(I wasn't sure Maya would actually join us… but now she's here.)
AK's heart thundered like a war drum, pounding so hard it felt as though it might burst from his chest. His grip tightened on the hilt of his dagger until his knuckles turned white, sweat slicking his palms. His eyes darted between the chaos of the battlefield and the woman standing before him—her blade dripping with crimson as droplets fell onto the cold dungeon floor, hissing as they touched the faint traces of magic embedded within the stone.
A few seconds ago, that very blade had cleaved through the neck of a corrupted hunter with such speed and precision that AK barely registered the motion. One instant, the hunter was snarling and alive; the next, his severed head rolled across the ground like a discarded doll, a grotesque grin frozen on its lips.
