Chapter 261 - The Wailing of a Witness (2/2)

”Conceal yourself from it,” Devina ordered.

Aina was quick to follow her lead as Devina drew on the light nearby, what little she could muster, and folded it around herself. To those around them, the air seemed to shimmer and ripple before nothing out of the ordinary seemed to occupy the space beside the building on the main street.

Aina and Devina held their breaths as they felt the wrongness pass them by. As they felt it twist and bend with a sort of irresistible d.e.s.i.r.e. A d.e.s.i.r.e that neither of them wished to be on the opposite side of. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it sharpened to a point, then was gone. Just as Devina went to take a breath, she felt a breeze blast down from above.

The shield around Devina dropped and she stepped out further into the street. She looked down towards where the wrongness had pointed, then at the space above her where the breeze had come from.

”It's on the buildings”.

Devina rushed forward in the direction it had went, Aina on her heels.

The Paladin drew her staff in preparation, Devina hearing the distinct shik of it extending from a rod about 30 centimetres in length, to six times that. The weapon held no blade, as the Holy Order was did not train it's Paladins so that they could kill. No, the weapon was designed so that it would compliment the Light Element they all used. Could the Paladins use a blade should they need to? Of course, but only as a last resort.

Devina could make out the figures of the two women that had passed her earlier. She sped up, almost upon them when they paused, looking into an alley beside them. Devina paused with them, waiting for a moment as if something would happen. But nothing did, and the girls simply walked quickly away from the alley.

Devina's eyes focused there, her senses alerting her that that was exactly where the shadow was. Where the wrongness was congregating.

Devina summoned light to her hand as she stepped forward, Aina ducking down to rush forward before her and confront what was in the alley way as Devina held up the light and released it.

The wrongness recoiled. Accompanied by the sound of some sort of animalistic growl and hiss wrapped in one. Devina registered a figure, no, two figures against the wall of one of the buildings. The dark brown braid of the one facing the wall whipped to the side as the figure's head turned. Devina registered the clash of unnatural red eyes as Aina lifted her staff and swung.

The figure seemed to move to step back to avoid the blow, then vanished, the wind rushing from where he'd stood. Aina, right beside the source could only shield her eyes from the muck of the alley being blasted up, then the swish of her metal rod cut through the sudden silence as she straightened and looked for her opponent.

But he was gone, as was the wrongness.

The man who had his back against the wall whimpered, then slipped down it to sit on the ground. Devina approached, letting light come to her hand once more as her initial blast faded and the shadows of the alley began to close in.

Aina pointed her staff at the man, ”What happened?”

”..He...he tried to eat me!” The man whimpered.

Aina frowned, looking up at Devina, then back at the man.

”What?”

The man looked up at them, eyes wide in his fear before he stood, seemingly unbothered by Aina's staff. Both of the Priestesses stepped back to give him room as he pulled his collar away from his dark and unwashed skin to reveal two identical puncture holes in his neck, both of them bleeding quite rapidly.

”He tried to eat me!” The man wailed, ”I could feel him pulling my blood from my body, he tried to eat me I tell you!”

Aina frowned, looking at Devina as she lowered her staff. As if Devina could give some kind of explanation or guidance of the situation. The man seemed to realise that he would not get the attention he d.e.s.i.r.ed from the two of them, and moved towards the streets, ”It tried to eat me! Monster! There's a Monster here hunting for blood!”