"That was quite terrifying." Winter whispered from Sapphire's side.
"For you, it was quite fun for me." Sapphire replied with a smile as she punched the gate of the entrance.
The gate shattered into pieces, the pieces bouncing down a long staircase. Sapphire and Winter both exchanged nervous glances before walking down. Their night vision was good enough to see clearly even in the dark staircase, thanks to the bit of light that entered from above. There was light at a corner of the staircase and they nodded to each other before peeking around the corner, Winter's head right above Sapphire's.
They could see a room with a long hallway behind it. From the looks of it, the hallway walls were lined with bars, most likely cages. The room before the hallway was attached to the staircase and had a table in one corner with three chairs. A person sat on a chair behind the table with their legs over it. They seemed to be completely unaware of what happened outside.
Sapphire and Winter walked to the person, but he didn't notice them at all. When they got closer it became apparent that he was sleeping, explaining the lack of caution. Jumping onto the chair Sapphire stomped her leg on the table. The person woke up and almost fell off the chair, regaining control of himself just before he did.
"What do you want?" He yawned with a hint of anger.
"Freedom of everyone that is locked in there." Sapphire snarled, leaning forward.
That statement snapped the person completely awake, and also caused some ears to poke out through bars.
"W-what do you- wait you are a wolf. Guards!" The person screamed getting up from his chair in a hurry. He tried to run and charged straight into the wall. Colliding with the wall he fell backwards and fearfully glanced towards Sapphire. She growled at him and he nervously gulped, backing away as he did.
"Free. Them. Now." Sapphire ordered, standing on the table and looking down at him.
"Right away!" The man said getting up and shuffling through the drawers of the table. Retrieving a keychain with several dangling keys, he rushed into the hallway, not stopping at any of the cages he kept running to the very back of the hallway.
"Is he trying to run away?" Sapphire wondered, tilting her head.
"Looks like he wants to play chase?" Winter offered with a smile.
"Never played it." Sapphire shrugged.
"The first one to catch the prey wins." Winter explained as claws sprung forth from the back of her palms and she bolted right into the hallway.
"The effects of my passives have still not worn down." Sapphire rolled her eyes with a sigh.
She launched herself into the hallway a few seconds later, passing Winter within a second. Bending around the corner she noticed the man trying to unlock a door. He turned, noticed and hurried in trying to unlock it, trying one key after the other. Sapphire snarled at him and stopped before slowly walking towards him, flexing her fingers to bring forth her claws.
There was a click as the door unlocked. The man hurriedly opened the door, only to find Sapphire standing behind it. He turned around and ran back through the hallway, just as he did Winter skid into view at the bend, causing him to stop between the two.. He fearfully glanced between both of them, who looked more than willing to rip him to shreds.
"Fine, fine, I will release them, just please let me go." The man begged raising his hands.
"Release them. Now. Any attempt to run and we won't hesitate to kill you this time." Sapphire warned as she made her way to Winter, kicking the guy as she passed him.
Taking a set of keys from his pocket he checked through them, then used one to unlock the door beside him. Sapphire glanced through the bars and spotted a young lady with brown hair and two brown wings. He slowly unlocked all the cells and everyone bounded into the hallway, talking to each other cheerily and some crying in joy.
"Feels good, right?" Winter nudged Sapphire.
Sapphire nodded happily.
"Okay that one doesn't need to be opened." He said turning to the last cell. "The one inside it is already dead." The man exclaimed as Sapphire bared her teeth at him.
She walked to the cell and looked in through the bars. Her expression instantly turning to horror the moment she looked inside.
"That one was a favorite of many people. Received orders for her every few days. She took her own life, yesterday, I think." The man informed scratching his head.
"What was her name?" Sapphire questioned, slowly turning her head to the guy.
Everyone fell silent, sensing the change in the atmosphere.
"I don't know." The man answered with a shrug.
"What was her name?" She demanded in a loud voice, causing everyone else, even Winter, to flinch away.
"I believe her name was Luna." A black haired feline girl nervously answered.
Sapphire punched the wall to her side, cracking it and screaming at the top of her lungs. She smashed her head on the wall a couple times, crying. "One day, just one day late. I could have saved one of my best friends. I was late by just one day, A DAY." She punched the wall again, but this time her punch went through it.
"Proficiency threshold has been reached, skill:
She glared at the man from the corner, slowly approaching him on unsteady feet.
"I-I am sorry that happened with your best friend. I am really sorry." He pleaded as she got closer.
Winter turned away as Sapphire ripped the man apart in the most horrifying way possible. Spilling his insides, ripping his skin off his flesh, gouging out his eyeballs and snapping his jaw apart, and several other horrifying ways. She didn't kill him however, his vitals like his heart and lungs were intact, she left him alive after all that and let him suffer as he died, which wouldn't be very long.
"Are you alright?" Winter inquired, gently placing her hand on Sapphire's shoulder as she stood in a corner of the room, just beside the staircase.
"Yes." Sapphire answered, breathing heavily as she rested her head on the wall. "Not really." She added after calming down a little, tears still streaming down her eyes.
"It's... alright. I am here for you still." Winter reassured, embracing her and patting her head.
"It's not about who is here for me, it's about who longer is. My friend died all alone, waiting on someone to come save her, but no one did in time, not even when I was so close." Sapphire whimpered, gritting her teeth and clenching her blood drenched fists.
After a while when Sapphire calmed down, Winter lowered her head and ascended up the staircase, right behind Sapphire. Light leaked through the broken door, causing the staircase to have more light than there was when they descended. Sapphire held her hand up signaling everyone to stop, some blood from her hands flying around as she did it. Using Shadow Movement she ascended up the staircase, keeping herself hidden.
It was obvious to Sapphire that there were enemies waiting on the surface. If there was no light on the staircase earlier, then there shouldn't have been any right now either, and it didn't look like sunlight. The entrance faced east, and as time passed the moon would only travel more towards the west, meaning it wasn't possible for the light in the staircase to increase till daybreak.
How many are there? She asked appraisal as she peeked out from staircase, still submerged in shadows.
"Enemy info: 500 Imperial Knights, 1000 Dark Knights, 2500 Silver Knights."
That was an army of thirty thousand back then, but all were very weak. This time it's just four thousand, but just a hundred of these will be more than enough to wipe out that army. Not like I am not enough to wipe these ones out.
"You are going to fight again?" Winter questioned coming up beside the shadow Sapphire was in.
Sapphire glared at Winter only to find herself glaring at a wall. She sighed, still not appearing out of the shadows, both Winter and Sapphire knowing where the other was, but not being able to see each other.
"I won't stop you if you do wish to go, I will only provide assistance with spells," Winter reassured.
"I can always trust you, can't I?" Sapphire sighed appearing from the shadows and walking into the open.
Winter quickly jumped up and grabbed onto the upper part of the entrance, digging her claws into the frame and gripping onto it. Swinging her body she flung herself onto the top of the entrance, waiting to attack, the army still unaware of her due to concealment.
"You all never learn do you?" Sapphire sighed walking away from the entrance.
"Surrender! You will never win this battle." An Imperial Knight exclaimed just as a front guard erected barriers, securing the perimeter.
Barrier, and Shadow Play.
A light blue translucent barrier formed on the entrance, blocking it completely just as nine shadows emerged from the ground around Sapphire. Unsheathing her katana Sapphire raised it into the air, it's tip towards the ground. The Shadows did the same with their shadow katana, placing themselves at equal distances from Sapphire. Sapphire and all the Shadows drove their katana into the ground at the same time.
"Shadow Magic: Shadow Release." Sapphire announced as waves of shadows burst out from the point where she stabbed her katana.
Similar waves burst from the points where the Shadows stabbed their katana. The waves washed away all the knights as they screamed and ran in an attempt to get away, but they were all too slow or trapped to escape the spell. The floods receded after absorbing all the knights, returning into Sapphire's katana and travelling up it before getting absorbed back into Sapphire.
Sapphire wobbled on her place, stumbling towards her side and tripping from exhaustion. As she tripped her head hit something, much softer than the hard stone of the ground. She rested her body on whatever her head collided with, too tired to even care what it was, or in this case, who it was.
"You seem very tired." Winter sighed caressing Sapphire's hair.
Sapphire nodded as she buried her face in Winter's clothes. "Do you think I should evolve?"
"If you can then you should, nothing to worry about food, I have got you covered." Winter reassured patting her head.
Sapphire glanced at everyone coming up the stairs and stealing fearful glances. She stood straight up again, using Winter as support to stand. She raised her hand into the air, a small wisp of blue flames forming in her palm. Bringing her hand to the side of her head she flung the flame at the wall surrounding the city. It collided with the wall and caused a large explosion, blowing a hole straight through it. Sapphire staggered and tripped again, resting her head back on Winter.
"I will carry you to a safe place, nothing to worry about." Winter reassured as she tightened her grip around Sapphire. "First let me get your hat and cloak." Winter mumbled looking around for it.
"I have them already." Sapphire sighed burying her face in Winter's clothes.
"When did you?" Winter inquired.
"The shadows have them, don't worry." Sapphire sighed, tightening her grip on Winter.
"Oh, okay. Well then, up you go." Winter said as she lowered herself, wrapped Sapphire's arms around her neck and lifted her on her back. "Let's go, everyone, follow us." Winter called out, waving at everyone who had retreated back into the hallway from the explosion.
Leading all the slaves out of the city and far from it, Winter took them to a secluded part of the forest. She then laid Sapphire down on a soft patch of grass and went back to them, leaving Sapphire to rest. Winter was careful to not go out of sight from where Sapphire was, in case a monster ventured towards her.
"Midnight wolf (Warrior) (female), name: Sapphire, level 50, HP: 5607/5607, MP: 14/6606, Stamina: 103/8385, Strength: 4016, Defense: 3500, Speed: 4953, Energy: 82% (5827696/7108231 units), Skill Points: 4200. List of skills:
Titles:
Multiple evolution options are available:
Sapphire smiled to herself as she picked the one she wanted, darkness covering her vision as she drifted into a peaceful slumber.