Grey Strength 11

Just like the Four Fists, these creatures had ambushed us and attacked without cause. Now wasn’t the time to hesitate.

Making up my mind, I unfocused my eyes and the paths through the aether lit up like the nighttime highways of my old world before me. It was a simple thing to step through the vibrations, appearing between the two arguing aether beasts in the same moment.

Before they could so much as widen their eyes in surprise, I hacked outward with the blades of my aether-clad hands, which came down on my enemies’ shoulders like axes.

~

The Shadow Claws did not seem to guard themselves with aether, and both small forms crumpled under the weight of my unexpected blow, their shoulders and necks shattered.

I knelt down over the bodies as I waited for Caera to catch up. Up close, I could see that the wide, feline paws had no natural claws.

They create their only weapon with aether, I realized, curious and amazed that there were creatures in a place as dangerous as the Relictombs with no natural defences.

“Are you okay?” Caera asked as she walked up behind me. “I saw your leg earlier…oh.”

I looked back at her over my shoulder. “I heal pretty fast.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” she said before her gaze fell to the Shadow Claws. “Did you find anything?”