Speedster

Knowing there is little time left, Toki rushes over to the casket containing his spear. He reaches inside, taking a grasp of the spear in his hands; his right hand was on the upper part, while his left hand gripped the lower part.

It's lighter than I expected; hopefully it can survive whatever those things strike.

“Everyone stand behind me.” Toki positions himself in front of the group while they start huddling behind him; their tents serve as a protection measure from the side, so only two sides have to be covered.

The silhouette quickens its speed. Shina could feel its gaze, waiting to find a perfect moment to strike at its target. The intimidating speed of the silhouette started to even make her double-take her sight.

Hiwo adds on an order, “Ayuri try getting a clear shot at it; getting rid of that speed is ideal. Shina, use your orb to cover the back just in case.”

The group get into formation, their focus fully trained on this silhouette that seems to have a never-ending amount of energy.

This person is strong, not just strong, but could wipe us out if we lose our guard even for a second.

He twists back towards Shina. “Do you see it anymore?”

“No, it's outrunning even my reflexes.” Her voice had a hint of fear etched into it; despite her best efforts, it seemed even the ice-cold queen could break in the right situations.

I need to think of something if we can't catch it, hit it, or even see it. It needs to strike us. It won't however just rush into us straight on, knowing it has the upper hand. Baiting it towards us is the only chance we have.

With a new awareness, he shouts to Hiwo, “I think it's the best time to summon our goddess right now; make sure it's loud.”

Looking back at Toki, he understands the gist of his plan. He kneels on the floor. His power surging through his hands as the black fog starts manifesting from the ground, it wasn’t massive, but enough to be visible from their enemies view.

“Goddess of falsity! Come forth and guide your representatives like promised,” his shout echoes across the grassy fields that surround the camp, the voice penetrating even the attacker's ears.

The fog continues to grow in size, soon covering the entire group's feet and reaching the size of the camp. Its spread getting bigger.

I will lower my guard a bit, giving an opening for the attacker.

His spear lowers slightly; a false feeling of pride and security from the fog triggers the attacker's predatory instincts; their footsteps tap softly off of the grassy fields with lightning-fast speed. It rushes straight towards Toki, awaiting this exact moment, just a metre away from his body.

My stomach is twisting and hardening. I need to block.

At the same time as the figure dashes right next to him, his instincts kick into play, forcing his hands upwards into a block stance. The spear shakes from the impact of a claw-like weapon attack, the metal letting out a scraping sound.

Taking in the figure's features, Toki notices an average-sized woman staring straight into his eyes, her sharp purple eyes trying to push past his block, while her short brown and blonde hair contrasts with Toki's black hair.

Her cloak and hood hid most of her other parts, including a pair of cat ears tucked within their shade. All he could make out was that she was fast, dangerous and extremely agile.

“Now, Ayuri!” Hiwo shouts, staring up at the clash in front of him.

Ayuri, seeing their clash raises her hand at the figure as a sensation of power rushes out of her hand, pushing through the air and striking the figure.

At the failed attack, the figure tries to dash away, only to jump back lightly like any other person would've.

“What’s happening?” The woman tries multiple times to sprint away, only managing to run as a normal human, looking comparable to a fool dancing around.

Toki runs at her with his spear, hitting her head from the side, making her plummet into the grass field. His hit shook her to the core, as she could barely even move without stumbling around like a clown.

“I don’t think she's going to be a threat anymore.” Toki turns back, seeing the group run towards his side, away from the two tents.

Howi darkens his face, his voice taking a darker approach. “Kill her, Toki. We can’t keep her around, especially since her squad might be approaching, and Ayuri’s power needs to regenerate.”

He turns back to the woman lying on the floor, still confused about what happened. He takes in her form; she was vulnerable and defenceless. All to his mercy

Killing someone isn't something I'm used to. Even if she did try to kill us, she's basically defenceless and at our mercy. Killing her now is more of a slaughter to me than anything.

“Do we have to kill her like this? She can’t do anything to us anymore, and perhaps using her as a bargaining tool or to bait out her teammates is a better choice.” His tone questioning.

Howi steps up, grasping the spear. “I will do it if it's something you can't do. Don't let your feelings kill us.”

Toki lets go of the spear, letting Howi grasp his hands around the metal. “It won’t; I’m just against a pointless death, especially with someone that can’t even stand anymore.”

As Howi approached the woman lying down, she looked up. Sadness, regret and fear ran through her entire body, everything telling her to run away or she won’t survive. He raises the spear, mentally preparing himself; despite his initial confidence, killing wasn’t in his nature.

The woman closes her eyes, memories flooding back, her past life before the games flashing. When her friends did this ritual unknowingly, they would enter a brutal game. The thought of her returning home, back to her family, was apparent. Tears flood down her face.

“I'm sorry for not listening, Fuki.” Her body starts to feel numb; her nose however couldn’t catch any smell of blood.

“Dammit, Shina, I nearly stabbed you.” Howi looks down at the sight of Shina kneeling near the woman, her orb making contact with the body of the woman. Particles started to enter the orb, a sign of the absorption of magic.

He lets the spear return to Toki before giving him a worried look.

If that power becomes hers, then our mission is already over.

They look down at the woman's body slowly dissipating into particles, which are shoved into the orb, the colours mixed purple and yellow, just like her hair.

A slight smile comes to the woman's face. “This is a peaceful death, painless.”

Her acceptance of the situation only added to the group's mixed feelings about killing her. Shina, however, remained firm, letting the orb slowly dissipate around her.

From a distance, three people were watching the entire scene play out, seeing how the woman's body vanished completely from their sight.

“Let’s not let her death be properly wasted.”