Vi's gray eyes scanned the scene, trying, and failing, to understand where in the world this maddened horse had brought her.
Before her stretched a dismal excuse for a settlement, if it could even be called one. The walls were a patchwork of hardened mud and splintered timber, the buildings sagged like they had given up long ago, and the air reeked faintly of ash and sweat.
But what shocked her most wasn't the wretched state of the place. No.
It was the beasts.
Towering creatures on two legs, their glowing eyes watching her like predators, only... they wielded weapons. Sabers, large ones.
She swallowed.
If beasts like these existed, beasts with the minds of men, then why were humans still ruling the world? Instinctively, she knew the answer: they weren't normal.
No, these weren't simple mutations. These things followed someone.
Her gaze landed on the only human in their midst; Kaelor.
A strange man with a coat, a flaming
sword, and the kind of stillness that came from either mastery or madness. He radiated the air of the one in charge.
'He has a gift,' she realized, breath catching as her pain momentarily faded in the wake of the revelation.
Only those with gifts could bend the unreasonable to their will. Not even an Acranist, with all their arcane theories, could explain the impossible, and this, this was the impossible made flesh.
A voice broke through her thoughts, low and gruff like a mountain groaning awake.
"Get down from the horse."
Vi's eyes narrowed. The speaker was massive, larger than the others, and his posture betrayed none of the deference the others showed. She tilted her head, her voice cool, curious.
"So, you were once men?" she asked, unfazed by their size. "Or did he evolve beasts to become half-men?"
Kaelor's expression darkened, suspicion flashing through his eyes. He didn't like her knowing too much. He didn't like her confidence either. His fingers curled tighter around his sword hilt. Then, he whistled.
The Dreadclaws reacted instantly.
With a thunderous stomp, five of them leapt into the air, sabers drawn, descending in arcs meant to end her where she sat.
"Get lost!"
Vi's lips parted.
A pulse erupted from her throat, like a scream that vibrated with unnatural force. The ripples shot outward like invisible shockwaves, crashing into the charging Dreadclaws mid-air.
They were thrown back like ragdolls, crashing to the dirt two, three meters away. Dust rose in thick clouds.
Only Hound managed to resist, his massive frame sliding backward just a few paces, claws carving trenches into the earth. He growled, not in pain, but in surprise.
Kaelor steadied himself beforehand, plunging Ignis into the ground to anchor his weight. The sonic ripple tore at his ears, but he held his ground, teeth clenched. With a grunt, he yanked the sword free and lunged forward, slashing in a clean arc.
The edge grazed Vi's thigh, slicing through cloth and skin, dying the sword's silver edge with crimson.
Flames burst from Ignis, roaring along the blade, trailing behind as Kaelor thrust forward with all his weight. It was a blow meant to end her.
Seeing this, Vi soared two meters into the air, levitating above the horse as if the ground no longer held meaning for her. The sapphire around her neck, raindrop-shaped, no larger than two thumbnails combined, glowed fiercely. It pulsed in rhythm with her heart.
Kaelor caught it, the runes etched into the stone, flickering with raw mana. Wind spiraled around her, twisting into a maelstrom.
Hound sprang again, launching like a missile.
But she saw him.
Her hand flicked forward, and a blast of flame surged from her palm, crashing into the beast-man mid-flight. The explosion lit up the field and hurled him backward, crashing into the muddy path with a hiss of steam and smoke.
The scent of scorched fur filled the air.
Kaelor's eyes narrowed.
This kind of power, from a dying woman?
His mind raced. She was wounded, her body littered with arrows, and yet… she was still fighting. She clearly refused to die.
Vi raised her arms wide.
The drifting fog that clung to the valley suddenly shivered. Then it hardened.
Twelve ice shards, crystalline and razor-sharp, materialized in the air around her, glinting like daggers beneath the sun. Each one hovered in place, aimed directly at Kaelor and his warriors.
Her voice was low, bitter, and filled with weariness.
"If you insist on killing me…" she said, "then all of us will die here."
Her smile was tight, the kind born of heartbreak and final resolve.
What a cruel end, she thought, to escape betrayal, only to be burned at the gates of some forgotten town.
She had been on the brink, her body was failing, her blood had spilled too freely. But even so, she would not die quietly. Not here. Not to these men.
In her prime, this battle would've been over in seconds. But that could only remain a thought because she wasn't in her prime. This her was an injured, half-dead woman.
Hound rose to his feet, growling deeply.
Vi hovered in the air, blood dripping steadily from her thigh, her breath shallow but controlled. The ice shards still hovered around her like a crown of blades, each one pulsing faintly with condensed frost.
"How about we sign a treaty?" she said, her voice steady despite her wounds. Her gray eyes fixed on Kaelor. "You don't kill me, and I won't speak a word of what I've seen here."
She studied his reaction carefully. The cut on her leg still burned, but she sensed he wasn't eager to sacrifice his warriors just to ensure her death. And she was right, Kaelor's eyes narrowed, then lowered. He was thinking.
After a moment of tense silence, Kaelor slowly lowered Ignis.
"Begin," he said.
Without hesitation, Vi raised her hand and drew a few drops of blood from her wound, letting it float between them. Kaelor frowned, then after a short pause and a grunt of reluctance, dragged the edge of his sword across his palm.
His blood joined hers in the air, red and red.
The moment both blood drops met, a silver sheen erupted outward like a ripple in a still pond. The floating sphere of merged blood shimmered with unnatural light, as if reacting to an ancient rule both their bodies recognized.
Vi's voice was low. "What are your terms?"
Kaelor's gaze hardened. "Not a word of this place leaves your mouth," he said. "If you ever speak of it, even a whisper, every organ in your body will wither. The moment sound leaves your lips, you die in agony."
Vi lifted an eyebrow. "Harsh," she said with a smile. "Especially for a lady. But… I accept."
She raised her hand again and added, "My terms. I will remain in this town until my wounds have healed. The moment you, or anyone inspired by you attempts to kill me, their eyes shall be pulverized, and their limbs will be torn from their bodies… including their fifth limb. The effect applies to you no matter who kills me in this town."
A chill rolled down Kaelor's spine. The Dreadclaws shifted uncomfortably, the crackling frost in the air suddenly biting harder.
Kaelor hesitated, just a second, then nodded solemnly. "I accept."
The moment the words left his mouth, the silver sheen surrounding the merged blood flared, turning a radiant gold. The golden orb crystallized instantly, forming a smooth, translucent gem that pulsed with warmth between them.
Vi slowly descended, her feet touching the earth once more. Her face was pale, lips tight with effort, but her posture remained upright, dignified.
She reached out and offered the golden crystal to Kaelor. "Our treaty remains intact until this crystal is broken."