177 The Changeling (1/2)

A numbing sensation was slowly spreading from the wound on my left shoulder. It had already taken my left arm and made it useless. Pretty soon, it would take the rest of me too.

I was already beginning to feel drowsy, and remembering how quickly Edo fell, I suspected a minute or two was all I had before I fainted too.

In front of me, the hashashin who'd stolen Luca's face continued to brandish his two shadowblades at me. His threat was still clear in my head. Move or die — that was his message.

But I couldn't move. Not when Princess Aurana was in his crosshairs. And so, with what little time was left to me, I resolved to end this fight as quickly as possible which meant a single strike filled with all my killing intent.

I exhaled a long breath and then pointed my falchion forward with my one good hand. This was me showing the hashashin that I wasn't about to back down.

He got the message as I could feel a tremendous killing intent surge out of him and slam into me.

I was used to these incredibly suffocating killing intents by now, but I did feel a sharpness from his aura that I'd never felt before. It was like standing in the way of the grim reaper's scythe as it came slashing forward at you.

In response, I sent out my own killing intent which I imagined had gotten considerably stronger since my fight with Jimmy Jonas.

Our wills collided, neither of us backing down from the other, although inside my shirt I couldn't help but sweat buckets at the thought of my time running out on me.

I raised my falchion high at the same time as the hashashin blasted forward and hurtled himself toward me.

Maybe a second or two was all it took for him to bridge the distance between us, but that second was all I needed to swing my shadowblade down on him.

I noticed it earlier, his willingness to get hurt in exchange for hurting me back. It wasn't a bad plan if you were the type to use poisons, and as long as the damage to you wasn't fatal, you could certainly walk out the winner.

However, I'd taken this into account already which is why I used the high-guard stance. Keeping my upper body open just long enough for him to take the bait, and as his sword and dagger came slashing forward, I stepped back a single pace at the same time as I slashed downward.

I was suddenly out of his range but he'd extended forward enough to still be in mine and so my falchion came crashing down on his other shoulder and cut deep into him.

Blood gushed out of his wound in a spray, and I took a second step back to avoid that. But as I felt victory within my reach, I felt a stabbing pain in my right leg, and it was only then that I saw the kris dagger poking into me. It was held there by a hand attached to an arm that was unnecessarily long.

\”Sh**,\” I hissed, realizing too late that my enemy had another advantage I failed to take into account.

\”You can change shape,\” I reasoned.

The hashashin that still wore Luca's face was much taller now than Luca ever was. His body stretched and distorted to unbelievable proportions. Even worse, the wounds I'd inflicted seemed like lesser wounds now that his form had elongated.

\”It's a changeling,\” Princess Aurana called from behind. \”A rare kind of fairy with the ability to change its shape and form…\”

\”Great… and here I thought I'd seen them all,\” I growled.

My mind was a blur of pain and a feeling akin to some kind of anesthetic. Fool's Insight deactivated too as it was impossible to maintain under the circumstances.

\”You should have stepped away, Dean,\” the hashashin said in Luca's voice.

\”Shut up,\” I countered.

I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Aura was finally done treating Edo. He was already beginning to stir but he would be a minute or two too late. No way would the hashashin allow him to recover in time before it finished the job.

My eyes found Princess Aurana gazing back at me, and even through the haze beginning to cloud my mind, I couldn't help but think of how pretty she was and how fiery she looked at this exact moment, the defiance clear in her eyes.

And just like that, my plan to tag out and let Ashley handle the rest fizzled out as a light bulb lit up inside my head.

\”Princess… I'm going to need a blessing,\” I said as I raised myself up with the help of my falchion. \”Give me a minute… will you.\”

\”Oh, Dean,\” the hashashin dangled a finger at me. \”And here I thought you didn't cheat…\”

\”I don't want to hear that from a poison carrying bastard like you,\” I countered.

The hashashin lashed out at me with outstretched hands like a king cobra striking down its prey, but I managed one final trick despite my brain feeling lethargic.

\”Oh, great fool, let my sight turn deathly cold that I might turn my foes to stone!\” I yelled.