Chapter 45: A Knight In Bloody Armour
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Alyhana stumbled backward, her breath shallow and fast, a thin film of sweat clinging to her forehead as she raised another shield of pale golden light just in time to block a blast of shadowy magic that slammed into it.
But...the shield shattered instantly.
She cried out, thrown off balance again. Her back slammed against a broken pillar, and she winced barely keeping her knees from buckling.
She wasn’t trained for battle, the only thing she was truly skilled at was healing magic.
The creature across from her snarled. It was Maia...at least, it used to be. Now she was barely human anymore. Her limbs had stretched unnaturally, her eyes a sickly, glowing red and her voice came out low and distorted, almost like several people speaking at once.
"Just look at you...pathetic."
Alyhana tried to lift her hand again, forcing another shield into existence, but it was unstable.
"I’m not... going to run," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
’gods, please give me strength.’
She reached deep into herself, summoning a pulse of light that shot forward like a spear which struck the creature’s chest... and fizzled out uselessly.
The monster laughed and charged at her in full speed, Alyhana barely managed to throw up another barrier before it shattered again like glass. The impact sent her skidding across the floor, her hip slamming into a chunk of debris and her lungs were practically begging for air this point.