Depthless Hunger

The razor sharp paper blade scraped across Omilaena's throat with a shriek of metal. Troulon's eyes shifted from victory to surprise and he slowed when he should have pressed his attack.

She couldn't see it herself, but she knew what Troulon was staring at. A thin plate of venomsteel had poured out of the Prana Jewels, forming a defensive layer that covered her neck. Just building that made her head hurt, but it had saved her life. It was about the worst possible way to test a new application of an ability and she never wanted to do anything like it again.

Her old friend hesitated, just for a second. He seemed to be struggling with the demonic hunger within him, enough to slow down his second strike.

That was long enough. Omilaena couldn't move her arms much while being held down, but she formed a syringe in one hand and stabbed it into the leg of one of the Crestguards holding her. At the same moment she turned her head to the side and breathed poison directly into the face of the guard on her other side. The one at her back started to bear down on her, but she brought her head back swiftly, breaking his nose.

Troulon recovered from his surprise and struck with paper blades in both hands. She'd never planned to face them directly: Omilaena instead crouched down, letting the weight of the guard behind her fall onto her back and take the slashes. Then she launched herself up, hurling the body at her opponent.

Only the poisoned Crestguard was dying, but the other two were in great pain and Troulon was stumbling backward. Omilaena rose to her feet and took a deep breath as she realized she'd made it through. How long had it been since she'd come so close to death? But instead of attacking Troulon while he was weak, she spoke up quietly.

"What evidence do you have about burning the Great Library?"

"Enough!" Troulon took a step back and shook out his sleeves, returning to his razor birds strategy - no choice but to deflect them and retreat away from the injured Crestguards. As she did, Omilaena exhaled poison onto the ground to take out the fallen guards or at least impede them.

Something in Troulon's hand was burning, creating more of the gray smoke than before. The haze spread out, filling the chamber and pressing against her own blue smoke. They circled one another, both surrounded in their smoke techniques. When Troulon unleashed a larger bird it floated forward on a line of smoke and she had to breath out more to press it aside. Every time she tried to close on him, he retreated into his own smoke while spreading more of it behind her. As they exchanged blows the remaining Crestguards fell, until it was just the two of them in the haze.