"Stay down!" Jade hissed to her brother, wrenching herself free from the seatbelt. The car door was jammed, and she wasted no time kicking it free from its housing. The sedan must've been armored, as the door fell to the ground with a heavy crash, instantly attracting the attention of the oncoming figures.
"Freeze!" A man shouted in slightly accented English. "Get on the ground!"
Jade didn't need contextual clues to know that following those instructions would be a bad idea. Even if they hadn't just wrecked their ride, she could taste the hostility dripping from their minds. If it had just been her, she may have run. But it wasn't. Alan was here, and these people had hurt him.
Her body tingled, stretching and shifting as wings burst from her back. There were no thoughts about hiding her identity or true nature. After months of constant battle, Jade's instinctive reaction to any threat was to hit it as hard as she could, as fast as she could. Caught without her usual weapons or armor, her demon form was the best advantage Jade had.
"What the-"
One of the figures said, skidding to a stop. She sounded like a woman, but it was hard to tell under the dark fatigues and face masks. She was holding a gnarled wooden staff that appeared completely incongruous with the rest of her paramilitary outfit. There were six of them, covered head to toe in unmarked uniforms. Jade didn't have time to take in anything else before she was on the woman, her demonic claws extended and slashing. Blood sprayed into the air, accompanied by a cry of pain as the woman stumbled back, her arms raised to ward Jade away.
She pursued with a snarl, her battle-hardened subconscious taking in more about the situation as she fought. The crash had taken them onto the median, and there was practically no cover. A few of the men were already bringing rifles to bear on her, and Jade had no illusions about how she would hold up against being pumped full of bullets with neither her armor much of a defensive boost from her Seducer's Mantle ability. It was a chilly evening, and she didn't have nearly enough exposed skin for that buff to be substantial. Without cover or armor, a defensive fight would be futile.
That left going on the offensive.
Jade charged straight into the middle of the group, activating vital sight and tearing into the staff wielder again. Hopefully, the ones with guns would be hesitant to fire at her in the midst of all their allies. That hope was immediately dashed as a bullet punched a white-hot hole clean through one of her wings.
Crack crack crack!
More bullets whizzed past, narrowly missing her. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Jade warped to the side in a blast of motion.
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Mirage Step
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Rating: C Level talent
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Cost: Low mana
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Duration: Instant
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Cooldown: 20 seconds
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Effect: Shift to a nearby location at great speed, leaving a brief afterimage in your wake. There must be a clear and direct path between you and the destination. You may use this talent before the cooldown has elapsed for a medium mana cost. The illusory duplicate erupts in a burst of light upon taking damage, briefly blinding anyone nearby. This is a dimension effect.
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Her newly improved talent took her outside the circle of enemies, depositing her behind one of the rifle wielders. Jade's claws tore through his back before he even knew she was there even as his companions blasted her duplicate, which exploded into dazzling starbursts. Kicking the man to the ground and stepping over him, Jade channeled her simmering anger into an expanding aura of insidious, captivating magic.
"Stop.…" she said, sweeping her gaze across her mysterious assailants, bestowing upon them a venomous smile. "You don't want to fight me."
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Enrapture
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Rating: B level spell
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Cost: High mana
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Duration: 1 minute
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Cooldown: 1 minute
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Effect: Captivate all nearby creatures that can see you with your divine visage, rooting them in place and rendering them unable to act. This effect has a high chance to end if a target takes damage or can no longer see you. After the spell ends, the target suffers a temporary penalty to all stats. This is a charm effect.
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The magical aura swept across her foes in an invisible wave, pulling each of their gazes to her. The three armed with firearms immediately stilled, gazing upon Jade's figure with awe. The woman with the staff was not so easily cowed, however, and she levelled her implement at Jade's chest. Vines burst from the muddy, rain-soaked ground before she could react, wrapping their way around Jade's legs and rooting her in place.
"Get her!"
Fortunately for Jade, the spellcaster wasted a precious moment trying to shake one of her companions out of his stupor. She knelt, tearing at the vines with razor sharp claws that made short work of the conjured restraints. Hearing the start of an incantation, Jade rolled to the side as soon as she pulled herself free, just catching the edge of a barrage of wicked thorns that blasted from the woman's staff in a tight cone. Several pierced Jade's left side, easily slicing through her jacket and clothes to bury themselves in her skin. She felt the familiar burning of venom searing her skin, only for the sensation to quickly fade as her innate resistance to poison battled the effect.
Jade rolled to her feet, grinning savagely at the caster as she darted between the loose ring of charmed soldiers, rapidly closing the gap between them. One man was down, three were charmed, and the caster was already wounded. All she had to do was take her down, then deal with the rest.
Wait…
Jade ducked another blast of thorns, easily avoiding them now that she was free. She did a quick mental count.
Weren't there six of them?
The realization came too late. A shadowy form resolved beside her, appearing from thin air as the invisibility effect faded. The sixth soldier, this one armed with a serrated bone dagger, plunged the blade straight into Jade's side.
Pain exploded through her flank as the blade hit home, delivering another dose of stinging poison into her blood. Only her C rank fortitude kept her standing after a blow that would have killed or crippled any normal human. Jade lurched away with an agonized grunt, a familiar fury filling her with strength.
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"Thanks." She gasped to the assassin, whose posture indicated surprise that she was still standing. "I needed one of these."
Jade wrenched the blade from her side and kicked the man away. She ducked behind one of the still-charmed soldiers, using him as cover from the caster. Gripping the blade that was still slick with her own blood, she poured mana into the weapon and hurled it towards the staff wielder. The dagger split mid-flight, morphing into three whirling projectiles as she triggered another talent. The mage… druid? Caught the first on a wooden shield that grew from her arm as she held it up. The second deflected off some kind of body armor worn under her fatigues, but the third struck true.
The poisoned dagger sank into her shoulder, causing the woman to cry out and drop her staff. Jade surged forward, activating mirage step again, seeking to finish her off before her companion could react. The mana hungry talent could burn through large swaths of her magic when used in rapid succession, but it was a necessary risk. The charm effect on the soldiers wouldn't last much longer. She had to finish this now.
Jade appeared in front of the caster an instant later. She slashed at her just as their eyes met, and Jade found herself staring into the woman's wide, fear filled eyes. There was a flicker of hesitation. Jade had grown accustomed to killing Labyrinth monsters, but not yet people. Her people. Clenching her fist mid-swipe, Jade tried to slam her to the ground with a punch rather than slice her foe open. The moment of hesitation cost her. The mage made a sharp gesture, and long wooden barbs projected from her open palm, several of them slamming into Jade's chest like thin spears. Most of them cracked, splintering against her toughened body, but two penetrated, stabbing into her midriff.
Another grunt. Another burst of pain. Jade's swing went wide, missing the woman as she jumped away, readying another spell.
"Get her already!" The woman's voice had risen an octave. "What are y-"
CRACK CRACK!
Blood fountained from the woman's chest, splatting across Jade's face as she fell to the ground with a scream. The L-Ref soldier, their driver, was lying on the ground behind the car where Alan was currently pulling her to safety. She was on her side, blood running down her face, sidearm in hand as she unloaded into the mage's back. The caster twisted on the ground, what was visible of her face beneath the mask twisted in pain as she conjured up another spell, aiming it at the soldier and Alan.
"No!"
Jade snarled, lunging for her. Fear and anger washed away the last dregs of her hesitation and she sank her claws into the woman's throat. A sharp pull, another burst of blood, and her corpse fell to the ground.
Almost there!
One more to go, but she had to take him out quickly. Her enrapture spell had almost expired. Jade pulled the bloody dagger free from the caster's shoulder and spun just in time to see the flickering form of the assassin resolve beside her, the invisibility fading as he struck.
"Noctis!"
Jade sent a ray of darkness at him just as the man, now armed with a second dagger, struck. The spell took hold just in time, blinding him with a cloud of darkness that clung to his face. Jade ducked to the side, feeling his blade graze her shoulder as she tore at him with demonic ferocity. Her fortified speed far outmatched his, and now he couldn't see. Jade cut him down before whatever magic was cloaking him could reform, leaving the would-be-assassin lying motionless in a slowly expanding pool of blood. She spun towards the remaining three charmed soldiers just as the last of the enchanting magic fizzled out, hurling her dagger at the closest of them and channeling mana into another hail blade. This time her aim was off, the blades whizzing between two of the startled men as they snapped out of their confused stupor. Before she could close the distance the three of them fell back, jumping into the still-open back of the van and shouting something to the driver.
An engine roared to life and tires screeched, spraying Jade with water and mud as the vehicle lurched into motion. It tore off down the road with Jade in hot pursuit, her enhanced agility making her almost as fast and far more maneuverable. Blood lust pounded in her ears and something deep within her whispered at her, demanding that she catch those who dared hurt her. Who dared try to hurt her brother. She couldn't let that stand. Jade would cut them down-
Her brother.
Alan…
Jade stopped in the empty street, cold rain soaking through her bloody clothes. Had she really been about to leave her brother to chase after those men? When he, not to mention their escort, could be wounded, or in more danger?
No… no. I need to keep control.
She took a deep, ragged breath. A careful look around revealed no more threats. The few people who had been out in the frigid rain had scattered at the first gunshots, there weren't even any passing cars. Satisfied they were safe for the moment, Jade ran back to check on the others.
"Alan!" She called, nearing the wrecked car. "Alan, are you okay?!"
She barely noticed her throbbing wounds, or the blood slowly seeping from her shirt. Her wing still throbbed where it had been shot straight through. There was an emergency healing potion tucked away in a pocket, but she wasn't going to drink it. Not until she made sure-
Alan was kneeling beside their escort behind the car, holding his hands against a gash in her side. He looked up at her approach, gazing at her with surprise and… suspicion?
"Jade?" He asked hesitantly, looking her up and down. There was a little fear in his voice. That probably wasn't surprising after what they'd just gone through, but hearing it directed at her-
Oh… shit.
With a thought, Jade shifted back into her human form. Her horns, tail, and wings melded back into her body, leaving her looking human once more. The two of them, Alan and the soldier, watched the transformation with wide eyes.
"It's a power." She explained, holding up her hands as the wounded woman fumbled a spare magazine into her sidearm. "It's nothing to be afraid of."
Alan relaxed slightly, although he didn't look entirely sure. The soldier wasn't buying it.
"What… what are you?" She asked, raising her gun and pointing it at Jade. "We haven't seen anything like that before."
"There's a bunch of weird shit in the Labyrinth." Jade said, gritting her teeth against the pain of her injuries. It was getting harder to ignore. "There's a lot more than shapechanging in that world."
"Shapechanging?" Alan asked.
"I'm taking you in to see the director." The soldier said. "She'll need to clear this."
This was getting tiresome. Jade laced her next words with alluring magic, meeting the soldier's eyes and taking a step closer, hands still raised.
"You don't need to clear this with the director."
The woman blinked, easing back against the trunk of the car.
"I… don't need to clear this with her."
"We've discussed this already. It needs to be kept a secret."
"It needs to be kept a secret."
She saw Alan watching this exchange with raised eyebrows. She gave him a thumbs up. Mentally grasping the strands of magic connecting them, she sank a little more power into the bonds. They shook, like strings that she'd just plucked, and then solidified.
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Ability: Enduring Temptation
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Solidify the links between yourself and creatures you have charmed. While a creature is under the effect of one of your enchantments you may touch them to transform the duration of the condition to 'until dispelled'. Doing so requires you to commit a portion of your maximum mana to maintaining the enchantment proportional to the creature's power. This mana will be unavailable to you while you maintain this bond.
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Using this power will not change the nature or strength of the charm effect.
Satisfied that the woman wouldn't be an immediate problem, she faced her brother.
"You okay, champ?"
"I'm fine." He said, still sounding a little shaken. "Who were those people?"
"I have no idea, but hopefully we can find out."
Jade could hear sirens approaching. Help would be here soon. They'd be safe back in the compound.
Unless L-Ref is involved…
But no, that was being paranoid. Their driver certainly hadn't been in on this, she had shot one of her attackers in the back, even after being shocked by Jade's transformation.
"Did… you kill them?" Alan asked softly, looking at the unmoving bodies sprawled on the muddy ground between the streets.
"They were trying to kill us."
It came out more harshly than she intended and Jade winced.
"Sorry, I-"
"No, you're right." Her brother shook his head. He took his hands away from the soldier's side. Her wound had stopped bleeding. "But… why? And what did you do to her?" He asked, nodding to the side. The woman was placidly listening to the conversation, her expression neutral as she tended to her injuries and radioed back to the compound, requesting aid.
"Just a spell to keep her calm while we figure things out." Jade said, finally drinking her healing potion. Sweet, cool relief washed through her, and the worst of her pains eased considerably.
"Like a Jedi?"
"Honestly, probably more like a Sith…"
"Eh, that's cooler anyway." Alan grinned.
She didn't need to her emotional senses to know that he was forcing it. Her brother's mind was in turmoil. The attack, the violence, and, more than anything, seeing her fight like that. Jade's stomach twisted into a knot. She hadn't wanted him to see her like this.
Jade sighed, slumping to the ground beside him as the first of the emergency vehicles stopped, medics hopping out of ambulances. To her surprise, Alan put his hand on her arm, giving her a soft squeeze. He didn't say anything, but that small show of support spoke volumes.
"As for who they were…" Jade continued, holding her hand up to show her glowing wayfarer mark to the approaching responders. "That's something I plan on finding out."