Chapter 71: Lost In The Fight
The pieces of Liesa’s shattered dagger fell to the forest floor with a series of quiet clinks. She stared at her empty hand, then at the man who had broken her blade with nothing but his arm. Her mind was blank with shock.
’He broke my dagger? With his skin?’ She thought, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. ’What is he?’
She looked up at him. The lazy smile was gone, replaced by a look of cold assessment. The murderous intent that had been radiating from her just a moment ago was now gone, replaced with a feeling of pure disbelief.
Nox thought he had this won. ’She’s out of tricks,’ he thought, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. ’She tried her best, and it wasn’t good enough.’
But then something strange happened. The shock on Liesa’s face twisted and warped, melting away into a wide, manic grin that was far more unsettling than her earlier anger. Her eyes, which had been wide with surprise, now narrowed with a terrifying excitement.
The killing intent he had felt before came flooding back, ten times stronger than before. A faint, dark purple aura started to bleed from her skin, swirling around her like smoke.
’Wait,’ he thought, his own surprise catching him off guard. ’She’s not giving up? She’s getting more excited?’
"Liesa, no!" Mela screamed from the edge of the clearing. She looked terrified. "Don’t do it! You can’t use that here!"
"It’s too late for that, big sister," she said, her voice a low, throaty laugh. "This human... he’s interesting! He’s really, really interesting!"
The dark aura around her exploded outward, becoming a visible shroud of violent energy. Her short swords, which she still held, began to glow with the same purple light. The ground at her feet started to crack under the pressure of her power.
"What is she doing?" Serian asked, her voice tight with alarm. "Nox, be careful! That is a forbidden art of the Ashen Elves! I have only read of it in the old scrolls."