Maelora awoke with a start. The chill still coursed through her veins, but the pain had lessened as she sat upright.
A black dress draped over her body, large enough that even her fingertips were hidden beneath its long sleeves, while the hem reached her hips as she stood. Other than being a couple sizes larger, and ill-fashioned, she found it quite sturdy.
The only problem was the lingering whiff of the previous owner on it. Maelora's sensory capacity was too high to keep using it, but right now, she had no other choice.
Rummaging through the fabric, she managed to open it and saw that all her wounds had healed. Though blood still clung to her skin and the wounds had left scars, they had closed up, replaced by fresh skin.
She could practically smell the medicinal scent on her body. The bitter taste lingered on her lips. Frowning, she glanced around the dark chamber, but found nothing but murky shadows.
Of all the people that could have come to this chamber, it had to be him, Maelora thought, gritting her teeth at the memory of the hairless simpleton leering at her unconscious body. Then she remembered Gawn—and his betrayal.
Her teeth clenched tighter as she peered into the darkness. While her physical wounds had recovered, the dark essence left by the undead still coursed through her, insidious and pressing deeper into her being with each moment.
At the same time, her essence had begun to recover as well.
Immediately, Maelora focused her essence to defend against the dark energy. She couldn't purify it on her own, but she could hold it at bay until she found someone who could. And there was only one person she could turn to for that.
Maelora had taken Elowen under her wing for this test. Hopefully, Elowen's mother would return the favour by healing her.
Shaking her head, she crept further into the darkness. The test was as good as over, and Maelora had been defeated. She would rather leave quietly than endure Siona's gloating.
The undead creatures could still be lurking in the shadows. Maelora did her best to conceal herself, knowing the abominations were ferocious but lacked sharp perception. She might be able to slip away unnoticed.
After about half an hour of navigating the darkness, Maelora felt more in control. She might not be at her peak, but she was close enough that she wouldn't be so helpless if she had to fight those creatures again. The last time, she'd been weakened after battling Siona. Now that she—
A disturbance ahead stopped her in her tracks. She prepared her wind weave and began to move slowly, scanning the area. The screeches of skeletal creatures echoed, but her eyes widened when she saw a lone figure contending with the undead.
Ki Lien, that fool! she cursed inwardly, rushing to his aid before the simpleton got himself killed.
There were already half a dozen undead wolves—twice the number she had fought earlier—but that didn't deter her. With a gust of wind, her feet lifted into the air, as she thrust it into the creatures, sending several of them flying.
She wasn't sure if the fool had noticed her or not. He remained focused on the two creatures in front of him. Maelora unleashed a Wind Blade, severing the skull of one. It crumpled to the ground, while something strange happened with the other one.
At first, Maelora thought she was seeing things, but it looked as though the hairless simpleton cast an invisible spell to dispatch the creature.
She couldn't believe it, but there was no time to ponder. She flew away using her wind, avoiding the creatures' attacks. It took her a few seconds to materialise another Reinforced Wind Blade, so she could only kill them one by one.
By the time she had finished off her fourth target, half of her essence reserve was depleted. The dark essence inside her continued to sap her strength as she drew on more power. Fortunately, the remaining creatures wouldn't be much of a challenge.
While she was busy finishing the undead without absorbing more dark essence, Ki Lien managed to kill another. Unfortunately, one of the undead had bitten into his skin, infesting him with the same dark energy.
Maelora dispatched the last of the creatures and turned to him. The wounds on his arm had already healed, leaving no scar. She frowned, confused by the rapid recovery.
Did he take a potion while I was busy? Maelora shook her head, feeling too tired for the wondering. "Now we're even."
The hairless fool stared at her with that vacant gaze, tilting his head as though he didn't understand.
"Thank you," he said.
His tone was awkward, his dialect poor, but she understood.
"So you can talk," Maelora said, lifting an eyebrow.
Unfazed by her question, he turned his attention to the dark essence cores inside the creatures.
"Hey, why are you collecting those?!" Maelora shouted. "Leave them be, unless you want to be infested!"
The foolish human didn't listen.