When Shadows Clash with Kinje

The Shadow Warlock's figure shimmered in and out of sight, like a phantom stitched into the night. His pale hands moved in slow, deliberate circles, each motion sending fresh waves of darkness curling across the courtyard.

Talon felt her kinje tingle under her skin, urging her forward like a silent scream. But her mind flashed with warnings. This was no ordinary enemy.

Beside her, Tony lunged forward, knives gleaming in both hands. His face twisted with a mix of rage and exhilaration, the kind only a young fighter on the edge could feel. He ducked past a lunging shadow beast, slicing deep into its side. Black ichor splattered across the stones, hissing as it touched the ground.

"Cover left!" Garrett shouted, charging after a monstrous shape that had slipped over the outer wall. His sword met claws and fangs, sparks flying with every clash.

Janzo stumbled into view, arms full of hastily mixed vials and bandages. "If anyone gets bitten or scratched, get to me! Their poison works fast!" His voice cracked, but he kept moving, dragging a wounded guard away from the front.

Near the gate, Nyrielle and her scouts formed a hard arc, their blades flashing in a brutal rhythm. Her armor glimmered red under the torchlight, her eyes locked on the Warlock's robed figure.

"He's calling them!" she shouted, slicing through another twisted creature. "We must break his concentration or we'll be overrun!"

Talon's heart slammed in her chest. The Shadow Warlock's gaze found hers again, and a horrible, crooked smile spread across his pale lips.

"Come to me, Blackblood," his voice drifted across the yard, low and echoing, as if pulled from some deep cavern.

Talon's grip tightened. Without thinking, she charged forward, slashing at the shadows parting before her like oily smoke. Tony sprinted at her side, wild determination burning in his eyes.

"Stay close!" Talon shouted at him.

"I wasn't planning on having tea and cake back here anyway!" Tony yelled back, throwing one of his knives into the head of a charging beast.

A sudden violent blast of darkness burst from the Warlock's hands, knocking Talon off her feet. She rolled across the ground, her ears ringing, her sword skittering away into the dust.

Tony slid to a stop beside her and grabbed her shoulder. "Up! Get up, Talon!"

She sucked in a breath, her kinje humming like a thousand wasps under her skin. She reached out, and blue energy sparked around her fingers. Her sword snapped back to her grip as if it had a mind of its own.

Across the yard, Garrett finished off the last of the beasts nearby and turned, blood streaking his face. "Talon!" he roared.

Nyrielle charged forward, her scouts following close behind. They slammed into the edge of the Warlock's magic circle, blades meeting shadow in a furious clash.

Talon rose, eyes blazing. She sprinted again, her kinje flaring along her arm. In one fluid motion, she swung. A burst of blue light exploded across the courtyard, bright and violent.

The Warlock reeled, his dark cloak flickering like a dying flame. His hands faltered, and for an instant, the monstrous wave around them paused, shivering in place.

Tony lunged, driving his last knife into the Warlock's side. Instead of blood, a thick swirl of black mist gushed out, curling around Tony's wrist.

The Warlock screamed, a sound not quite human. It rattled the walls and echoed like a thousand voices crying at once.

Talon pressed in, her kinje burning against the Warlock's form with every strike. Step by step, she forced him backward.

Garrett joined her side, his sword slamming down with the weight of pure rage. Together, they battered the Warlock toward the courtyard edge.

At the final moment, the Warlock let out one last scream and shoved a wave of dark magic outward. The force knocked Talon and Garrett to the ground.

The Warlock stumbled past the gate, his form flickering and warping before he vanished into the night.

For a moment, silence swallowed the Outpost.

The remaining beasts howled one last time, then retreated into the dark, leaving behind only the smell of burnt oil and blood.

Talon pushed herself up, her chest heaving. She looked at Tony, who was kneeling by a barrel, gasping for breath. Garrett leaned against a wall, blood dripping from his fingers, his face pale but defiant.

Janzo crept forward, wide-eyed. "Is he… gone?"

Talon wiped blood from her jaw, her voice rough but steady. "For now," she answered. "But he will come again."

Nyrielle lowered her sword, sweat and blood dripping down her cheek. She met Talon's eyes and nodded, a silent promise shared between warriors.

Around them, the wounded groaned. Broken torches sputtered and crackled, and the walls of the Outpost seemed to sigh in relief.

Talon looked at each of them, her voice rising just enough to reach the courtyard's corners. "Tonight, we fought together. Tomorrow, we get ready for the real war."

Above them, the thin moon cut across the sky, cold and sharp as a blade.

Far beyond the walls, in the silent hills, the Warlock gathered himself again. A hiss of dark laughter slipped across the fields, promising that this battle was far from over.