What If… [67] Lost To Emotion

What is the What if?

These are non-cannon events that are alternate takes different chapters from book one and two. Maybe somebody died or survived, maybe someone made a different choice or maybe someone left the group. This ask the question “what if…”

This first asks what if Tanisha actually chose to become a Herne Hunter instead of the Cernunnos? Buckle up because this is a monstrous transformation that will change everything...

Book 1 Reincarnated as a Hydra - [67] Lost to emotions.

PART 1 HUNTER RISES

Bjorn finally made it to the location of the secret Isi tunnel; the location was off the road in a forested area of the inner city. The entrance didn’t look like much, just a rock face nestled against a pond. There were no indications that it was actually anything of note. 

The problem was that there were still a few knights chasing them. After Tanisha killed one of them, the others only became more furious in their attacks. 

The knights were all wizards using enchanted armor that both enhanced their abilities and offered excellent protection. Tyr, Svan and Tanisha had successfully held them back, but the armor was a tough obstacle. They decided to hold their ground at the entrance. Bjorn wasn’t as useful as he wanted to be since he was hitched to a wagon, which made it difficult for him to turn.

Right as the clash between the knights and the party began, the rock face that made up the hidden tunnel slowly opened. Bjorn saw cautious faces inside the dark tunnel. Then a man quickly stepped out when he saw Bjorn.

“It’s master Tyr!” the man yelled. “If you can fight we have to help him!”

It took only moments for eight sword-wielding disciples of Isi to rally to their aid. The majority of the crowd, about thirty-two in total, seemed to be women and children. The sword wielders were the only men in the group. Bjorn was happy to see Owen run out of the crowd with his trusty spear in hand.

“Help the master!” a man screamed. “Don’t let the knights escape!”

Bjorn turned his attention back to the knights. They seemed panicked at the sudden influx of enemies but were unable to disengage. However, his attention was again taken by the taste of darkness magic in the air. His heads immediately looked for the source because that taste could only mean there were more Shadow Constructs. Each head identified a different person amongst the crowd of new warriors running towards the fight with the knights.

“You see anything?” Bjorn asked Failsafe.

“Bjorn! Look out!” Helina's voice rang out at the same time Failsafe screamed in his head.

Bjorn turned one of his heads and saw her pointing at a man only a few feet away from him. His sword stabbed forward and pierced Bjorn’s side, causing the familiar to roar in pain. Bjorn immediately retaliated with a swipe of his claws, and he felt the sword slice downward out of him as the construct dodged the attack. Bjorn tried to quickly give chase, but the wagon prevented him from being able to turn and attack. 

Bjorn was a long way from out of the fight, but the sudden attack caused everyone to wonder what was going on. Tanisha was almost impaled by a blitz strike from the knight she was fighting when she turned to see what had happened to Bjorn. She was saved by one of the new disciples, who used Flash Step to enter the fight. She had to go back into her own battle; the momentary distraction almost cost the girl her life.

Owen came to Bjorn’s side and thrusted his spear forward with precision. The construct dodged the spear that aimed for the spot its head had occupied mere milliseconds before. The goblin was relentless, though, more strikes followed; faster each time. Before it could counter-attack, a single beam of glowing water hit the construct’s head, making it go limp on the spot. Bjorn followed the stream of water with his eyes back to Helina, who had collected water into three glowing orbs.

With this enemy dealt with Bjorn had to turn his attention to the others. He still tasted the darkness magic in the air, so he used Identify on the newcomers. An unusual error message appeared for one of the disciples that was moving in a beeline straight for Tyr. Right as he turned his body he saw another error message, this one in the crowd of people behind Helina. 

The construct looked like a child, but as it ran towards the unexpecting goblin woman its arm elongated into a thin blade. Bjorn roared, which temporarily caused everyone to freeze in place. Except for Tanisha, who was completely unaffected. It wasn’t a natural freeze either; it was some sort of Intimidation Roar. Bjorn's confusion turned to frustration as he discovered yet another power before Failsafe.

Tanisha was confused, but used the moment she had to place a well-positioned punch on the knight she was fighting. The world was frozen for only a moment more, and Tanisha used her connection to Bjorn to get a sense of his hostility towards a man frozen in place who was running towards Tyr. That person was a construct, she knew for certain after she used Identify on him. However, it wasn’t the person Bjorn was focused on the most. He started moving towards the open tunnel and when Tanisha saw why she took off running, too.

“Tyr, there’s a shadow construct behind you!” she yelled, running in the opposite direction. “Helina, run!”

The effect of Bjorn’s Intimidation Roar wore off and everyone jolted back to life. The warnings Tanisha had yelled reached everyone. Tyr used Flash Step to dodge the construct that aimed to assassinate him. Helina on the other hand had no time; the construct came to life a moment before she did. Its blade was already whistling through the air before she could move. Bjorn and Tanisha pushed as quickly as they could to get to the goblin mother. The blade hit flesh then bone then flesh before exiting her neck. 

“Helina!” Tanisha screamed.

Helina’s body fell to her knees before slumping over to the side head rolling free. The construct wasted no time and ran toward the furious pair. Its body elongated until it was only humanoid in shape but pitch black in form. It dodged Tanisha’s punches easily, even as maya poured out of her like a fountain. No longer blue-green but fully red as she unintentionally delved deeper into her connection to the Infernal Plane. She let the maya flow from her and fully embraced the infernal influence.

The power and rage she felt threatened to corrupt her as it had Bjorn a few weeks ago. Her maya veins felt like they were on fire as they dug deeper into her and started the construction of maya meridians. Pain only further caused her mind to swim in the sea of power she felt within the maya. It made her want to relinquish all control to it. She could feel the promise of power within it as her body moved on its own.

Racial Evolution Progress
You have met the requirements to ascend Racial Hierarchy. Your core has been touched by the Infernal Planes, and where some would crumble you have thrived. New options unlocked. Please select one option to evolve.

Current: Wendigo (Normal)
Evolution 1: Nature's Wrath (Greater)
Evolution 2: Herne Hunter (Greater)
Please assign Racial Hierarchy within 2 day(s) or evolution(s) will be lost.
Evolve into Nature's Wrath (Greater Wendigo) [Yes/No]
Evolve into Herne Hunter (Greater Wendigo) [Yes/No]

Tanisha’s mind churned as infernal energies clawed their way into her soul. The menu before her pulsed like a living thing, its malignant aura grabbing her attention, dragging her deeper into the abyss. Her eyes locked onto the words Herne Hunter—they echoed in her mind, each syllable like a tolling bell. Power. That was what it promised. Power to destroy. Power to kill.

The maya surged within her, corrosive and intoxicating. Her thoughts fractured as rage consumed her, blotting out reason. Kill Loki. The words beat in her chest, a mantra of violence that drowned out everything else. She chose. Without hesitation, she chose to evolve.

The transformation began instantly. The maya erupted from her core, blazing through her veins like molten fire. Her body convulsed, limbs contorting as her screams pierced the battlefield. Each nerve ignited in agony as the infernal energy twisted her from within.

It all happened in the middle of the fight. Her cloak of maya thickened, its blue hue darkening as it lashed out uncontrollably. The shadow construct struck her again and again, its sword-like arms carving shallow gashes into her flesh. However her blood was no longer blood, it was maya, thick and black, spilling out in streams that hissed and crackled upon contact with the air.

“I will kill you, Loki!” she shrieked, her voice raw and broken, tearing from her throat like a wounded animal. “I’m coming for you! Do you hear me? I will end you!”

Bjorn crashed into the fray, his massive jaws snapping down with relentless ferocity, shattering one of the construct’s limbs. Owen followed, his tear-streaked face hardened with resolve as he struck with precision. Together, they brought the construct down, its dark form collapsed.

For Tanisha, the battle wasn’t over. Her mind, warped by the maya, refused to let go. She lunged at the fading remnants of the construct, clawing, biting, tearing at the vanishing scraps as though they were Loki himself. When it was gone, she rose, her chest heaving, her screams of fury directed at the uncaring sky.

Then the pain struck. It was as though her body had been set ablaze from the inside out. She doubled over, her screams turning guttural as she vomited violently—first bile, then searing hot blood laced with tar-like maya. It burned her throat as it escaped, its noxious fumes filling the air. Her mana core shattered within her, the shards consumed by the abyssal energy of the Infernal Planes.

Her skin began to split. Blackened veins spread like cracks in porcelain, her flesh flaking away in pieces to reveal a dull, grey canvas beneath. Her tiara bled, thick rivulets of black ichor dripping into her matted hair. Her antlers cracked audibly, splintering and breaking apart with each wave of torment. New ones surged forth, jagged and black as obsidian, shimmering with an eerie, ghostly light.

Her jaw dislocated with a sickening pop, stretching unnaturally as her lips split at the corners. Rows of jagged, shark-like teeth erupted from her gums, forcing a grotesque smile onto her face. Her hair lengthened wildly, a tangled mane as dark as her seething rage. Her eyes went last. The pupils dissolved into a white void, devoid of emotion, devoid of humanity.

PART 2 LOSS

When the pain finally subsided, she stood, trembling yet exuding an aura of unbridled power. A smile lingered on her bloodied face, her new teeth gleaming in the dim light. She was no longer Tanisha. She was the Herne Hunter—a predator born from agony and forged in the infernal depths.

“Loki…” she whispered, her voice reverberating with an unnatural resonance. “I’m coming for you.”

The maya corressed her mind and bleached her thoughts clean of the painful emotions that would have broken her. She could not feel sad, even as she saw Helena’s decapitated form, or as she saw Owen grieving for the loss of his wife. No, in that moment what she saw was meat, power that was going to waste since she could not harness it. 

Bjorn had wrapped himself around her to keep her in place his emotions felt foreign to her now, but he was necessary. He was hers. He provided her power so she would not hurt him. She opened her menus to see what changes were made to her now that she had evolved.

Status Menu

Name: Tanisha Scalebound
Species: Herne Hunter
Level: 22
Vitality: 26 + 25 = 51
Restoration: 20 + 50 = 70
Constitution: 46 + 50 = 96
Willpower: 20 + 10 = 30
Strength: 20 + 35 = 55
Dexterity: 35 + 20 = 55
Stamina: 20 + 15 = 35
Maya: 16 + 660 = 676
Maya Regeneration: (+100 from bond)
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Skills Analysis

Delta Familiar Contract
You are bonded with a Delta-class familiar. You gain +100 to maya regeneration. Your bond has grown, allowing you to convey emotions through your bond. Your bond is resilient against outside influences and can not be forcibly severed by outside parties. Your familiar’s life expectancy is extended by five years.

Arcanist Sage Core < Hunter’s Core
Maya cost: Variable
You are a being of maya. The Infernal Planes beckons to a new demonic daughter. Exerting your will over maya allows you to manipulate that which is around you. You can use tools that require maya to function. Your will can dominate, maya outside your body for a short distance and use ambient energies for your infernal machinations.

Mana Armor < Abyssal Blood Armor
Maya Cost: Variable
(I) Low maya cost per minute, abyssal blood coats your body, enhancing physical strength and reducing damage from physical attacks by hardening on impact. (II) Medium maya cost per minute, the blood forms a spiked shell, dealing minor damage to attackers and absorbing the target's blood to sustain itself. (III) High maya cost per minute, the blood solidifies into near-impenetrable armor, corrupting enemies on contact by disrupting and potentially destroying their core if not cleansed.

Flesh of Kin
Your cursed nature drives an insatiable hunger for your own kind. For every member of your species you consume, you permanently gain increased physical strength, resilience, and magical potency. The strength of the enhancement scales with the consumed individual's power.

Maya Corruption
Maya Cost: Variable
(I) Low maya cost, coat your body or a weapon in blood maya, causing attacks to infect and corrupt those they touch. The corruption destabilizes their magic and weakens their defenses. (II) Medium maya cost, you can manipulate blood maya up to a short range, using it as a ranged weapon to slash or pierce enemies with tendrils of corrupted energy. (III) High maya cost, control blood maya over long distances, spreading it across the battlefield to corrupt multiple enemies or create devastating ranged attacks.

Demonic Predation
Maya Cost: Variable
Consume the flesh of any creature you kill, bypassing toxicity and magical protections. The act restores vitality and grants a temporary strength boost. Gains are amplified when consuming stronger foes, particularly those killed by your own hand.

Dimensional Shift
Maya Cost: Variable
(I) Low maya cost, teleport to a location within a short range that you can physically see. (II) Medium maya cost, increase the range of teleportation, allowing for more strategic positioning. (III) High maya cost, teleport vast distances to any location you can see, but with an extended cooldown proportional to the distance traveled.

Page 2 of 2

As Tanisha studied her new status, her gaze was clinically detached. The loss of mana didn’t concern her; maya had replaced it, guiding her in ways mana never could. Everything was sharper now, her thoughts honed to a predatory edge. Her attention lingered on two skills: Flesh of Kin and Demonic Predation. The truth behind her instincts clicked into place. Of course, she saw everyone as meat. They were stepping stones, food, nothing more.

Her fingers traced her face, feeling the grotesque remnants of her transformation. She inhaled deeply, pulling the maya she had been exhaling back into herself. It responded instinctively, mending her form. The monstrous smile of jagged teeth retracted, her mouth reshaping into something normal. She appeared as a grey skinned version of her wendigo self. She glanced at Bjorn, still holding her steady. Through their bond, she pushed an approximation of reassurance, it  was an act she knew felt hollow but necessary. The pretense worked. Bjorn released her and she petted his scaly hide.

Around her, the Isi who had witnessed her transformation stared with awe and fear. They had just seen the evolution of a Greater Wendigo, a being thought lost to history for millennia. It was clear they did not know what they had witness however. Many of them thinking that she merely used the maya to alter her appearance as Joha could. Tanisha’s new form radiated power and something far darker.

“Tanisha? Is that you?” Tyr’s voice broke through the murmurs. He stepped from the crowd, his expression a mix of shock and concern. “What happened to you?”

Her mind went blank for a moment, instincts to kill and eat him warring with reason. She needed enough power to reach Loki, but she wasn’t there yet. Her gaze flicked to Tyr. All she saw was meat. Power waiting to be claimed. If she killed him now… If she consumed him… No. Not yet.

She collapsed to her knees, feigning fear and confusion. “I-I don’t… I don’t know, Tyr,” she stammered.

Tyr rushed to her side, lifting her to her feet.

“Bjorn, secure the area, please,” Tanisha said softly. “And someone get that wagon off him.”

“Good idea,” Tyr agreed. “Svan, take some men and make sure we’re not about to get company.”

Tyr guided her to a fallen log and ensured she was seated before returning to his men. Gentlemanly. Predictable. He and the Isi turned their focus to the dozens of survivors, organizing them and clearing the tunnel. A crowd formed quickly, a chaotic scene of noise and movement. Perfect.

Tanisha scanned the group, her predatory mind calculating. The Isi wouldn’t be able to monitor everyone, and she only needed one to test her skills. Her eyes locked onto a swordsman who had wandered too far from his partner. Rising from the log, she moved subtly, keeping to the periphery before vanishing in a flash of maya-infused teleportation. Her Dimensional Shift worked as instinctually as breathing.

She reappeared two hundred yards from where she started and was directly behind the unsuspecting man. Before he could react, her jaw unhinged, flesh peeling back to reveal rows of gleaming, jagged teeth. She struck, biting down on his neck with monstrous force. Bone cracked. Flesh tore. His spine severed as they fell to the ground. Swiftly, she grabbed the body and teleported deeper into the forest, far from prying eyes. There, she fed.

Each bite was primal and she saw it as merely a transaction of power. When the corpse was stripped clean, she activated Abyssal Blood Armor, the crimson energy washing over her and cleansing her form. She reappeared at the camp moments later, teleporting in measured intervals, her expression calm and controlled.

Her strength, dexterity, and stamina had each risen by one. She suppressed a smile, keeping her thoughts hidden. The notifications confirmed what she already knew: this was the path. The Isi survivors were tempting targets, but behind her lay an entire city of prey waiting to be consumed.

Her thoughts turned to Bjorn. Once, her connection to him had been a lifeline, a source of comfort and necessity. Now, it felt… obsolete. Did she still need him? Would he try to stop her from doing what had to be done? She needed to find him. To decide.

***

Bjorn walked through the forest looking out for any Salstar recon teams. It still baffled him how Lavi, a city teeming with life, concealed such an expansive, untamed wilderness within its bounds. But the curious contradiction wasn’t on his mind. His thoughts were fixated on Tanisha and the hollow, numbing absence he felt through their bond.

It wasn’t just the void that troubled him. The transformation he’d witnessed earlier still clawed at his mind. It was a grotesque display of power and horror when the maya spiraled out of control around her. The image of her shifting, monstrous form was seared into his memory. Was that the price of her delving into maya? Or was it something darker, something worse?

“What’s wrong with her?” he muttered to himself, his three heads swiveling cautiously to scan the surroundings. “I can’t sense her emotions—can’t even taste her mana. It’s like she’s not even... her anymore. And Helina... she didn’t even look sad when we lost her. Is she in shock?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Failsafe replied, his tone tinged with thoughtfulness. “You remember when you got corrupted by maya? Your appearance changed too. But you’re a hydra, Bjorn. We molt; she can’t just shed off changes done to her physical body. Still, she seems lucid, unlike you when the maya nearly corrupted us so maybe she’s suppressing her emotions with maya.” Failsafe’s voice grew quieter. “When Joha comes back, maybe he’ll know what to do.”

Bjorn grunted. “I hope you’re right.”

He paused, every muscle tensing as he sensed Tanisha’s presence nearby. She emerged silently from behind a tree, her movement unnervingly smooth. Instinctively, Bjorn tasted the air, testing to ensure this wasn’t some shadow construct. No, this was Tanisha. The bond was still there, a faint thread connecting them, but it felt... wrong. Her gaze met his, and it chilled him. Gone was the warmth, the familiarity. Her eyes were hollow, soulless. She looked at him not as her familiar but as a stranger or worse, prey.

“Bjorn, my sweet baby,” she whispered, her voice unnaturally soft, almost serpentine. “There’s something I need to tell you.” She paused, letting the words settle. “I’ve become a Greater Wendigo. Somehow, I evolved.”

Bjorn instinctively activated Identify.

Identify
Name: Tanisha Scalebound
Species: Herne Hunter
Level: 22
Vocation: Consumer of Kin

“Consumer of Kin?” Bjorn thought, dread pooling in his chest.

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound good,” Failsafe muttered grimly.

 “Is that fear I just felt in the bond?” Tanisha’s expression shifted, a flicker of hurt crossing her face. “Are you... afraid of me, Bjorn?”

Bjorn shook his heads slowly, but his body betrayed him, his posture stiff with unease.

Her tone turned fervent, almost desperate. “I have a new way to gain power, Bjorn. One that could make us unstoppable. But I need to know you’re with me, like you’ve always been.” Her voice wavered as a manic edge crept into her words. “We can leave the Isi behind—they don’t matter. Survival is all that matters. I need to kill Loki. Not just him. Ingrid, Thyra, Eira, Ragnar, Ulfar... they all need to pay for what they did to us.”

Blood maya began dripping from her lips like saliva, her breath labored as her voice rose. “All I need to do is consume them. All of them!”

She tried to compose herself, but the effort shattered. Her lips stretched grotesquely, splitting into a ghastly smile as the skin peeled back, revealing jagged teeth beneath. She looked lost in the thought of devouring her family, her face a canvas of disturbing hunger.

Through their bond, Bjorn felt a fleeting echo of her emotions. They were not that of the girl he knew. They weren’t even that of a normal being. They were alien and predatory, a mash of thoughts so dark it made him wretch. He stepped back.

“Bjorn she is not right in the head.” Failsafe said with urgency. “We need to break the bond now and run.”

“Wait what? Break the bond? Why?” Bjorn asked.

“Her magic is pure maya now and not regular maya either.” Failsafe explained. “It is trying to influence your core in a way I don’t think you can handle. If we let that into us, say goodbye to your sanity forever.”

“Bjorn, baby,” Tanisha said sweetly. “Let me in. Bjorn.”

It was at that moment Bjorn felt the bond clearly, its infernal touch drilling into him violently.

“Bjorn, please listen to me. We have to go right now. She is doing this on purpose; she is trying to corrupt our core. If she does, I will die. If you let her in, your sanity will be the first thing you lose. Then me. Then everything else. That is if you survive at all. Break the fucking bond and run!”

Bjorn’s voice cracked. “There has to be a way to save her. Something—anything. Maybe we can turn her back into a wendigo.”

“Not if we’re dead!” Failsafe barked. “Break the bond, or she’ll drag us both into her abyss. Do it!”

Bjorn hesitated, his heart breaking as he looked at Tanisha. Her face was alien, her gaze dead. This wasn’t the girl he had come to know. This thing in front of him was a hollow shell.  With a heavy push of mana, he grasped the bond connecting them, the tether that had anchored him to her since the moment she first summoned him. It felt like ripping a part of himself away, but he had no choice. He severed it.

The bond snapped, and the invasive maya she had been pushing into him dissolved. Tanisha tilted her head, her unsettling smile fading into a mask of indifference.

“What a shame,” she said softly.

Without another word, she turned and vanished into the shadows. Bjorn stood frozen, staring at the spot where she’d stood. The emptiness in his core where the bond had been felt unbearable. Bjorn failed her, they lost Helina and Tanisha that day.

PART 3 THYRA

Tanisha's footsteps glided gracefully through the desolate house, her fingers trailing idly over the countertops and drawers in the kitchen. Deep gouges marred walls and the floors as remnants of a struggle. She didn’t care to remember whose domicile this had been, the man, woman, children that once called it home it didn’t matter. The adults had been disappointingly weak, offering little in the way of stat growth, and the children even less. A waste, really, but they had served their purpose. Her boots squelched in a pool of sticky, half-congealed blood as she made her way to the front door.

She changed her face and her body, she no longer looked like the young girl she had been only a few months ago. She made herself into a mature beauty, one that would disarm and charm those around her. She had wrapped her obsidian tiara so no one could identify its unusual nature. She had become a poison that was slowly suffocating Lavi and no doubt spreading fear across the newly acquired Salstar domain.

She opened the door and stepped into the cool embrace of the night, the quiet streets bathed in pale moonlight. The neighborhood was silent now, emptied of life by her hands. Only the faint smell of blood was there to greet her. She licked her lips as her appetite had yet to be satiated.

It had been months since the chaos of the Isi’s failed escape from the inner walls. She clenched her jaw at the memory, frustration simmering beneath her cold exterior. They had all died before she could claim them—every last one, except for Joha and Bjorn. Those two had managed to flee the city. Her lips curled into a slow, predatory smile as she stared into the distance.

Someday, I’ll find them. Someday, I’ll taste them too.

Tanisha glanced back at the blood-soaked interior of the house behind her and then down the empty street. 

“This block is tapped out,” she murmured, her voice low and thoughtful. “Time to move on,” 

Her gaze shifted toward the towering silhouette of the Fort Palace in the distance, her hunger stirring once more.

“Soon, they’ll all be mine to hunt.” She laughed.

Her laughter was soft but sharp, like a blade scraping bone, and it echoed into the night.

A shadow passed overhead, and a familiar voice broke through her reverie. “So, you’re the serial killer.”

Tanisha looked up, her expression carefully composed despite the thrill coursing through her veins. Magnus, the wyvern, was a black silhouette against the moonlit sky, his massive wings blocking the stars. Atop him sat Thyra, cold and regal, even with the vail over her face Tanisha could all but feel the Hand’s glare. Tanisha's smile twitched, but she smothered it as her eyes flicked to the rooftops. Figures lined the edges, weapons drawn, spells poised to strike.

“I surrender,” Tanisha said smoothly, lifting her hands with mock humility. “The brave knights of the Salstars and their Noble Hand have outmatched me.”

She stepped into the street, her movements slow. Her gaze never left Thyra’s, even as invisible tendrils of maya seeped from her lips with every breath. The dark energy crawled unseen to both magical and physical senses, a trick she remembered from Joha’s teachings. It spilled along the ground, spreading like ink in water, wrapping around buildings and mingling with the air.

Thyra’s disdainful scoff broke the silence. “Such a shame. I thought you’d be a challenge.” She tugged Magnus’s reins, lowering the wyvern slightly. “Secure her. Check for survivors.”

Tanisha bowed her head as knights descended from the rooftops, their armor glinting in the moonlight. They approached cautiously with weapons and spells ready. One of them tackled her from behind, forcing her to the ground as earth magic encased her arms and legs in a crude prison. The cold bite of a mana-suppressing collar snapped around her neck, but the smile never left her face.

They thought she was like them. Reliant on mana or material power but hers was of the higher plane and it would not be restricted. The invisible maya continued to flow unyielding in its desire to corrupt all it touched. She was no captive. She was a hunter and it was time to hunt.

In a heartbeat, she vanished, reappearing atop Magnus, standing before Thyra. She pulled the collar from her neck as if it were a mere inconvenience. The wyvern shuddered beneath her feet as the maya surged, now visible as a black fog roiling with crackling energy. The air grew heavy, the corruption spreading in an infernal tide. 

Below, chaos erupted. Knights screamed as their armor corroded, protective spells unraveling into shards of useless light. Their skin blistered, their strength drained as weaker ones collapsed to the ground. Only the strongest resisted, their auras flickering like dying embers against the onslaught.

Thyra’s reaction was swift but futile. She yanked the reins, Magnus veering upward as she swung a glowing fist at Tanisha. But the damage was done. The wyvern’s scales blackened and rotted beneath Tanisha’s touch. Magnus faltered, his massive body convulsing as decay spread like wildfire.

Tanisha smiled, even as the force of Thyra’s punch hurled her into the night. She disappeared midair, reappearing on a nearby rooftop, her laugh echoing through the chaos.

Magnus plummeted, crashing into a building as Thyra vanished from sight. Tanisha turned to the knights below, their once-proud formation broken and scattered. Her grin was sharp and predatory. It was time to feed. Blood maya erupted from her skin coating her in a matte black protection. 

Abyssal Blood Armor
Maya Cost: Variable
(I) Low maya cost per minute, abyssal blood coats your body, enhancing physical strength and reducing damage from physical attacks by hardening on impact. (II) Medium maya cost per minute, the blood forms a spiked shell, dealing minor damage to attackers and absorbing the target's blood to sustain itself. (III) High maya cost per minute, the blood solidifies into near-impenetrable armor, corrupting enemies on contact by disrupting and potentially destroying their core if not cleansed.

With a predator’s fury, Tanisha leaped toward a knight who raised his shield in desperation. Before his defense could matter, she vanished in a flicker of dark energy, reappearing beside another soldier who lay writhing on the ground, his aura too weak to resist the suffocating maya. Her claws struck with brutal efficiency, silencing his struggles in an instant.

The others closed in around her, shields raised, spells shimmering in the air. Their movements were coordinated, but Tanisha remembered Joha’s lessons well. Every strike, every step was calculated. She dodged and weaved through blades and bursts of magic with terrifying precision. The armor absorbed glancing blows, spikes retaliating with sharp bursts of pain against her attackers.

Maya Corruption
Maya Cost: Variable
(I) Low maya cost, coat your body or a weapon in blood maya, causing attacks to infect and corrupt those they touch. The corruption destabilizes their magic and weakens their defenses. (II) Medium maya cost, you can manipulate blood maya up to a short range, using it as a ranged weapon to slash or pierce enemies with tendrils of corrupted energy. (III) High maya cost, control blood maya over long distances, spreading it across the battlefield to corrupt multiple enemies or create devastating ranged attacks.

Teleporting between them like a shadow given form, she targeted the weakest first. Each kill was swift, deliberate, designed to break morale and exploit the panic spreading like wildfire through the ranks. As their cries of fear and anguish filled the air, the corruption seeped deeper into their bodies, draining vitality and weakening their resistance to the oppressive maya.

It was over in moments. Where twenty knights had stood, now fewer than ten remained, their breaths ragged, their formations crumbling under the relentless assault. Those who still stood clung to their weapons, eyes wide with terror as they glanced at the fallen around them.

“Is this all the Salstars have to offer?” Her laugh was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade.

The knights flinched, their fear palpable. But before Tanisha could take another step, a roar of displaced air heralded Thyra’s return. The Noble Hand descended like a meteor, her fist smashing into the side of Tanisha’s head with bone-shattering force.

The impact was catastrophic, launching Tanisha across the street. She crashed through the brick wall of a townhouse, the structure shuddering as debris rained down around her. Dust filled the air as she came to a stop, slumped amid the wreckage.

“Surround the building,” Thyra commanded, her voice sharp and unwavering. “I will kill this bitch myself.”

Tanisha groaned, her vision swimming as she struggled to her feet. The world tilted dangerously before she collapsed again, the sound of bricks shifting under her weight echoing in her ears. Before she could recover, Thyra was upon her, moving with inhuman speed.

A knee drove into Tanisha’s face, snapping her head back. Pain exploded in her skull as Thyra seized her arm, yanking her into a brutal punch to the stomach. The force sent Tanisha flying once more, her body tearing through walls like paper as she was hurled through several adjoining townhomes.

Tanisha slammed into the ground, coughing as her blood armor absorbed some of the impact but left her winded. Panic scratched at the edges of her mind. Thyra was faster and stronger than she planned for. Not to mention as a blood mage her regeneration makes her relentless. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for this fight.

Retreat wasn’t an option. Not with the knights outside and the corpses she had yet to devour remaining unclaimed. If Thyra escaped, she would return with reinforcements, and Tanisha would lose her chance to hunt. No, she had to end this now.

Thyra’s silhouette appeared through the dust, her crimson aura flaring around her like a wildfire. Her eyes burned with focus, her movements precise. Tanisha forced herself to her feet, her blood maya rippling across her body, forming jagged, crackling spikes.

Thyra lunged, her fists a blur. Tanisha dodged the first strike and countered with a clawed swipe aimed at Thyra’s throat. The blood mage sidestepped, driving an elbow into Tanisha’s ribs before following with an uppercut that lifted her off the ground. She teleported behind Thyra before the next strike could land. Her clawed fingers slashing Thyra’s side before she grabbed Tanisha and slammed her down, sending her crashing through the floor.

Tanisha landed hard in the basement, the air knocked from her lungs. She coughed, her blood armor fracturing slightly from the relentless assault. Thyra followed, dropping down like a predator descending upon its prey.

The fight devolved into a chaotic, brutal melee. Tanisha’s claws slashed through the air, aiming for Thyra’s exposed flesh, but the blood mage’s regeneration outpaced every wound. Thyra’s strikes, enhanced by her blood magic, rattled Tanisha’s core. The two warriors crashed through walls, furniture, and floors, their battle reducing the townhomes to rubble.

Tanisha’s mind raced as she narrowly dodged a hammering blow that shattered the ground where she had stood. Overwhelm her regeneration. Corrupt her core. As Thyra closed in, Tanisha’s blood maya thickened, pulsing with infernal energy. Every impact spread the corruption further, the dark mist latching onto Thyra’s aura like a parasite.

Thyra punched Tanisha, sending her into another wall, but this time, Tanisha retaliated immediately, teleporting behind the blood mage and driving her claws into Thyra’s back. The spikes of her armor pierced deep, delivering concentrated waves of abyssal energy.

Thyra roared in fury, twisting free and landing a savage kick that sent Tanisha sprawling. The corruption was taking hold. The faint crimson glow of Thyra’s aura began to flicker, her movements slowing as her core struggled to purge the invasive maya.

Tanisha seized the moment. She lunged, her claws raking across Thyra’s chest, carving deep wounds that bled profusely. The corruption spread faster now, crawling into Thyra’s core, disrupting her magic.

“No!” Thyra growled, her voice strained. She swung wildly, but her strength was failing.

Tanisha’s grin returned, vicious and triumphant. She moved like a wild beast let loose on a wounded animal, each strike forcing the corruption deeper until Thyra’s mana core shattered. Power ripped out of her as mana betrayed her with nothing to contain it. The blood mage collapsed to her knees, gasping as the infernal energy consumed her. Tanisha towered over her, savoring the moment.

“Your magic is gone,” Tanisha said softly, her voice dripping with malice. She grabbed Thyra’s throat. “And now, you’re mine.”

“What are you?” Thyra questioned.

Tanisha’s mouth split open as rows of teeth glistened with black blood maya. 

“I am surprised you don’t recognize me.” Tanisha said. “Well you did kill all of my friends in the Isi. I guess they should have distanced themselves from me like you said. But don’t worry I will consume mother as well.”

“Freja?” Thrya questioned with horror.

With a swift motion, Tanisha descended upon Thyra, her claws digging into her flesh. Tanisha felt the power of Thyra's body as she ripped and tore eating to rejuvenate herself. She felt a power course through her with every bite. She lost herself in ecstasy until it all ended when there was nothing left. Not even bone remained where the Noble hand had once been. Hunger was upon her again and she would slake it on blood that night.

Status Menu

Name: Tanisha Scalebound
Species: Herne Hunter
Level: 79 + 5 = 84
Vitality: 120
Restoration: 118
Constitution: 215
Willpower: 89
Strength: 210
Dexterity: 194
Stamina: 178
Maya: 676 + 50 = 726
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