"I have to leave!" Lyon thought, using his ability he gained when he leveled up to level 2 of the messenger class.

[ABILITY: PATH OF SHADOWS]

LEVEL 1

DESCRIPTION:

The host summons the shadows around him, merging with them to move stealthily. While this ability is active, the host is able to slide through darkness, becoming almost undetectable to enemies.

EFFECTS:

- When the host activates the "Path of Shadows", the host receives a +50% bonus on his Stealth skill, allowing him to move more effectively without being detected.

- While the "Path of Shadows" is active, enemies have a -30% penalty on their Perception skill, making it harder to detect the host.

CONSUMPTION: 

2 stamina per minute

REQUIREMENTS:

To use the "Path of Shadows", the host needs to be in an area with enough shadows or darkness to camouflage. If the area is well lit, the ability cannot be used. ]

[2 STAMINA HAS BEEN CONSUMED]

[+50 PERCENT STEALTH EFFECT HAS NOT BEEN ACTIVATED, THE HOST HAS NO STEALTH STATISTIC]

[THE PENALTY ON ENEMIES HAS NOT BEEN ACTIVATED, THE ENEMIES DO NOT HAVE PERCEPTION STATISTICS]

"Lucio, the target is right in front of you, immersed in the darkness." The black man's voice echoed in the darkness. "This kill will be simple. He can't see anything in this total darkness. Even if he heard my advice to Lucio, he is doomed. After all, the only creature who can see inside this magic of mine is me. And to make his situation worse, his statistics are halved." The man in black elaborated his plan mentally, confident that Lyon would have no chance of survival.

With a war cry, Lucio advanced, his axe seeking Lyon's waist in a mortal blow. "I got him... Wait, what?" The black man faltered, his penetrating gaze searching for Lyon in the shadows. To his surprise, Lyon had disappeared into the darkness, merging with it as if it were an extension of it.

"Hey, I'm sure I hit him. Why do I feel like I just tore the air?" Lucio questioned, confused by the result of his attack.

"Because you, in fact, only cut the air, not him." The black man replied, his voice now loaded with uncertainty.

"Understood, I messed up. Now, can you tell me where he is?" Lucio asked, preparing for a new attack.

"No, Lucio, you didn't mess up. He simply evaporated into the shadows, in fact, he seemed to have merged with them." The black man spoke, his words floating in the air like a dark omen. "Is that possible? Is he some sort of assassin class?" Lucio asked, the perplexity distorting his battle-hardened face.

"I can't say for sure, but something is definitely out of the ordinary. Stay vigilant, Lucio. We need that plant he carries. Our lives depend on it." The black man warned, his tone serious.

"I can keep this force field up for six more minutes. He's trapped here with us, and if he tries to escape... he'll fail miserably." The black man thought, confident in his abilities.

Meanwhile, Lyon was immersed in the shadows, invisible to his opponents' eyes. "What a strange sensation..." He thought, feeling a peculiar connection with the darkness around him. "I need to get out of here now!" Lyon declared, and began to run, his silent steps echoing only in his own mind.

"I can feel where the darkness ends, that must be the limit of that black-clad guy's magic." Lyon thought, feeling the edge of the magic approaching.

"What?" Lyon suddenly exclaimed, for the moment he tried to cross the border from shadow to light, he felt brutally repelled. As if an invisible force had kicked him back into the darkness, Lyon realized that escape was not going to be as easy as he had hoped.

[YOUR ABILITY WAS INTERRUPTED]

"There he is, Lucio. Run to the left now, and in exactly one second, strike!" The black man's voice snapped like a whip in the quiet of the darkness, the exact moment he caught a glimpse of Lyon's silhouette emerging from the shadows. The words sounded like a death decree, a cold and calculated sentence.

"I need to move now!" Lyon thought, an overwhelming sense of urgency taking over every fiber of his being. With a herculean effort, he tried to spin his body in mid-air, in a desperate attempt to dodge the deadly blow that was coming. He managed to, but it wasn't enough.

A scream of pain cut through the darkness like a sharp blade. "Ahhhhh!" Lyon cried, feeling Lucio's axe tear into his flesh, opening a deep cut in his chest. It was not an immediate fatal blow, but the pain was almost unbearable and blood was already beginning to flow down his chest, staining his clothes a dark red.

"Finally, I hit this rat!" Lucio exclaimed, his voice echoing triumphantly in the darkness. The satisfaction in his words was palpable, and he twirled his axe with a cruel smile.

"Yes, it was a sure hit. Even if it wasn't fatal, he won't last long." The man in black confirmed, his serene voice contrasting with the desperate situation. "Finish him off soon, Lucio."

"Don't worry, your death will be swift, a mercy on my part. It's much better than slowly bleeding to death." Lucio spoke to Lyon, his voice full of contempt and cruelty. He raised his axe, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"He's right in front of you, Lucio. He's falling to the ground, defeated." The man in black guided, anticipating Lucio's question, who would undoubtedly ask where Lyon was. The man in black's voice contained not a trace of emotion, as if he were simply narrating a trivial event. The hunt was almost over.

"There's no chance of me dying at the hands of you two clowns..." Lyon managed to whisper with difficulty, the bitter taste of fear and pain in his chest making speech even more difficult. He was surprised at himself for still being able to articulate words, considering the stabbing pain radiating from his chest.

Lucio, on the other hand, reacted with fury to Lyon's words. His face contorted into a grimace of irritation and his fist tightened even more around the handle of his axe, ready to deliver the final blow. Lyon's insult was like a discordant chord that echoed in his mind, fuelling the fire of anger that already burned within him.

"It's now or never. I can't die here, I can't waste this opportunity given to me." Lyon thought, his determination reigniting despite his desperate situation. He had already experienced death once and knew he didn't want to revisit that cold and dark place, with that crazy woman. He had no choice but to fight.

With tremendous effort, Lyon managed to raise his hand in Lucio's direction. Although he was practically blind in the darkness, he used Lucio's voice as a guide, hoping his adversary was exactly where he thought he was.

"Lucio, get out of there now!" The man in black's voice erupted in the darkness, laden with urgency. He wasn't sure what Lyon was about to do, but he knew it wasn't good. Unfortunately, his warnings came too late.

"Inquisitor's Flame!" Lyon shouted, summoning the ability of his Fire Inquisitor class, with all the strength he had left. A bright and intense light exploded from his hand, cutting through the darkness like a sharp blade and blinding Lucio, who was about to strike him. The intense glow served as a barrier, protecting Lyon from the approaching deadly blow.

[ABILITY: INQUISITOR'S FLAME

LEVEL 1:

Description: The user summons a small sacred flame that radiates a soft light, capable of illuminating up to a distance of 15 meters in total darkness. This flame, with an ethereal appearance and serene heat, has the peculiarity of burning intensely when in contact with evil beings, causing damage and pain while purifying their impurities.

- TYPE OF ABILITY: Magic / Sacred

- CASTING TIME: Instantaneous

- DURATION: Until it is dissipated or until the user wishes to extinguish the flame.

- RANGE: Can be summoned in the user's palm or a specific location within a radius of up to 20 meters.

- RECHARGE: Can be summoned again as soon as the previous flame is dissipated.

- CONSUMPTION: 3 wisdom each time the magic is used

- ILLUMINATION: Grants total visibility within a radius of up to 15 meters. Reduces penalties for ranged attacks in dark environments by 50% for the user and allies within the light radius.

- DAMAGE TO EVIL BEINGS: When an evil being comes into contact with the Inquisitor's Flame, it suffers high damage. In addition, there is a 50% chance of the creature being terrified by the user.

- PURIFICATION: Besides the damage, the Inquisitor's Flame has the power to purify minor curses and ward off evil spirits. The user has a 25% to 50% chance (depending on the intensity of the curse or spirit) to purify the curse or spirit.

NOTE: The Inquisitor's Flame does not damage benign or neutral beings, nor can it be used to inflict conventional fire damage. The ability is strictly defensive and purifying.]

[THE HERETIC LUCIO IS TERRIFIED]

[3 WISDOM WAS SPENT]

[PURIFIED THE ENEMY'S MAGIC]

The glow in Lyon's hand intensified, transforming into an unexpectedly intense flame, an aggressive mix of white and red. Like a runaway comet, the flame shot from Lyon's hand, tracing a luminous trail that cut through the darkness around it. Lucio, who was completely unprepared for such an attack, was hit full on, like an unsuspecting sailboat being hit by a gigantic wave.

The flame, upon making contact with Lucio, acted as if he were the perfect fuel, spreading across his body in a destructive dance that devoured everything in its path. Lucio's screams emerged almost immediately, an agonizing sound that echoed in the darkness, like a melody of torture and despair.

"Ahhhhh!" Lucio screamed, the sound of his voice turning into a painful roar as the flames consumed his flesh. The heat was unbearable, a torture that surpassed anything he had ever experienced. Fear and pain mixed, forming a symphony of terror that echoed in his being.

"Get away from me! Demon!" Lucio screamed, his eyes wide with horror at the monstrous figure that appeared before him. The demon was a gigantic creature with sharp teeth and imposing horns, a vision that only existed in Lucio's tormented mind.

"Damn, what the hell is going on?" The man in black murmured, observing the scene with an expression of disbelief. The flames that consumed Lucio not only increased in intensity, but also emitted a light so strong that it began to break through the field of dark magic he had created.

"Lucio, you fool, we have to get out of here now!" The man in black shouted, realizing that the situation was quickly spiraling out of control. He could see the pain on Lucio's face, the suffering caused by the flames. But there was something else, something he couldn't understand. Why was Lucio screaming in fear? What was Lucio seeing that he couldn't?