As Naseria steadied herself, the door behind her creaked open. More figures entered the room—five humans and five other Harrowsouls, each disguising themselves as normal men but exuding the same malevolent energy.
"You may think you're smarter," Naseria said, tightening her grip on her dagger as she positioned herself in a fighting stance. Her heart pounded, but her eyes burned with fierce determination. "But I’ve handled Harrowsouls like you before."
With a collective hiss, the disguised Harrowsouls charged at her. Naseria lunged forward, slashing at the nearest one. Her dagger met flesh, and black blood sprayed across the floor. The creature howled, its true monstrous form briefly flickering before it crumbled into ash.
The second Harrowsoul swung at her, claws extended, but Naseria ducked, spinning around to bury her dagger into its side. She yanked it free just as another lunged from behind. This time, Naseria kicked backward, catching the creature in the chest and sending it staggering into the others.
A human soldier, seeing an opening, rushed toward her with a longsword. Naseria barely had time to dodge as the blade came within inches of her. She rolled to the side, grabbing a second dagger from her belt and throwing it with precision. It hit the human soldier in the leg, bringing him down with a shout of pain.
But there was no time to rest. The remaining Harrowsouls advanced, two of them circling her like wolves. They moved faster, their claws sharp and dripping with malice. One managed to swipe at her, leaving a shallow cut on her arm. Naseria winced but didn’t falter.
"You’ll have to try harder than that," she spat, wiping the blood from her brow.
One of the Harrowsouls leaped at her from the side, but she caught it mid-air, twisting its arm and plunging her dagger deep into its neck. Black blood poured out, staining her hands as the creature dissolved into ashes. The second Harrowsoul pounced just as she turned, but Naseria blocked its strike with her other dagger, pushing it back.
Just then, two of the human soldier, armed with swords and spears, tried to corner her. Naseria swiftly shifted her focus, parrying a sword strike while spinning away from the spear thrust. She kicked one human soldier in the chest, knocking him into the other.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, but she didn’t slow down. The room was chaos. Another Harrowsoul charged from behind, claws raised to tear into her back. She reflexively avoided the attack and with a clean, deadly strike, she slit its throat.
Three more Harrowsouls remained, their grotesque forms now fully revealed. They snarled and hissed, circling her like predators waiting to strike. Naseria could feel the exhaustion creeping in, but she refused to give in. She had come too far to fall here.
The next attack came fast—two Harrowsouls lunged simultaneously while the last one hung back, watching for an opening. Naseria ducked beneath their claws, slashing at one of their legs, causing it to stumble. She quickly turned and impaled the second one through the chest, her dagger sinking deep into its heart.
But as she pulled her blade free, the last Harrowsoul pounced, knocking her off her feet. They rolled across the floor, its claws swiping at her face. Naseria managed to throw it off, slashing at its arm, but it wasn’t enough. The creature snarled, ready to strike again, when Stark came barreling into it, buying her just enough time to regain her footing.
With one final burst of strength, Naseria threw her dagger at the Harrowsoul, hitting it squarely in the chest. It collapsed with a gurgled cry before disintegrating into ash.
Breathing heavily, Naseria turned to face the last of the human mercenaries. The men stood frozen, clearly unnerved by the brutal efficiency with which she had dispatched the Harrowsouls. But fear wouldn’t save them.
