Yu Rael's daggers glinted in the dim, eerie light of the secret world. The two Ironfeather Clan and Blackscale Sect warriors trailed her and Vaen, their eyes narrowed to hungry slits.
"You two are full of surprises," the Ironfeather warrior sneered, his blades glowing with Qi. "But this world is ours now.".
Yu Rael clicked her tongue, shifting position. Damn it. Two against two, but these bastards fought like wolves. And she still gasped from the fight with Vaen. Her gaze strayed to him. Cloak disheveled, hair disarrayed, face hollow. His unruffled demeanor made her mad.
"Hey, you ready?" she growled to herself.
Vaen's eyes remained fixed straight ahead, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. "I was waiting for you."
"Tch," Yu Rael spat. "Let's get it over with."
The Ironfeather man leaped first, his blade bursting forth with an outflow of Qi, slashing at Vaen's face. Vaen sidestepped, his blade flashing out in a dark arc
Slash of Nightfall: First Slash
A dark blade of energy erupting from his sword, slashing through the man's guard.
But the Blackscale Sect's Cultivator moved faster. He rushed in, spinning a Qi-charged chain that encircled Vaen's arm, spiky links sinking into flesh. Vaen took a gasp of air, but his face was blank, his eyes frozen blue.
Yu Rael moved in, the daggers slicing through the air in swift, surgical arcs. Her right dagger clashed against the Ironfeather's glove and her left plunged into his belly. Blood exploded, and the man screamed, staggering backward.
"Damn you!" he roared, summoning Qi into his gauntleted fists and striking once more.
Yu Rael dodged low, spinning around the inside of his arm and slicing through tendons behind the knee of the man. He fell screaming.
But the Blackscale adept pulled on the chain, dragging Vaen off it. Vaen gritted his teeth, resisting the pull. The chain bit deeper, bringing blood down his forearm.
"You don't look quite so tough now," the Blackscale man sneered, yanking harder.
Vaen's eyes met Yu Rael's for a moment. She saw the signal.
"Now!"
Yu Rael darted forward, her left dagger flashing as she threw it straight at the Blackscale man's face. He recoiled, and that was all the opportunity Vaen required.
Slash of Nightfall: First Slash.
The shadow sword extended again, slicing through the chain. Vaen was freed, the severed chain thudding onto the ground. Without a second's hesitation, he plunged ahead, sword carving across Blackscale man's chest, carving a deep, searing gash.
The man stumbled back, clutching his chest. His eyes bulged. "You. bastard."
Vaen pushed further forward, sword trembling against the man's throat. "Go now, and I'll let you live."
The Blackscale warrior cast a look at Yu Rael, cleaning blood from her daggers. Smirking, her eyes were cold and unforgiving.
"Scram," she said. "Before I change my mind."
The Ironfeather warrior heaved himself to his feet by sheer will, but his eyes fired with hate laced with something much more intense: fear. They turned and ran, limping and cursing under their breath.
---
The hidden world receded to silence, the battle sounds scattering into the broken stone. Yu Rael exhaled, shoulders sagging as she sheathed her daggers. The tang of blood still hung in the air, mixed with the damp scent of ancient stone.
Vaen didn't look at her. Instead, he scanned the border, his eyes squinting a little. "There's nothing else here."
Yu Rael furrowed her brow. "What?"
"The portal to enter… It sucked all the last remaining Qi in this place. The Corpse Spirit Flower was the last thing of worth here."
Yu Rael clenched her teeth. He was right. The once powerful Qi formations now existed only as whispers, the embers of a fire long extinguished.
"Shit," she cursed, kicking at a rock. "Months' journey for one flower."
Vaen sheathed his sword, expression unreadable. "Is that why you're here? To revive the dead?"
Yu Rael shot him a glare. "None of your business."
For a moment, they stood in silence. Then Vaen's gaze shifted to the far end of the ruins, where a faint, pulsing light caught his eye.
"There," he said, nodding toward it.
Yu Rael followed his gaze. A rounded stone entrance loomed there, the surface reflecting a silver-blue finish. A portal. The way out.
"Well," Yu Rael said, cracking her neck in satisfaction. "Looks like we're done here."
She started to turn away, but Vaen remained still, fixated on the portal.
"What now?" she snarled.
Vaen's gaze remained fixed ahead. "Once we're out, where do we go?"
Yu Rael's eyes grew tight. "We?"
Vaen at last met her gaze, his own dark and unyielding. "You said you'd provide me with a place to live."
Yu Rael smiled. "I said I'd provide you with an identity in the city, not a home."
Vaen did not respond, just stared at her, face blank.
Yu Rael shook her head, shaking back her hair. "Fine. Come along, then. But don't get too settled in. I don't trust you."
"The feeling is mutual," Vaen replied, stepping forward.
Yu Rael's jaw clenched, but she said nothing. Together, they walked toward the portal, the light washing over them as they stepped through, leaving the empty ruins of the Arcane Race behind.