Shadows rippled around the beast, curling like living tendrils, wrapping around its body. The shadows thickened, swirling, pulsing—splitting.
Two identical panthers stepped from the shifting mass, their eyes gleaming with the same merciless hunger.
Reign felt his heart drop to his stomach; he couldn't help but feel a sinking sense of despair. Three. There were three of them now
He hadn't even been able to resist a single panther; with two more he was basically doomed, but Reign was not done. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up, his fingers curling once more around the hilt.
He was damned if he was going to give in without a fight. He would make sure the panther felt the full force of his wrath before he went down.
At this time, , Mirage's voice rang in his mind, disturbingly calm. "Your luck is terrible."
"You said that already. " Rein grumbled out loud.
Mirage ignored him and continued, "That's a Dark Shadow Panther—a tier-two beast, as strong as a tier-two warrior. They don't usually attack during the day. Preferring to hunt at night. You must have truly awful fortune to be ambushed like this."
Reign's chest heaved. "Not helping."
Mirage continued anyway. "Some tier-two beasts have skills. That's its ability—Shadow Clone. It creates copies of itself to disorient its prey. I really should have taught you how to use mental strength. You would have been able to at least tell them apart"
The panther didn't give Mirage a chance to explain, they circled around Reign then leapt together.
Reign didn't know which one to strike, he struck at the closest one to him. The sword sung through the air, splitting the atmosphere into two and landed on the panther.
It hit nothing but air, passing through the panther's illusory shadow body. Reign knew he had fucked up, and the strike left him open to the real panther, which didn't miss the chance.
It sprang up, it's maw open, Reign didn't even have time to react, he could only raise his arm protectively as the panther slammed into him.
Reign felt like he had been hit by a truck, a monstrous strength knocked onto him and he felt the panther's fangs lock onto his arm, it had prevented it from locking onto it's true target, his throat.
The panther landed on him, its sharp claws sinking onto his chest. It's eyes had a shine of triumph as they locked onto Reign's eyes below it.
However Reign's eyes had no sign of defeat, only a burning ferociousness. the panther was taken aback but it suddenly stilled as a sharp sword thrust into it's skull from below.
It pierced clean through and the panther shook, its fierce eyes dimmed as it fell onto Reign's body.
Mirage's voice rang in his head, "I can't believe you survived that." Reign laughed out aloud. He couldn't either.
The panther outmatched him in every way, it was stronger, faster, more experienced and it had magical skills. Reign had only won because of one thing, he had been ruthless.
He had given it his arm to chomp on to give him a chance to use his only advantage, the sharp sword.
Reign tried to move his body but piercing pains announced their existence all over his body, each vying for is attention.
The worst was in his left arm, the arrow wound had not healed and now it had been used as a big cat's chew toy, he didn't even want to know how it looked.
Reign tried to push the panther's heavy body away from himself, he tried to exert strength but it felt as if it weighed a ton.
His strong muscles protested and Reign felt all the fatigue, hunger, tiredness and blood loss hit him. He felt his vision begin to blur and his consciousness become hazy.
He remembered his situation and tried to will his body to action but it disobeyed him. He felt himself sink deeper and deeper into oblivion.
Before he fell completely unconscious, he could have sworn that he heard the soft sound of footsteps approach him.
Reign came to consciousness and subconsciously wanted to turn around and pull up his blankets. He willed his arm to move and pull up the blankets.
However, a dull and sore ache announced itself on his arms and he suddenly came to. He remembered all the events that had happened. He subconsciously tried to stand up, panic rising in him
Mirage's voice rang out within his mind, "Relax. You are in a relatively safe place"
Her voice stilled Reign's panic and he actually took the chance to properly assess his surroundings. A soft, flickering light danced across the room, accompanied by the faint crackling of a fire. It complimented the warm sunlight that fell in neat rays on the wooden walls.
The warmth of the fire seeped into his aching limbs, a stark contrast to the cold, damp forest where he had last collapsed. His body felt heavy, his thoughts sluggish, as if he had been asleep for quite a while
The scent of herbs and something faintly sweet—honey, maybe—filled the air. Slowly, he swept his eyes across the room, greeted by a wooden ceiling strung with bundles of dried flowers and herbs, their muted colors swaying gently.
He shifted, wincing as a dull ache radiated from his wounds. Beneath him was a bed of impossibly soft furs, the texture a soothing balm against his battered body. He inspected his most grievous wound, his arm and saw it wrapped securely in white gauze.
He continued his inspection of the room, bathed in golden candlelight, the fireplace continued crackling gently in the corner, casting dancing shadows along the carved wooden walls.
Shelves lined with earthen jars and bottles crowded one side of the room, their contents unknown but exuding a faintly magical hum to his enhanced senses.
Then, he heard it—the quiet rustling of fabric. He turned his head and saw her, at the entrance to the small room a woman appeared.