Page 5 of Huntress

She’d spent too much time in awe of the beast, and he’d finished his assessment. The demon lunged, its massive size collapsing with a booming thunderclap, giving him speed as he closed the distance between them in less than a second.

Elsie pushed back and spun to the side, letting him breeze past her, wiry fur brushing her leather-covered thigh. He was fast! She pivoted, trying to keep an eye on him, but he was already behind her, coming in for another attempt. She grunted, barely sidestepping in time, and before she knew it, she was locked in a battle of speed, where one wrong move would cost her a limb.

It was a deadly dance of pure instinct. Bracing and dodging, ducking and sliding. Her mind raced to form a plan. She palmed her knife, cursing under her breath. Albright would be getting an earful about this later.

Their movements kicked up dust from the sand, making the air murky as the metallic scent of blood filled the air. Untold numbers of demons had fought and died here, their life’s blood seeping in to stain and become part of the substrate.

In quick glances, Elsie searched the ground for his magical signature, trying to figure out what element he would throw her way when he finished toying with her. It was a talent passed down by her mad king father. She saw traces of magic left behind by magical creatures, great or small.

There were plenty of fading trails from demons who’d fought there in past weeks, but nothing fresher than a few days old. This demon had magic in spades, simmering beneath the surface, but she couldn’t find the slightest trace of it actually being used.

She grunted at a near miss while scraping the dark recesses of her mind for memories of what type of magic wolfhounds typically possessed. These things hunted down entire demonic wolf packs for fun, which meant whatever magic he used, he’d be packing one hell of a punch.

Elsie threw her arm up to block a lunging fang, then pivoted as he sprang away. The hound lurked along the wall, attempting to circle around her.

He watched her, calculating and patient, but angry. His head tilted slightly, keeping one eye on her. The demon’s initial attack hadn’t worked in his favor, forcing him to devise a new strategy.

The faintest shimmer rippled across his fur, breaking off and sparkling until it shattered upon hitting the sand. Distracted, Elsie’s eyes followed it for a fraction of a second. He darted in, teeth bared, but he’d let her see too much.

Crystal magic. A magic even more unpredictable and dangerous than the air element. An air elemental could trap you in a bubble and suck out all the oxygen. A light moon elemental? The best among them could crystallize the moisture inside a person’s lungs. Or, even more terrifying, they’d crystallize a person’s blood, weaponizing the shards and destroying their enemy from within.

That’s the magic this demon had inside of him. So why wasn’t he using it? She didn’t wait around to find out.

Elsie lunged toward her opponent as he closed in, grabbing a thick foreleg with both hands to yank him off his feet. The ground rippled with power as he slammed into it, skidding several feet with the force of his momentum.

Earth magic. He was a dual wielder, holding within him both the most commonplace magic and one of the rarest. Dual wielders weren’t unheard of among magical creatures, but she came across them less often these days as all types of magic were dwindling away.

She rushed forward, knife at the ready, and for a hair’s breadth of a second their eyes met. The depth of his hatred was staggering. She hesitated, and he used the opportunity to slip out of reach.

His size fluctuated from one movement to the next. He’d lunge in at full size, throwing his heavy weight around, then when she blocked his attack or went on the offensive, he’d shrink to turn on the speed and put distance between them.

“Come on, Else, finish it already. It’s our day off!” a familiar voice jeered from the crowd, followed by a shout of agreement. Elsie smirked at the complaint until she realized what hearing that voice meant, and the smirk became a frown.

Albright had a bigger motive for harassing her this morning. They’d dragged her squad out for this spectacle, too. And that just pissed her off. They’d only arrived back from their latest mission a few hours ago; her people deserved some rest, damn it!

Focused on her, the demon didn’t so much as cock an ear toward the shout. He growled at her change in demeanor. Streaking toward her, he flashed his fangs, aiming for her throat. Elsie snarled right back and took his charge head-on.

She rushed at him, throwing off his timing, but it wasn’t enough. A collective gasp echoed through the crowd when he managed to grab hold of her left arm. Elsie twisted and shoved the knife into his mouth before he could snap his jaws shut. Slicing upward, the blade connected with the roof of his mouth.

The wolfhound recoiled, gasping in a choked breath with the faintest hint of a whine. He flung his head sideways as he let her go. The blade slid free, and Elsie sailed through the air, colliding with the wall at the far end of the arena.

Elsie slumped to the ground, where she stayed for several seconds. Ringing in her ears roared above all else, and the sand suddenly seemed all too comfortable a place to stay. She knew better, though, and dragged herself to her feet. A hunter’s biggest mistake was taking their eyes off their opponent in battle, even for a moment.

The hound backed away, shaking his head furiously and giving the sand a taste of his blood, like those who’d died before him. A few droplets formed shards of glass, then shattered where they fell.

He’d been in the perfect position to cause her real, lasting damage. Not even their best healers could regrow a limb. But the demon lacked the ruthlessness of a seasoned warrior; releasing her over a non-fatal wound was a mistake. Hell, with a demon’s healing abilities, she’d barely hurt him. His body was too tough, and her knife hadn’t gone as deep as she’d anticipated.

He must be young. She refused to think about why that realization bothered her.

Elsie kept the pressure on, following close and forcing his continued retreat. She couldn’t let him use his magic. His emotions shifted, resolve building with each step she took towards him.

He grew again, his size almost doubling until he towered above her. Bracing his muscles, he jumped over her head, giving himself more space to breathe. She whirled to face him when his fangs grazed the same arm, tearing the sleeve. Elsie gritted her teeth. She didn’t have time for this shit.

Recovered from her assault, the wolfhound streaked toward her, renewed rage making his movements faster, deadlier. They exchanged blow after blow, clashing, chasing, and retreating before coming together time and again.

Elsie gave as good as she got, collecting a new injury for each she gave in return. Even without using his magic, he made her work for it. A deep scowl settled on her face as the fight carried on well beyond a typical training session. The results would be different if she weren’t coming into this fight after months of nonstop missions, wearing her down to exhaustion.

Something was wrong with this demon and his refusal to use magic. Even the cockiest demon threw their magic around when pressured. He was still playing with her.