A/n- Chapter update

So my phone has been broken for a while and I've only just gotten a new one. I fixed a glaring error in this chapter that i didn't realize was there when i uploaded it. I unfortunately lost a lot of files i had for this story, but I'll hopefully be able to get the next chapter up soon. Sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long

Chapter 20- The Might Of Karnika Part 2

Corvus and Darren charged the invading bandits in assistance of the Higanbana guard and quickly engaged, fighting off the slavers with practiced efficiency. As was the case with the previous Karnika members Corvus fought, these ones weren't that skilled. It was only their numbers that caused them to be a threat, however this was little issue to Corvus as he was able to keep them at bay with his nodachi. However unlike the previous ones, these were unwavering. The last time he fought the slavers was in an ambush where he had the element of surprise and a numbers advantage, but now he was outnumbered and there was certainly no element of surprise.

He weaved between his attackers, swiftly dodging and countering when every opportunity presented itself, however he was taking hits to his blind spot. Not as hard or as frequently enough to cause worry, but enough for him to fight more reservedly. Luckily for him, Darren, realizing the trouble the younger Branwen faced, moved to cover his left flank, protecting his blind spot from attackers. He was holding up well against the slavers. While he was only a scout, he could still fight well, fending off the invaders with his arming sword. They, alongside the guards managed to hold the line against the horde of rival bandits. Though as impressive as it may sound, and also seem to onlookers, it was very clear to the fighters that they were fending off cannon fodder, and that the end of this fight won't be the end of the battle as a whole. Corvus himself was looking forward to what the slaver tribe was going to throw at them next, wanting a challenging opponent.

Unfortunately for the village, he'd get his wish. Once they'd defeated the first wave, who were left unconscious and scattered across the floor just inside the gate, more came. These were much better equipped, but they were outnumbered. Corvus smirked and pointed his nodachi at the person at the head of the group, a man who was clearly the leader. The man smiled almost manically at him and stepped forward, ready to fight. Corvus moved to meet him in a duel, not catching Darren's concerned look as he and the others rushed forward to fight once more.

Corvus got into a fighting stance as he faced off against the slaver. The slaver in question unsheathed a sword and pulled from his hip what looked to be a serrated whip of some kind. An odd combination, but not one Corvus would shy away from fighting.

"I have been waiting for the opportunity cull one from your subversive bloodline, Branwen." The man said in a sinister tone, his voice measured, precise and filled with intent. "But perhaps my lady would prefer you intact. You'd certainly be a welcome addition to our ranks." He grinned at Corvus and uncurled the whip in his left hand as he spoke.

"I don't work for the weak." Corvus bit back, not appreciating the threat to his family, nor the idea of working for the slavers.

"Rather bold of you to assume you have a choice, Branwen." The man spoke confidently before he charged Corvus and struck with the whip, aiming to hit the boy in the face with it. Corvus dodged to the side in the nick of time and attempted to strike at his opponent, but was blocked by the man's sword. This little dance repeated for a short time. No matter how nimble Corvus was with his dodges, the slaver would always block whatever counter he could throw. Corvus tried to throw a careful kick at the man's shin to throw him off balance but he dodged it easily. He then tried to feint a heavy downward attack into a strike towards the man's whip arm but it's dodged and countered with a lash that hit Corvus in the shoulder

He gritted his teeth in frustration, nothing he tried worked. He needed to take it up a notch. His aura was pretty tough, a little higher than average, so Corvus decided to take advantage of this fact. Corvus charged at the slaver and jumped off his right foot, twisting his body and spinning in the air so his nodachi crashes down onto the slaver as he landed. His opponent dodged and retaliated with a lash at Corvus' abdomen. Even with his aura protecting him, he felt the pain. It was dulled, but it was there, and it hurt more than he expected. Despite the pain, the young Branwen didn't let it throw him off. He halted the momentum from his nodachi, bringing It up with both hands so the hilt rested on his left shoulder and the blade was behind his head. He then swung the blade around viciously towards the man's upper torso. He couldn't dodge the strike and had to block, and despite his effort the attack sent him back skidding on the stone path. He leaned forward and used his sword to stop his unwanted movement and retaliated with another whip lash, which Corvus tanked and struck back with a powerful downward diagonal strike which, despite efforts to dodge again, did manage to slash the aura across the slaver's chest.

Corvus didn't know what condition his aura was In, but he was raring and ready to fight despite the painful hits he'd taken. His opponent chuckled.

"I see that this young bird has sharp talons... I shall enjoy the challenge of defeating you, despite how trivial it may be. You're simply another addition to my lady's collection. Whether you like it, or not." The slaver taunted, mocking Corvus' efforts regardless of how they affected him. Corvus clenched his fist around the hilt of his nodachi, frustrated at the mockery. He couldn't tell how well his aggressive fighting was affecting his opponent, but he did know he couldn't keep this up forever. He certainly couldn't trade hits with his opponent like this, considering the slaver is more experienced than he is, as well as more agile. His eye very quickly scanned the area. The guards were holding their own, but were weary after the initial onslaught. Darren was holding his own against his opponent, who seemed to be the same one he'd initially been fighting. Another lieutenant of the rival tribe, perhaps? It didn't matter for the moment. He wasn't at risk of being attacked by anyone else for the moment.

Corvus decided to continue his aggressive assault on his opponent. They traded hits, their respective auras taking damage as they each took blow after blow from each other. Eventually, Corvus' scroll beeped in warning, letting him know his aura was low. He didn't hear such a thing from his opponent's scroll, if he even had one, so he had no idea what level his opponent's aura was at. He had paused his assault by now, and was coming up with another plan. He couldn't continue as he was, because he'd lose his aura. He couldn't use the range advantage of his nodachi due to his opponent having a similar range, with a defensive option on top of that in the form of his sword. He didn't know what to do in thay moment. Luckily he didn't need to worry because Adam had arrived, at last. The older boy joined Corvus and attacked the whip wielding slaver. Corvus attacked in tandem with him and they both managed to overwhelm theur opponent. Eventually, the man's aura crumbled and he was left kneeling, spent and helpless. With a sneer on his face and not a hint of mercy, Adam beheaded the lieutenant, the body collapsing to the ground with a light thud.

"I had that." Corvus said stubbornly, though he was inwardly happy his friend had come to his assistance, he wouldn't admit it.

"Obviously." Adam replied, spitting on the corpse. "They attacked the other gate as well. I came as soon as the situation over there was in our favour."

Corvus nodded, and the two went to mop up the remaining slavers with relative ease. Once everything had settled and the coast seemingly clear, they took a moment's respite. Corvus checked his aura levels. 31%. Just barely below the red. His gambit had paid off, in the end. He scanned the area, noticing Adam walking to the gate, presumably to check for any enemy reinforcements. Darren was checking up on the guards, only a few of whom were injured. Corvus approached him and Informed him of what Adam had said, and Darren nodded. Taking charge, he ordered the guards to stay back and defend the area, before looking to where Adam had gone off to. Theu couldn't see him, but he was dealing with another slaver, presumably, as they could hear the sounds of fighting.

"C'mon kid. These weaklings are nothing, right? Can't let them get the jump on us and get away with it." He said, patting Corvus on the shoulder. Reinvigorated, Corvus went with him to the outside of the gate. As they approached, they noted something rather odd. Another wave of Karnika forces, but they weren't attacking. They were merely standing still, motionless and unwavering, staring directly ahead. Corvus' attention was then drawn to Adam's opponent, a dark skinned woman in purple, who looked important. Maybe she was a lieutenant? Or perhaps the leader? He didn't know, nor care too much. He did care, however, about how easily she was fighting Adam off. She wasn't even going all out, clearly. She was barely making an effort to dodge, wasn't taking advantage of openings, and had a smirk on her face, all while mocking him. Darren and Corvus rushed in to help, despite the idle forces behind her, who remained motionless. The woman cackled.

"More rats coming to play? Very well." She said with a hint of amusement her eyes, before her gaze locked onto Corvus.

"Ah, a spawn of that pest." She spat. "I'll take great pleasure into turning you into one of my puppets."

The woman charged Corvus, which almost caught him off guard. He managed to block the dagger she attempted to strike him with, but only barely. Darren and Adam came to his aid, and the three of them attempted to fight off the woman. She was too nimble, they couldn't land a hit while she weaved between their attacks, all the while striking at them quickly and efficiently. She was mainly going for Corvus, but thankfully Darren and Adam were aware of this, and were doing their best to keep her away. They weren't too successful however, and as she continued chipping away at their respective auras, Corvus' finally gave. Falling to one knee in exhaustion, he looked up as the woman fought through Adam and Darren to get to him. Their auras broke not long after his, and she lunged at him. Luckily for him, Adam still had enough strength in him to put himself between them. However, he didn't get stabbed as they had expected and worried would happen. Instead her hand wrapped around his neck. She looked down at him in frustration, before looking up in anger as she saw a red portal appear beside the boys. Raven had come to their rescue. But as she got ready to attack, the idle slavers suddenly moved to reinforce her, putting themselves between herself and Adam, and Raven.

"I guess this beast will have to do." She uttered, disappointedly. Her arm glowed purple, and what looked like fumes encased Adam's head. He writhed and shook in her grip, before going slack. She released him, but he got back up. He turned to Raven and the two boys, drawing his sword protectively. His eyes were devoid of emotion and life. Raven's eyes narrowed as she realised what Karnika had done to him. She wasn't going to allow it. Karnika fled with Adam in tow, knowing Raven's move before she made it. Raven began slicing through the slavers who stood in her way, and took pursuit.

"Stay here!" she shouted at Corvus and Darren as the ran into the woods after Karnika and Adam.

Corvus nodded worriedly, concerned about his friend. They watched her disappear into the greenery and trees. They wanted to follow, but knew it was fruitless without aura. The didn't have much time to dwell on the turn of events though, as he heard a growl coming from the forest that sent a shiver through his soul. He turned to see, creeping out of the forest, the creatures of Grimm. He froze, gripping his sword like it was his lifeline. Darren cursed and called out for the guards, but Corvus didn't hear it. He only heard his own racing heart and the sound of growls and snarls steadily approaching as the creatures of Grimm charged at them. Darren, only now noticing his younger friend's rigid state, pushed him out of the way of the oncoming Grimm.

Unfortunately for Darren, without his aura, he stood no chance by himself. The guards were too late, as they approached to see Corvus on the floor, propped up on his elbows, frozen in terror and trembling as Darren was mauled by the dark creatures. A red portal opened in front of him before any Grimm could focus on the boy, and Raven stepped out. She began eviscerating the Grimm like they were nothing, which to her, they were.

She spared a glance at Darren's mutilated corpse, a hint of sorrow in her eyes as she muttered a silent apology for being too late. She knelt beside Corvus, placing a hand to his cheek. He paid no attention to her, his teary eyes locked into the corpse beside him. Raven barked at the guards to secure the area, and bring Darren's remains inside the walls as she lifted Corvus, carrying him bridal style back into the safety of the village.

A/n

A little longer than the last, and out in a reasonable time too. By my standards, at least.

Not too much to say for this one other than it took me a while to come up with Karnika. I was gonna have a straight up evil bandit villain, but i went through so many concepts before eventually landing on her. I saw it somewhere, though i can't seem to find it anywhere now for some reason, but one meaning for Karnika is 'control'. Regardless of its orimary meanings, i liked the name and i went with it. Also, fun fact, i came up with her theme of control after listening to Collective Consciousness from the Metal Gear Rising game (both bangers, btw).

As always, i hope you guys enjoyed this. Please review if you have any comments, questions or criticism, all is welcome so long as it's constructive. I always love reading and replying to reviews.

See you next time!