"There's no need for that," I said, appearing behind Veyra and Drel, placing both hands firmly on their shoulders.
Before either of them could react, black ink surged from my palms. Death Root spread instantly across their backs and down their arms, the dark tendrils latching on and beginning their work without hesitation.
The chief's reaction was immediate. In a flash, he moved, his blade cut through me in a clean horizontal arc, precise and lethal, but it cleaved nothing but an afterimage, as I was already gone.
I reappeared behind him, but the moment I materialized, he struck again, beams of compressed energy shooting toward me from his palm with frightening speed, released as fast as I appeared.
But I warped laterally, letting the beams carve through the space I had occupied, and directed the black ink toward him as well. The tendrils lunged forward, splitting and converging, seeking purchase on his armor and limbs.
