Maya cursed under her breath as she quickly glanced at the notifications that popped up in front of her.
[Target invalid: knowledge threshold not met]
But soon, she was forced to duck behind the wall once again, just in time as the bat-like creature charged forward with a ferocious lunge. The monster skidded across the ground, its clawed feet tearing into the stone and leaving deep gouges as it tried to regain its balance, its massive wings flapping to correct its trajectory.
In that moment, Sophia activated [Smite] and charged towards the creature. But as the Paladin advanced, Maya noticed something. A red fluid was seeping out of Sophia's ears.
Seeing this, Maya touched her own ears and felt an odd wetness. She pulled her hands back and saw they were covered in blood. The realization hit her hard, but before she could act, she glanced up and saw Sophia being thrown back into the corridor by the bat-creature with immense force.
With no time to waste, Maya took a deep breath and began to transform into the Blaze Knight. She felt the blood on her hands grow warmer, then hot, as flames began to lick her skin. The fire then swirled and converged into a blazing suit of armor that encased her completely.
Then, Maya charged at the monster. She held one of her hands out and conjured a fiery sword and tried to bring the sword down.
However, the bat-like creature hopped back with surprising agility and swatted Maya away with a flap of one of its wings. The force of the blow sent her crashing into a wall.
Before Maya could recover, the creature pounced and bit her with its jaws: seemingly unaffected by her fiery armor. It then began to lift her up and slam her back into the ground repeatedly. Maya felt growing pressure on her fiery armor as cracks began to appear.
In desperation, Maya focused her energy and conjured a fiery sword that hovered just above the bat-monster. She then forced it down with a mental command, aiming for a vulnerable spot on the back of its neck.
The sword struck plunged into the creature's flesh and elicited a piercing screech. The monster reeled back, the sudden pain forcing it to release Maya from its jaws. She fell to the ground with a loud thud; the impact was jarring, but at least she was now free from the creature's grasp.
Maya pushed herself up from the ground, staggering slightly from the effort. She caught sight of the bat-monster who was now desperately flailing around to dislodge the flaming sword that was still embedded in its neck.
The Shapestealer clasped her hands together and focused her fiery energy to conjure three more flaming swords that hovered around her. With a thrust of her right hand, she directed the swords at the monster and sent them flying towards it.
However, the bat-monster flapped one of its wings and unleashed a series of cutting winds, strong enough to leave marks on the stone walls of the catacombs. The winds collided with Maya's flaming swords, causing them to dissipate into thin air and knocking Maya onto her back once again.
As she struggled to her feet, the bat-monster prepared to lunge at her once more. But before it could reach her, chains of light suddenly manifested around the creature's feet, causing it to trip and stumble mid-charge.
Maya glanced over to the source and saw Sophia breathing heavily but standing firm. The Paladin's right hand was extended from casting [Light Binding]. After breathing a relieved sigh, Maya focused and activated [Phantom Stride]. The flames enveloping her began to dim and shrouded her in shadows until she vanished completely.
While she was still invisible, Maya moved to position herself behind the bat-monster, taking advantage of the moment while the creature was still struggling to break apart Sophia's [Light Binding]. As she neared the monster, Maya gathered in her hands and forged another fiery sword.
She brought the sword down against the creature's vulnerable back. However, the bat-monster managed to sweep Maya's legs with its tail, knocking her off balance and onto the ground.
As she tried to recover, the monster rapidly turned to face her. It unleashed a torrent of sizzling acid from its mouth and aimed it down at her. Maya rolled to the right in an attempt to evade the attack, but she wasn't fast enough. The acid made contact with her left arm and dissolved it rapidly; the liquid was so potent that it soon made contact with the ground and ate part of it away.
Before the bat-monster could realign its aim towards Maya, Sophia intervened. The Paladin charged with her [Smite] imbued sword and stabbed the creature in the back. The attack caused the monster to reel in pain, its body convulsing as it tried to shake the Paladin off.
Meanwhile, Maya dragged herself away using her remaining hand. She then managed to push herself up, and slowly, the flames enveloping her body began to reshape and reconstruct her destroyed arm.
Once her arm was fully regenerated, Maya saw that the bat-monster had just flung Sophia away using its massive body. A loud thud echoed as the Paladin's body made contact with the ground.
Realizing the direness of their situation, Maya reverted to her human form. She then activated [Copycat], hoping that this time she had figured out enough information about the monster to gain its powers.
A moment of tension passed before Maya breathed a sigh of relief. A familiar notification materialized before her eyes that confirmed her success:
[Target Identified: Nightbringer]
[Knowledge threshold sufficient]
[Displaying Status]
Level: 21
Physique: 8
Dexterity: 9
Magic: 4
Unique Skills:
1. Sonic Screech
2. Acid Spray
3. Air Slash
[Initiating Transformation]
A bright light enveloped Maya. Her body grew and her limbs elongated; her skin became covered in layers of gray and white fur. Large, membranous wings sprouted from her arms, granting her the same aerial mobility as the monster. While sharp, bony protrusions grew from her head: completing the transformation.
[Copycat Successful]
[Tier 3 form unlocked: Nightbringer]
[Updating Status]
Level: 21
Physique: 8
Dexterity: 9
Magic: 4
Unique Skills:
1. Sonic Screech
2. Acid Spray
3. Air Slash
Emboldened by her transformation, Maya lunged at her opponent with newfound ferocity. The two Nightbringers collided and instantly became locked in a vicious combat.
They tumbled around the catacombs, biting and scratching at each other. Maya felt a rush of adrenaline unlike anything she had experienced in her previous transformations. This time, she felt a primal need for aggression within her. She needed to keep clawing her way to victory, and she needed to taste flesh.
As the battle raged on, Maya eventually found an opening. She grabbed the opposing Nightbringer by the neck with her jaws. Using all the might to slam her adversary against a wall. She did this over and over again until she felt her opponent's movement grew weaker and weaker.
But even as her enemy's body grew limp, Maya didn't stop. She dragged the opposing Nightbringer by the neck before tearing off its head from the rest of its body. As blood spewed out, the Shapestealer felt a powerful rush coursing through her veins.
Without even realizing it, Maya had already begun to dig into the fallen Nightbringer's flesh. She bit and tore into it, before swallowing thick chunks of red flesh into her throat. Somehow, the raw meat tasted as if it was the best thing she had ever eaten.
But as the Shapestealer had just finished tearing off another piece of flesh, she stopped as Sophia's voice called out to her. "Maya?"
Turning her head towards Sophia, Maya paused mid-chew with a wild look in her eyes. She let out a loud shriek as she violently shook her head left and right. Her monstrous form shrank and contorted back into her human shape. As the transformation completed, Maya slumped to the ground, her breaths coming in heavy gasps.
Sophia rushed over to Maya's side. The Paladin kneeled beside her and placed a gentle hand on Maya's shoulder. "Let's get you up."
With Sophia's help, Maya slowly rose to her feet, though her legs wobbled unsteadily beneath her. She leaned heavily on Sophia for support, and she struggled to focus as she regained her bearings. Despite her unsteady state, she could still see the blood that dripped from her hands, and she still felt the strong aftertaste of blood in her mouth.
