L saw her chance and moved fast. She ran around Bryce and slashed with her claws. She made contact with something, and a piercing scream filled the house. L's ears rang, and soon, she was being pulled into the air. She gazed up to see giant wings had now sprouted from the back of the shapeshifter. It was rising higher and heading towards the windows, but L wasn't about to let it take her anywhere. She pulled her claws out of the leg they were caught in and then slashed at the foot holding her, using as much force as she could muster.
The shapeshifter-Demon screeched and quickly dropped her. L used magic to slow her descent and fell into a roll so she could turn and face the creature, which was spilling dark red blood all over the floor. L prepared to attack again. She saw the creature's focus turn to the Worcesters, who were still huddled together out of the way.
L ran as fast as she could to intercept the creature and felt a talon rip into her thigh. L managed to ignore it, taking her chance, she cut down the side of the shapeshifter. It screamed, and L heard the sound of metal grinding against something hard. She was momentarily befuddled until she saw Bryce standing on the other side of the creature. He must have jammed his dagger into it and hit something hard. The creature was wailing and kicking.
Bryce's dagger was still sticking out of its side when it crashed backwards and knocked everything over, including the Christmas tree. It suddenly began to twist and turn, and L realised a second that that it was transforming into something else, and L wished she was hallucinating. A giant, glistening black scorpion was now standing in the hallway, and it was turning on them.
Bryce's dagger fell to the floor covered in congealed blood. It looked feeble now in comparison to the giant creature above it. The scorpion was huge and looked indestructible. L had to hope her claws would work on this thing before the tail got a chance to strike; it was looming menacingly overhead, and L knew there would be poison in it.
She pushed away the information that was trying to get through about shapeshifting Demons. Now that the adrenaline was slowly being taken over by pain, she could feel other things. Like the ringing in her ears and the clicking noise from the scorpions pincers. They had to take it down now, or they wouldn't all make it out. L glanced at Bryce, who was staring down the scorpion. He had nothing in his hands, and L wondered what kind of magic he knew because that's all he had now.
The scorpion advanced on them, and L took a quick look back at the Worcesters to make sure they were alright before she moved to stand beside Bryce. She managed to conjure up some offensive magic and saw Bryce with fireballs in both hands. It was risky to unleash them in the house, but they had no choice.
Bryce threw one and hit the scorpion square in the face. It reared up and screeched, but when it came down again, it seemed unaffected. Bryce threw more fire, but all they seemed to do was slow it down. They needed something stronger. L dug deep in her core for more magic, more power, or some other way to defeat the creature. Then it hit her. The creature had to bring L back alive, which meant it couldn't kill her no matter what she did to it.
L began to move while Bryce was throwing everything he had at its grotesque face. It still had no effect, and L questioned whether it had some kind of armour on. She kept moving, but the creature didn't seem interested. It was too busy trying to get to Bryce and the Worcesters. L used this to her advantage.
She sprinted at full speed until she was standing at the base of the tail; it was massive compared to her, and L had to act fast before she lost her nerve. She reached out and slashed at the tail, the creature let out an ear piercing cry. L worked harder than ever, attempting to get her claws through its armour-like skin. The creature swept around and bore down on L, its pincers were snapping away, and it gripped her injured leg tightly in one of them.
YOU ARE READING
Unknown L (Book 1)
Fantasy"Am I the last of my kind, or not?" L is an orphan, she has no family to speak of, no real name and no idea who she really is. The only things she has from her birth parents are a very short letter and the blanket she was bundled in as a baby. She...
