Seven
The Heartless Swamp
Today's sparring match between Umbra and Micah was growing very intense, their speed imbued with magic, their movements were supernaturally swift.
The steel pike Lady Crow has lent Umbra was beginning to buckle under the ferocious assault of Micah's new weapon.
Umbra had memorized Micah's battle forms and stances well enough to parry most of his hits.
But more and more Micah's good-natured attitude was eroding away, he'd enter a fuming rage during matches and become very erratic; his breath would deepen, his eyes redden and his speed would amplify.
Normally Micah's stance was clumsy with his fencing, too eager to keep the swordplay friendly with his dear friend.
That creepy sword is changing him, Umbra worried.
The naive, good-hearted muscle-head he had grown fond of over the last months was fading away. Umbra could tell Micah's strikes were intending to draw blood.
Lady Crow had left the two students behind to train that day as she went to meditate in the swamp's interior, preparing the site for the upcoming sabbat.
Umbra and Micah had joked to themselves that Lady Crow's Sabbats were like parties nobody ever attended. They consisted of weird rituals, hanging effigies and praying to some demon or the other, a pretty dreary affair for the students' tastes.
Cassius once told them Lady Crow danced naked around a campfire; that was enough to scare them off.
These days Micah never joked or quipped, Umbra was beginning to miss the optimism. As he lamented over this, he lost focus of the fight.
"Got you!" Micah's strikes finally got past Umbra's defenses and cut his shoulder, knocking him over.
Umbra howled in pain. "Okay I give in."
Micah stood over him menacingly his eyes glowing with a subtle red, actually considering finishing his best friend off.
Do it...
End him... Souldrinker whispered.
"Micah, it's over, I yield!" Umbra insisted.
As if waking from a dream, his snarling face returned to its benevolent nature.
"Sorry, brother. I overdid it there," he helped Umbra to his feet.
"I must have tripped in the mud," Umbra quipped to lighten the mood. Micah handed him a handkerchief to tie off his wound.
Micah planted the sword into the ground. The two sorcerers stared at the strange blade. The blade whistled, an eerie red sheen surrounded it, the same red Umbra had seen in Micah's eyes.
Umbra peered at it closer. "It's a very strange weapon." He could feel a lot of untapped power in the sword, like a well, covered over by a heavy stone.
"It's much lighter than it looks too," Micah added, lifting it with ease to demonstrate.
"I wonder if Lady Crow will find me one," Umbra mused. Micah had been sworn to secrecy about how he had found the sword; Umbra had been told it was an old heirloom of Lady Crow's.
Umbra looked at Micah thoughtfully.
"Am I interrupting a tender moment?" a scornful voice rand out from the edge of the grove startling the two apprentices.
The two jumped to the ready, Umbra with his halberd and Micah with Souldrinker.
A red-haired battle-hardened woman stepped forward. She wore light chainmail armor and leather straps, quite revealing in select areas of her body, half for mobility and half for distraction.
She held two newly sharpened cleavers. Her glare was just as sharp as her weapons and her sights were set on the two maleficae.
Micah lowered his sword. "What do you want, sweetheart?" he scoffed with a patronizing smile.
Umbra immediately recognized her. "That's the Crimson Hunter," he whispered to Micah.
Slayers were powerful trackers and bounty hunters, with a bitter distaste for the supernatural. Once a Slayer's bounty was put on your life you were as good as dead.
This slayer, Robyn was a fierce warrior; she took only the most challenging bounties. It was for this reason she built a reputation as The Crimson Hunter, never bested.
"She is stronger than she looks," Umbra whispered.
Robyn glared at Micah's smirk. "I'd listen to your friend. I've killed stronger maleficae in my time," she warned them.
With surprising speed, she darted at Micah, chopping with precision at his sleeve removing it cleanly at the shoulder. Next, she landed a kick to Umbra's hand disarming his halberd.
She backflipped a few times to return to the soft ground where she had been standing, resting precisely into her footprints.
"That was fast," Umbra whispered, "And she doesn't have a speck of magic about her!"
"I got this," Micah scoffed pushing Umbra aside. "Let's dance, princess!"
The two clashed with a parry of steel on obsidian. Even with Micah's magically-enhanced speed the slayer matched his agility with her peak physical fitness.
Umbra was dumbfounded. He had heard the stories of how powerful these monster-hunters were, but he always assumed the stories of slayers were exaggerated.
He never could have imagined just how true they were. His eyes darted back and forth watching the fight, he looked down at his shaking hand.
Robyn had struck a pressure point and now Umbra could barely feel his arm.
"Not bad, little girl," Micah panted as he locked blades with Robyn.
"Call me that again and I will personally scalp you and your maleficus friend!" she snapped.
Micah rolled his eyes, enraging Robyn further.
A pool of shadows stretched out magic tentacles below Robyn's feet almost tripping her, while Micah continued his assault.
Umbra was standing out of the fray casting his sorcerous snare on the battling Slayer.
Without even a glance Robyn flung a throwing knife at Umbra, he dodged just in time to avoid it, the blade shaved past his cheek. With Umbra's concentration broken, the magical snare dissipated and the fight between Micah and Robyn continued unabated.
"Nice try, coward!" she sneered.
Umbra was dazed; he had just come inches from death.
Robyn struck Micah with a roundhouse kick under his chin and with a follow-up punch struck him in the gut, winding him.
Micah was on one knee gasping when Robyn took a small step back and extracted a small crossbow from her rucksack.
"Nooooooo!" Umbra bolted into the fray and struck Robyn with a tackle, knocking her off balance.
He grabbed the crossbow and his anger manifested as a blue flame that ate through the iron crossbow in seconds.
Robyn was back in control within moments, with her iron gauntlet she walloped Umbra across the cheek, knocking him to his knees.
Whoosh!
A strong sorcerous gale, only affecting Robyn, knocked her flying against a nearby tree.
Lady Crow stood at the edge of the clearing, the old witch was pulsating with dark mana, her garnet pendant burned fiercely and her cane was pointed menacingly at the slayer.
An exhausted Micah and battered Umbra stood on either side of the slayer. Cassius emerged behind his master holding a loaded musket.
"Four on one, Slayer, want to test your odds?" Lady Crow goaded her.
Robyn knew she was outmatched but didn't yield. She reached behind her back to a small holster.
"Stop her!" Umbra cried out. Before they had time to react Robyn tossed an alchemical smoke bomb at her feet, covering the grove in a thick blanket of smoke.
When the smokescreen cleared Robyn was nowhere to be seen.
Cassius and the apprentices looked at each other, clueless. The slayer was gone.
"Should I track her down, master?" Cassius inquired lowering his weapon.
"Don't be a fool, she'll ambush you before you even catch a glimpse," Lady Crow barked. "I'm not sewing you back together again."
She frowned in disappointment at her two students.
"She was so fast," Micah admitted leaning on Umbra's shoulder and still trying to catch his breath.
"Back to the cabin, you pathetic wretches!" Lady Crow ordered.
She had ensured her dwelling was completely invisible to outsiders, concealed by a rune of stealth and only visible to those attuned to it.
Umbra opened his mouth to ask why Lady Crow let her escape, but seeing her fuming frown he stopped himself.
"You will soon be able to beat her with ease," Lady Crow promised. "For now, consider her a sparring partner."
Is she insane? That lunatic will get us killed! Umbra thought.
Perhaps, if you aren't worthy enough. Lady Crow's words echoed in Umbra's mind, startling him.
He hated when she projected her thoughts like that.
You will get stronger, Souldrinker must feed, Lady Crow's words echoed in Micah's head.
A cold chill ran up Micah's spine, he knew what the sword wanted.