Seeker: Demon Killers [Fantasy/Action | Complete]

Chapter 58: Five Lords

"They have been observing your gift, sister," Cimerus said in a mild voice. Tora jumped. She'd forgotten about Cimerus sitting at the other end of the meeting table, watching from his throne.

"Markl kept a very detailed record of our abilities," said Ross, her voice dry. She swallowed. "It shouldn't be much of a surprise that he'd managed to replicate it."

"Replicate? Oh, no." Cimerus gestured at beyond the veil. "Not even the original Lyres could replicate our gifts. This is but a pale imitation."

As if to affirm Cimerus's words, the Sentinel continued to be forced back by Piricca's strikes. Each contact with Piricca's spiralled fangs emitted an oddly hollow clang and sent a shudder through the Sentinel, who made no move to do anything but defend. Perhaps he couldn't.

The third Sentinel held a broadsword that glowed like it was freshly melded. He swung it with calculated expertise, easily beheading a few elephantine Morphlings caught unawares. Body parts spattered onto the ground. He reacted with a smoothness that made the scene seem like a performance: each step and glide was deliberate, each execution with grace. Each parry of an attack was followed swiftly by a sweep that ensured the assault would be the Shifter's last.

As the Shifters fell, Azyazel darted in to meet this Sentinel. His limbs elongated; his facial features dissolved into whiteness. Fingers melted together to become tips harder than diamond. His forelimbs hurtled forward and pinched the tip of the Sentinel's blade.

In one fluid movement, the Sentinel stepped back and tugged. The weapon dislodged from Azyazel's grip. The Sentinel danced with a litheness unexpected for such a heavy armoured creature, and slammed the blade down, aiming straight for Azyazel's long neck. Azyazel read the movements just in time. His head snapped back – the glowing weapon whooshed past. As the golden light from the blade faded, he smashed his arms onto the edge of the weapon.

Such a move would have cost Azyazel his limbs, and yet the force sent a shudder through the Sentinel instead, forcing him to drop the weapon. Azyazel tilted his head. One of his legs rose behind him, the tip quivering, and streaked at the target. The Sentinel reacted in a heartbeat – but not fast enough. The diamond tip glanced off his chest plate. The grating sound made Tora wince. The impact sent the Sentinel spinning into two others locked in combat with a Morphling, making all four crash to the ground in a heap.

Azyazel gave him no chance to recover. Extra limbs expelled from his back, attacking the Sentinel in a flurry of spears. The Sentinel swerved in and out. One miscalculation would end up with an arm or leg pinned to the ground and then immediate death.

Despite that, he kept up with Azyazel. Azyazel's limbs pierced the unfortunate two extra Sentinels caught up in his fight but managed only a glancing blow to his true target's forehead. The Sentinel's head snapped back. His helmet receded back into the skin. Crimson blood trickled from beneath equally scarlet hair.

"Well, look who it is," said Cimerus, gleeful.

Kerela's scarlet plait snapped like a vine as she moved in for the attack, unfazed. Fast as Azyazel's Spectre form, she wove in and out of Azyazel's assault. They danced between the chaos, him with his storm of long limbs and her with a dagger she drew from her waist. The blade reminded Tora of ice sculptures, pale, almost see-through and crystalline. Kerela clutched it in front of her with loose fingers. A light blue trail followed the blade, releasing white gas in its wake. The trail remained in the air even after Kerela paused, surveying Azyazel with deadly eyes.

Azyazel returned a similarly bloodthirsty look, but wary of the unfamiliar weapon. His limbs hovered around him. The dent in Kerela's chest plate glinted. Each waited for the other's first move.

Time seemed to slow to a halt around them.

Azyazel's limbs disappeared from sight for one fleeting moment.

The blue light trails that floated in front of Kerela splintered. Her eyes flashed. Sparks flew as her dagger appeared in front of her face, blocking an attack from Azyazel. Her expression remained stoic, watchful. Her plait moved in her wake as she evaded another hit, her reaction matching Azyazel's speed. The tinkling of ice shattering accompanied their movements. Kerela's ability to manoeuvre against Azyazel was almost effortless.

And then, Azyazel struck. His forearm buried squarely into Kerela's shoulder. Without changing her expression, she sank her dagger in one smooth motion into his abdomen.

He didn't react at fist. His head twitched. His other limbs rose, readying the next strike that would execute Kerela.

Kerela remained equally still. The wound she made in the middle of his long black body glowed blue. A steady trail of white spread from that spot, fanning over the slender form until he was entirely white – and became ice.

Kerela tilted her head in a mockingly similar fashion to Azyazel. She plucked the dagger out with her uninjured arm. It stopped glowing. She stabbed it into the frozen limb still in her shoulder. It shattered with a tinkle.

She yanked the stick of ice out of her shoulder and roundhouse-kicked Azyazel in the chest. A low-volume crack sounded. White lines snaked from his centre, spreading to his peripheries.

Breathing heavily, Kerela threw the dagger into the ground. It landed blade-first, blue once again, into the nearest puddle. On contact, the same freezing effect blossomed outwards. The melted ice mixed with blood glossed over, spreading at the speed of light. Within seconds, all the Watermonger Shifters in contact with the puddle solidified.

Tora jumped at a crash from behind her.

Cimerus snarled, a guttural sound that clashed horribly with his blonde human form.

"These Sentinesl have gotten good with these Lyre weapons, huh," said Ross in a low voice, turning back to the battle scene with a white face.

Kerela picked up her blade and gave the cracked, frozen Azyazel a disdainful look. She drew back her fist. Before she could make contact, a black shape collided with her. The two crashed into nearby demons in a flurry of limbs and ice.

Her lanky Shifter form visible for but a second, Piricca switched into Dracona. Her fat, scaly tail slammed onto the ground, sending a shudder across the ground. Murderous golden eyes glared down at the Sentinel, tiny in comparison. A trail of white-hot flames lingered on the tip of her forked tongue.

"Reckless, Piricca," said Cimerus, dashing to the veil. His golden eyes scanned the battleground. Thousands of bodies of numerous forms moved in a state of chaos. Dead Sentinels and Shifters lay in the snow in varying stages of decay. Tora followed his line of sight.

Abaddeon was engaged with the lightning staff-wielding Sentinel. It appeared that his sneak tactic tot ake down the Sentinel Lords incognito had failed. The two maintained a steady exchange of ferocious blows. The new elemental staff in the Sentinel's hand released bursts of blue flames that bolted erratically in the air, following Abaddeon and forcing him to the skies. Around that Sentinel lay what appeared to be bubbling pools of tar.

Kerela got deliberate to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth. The collision had cracked most of her chest plate. The ice dagger remained clutched in her hand.

Her back faced the dip into the army barrack's underground. From the grey, swirling mist below, there emerged another Sentinel, a female. Her dark hair was all tied back. She had no helmet. A frown furrowed above dark eyes that resembled glowing embers. Her armour was silver streaked with red; her right hand clutched a spear.

"Talos," said CImerus. The name resonated in the room.

Hot on Piricca's long tail was the first Sentinel she fought. His armour was broken on one side, revealing intricate tattoos along his bicep. It seemed his forcefields couldn't hold off Piricca.

"We follow the plan, sister," said Cimerus, his jaw tightened. "Once we draw out the fifth Sentinel Lord, move in for the Artefact. Do not go until then."

Tora said nothing. Cimerus shifted into a Crow and swept past her into the rip in the veil, screeching into battle.

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