The dust from the canyon's collapse still drifted through the air when Eliakim dropped from the ledge into the shadowed pass where his allies waited.They had regrouped in a shallow alcove, the sound of their breathing ragged but steady.
Malachi leaned against the wall, mace resting on his shoulder. "We buying time or making a run for it?"Caleb nocked an arrow but didn't draw. "Depends on if they're still hunting."Gideon cracked his neck. "They're not done. I can feel them circling."
Eliakim straightened, his gaze sharp. "Then we don't wait for them to tighten the noose again." He flexed his wrist — the blackened bracelet glinting faintly in the dim light. "That's enough for a breather. Next breath is theirs… choking."
---
The Talons emerged from the fog of rock dust like silhouettes cut from the night — Veyth's chains dragging behind him, Selvas's bow raised, Dravik's shield set, Korras's gauntlets flexing, and Raviel's blade already low and angled to strike.
"Round two," Veyth hissed."You won't like the ending," Caleb said softly, drawing his bowstring until it sang.
---
Eliakim stepped forward first."Beelzebub… Decay."
The Corrosion Chains of the Umbravice erupted outward in a frenzy, black hooks lashing at every direction. Their edges smoked as they tore through stone and steel alike, the acrid stench of rot filling the canyon. One hook wrapped Dravik's shield, eating its edge like paper; another tore through Veyth's outer chain link, sending sparks into the air.
Gideon followed, both hands gripping the haft of his twin axe — but with a twist of motion, the weapon split and reformed into Kaelvryn's twin forms: a long katana in his right hand, a shorter blade in his left."Two edges… one ending."
He darted low, the long blade cutting across Dravik's guard while the short blade reversed into a backhand slash that clipped Korras's gauntlet, leaving a molten groove. His strikes were relentless, a rhythm of sweeping arcs and sudden thrusts, forcing the Talons into fragmented positions.
Caleb stood his ground, his bow glowing faintly with an emerald hue.The first arrow he loosed struck the ground — and from it erupted vines as thick as a man's arm, whipping upward to bind Veyth's legs and drag Selvas's footing out from under him.The second arrow was pure precision — threading through the gap between Raviel's blade and his guard to slice the strap of his shoulder guard clean off.The third arrow split midair, striking both ends of Veyth's severed chain so it tangled on itself.
Malachi stepped into the center of the fray, mace raised above his head."Hammer Fall!"
He brought it down with a roar, the impact shattering the stone beneath their feet and sending a shockwave outward. The ground split into jagged ridges, throwing the Talons off balance. Korras caught himself on one knee, but his gauntlets smoked from the vibration. Dravik stumbled backward, his maul's head dented from the force. Even Raviel had to retreat a step, eyes narrowing.
---
The four attacks collided into a storm — chains that corroded, blades that cut from two angles, arrows and vines that constricted, and a mace strike that cracked the battlefield itself.
Veyth's chains hung in shredded coils, his armor pitted with black scars.
Selvas's bow arm bled from a vine lash that had bitten through his bracer.
Dravik's shield lay in pieces at his feet, his left side exposed.
Korras's gauntlets smoked and flaked, his grip visibly slower.
Raviel's blade edge had dulled, and for the first time, his stance looked uncertain.
Still, the Talons didn't break — not entirely. They pulled back, bloodied but glaring, dragging each other toward the shadows."This isn't over," Raviel said quietly."It never is," Eliakim replied.
---
The four regrouped, breathing hard, weapons still ready."They'll live," Caleb said, eyes scanning the retreat."Good," Gideon replied, sliding his blades back together into a single axe. "Next time, I want them at full strength when they fall."Malachi rested the mace on his shoulder again. "Then let's move before round three starts."
Eliakim glanced at the black bracelet, its chains coiling back into silence."They've had their breath," he said. "Now we take ours… on the march."
Without another word, they pressed forward into the canyon's deeper paths, leaving the five wounded Talons in the shadow of their own defeat.