"Men speak of bravery until they meet what does not bleed. Then silence teaches them what fear truly is."
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Dark elf blood sang in her veins as she launched herself forward, tapping into genetic gifts that set her apart from purely human stock. Her kind had been bred for war in ages past, shaped by conflict and selection until speed and grace became as natural as breathing. Time seemed to slow as her enhanced reflexes kicked in, the world taking on the crystalline clarity that came with mortal danger.
She moved like a liquid shadow, crossing the distance to the struggling demon hound in three flowing steps. The Marduk was focused entirely on crushing Adnir's sword, its attention locked on the immediate task of destruction. It never saw her coming until her dagger found its mark, steel biting deep into the creature's side just behind its foreleg.
For a moment, triumph flared in her chest. The blow had been perfect, delivered with all her strength and enhanced speed, driven by desperate love for the foolish boys she was trying to protect. She had struck true, finding what would have been a vital organ in any natural creature.
But her smile of victory faded like smoke as the Marduk barely reacted to the wound. Dark ichor oozed from the puncture, steaming as it hit the wooden floor, but the creature showed no sign of pain or weakening. Instead, it released its grip on Adnir's sword and turned toward her with those six amber eyes blazing like coals from a forge.
The intelligence in that gaze was perhaps the most terrifying thing of all. This was no mere beast driven by hunger or territorial instinct. The Marduk possessed a malevolent awareness that recognized her as a threat, catalogued her capabilities, and found her wanting. It looked at her the way a human might look at an annoying insect, something to be swatted aside before returning to more important business.
Before she could pull her blade free and strike again, the creature's massive paw swept across her body with violence. Claws designed to rend stone and metal caught her across the ribs and shoulder, sending her flying through the air like a piece of wood. She crashed into the side of her own bar with bone-jarring force, the impact driving the air from her lungs and sending stars exploding across her vision.
Pain lanced through her head as it connected with the wooden counter, and she felt warm blood trickling down her left forearm where the creature's claws had found their mark. The wounds weren't deep, more luck than any skill on her part, but they served as a stark reminder of just how outmatched she truly was.
Through the haze of pain and disorientation, she heard the distinctive sound of steel shattering. Adnir's sword finally gave up its unequal struggle, fragmenting into a dozen pieces that scattered across the inn's floor like fallen stars. The young man's cry of despair was cut short as the Marduk's jaws closed around his head with a wet crunch that echoed through the chamber like thunder.
"Kael!" she screamed, pushing herself up on trembling arms despite the agony that shot through her skull with every movement. "Help him!"
But even as the words left her lips, she knew it was too late. The brief struggle was over, and silence had fallen like a burial shroud over the common room. Where Adnir had stood moments before, there was only spreading crimson and the creature's satisfied rumble as it licked blood from its crystalline fangs.
Kael remained frozen, his face pale as parchment and his hands shaking so violently that his sword rattled against his belt. The revolutionary leader who had been so ready to wage war against impossible odds was paralyzed by the sight of his best friend's death, reduced to a terrified child in the face of supernatural horror.