Hello again! I'm quite proud that I've posted the 2nd week in a row.
And thank you for all that reviewed! I love seeing that people are still enjoying the story and that I've come back.
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Shizuru saw Natsuki freeze. She raced over to her, grabbing her by the robes and pulling her back out of the room. A snarl escaped her lips when she saw a large creature. Its body was a sphere, an eye stock sprouting out the top. Shizuru looked at Natsuki in fear. These creatures could turn a person into stone.
The Cleric caught her breath and closed her eyes tightly. Shizuru breathed easier, before turning back to the creature.
Feet pounded against stone as she ran into the room, calling back over her shoulder "it's a Beholder! Don't look it in the eye. Try to cut its eye off!" She could hear Harukas war cry as she came sprinting through the door.
Shizuru didn't look behind her, sliding her naginata from its sheath on her back, her feet ran, the great mouth of the beast shot out at her, but Shizuru was ready. She twisted out of the way bringing her weapon in an upward arc slicing through the beast.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw blonde hair flying and a large body flanking the creature, with a loud yell Haruka smashed the beast with her axes. Muscles flexing at the force of the hit.
With a spin, Shizuru went to bring her weapon down, when a wave of heat swept across her. The beholder roared in anger, its skin sizzling from a fiery blast, Shizuru followed through with her swing, the distraction from Haruka and Yukino allowing her to easily strike.
A surprising roar caused her to miss her second attack. Standing beside her was a large spectral wolf, the creature leaped through the air, and with a snarling snap, it closed its teeth around the eye stock.
Shizuru looked on in awe, glancing behind her she saw Natsuki hand raised eyes focused. Before, the Cleric tried to skirt around the edges of the room.
Saliva dripped from the large maw it spun on Haruka, eyes focusing on the blonde. She watched as the woman froze eyes wide. Her body had seized.
"Damnit, she's paralyzed" Shizuru swore. Next, the creature spun toward her, eye focusing. Realizing too late Shizuru was in an antimagic cone. Her weapon flickered, as she tried to escape its eyesight.
Another fiery blast left Yukino's outstretched hand. Her spell-book opened on her left as she muttered arcane words. The fireball centered slightly behind the creature in order to not hit Haruka and Shizuru. Again the skin peeled back flaking off as the beast screamed.
Natsuki took the chance to sprint from behind the monster toward Haruka, the spell coursed through her arm and into the blonde the moment she touched her shoulder. The spell took effect, releasing the barbarian from the charm.
Natsuki watched as the blonde cried out in anger, her eyes widening with a bloodthirsty scream she started hacking at the beast.
Shizuru dodged another attack. Eyes tracking the movements of her companions. She turned to run out of the cone, but the beast lashed out with a ray. Shizuru choked up, her body felt like it was disintegrating. A scream tore from her throat. Pain, all-encompassing pain. She stumbled but kept running. She needed to get away.
Natsuki heard the scream but had already commanded her wolf to attack. She needed to get over to the other woman and heal her. Natsuki felt her vision focus. She'd been in fights before, never like this one, never with anything as powerful as a Beholder. But, she was going to get her party out of this, she needed to breathe and calm herself. It wouldn't do any of them any good if the medic lost her head.
Yukino held her book up, the pages filled with spells, she held her breath as the Tiefling was hit with a ray. Speaking quickly three missiles shot out of her hand directly at the eye.
A screech, the best spinning around to look at her. She felt fear and quickly tried to boost her defenses, but her magic fizzled. Panic washed over the elf. She could see Haruka follow the movement. Her sharp axes slamming into the creature, but she didn't have enough leverage, they glanced off without leaving a scratch.
The beholder spun toward Haruka, biting at the barbarian. Long pointed teeth latching onto her arm, tossing the woman 10 feet away. Spinning eye focusing on the cleric. A ray shoots out with a sickly green light hitting her square in the chest. Natsuki feels her life draining. The creature was pulling on her very energy.
Shizuru felt the pull. Like a part of herself was disappearing. Body hunched in pain, she saw Natsuki crumple to her knees, eyes wide. Her face going ashen. 'Save her!' The voice inside her head screamed 'we must save her now! Unleash me!' Shizuru didn't hesitate this time.
Power built inside of her. Purple clouds of energy coursing around her, building and building. Natsuki slumped, hands catching herself before she could fall. The scream from Yukino echoed through the chamber. Haruka's cry of anger and pain followed.
Shizuru felt her magic hit a crescendo. With glowing red eyes focused on the beast, she raised her hands.
A layered voice spoke, the growl of something deep and angry, layered under Shizuru's seething words. Dark, necromantic magic flew at the creature blasting it apart. No sound escaped it as the beast fell hitting the ground and the eye closed. A single word had killed the creature.
Shizuru turned her gaze to Natsuki. Green clouded eyes focus on her. Shizuru's energy moved toward her, she could feel her reaching out. 'We can't heal her' the voice spoke in her head, anger lacing its words. 'But, wasn't that fun? It's been so long since we used the power word kill.' Shizuru didn't respond to the name of the spell. The voice in her head was released. Now she needed to just manage it. For Natsuki's sake, she needed to manage it.
The cleric watched as Shizuru paced toward her. Long legs moving with more grace than Natsuki had seen from her before. It was like she was gliding across the ground. She'd seen the spell being cast, she'd recognized the words. Once when she was an acolyte she stumbled across a book of death magic. She'd read a few pages, this spell. She'd brought it to Maria the head Cleric and asked about it. The woman had spoken sharply. 'Do not learn this magic Natsuki, it will extinguish the light from within you' she hadn't said much else.
Natsuki, felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that she did not know Shizruru at all. Her traveling companion of the last few weeks was a stranger. And yet, she could still feel her soul reaching for her as if needing the reassurance that Shizuru was safe. She sat back on her heels as the Tiefling approached.
A surprisingly warm hand landed on her shoulder. The slightly pink skin contrasting with her own ashen colour. "Are you alright?" Voice hardened slightly "I should have killed it sooner."
Shocked at the tone Natsuki swallowed tightly. She raised her hand over the other woman's. "I'm going to be fine Shizuru." She squeezed her hand "you did your best. That thing...was incredibly powerful. I-" she stopped herself, thinking about her next words "you'll tell me if you're alright? You know, after that attack you took and...other things'' she didn't want Shizuru to think she was frightened of her magic, but the other woman has released intense amounts of power recently. Only a week ago did Natsuki not even know she had magic.
"I'm fine Natsuki, as long as you are" Her smile directed at the cleric. "Let's get out of here and find Yukariko. I don't want to be here much longer than necessary."
Natsuki nodded, grasping the hand offered to her. She quickly cast a healing spell on herself. Feeling much better, now that she felt like some of her energy was back.
Natsuki checked on Haruka who had been badly beaten, the woman was sitting on the ground holding her bloody arm, Yukino kneeling beside her.
Natsuki focused her breathing and placed her hand on Haruka, casting a healing spell on the woman. Her wound stopped bleeding and the skin started to close. It was clear that it was going to scare.
Shizuru was standing back, her eyes unfocused. Her naginata was still out and she was slowly spinning it, her movements easy and practiced. Her attention came back to Haruka who had started to stand, she stretched slightly, but you could see she was still in pain.
"You good Haruka?"
"Yeah yeah, never been greater!" The blonde said voice pinched.
Yukino smiled, placing a hand on the woman's forearm. "Never been better...let me know if I can help with anything?"
Natsuki watched as Yukino worried over the blonde. It was cute, the way the half-orc became nervous and tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. But, Natsuki could see that she enjoyed the elf's attention. It was like they were destined for each other. Natsuki didn't believe in soulmates, but maybe there was some truth behind it. She smiled and moved back over to Shizuru.
"You ready?"
"Yes, lead the way Nat-su-ki" The taller woman said, placing her naginata behind her back.
Natsuki turned and began to follow Haruka and Yukino further into the room. The back wall had collapsed and the floor was on a slant to the lower level. Haruka helped Yukino down, somehow remaining close to the Elf while also pretending to be nonchalant. The question of soulmates and destiny kept popping into her head. Many people believed in them, said that your other half was somewhere out there. But, it wasn't always guaranteed that you'd meet them.
This whole quest had started changing her thinking about certain things. Simply the fact that Natsuki felt like her magic was becoming tied to Shizuru or the fact that she felt she needed to protect her, keep her safe from darkness. The feeling grew even stronger when the Necromancer attacked them in the clearing. It was as if she was being sucked in by the woman, and she couldn't stop it. She vowed to research it when they got back. Yukino is a researcher, maybe she can help. Natsuki kept musing about this, blind to the way Shizuru kept glancing over at her in worry.
They had left the large chamber hours ago and had stopped for a short rest. All of them needed more time to recuperate from the battle. They were all bloody and bruised. Only a few undead had crossed their paths the deeper in the castle they had gone. And they finally found themselves in what was left of the dungeons.
There was no light down here, all her party had darkvision so she was sent to the middle and held the torch. She had been saving up for a pair of night vision glasses for a long time, and maybe after completing this quest she could buy a pair. But till then she was trapped in the middle with Yukino.
Distant sounds of dripping water and an ever-present smell of must wafted through the hall. They could hear an occasional skitter across stones, but not much else. But, further in Natsuki stopped. "
"Wait.." She whispered. She held her hand up, eyes wide as she strained to hear.
"Rrr…" the sound came from further in, an odd rumbling sound.
"Did you hear it?" She asked, still listening intently.
The other three froze, quieting their breathing. Yukino was the next to speak. "Yes, I heard it...what could it be? More undead?"
Natsuki shrugged, "I think it's just up there and to the…" she listened again. "Left?" She glanced at Yukino.
The small brunette nodded.
Haruka and Shizuru moved to the front, feet slightly moving across the stones. Natsuki stayed further behind, she had already made quite a bit of noise. She tried to keep up but fell behind till the two women had moved past the torchlight. Yukino, kept her eyes trained forward but stuck beside the Cleric.
"Oh no…"
Natsuki quickened her pace when she heard the quietly breathed words from Shizuru. "What...what is it?" Her voice was soft but worried.
Shizuru looked back at her, eyes shimmering slightly, before motioning to the cell in front of them.
Natsuki looked in the cell. Hand holding the torch close to the bars. There was someone inside, changed to the wall by their foot. They kept pacing slowly, a quiet rumble leaving their chest. Blonde hair falling limply to their shoulders. The face turned, the skin was rotting away, with cloudy blank eyes.
"No...It can't be...No!" She felt her voice grow stronger. "This isn't how this was supposed to end!"
Natsuki was shocked, Haruka and Yukino looked into the cell. Their faces betraying their sadness for this poor soul.
Natsuki moved closer, her left hand grasping the bars. "Yukariko…?"