederique felt a chill watching them, as if the shadows themselves had taken form.

"And then there's..." Lira's voice dropped lower. She nodded toward a figure near the wall.

A woman with vulpine features leaned against the stone, watching with a smile both alluring and dangerous. Her auburn hair curled in waves, and her sharp eyes glinted with predatory amusement.

"That's Selora. Fox Pooka. She's... complicated. Thinks seduction solves every problem. She keeps to herself, but when she's working, it's like watching a predator play with its food."

Frederique scowled. "Great. Sounds like a whole den of backstabbers."

"Well, yeah. This is the Night Court." Lira winked.

"But you're lucky. I'm the friendly one. Now, watch closely. You're gonna need to know how they fight if you want to survive here."

Frederique crossed her arms, eyes narrowing as Eirlys launched a shard of ice toward Vorn. The troll twisted his bulk just enough for the shard to glance off his arm, but instead of retaliating directly, the pool at his feet darkened... thick vines and murky water coiling up Eirlys legs.

"Vorn doesn't rush," Lira explained. "He's patient. It's all about the setup with him. Drags the fight out, lets you wear yourself down, and then strikes."

As Eirlys shattered the vines with a burst of ice, Selora moved from the wall, approaching the pit. The way she walked... fluid, graceful... made Frideria uneasy.

"Now watch her."

Selora lifted a single finger and whispered something inaudible. The air around Eirlys seemed to shimmer, and for just a moment, her stance faltered. She blinked, then her lips parted slightly as if mesmerized.

"She's not using a spell," Lira whispered.

"That's her Art. Pooka magic. Subtle, right? It gets in your head. Makes you hesitate, second-guess yourself. She doesn't need claws when she can twist your mind into knots."

Frederique's jaw tightened. "And what about Nyx?"

Almost on cue, the Sluagh raised a pale hand. Shadows coiled around their wrist, then slithered forward like tendrils. They didn't aim for Eirlys... just flickered along the ground near her feet.

No obvious attack.

Just... lingering.

"That's the thing," Lira said. "You don't see Nyx's attacks until it's too late. Poison, curses, hexes... whatever it is, you're already marked when you notice."

Frederique watched, her hunger stirring as the fight played out. She felt her teeth ache, the primal urge to bite, to tear. Yet she held back, observing. Calculating.

Lira nudged her gently. "So... what about your Art? You've got the teeth. I can see you're itching to use them."

Frederique hesitated. "I... don't have one. Not yet. Just this hunger."

Lira blinked. "Really? Nothing? No tricks? No weird abilities besides being able to out-eat a hydra?"

Frederique shook her head, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise.

Lira grinned. "Don't worry, Red. We'll fix that. The Corp has a... special Art we teach. You'll learn it. But for now... "

The training match ended with Eirlys ice finally overwhelming the swamp, her frost sealing Vorn's legs in place. Selora clapped, her smile sharpening. Nyx simply retreated into the shadows.

"Now," Lira whispered with a grin, "why don't you go show them you're not just some Redcap with sharp teeth? Or... better yet, show them exactly that."

Frederique's grin was sharp and savage.

And she stepped forward.