Amalia’s body didn’t feel quite the same. There was a disjointed pain that writhed throughout her. Like a pain that she felt that didn’t hurt or like she felt it, but it wasn’t apart of her body. Her vision was narrowed to a tunnel. In front of her, she saw absolute chaos. Two titans fighting a battle of attrition, the one that she’s fought before displaying a form of hyper-aggression towards the red-haired one. The intensity was much different from when she was fighting. The white-haired one looked like it was purely sadistic. Harming the wings and non-important tissues, she had no intentions other than complete brutalization of the other.

The fight barely lasted thirty minutes before the sides of the battle switched. The swarm of the creatures turned on one another each one had just wildly slashed at one another until it was a mosh pit of chitinous armor. She witnessed the regression as the red-haired one sucked the magic from the white one. Similiar to what had happened during their fight.

Slowly the disorganized fighting stopped as the swarm came to terms with the soon to be victor. Amalia was filled with determination and anger. She punched the ground, if she was going to die, she’d die in combat not slowly melting from the inside to become food for some unknown creature. The determination to not die only strengthened her grip on her sword. Slowly she started to walk. Her body became enveloped in lighting, her hair floated weightlessly. The bolts sparked and arced off her armor, anything that came close to her was either vaporized or had it’s nervous system shutdown. She poured the last amount of her magic into this final attack. This attack most likely wouldn’t kill the red-haired creature, but damn was she going to die on her terms. Her sword became light blue, the amount of energy surging from it touched anything and everything that stood in her path. The electricity that surrounded her in a protective barrier began fueling the weapon, it grew longer and more significant, the hilt was extended into another blade, she effectively was creating a perfect double-bladed spear. Two of the swarmlings noticed this surge of power and came after her. She didn’t waste any time, whether she missed the strike did not matter, they went to the floor and started convulsing. Even if she became this powerful, she was still too far to get within striking distance and thanks to those two screaming on the ground about a hundred more creatures noticed her creating a wall between her and her goal.

She switched the grip she had on the blade to an underhanded one. She threw it, immediately as it left her presence the barrier she constructed dropped. She fell to her knees and waited for the impact. It busted through at least a hundred of the swarmlings, the entry point was as if a cannonball with a diameter of at least twenty feet barrelled through. Anything that existed in the direct line of fire had become just a faded memory. Anything close enough was to it was sent into bouts of seizures as they had their nervous system sent into a state of chaos.

The lightning sword-spear continued going, losing energy with each body it decimated. Its target was at the center, it kept going and going until it reached its standard sword size. It approached the unsuspecting red-haired creature, the blade sliced through the tail, taking ripping it from the base. Also taking with it most of the organs attached. The shock also caused damage as it landed near her. She screeched, blue blood sprayed into the air covering Rinae. She retreated in pain pulling back the swarm to a more suitable defensive position, the edge of the town. She didn’t stick around to see the source of the attack was one person, probably due to the amount of damage it did was enough to spook her.

Amalia was left alone with the unconscious Rinae. She looked at her and laughed softly the irony of dying to a look-a-like to the creature you fought before.

She began to close her eyes, if she fell asleep her, she’d probably not be able to wake up, after all the squire and everyone else must’ve been halfway to a city by now.

She began to hear the stomping of many horses hooves striking wood. They felt like they were getting closer and closer until they stopped moving just short of the edge of vision. She felt the touch of her squire, he came into her sight. He appeared to be saying words, but nothing was getting to her, the exhaustion from magic paired with the pain was far too much, just staying awake was enough of a miracle. She felt him removed her armor, it was massive. She hadn’t realized just how much of a burden it had been since she became so used to it. She had felt her body lifted on the back of a horse, also the arms of Mateo wrap in front of her to hold the reins, the last words she said was “Take the girl.” and lost consciousness.

~^~

The fading pheromonal smell and presence of Rinae began to send Hera into a rage, The one she was to protect was nowhere to be found, and she couldn’t even track her down. But that wasn’t even the source of the anger, the rage didn’t come from her missing sister, but it came from the feeling of being powerless to search for it. But luckily Rinae did tell Hera about the next step of the plan. And there just happened to be a nearby elf village that she could take her anger out on.

Scarpha emerged from the darkness, behind Hera.

“Take the fastest of the swarm and head north. Bring back food.” Hera’s voice was almost shaking. The urge to berserk was strong, but her willpower was stronger. She had to treat the swarm as a queen. The growth of the hive came before her own feelings.

Scarpha nodded, getting on all fours she climbed over the structures disappearing into the darkness to gather forces for the initial invasion.