The clearing roared in chaos, the once-damp earth now churned into a mire of blood and broken roots. Ancient trees swayed, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky, silhouetted against the light of a sickly moon. From the heart of this turmoil, Athaan watched, his breath shallow, as Kevin and Aisha faced the Tier-3 Fiend.
They moved in tandem, their strikes fluid yet unpolished, like an instrument played by a skilled but inexperienced hand. Flashes of steel glinted against the oppressive darkness, a desperate rhythm to counter the Fiend's monstrous lunges.
Pulsing trails of shimmering blue enveloped their blades, the raw essence of their Knight Aura bleeding into the battlefield. With every swing, it flared, illuminating the twins' desperate struggle against the creature.
It was a towering menace, just shy of ten feet tall, its sinewy frame wrapped in taut, leathery flesh. Razor-sharp bone protrusions jutted from its massive wings, glinting in the dim light. It moved with predatory precision, each step silent, each motion a calculated threat.
Athaan clenched his fists, staring at the cuffs digging into his skin, their weight grounding him as he stayed in the shadows. His place wasn't on the frontlines — not now. Instead, he bore witness to the unfolding chaos.
"There you are, watching. Again." A melodious voice murmured to him and only him. Inaudible to anyone else.
The Fiend descended, claws raking through the air with deadly intent. Kevin rushed it — with each strike, a deafening thunderclap resounded, and powerful wind currents were stirred. Kevin met the attacks head-on, his longsword carving a sharp arc to intercept. Aura surged along the blade, extending its reach with an ephemeral construct that collided with the Fiend's talons in a radiant burst.
"Too shallow!" Aisha snapped, her voice cutting through the din. She moved in next, her rapier a blur of silver encased in vibrant Aura that shifted with her every movement. But it countered with brutal efficiency.
The creature twisted with unnatural speed, its massive wing sweeping low. It caught her off guard, the impact sending her skidding across the forest floor, her Aura flickering faintly before reasserting itself.
"Aisha!" Kevin's voice cracked with panic.
"I'm fine!" she hissed, pushing to her feet. Blood trickled from a shallow gash on her cheek, her teal eyes blazing with determination. A thin veil of Aura surged around her wound, staunching the bleeding almost instantly. "Focus!"
Athaan's gaze flickered to Krown in the distance. The Knight Commander was a blur of calculated violence, his greatsword cleaving through the air in sweeping arcs. Each swing left trails of Aura in its wake, lingering like the faint echo of a storm. Even against two Tier-3 Fiends, he moved with an almost inhuman precision. But he couldn't spare them aid — not yet.
The twins were on their own.
Kevin's speed was impressive, his strikes decisive, standing at 5'11 against this beast which towered over him. His short, curly raven-black hair shifting in the wind, his crimson eyes leaving behind shimmering trails of light that lagged behind his movements. His longsword was an extension of his will, it gave off a palpable chill of sharpness and lethality — his Aura Trait. Its reach shifting as he poured more energy into it, elongating for wide sweeps or condensing for devastating thrusts.
Aisha, by contrast, was all control and unpredictability. Standing at 5'7 with a rapier that moved like water, her fighting style a flowing one. Her strikes formed seamlessly, her rapier an instrument of precision rather than brute force. Thin tendrils of Aura curled from her blade, creating spectral chains that snaked around the Fiend's limbs, constricting its movements if only for a moment. Her long blonde hair tied in a bun, still held neatly, showing her reflective teal eyes.
Their movements mirrored each other, yet remained distinctly their own. Kevin's attacks bore a sharp, refined power, each swing a cleave meant to break. Aisha's strikes, however, were the needles that stitched together a path to victory.
Kevin showcased outstanding speed and skill that surmounted any previous displays of naivety. Aisha showed more combat skill than her twin brother…. But their inexperience evident in the way their movements faltered under the Fiend's relentless pressure.
The Fiend capitalized on a slight misstep, its wings snapping open as it leapt into the air. Hanging there, impossibly silent, it released a concentrated screech.
The sound was a weapon, a blade of pure force that tore through the clearing. Kevin dropped to one knee, his free hand covering his ears. The pressure was unbearable, the sound digging into his skull like needles. Blood seeping from his eyes, nose and ears.
Aisha gritted her teeth, her rapier trembling in her grip. Her stance faltered under the onslaught, but she forced herself upright, her Aura bolstering her resolve. "It's trying to disorient us!"
The Fiend descended, claws aimed for Kevin's exposed back.
"Move!" Aisha barked, her legs propelling her forward. She slammed into Kevin, knocking him aside just as the Fiend's claws carved into the earth where he had stood.
"Together!" Aisha shouted, her voice however sharp betraying worry for him.
Kevin nodded, his eyes locking with hers for a brief moment. They moved as one, their strikes alternating in a deadly rhythm.
Kevin's sword — it's blade long, narrow and flawlessly sharp — surged with condensed Aura, each strike singing as it split into three spectral copies, accompanying his swings. Meanwhile, Aisha's rapier danced like a needle threading through a storm, spectral constructs forming shields and barriers in their wake.
The creature buckled, its monstrous form weakening under the combined assault. But it wasn't finished. It lashed out, sharp claws cutting through the shield protecting Kevin, slicing his side.
He cried out, blood staining his armor as he struggled to stay on his feet.
Amidst the chaos, their Aura shone brighter. Aisha's rapier glowed fiercely, her constructs transforming into lances of light that rained down on the Fiend from every angle.
The Fiend howled, desperate to stop the pain, its eyes locked on to Kevin as the closer threat, it reached out grabbing him. But he was no stranger to physical might. Infusing his blade with a burst of Aura, he struck down on the beast's skull with the pommel of his blade. It screeched in pain, tossing him onto the ground.
He didn't escape unscatched from that exchange though, it's sharp claws and tight grip had left multiple bone-deep cuts on his body.
The sight of it made Athaan shudder, even from his distant vantage point. His fingers dug into the bark of the tree he was leaning against, his knuckles white.
Aisha saw her chance.
With a burst of speed, Aura surging through her legs, she closed the distance. Her rapier plunged into the Fiend's chest, a radiant explosion tearing through its flesh. Kevin followed, his longsword cleaving through its neck in a final, devastating strike.
The headless corpse collapsed, its blood soaking the forest floor.
The twins stood over their fallen foe, their breaths ragged, their Aura dim but burning.
"See? Not so bad." Kevin muttered, wiping blood from his face. His crimson eyes narrowed as he glanced at Aisha.
"Barely." she replied, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
From his hiding place, Athaan exhaled slowly, relief washing over him. But the battle was far from over.