The smoke entered the window through the tiny gaps in the frame. It formed a tall pillar next to the window.
The arguing voices fell quiet, everyone could feel that something had gone terribly wrong. Jord's face was pale, staring at the gray skinned woman that had appeared.
"Now, now. Please continue, don't mind me." A bone chilling laugh echoed all around the room. Absolutely nobody moved, even those in the room who had no combat experience, could feel the danger radiating from this woman.
A pair of deep blue eyes scanned the room, before coming to a stop on Nora. The white stars in the eyes seemed to dance with joy when they saw her.
"Missed me?" The demon gently whispered over to Nora.
Nora's entire body shook with silent sobs, and a river of tears was streaming down her face. She looked on with horror as a wide smile spread across Lady Klariana's face.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Maerissa struggled to speak, forcing the words out from her lips.
She slowly straightened up from where she was sitting, one hand on the handle of her longsword.
Shing
The shining silver blade swung free, a web of magical inscriptions weaving their way down the center of the blade.
The tall demon tilted her head in confusion, a slight frown on her black lips.
"Maerissa, please. Sit back down." Nora pulled at Maerissa back, but there was no stopping her, as she forced through the fear, stepping towards Lady Klariana.
The demon shook her head slightly. The way an adult might shake their head at a disobedient child.
Crash!
An enormous hole had formed in one of the walls, droplets of blood were splattered all around the edges of the hole.
Too fast for the humans in the room to see, Lady Klariana had grabbed Maerissa by the throat.
Then, in one smooth motion, she had thrown her out the side of the building. The speed and force with which she had been thrown meant there was very little chance she was still alive.
"Alright. Now that the annoyance is out of the way." As if nothing had happened, Lady Klariana continued speaking, brushing her long hair behind one pointed ear.
Wide, terrified eyes stared at her from all around the room. In the distance, voices began to yell in confusion, looking up at the hole that had appeared in the second floor of the main hall.
"Shhh." With a wave of Lady Klariana's hand, sending out a faint ripple of blue energy, the voices were silenced.
"Why don't we have a look at what's inside your little head?" With one clawed finger, Lady Klariana reached out to Nora's chin.
Bzzzt
Just as the tip of the finger was about to touch Nora, a red spark shot out from Nora's skin.
"Ouch!"
The tip of Lady Klariana's finger was sending up smoke, as she held it to her mouth blowing on it.
"I guess that bastard left you some protection." The demon's face was furious. She stared at Nora, then smiled as she looked around at the rest of the room.
"I'm sure one of these idiots will give me what I need." Staring at each of the people in the room, Lady Klariana observed them all carefully.
"Ah. It's you. You're the leader." She had stopped her eyes at Chief Art.
Before anyone could even blink, Chief Art was in the air, his throat gripped tightly in one of Lady Klariana's hands.
"NO!" Nora screamed, out of everyone there, she was the only one that understood what was about to happen to the chief.
Whooosh
A multicolored light flowed out of the chief's face.
The light was sucked into Lady Klariana's wide open mouth, the chief letting out screams that grew louder by the moment.
There was a thump as Lady Klariana let the chief's body drop to the floor like a bag of trash.
"Wow. I didn't think such a weak human lived so wonderfully." Her eyes closed, Lady Klariana's voice grew cheerful.
"So the brat isn't here. But even a rat loves it's mother, hmmm." Lady Klariana smiled at Nora, a sinister tone in her voice.
------
[User! User! Please wake up!]
David groggily shook himself awake, the system's loud voice echoing in his head. From the position of the red moon, it was clear it had only been an hour since Cherie had taken up watch.
[There is a presence approaching. Please warn your companion and engage the target.]
The system highlighted the signal on the CoreScanner. Instead of the stars that David was used to, there was a number inside the empty circle.
54. According the values he had seen for his own status, this meant the target was around the mid 5 star core stage.
David looked at the dot that was Cherie, it read 51.
Only taking mana into account, that meant that with his support, she could make short work of the presence that was approaching.
'No.' A wave of anger rose up in David.
'What's the point of you? What's the point of these so called great abilities?' He said to the system.
'I'm not going to live being protected. And besides, Brogan always said. Great warriors are forged by the fires of battle.'
[User! Please do not be rash.]
The system seemed to protest. However, something was off, there was a tinge of joy in it's voice.
'I'll take care of this myself.' David was fuming.
"Cherie, I'll be right back." David called out, knowing she would assume he was heading to use the bathroom. He needed an excuse, since she would spot him on her CoreScanner.
Thankfully, the presence was out of range of a typical CoreScanner.
Without hesitation, David sped away from the cluster of rocks. Heading right for the blinking light in his vision.
"A coreless stage, moving through the plains in the middle of the night."
"The way its moving, heading right for us. It's got to be a predator of some sort, with a sensitive nose."
David started making observations as he moved to intercept the presence.
"I'm thinking it'll be some sort of coyote. I know there are Sand Coyote's that wander into the plains."
[Very well done User, your observational and deductive skills are most impressive for a human.]
As David grew closer to the presence, he noticed it slowing down. Thought Magical Beasts were animals, they weren't stupid.
[Correct user, the increased mana saturation on earth since the Convergence has not only changed the structure of animals, but also their behavior.]
'Yeah, no need to give me reminders of the basics I learned as a kid.'
Off in the distance, David could see a faint shadow moving. While he had been keeping watch over the course of the night, he had been surprised at how his night vision had improved.
[It appears your judgment was correct User. It is indeed a Sand Coyote.]
The system announced as the two of them were close enough to make out a clear outline. The was a shushing noise, as sand particles started to swirl around the Sand Coyote.
Shing
David drew his sword, the moonlight glinting off of the straight blade, about the length of his forearm and hand stretched out.
The Sand Coyote and David began circling one another, looking for the slightest opening.
David gathered the mana in his body, moving it towards his legs. After the transformation, the mana moved far more smoothly.
It was as though the mana had been moving through clogged pipes before, that had all been cleared.
David leapt to the side, as the coyote leapt forward, its jaws wide open, revealing long fangs all throughout its mouth.
Its large ears were pressed back against its head, and a whirlwind of sand swirled all round its body.
Slash
David struck out with his sword, slicing upwards.
The blade sliced into the coyotes side. He had been aiming for the weak spot on its belly but the coyote was too fast.
"Ugh." David let out cry of pain, the sand scraping away at his skin acting like sandpaper.
He turned back to face the coyote, smiling in satisfaction as he spotted the blood trickling from its side.
While David was focused on the fight, the skin on his hand and arm rapidly regrew, covering the exposed flesh.
The coyote let out a series of barks, and the swirling sand collected together forming blades that spun around it.
'Now, this is useful.' David said to himself, as he watched the Coyote's mana decrease.
[This is is only an estimation user. However, as your mana sensi-]
'Yeah. No time for this.' David cut the system off, as he channeled his own mana to his sword.
A faint glow surrounded his sword.
'Damnit. I wish I had a mana technique. All I can do is this basic reinforcement.'
The coyote took a firm stance, and let out a loud bark, sending the blades of sand flying towards David.