10 - Claw

by SilkyNoire

Amidst the chill of the open night sky, Sariel danced through the ruins without a sound. Selûne shone dimly above her, masking her presence to anyone that couldn't see in the darkness. In the middle of the ruins, at the base of an amphitheatre, she found her goal. A dozen scarlet robed individuals, perhaps more, were enthralled by a chant. Amidst them was the corpse of a large creature Sariel didn't recognise. Long, powerful arms, a fiendish visage, and rippling muscles were all she needed to know that it was bad news.

"Who goes there!?" A voice demanded from her rear, followed by the sound of a blade being drawn from a scabbard.

Without hesitation, Sariel spun and drew her own dagger. A robed man was lunging at her, blade aimed at her gut. She darted past his blade, slicing across his neck as she did so. He dropped to the ground in a heap, which was good. What was not so good was his blade, which flew from his hand, and clattered all the way to the bottom of the amphitheatre. Every bounce of the metal on stone caused Sariel to cringe. By the time it had reached the bottom, almost everyone was staring at her.

Before anyone could say or do anything, the man leading the ritual shouted. "Fools! You must conc-"

His words were cut short by blooded gurgling. The monstrosity on the table, which Sariel now thought was some kind of advanced flesh golem, had forced its great claw right through the leader's chest. A moment later, it took a robed head in its other hand, then smashed it against the stone with a wet thud. The robed people began screaming and shouting, then slashing with weapons and casting spells. Sariel had clearly been forgotten in the sudden, violent chaos of it. She watched as the creature stood up, towering before its creators. One robed woman screamed as she was picked up, then wrenched like one would with a wet towel. Another man was decapitated with a single slice.

Before long, the creature had slaughtered everyone close to it. Its eyes narrowed at the dim blue glow of Sariel's summoned bow. She loosed arrow after arrow into it as it slowly stalked towards her, but they were having little effect. All the damage at least had a cosmetic impact on the creature, but Sariel wasn't sure how hurt it truly was. She backed up as it approached, but it just kept coming. She had to escape.

She pointed an incorporeal arrow at the creature, concentrated, and shouted "Umbra!" in the precise intonation she had learned.

A pitch-black sphere of inky blackness pooled from the creature. The magic within Sariel allowed her to see through the darkness spell, her eyes glowing ever so unnaturally. She sprinted towards the creature, which was wildly swinging its claws, and slid under it. It barely missed decapitating her, instead slicing a few strands of hair. She almost stood up, but hesitated for a split second. A second claw swiped at the air where she would have been.

Before the creature could recover, Sariel darted into the nearest cover - an overgrown building. Unfortunately, the door on the other side had been buried in rubble. Deep thudding and wicked snarling announced the creature's presence within the building. She released her magical bow, causing the room to plunge into darkness. All she could hear were the short, sharp, nearly panicked breaths she was suddenly extremely aware of. Backing up to a wall, she could feel the rhythmic vibrations of walking from the other side, and sharp claws being dragged along the stone wall. She put her hands to her mouth, holding her breath.

The creature snarled, and she could see its claws curl around the corner. She closed her eyes, and hoped it didn't see her.