The first one reached Jorghan in a blur of speed and claws.

When had it grown claws?

Extended toward his throat. Jorghan's blood essence manifested as a barrier, crimson energy solidifying just enough to deflect the strike.

His counterattack was immediate and brutal. Blood manipulation seized the creature's circulatory system, Jorghan's will overriding whatever biological controls governed its body. He compressed the blood in its head, increasing pressure until vessels burst internally.

The creature staggered but didn't fall, apparently capable of functioning despite damage that would have killed any normal being. Its black eyes fixed on Jorghan without pain or fear, just cold calculation adjusting tactics.

Two more attacked from different angles, forcing Jorghan to split his attention. Blood essence lashed out in whip-like tendrils, cutting through leather skin, severing muscles, and targeting joints and vulnerable points with surgical precision.

One creature lost its arm, the limb falling away as blood vessels were systematically ruptured from inside. But still it pressed forward, its remaining arm clawing at Jorghan with relentless determination.

Sigora engaged three others, earth rising in defensive walls, stone spikes erupting from sand to impale attacking forms. The creatures adapted quickly, dodging her attacks with disturbing agility, learning from each failed approach.

Jorghan transformed partially, not into full combat form, but enough to enhance his physical capabilities significantly. His strength increased, his speed accelerated, and his senses sharpened to predatory clarity.

He caught the one-armed creature by its remaining wrist and yanked, pulling it off balance. His other hand plunged into its chest, blood essence manifesting as razor-sharp extensions that shredded internal organs.

The creature finally fell, its body apparently unable to compensate for total organ destruction.

But the moment it died, something else happened. Its body began dissolving, flesh and bone breaking down into grey ash that dispersed on the desert wind within seconds.

Evidence destruction, Jorghan recognized. Someone didn't want these creatures studied after death.

Three remained engaging him directly while Sigora battled the other three.

They were learning fast, adapting to his blood manipulation by targeting him from angles that limited his response time, forcing him to choose between defense and offense.

One feinted high while another swept low, a coordinated attack designed to overwhelm his ability to block both simultaneously. Jorghan jumped, using blood essence to propel himself higher than should be possible, then crashed down on the low attacker with crushing force.

His feet connected with its head, and he channeled blood manipulation directly through the point of contact. Every vessel in the creature's brain ruptured simultaneously, destroying cognitive function in an instant.

It fell, already dissolving, leaving five active threats.

Jorghan's blood essence expanded outward in a wave, not attacking but sensing, mapping the circulatory systems of all remaining creatures simultaneously. He could feel their hearts beating, their blood flowing through modified bodies, and the subtle variations that marked them as constructed rather than naturally evolved.

He chose his target, the one engaging Sigora that showed slightly slower response times, and struck. Blood essence pierced through sand and distance, invading the creature's circulatory system, seizing control.

The creature convulsed as its own blood turned against it, internal hemorrhaging occurring throughout its body. It tried to resist, some bodily defense attempting to counteract Jorghan's manipulation, but his will was stronger. He compressed, twisted, and forced blood into spaces it shouldn't occupy until the pressure overwhelmed the creature's structural integrity.

It exploded from inside, blood and tissue spraying outward before dissolving into ash.

The remaining four recognized the shift in tactical advantage. They attempted to disengage, to retreat into the desert and regroup.

Jorghan didn't allow it.

Blood lances formed in the air around him, solid constructs of crimson energy shaped into projectile forms. He launched them with thought-speed, each one targeting a specific creature, piercing through leather skin and into vital areas.

Two fell immediately, their bodies unable to compensate for massive trauma. The remaining two made it perhaps twenty yards before Jorghan's blood manipulation seized them remotely.

He crushed their hearts simultaneously, the organs rupturing under pressure their structures couldn't withstand. They collapsed mid-stride, already beginning to dissolve as death triggered whatever mechanism destroyed evidence.

Within fifteen seconds, the remaining attackers were gone, leaving only disturbed sand and the faint smell of dissolution as proof the encounter had even happened.

-

Jorghan stood amid the empty desert, his blood essence slowly retracting, his partial transformation fading back to normal appearance. His breathing was elevated but controlled, the fight having required significant effort but not pushed him anywhere near his limits.

Sigora approached, her own magic settling, stone defenses crumbling back into sand.

"What were those things?"

"Trained attack beasts," Jorghan replied, his eyes scanning the desert for additional threats. "Humanoid form, enhanced capabilities, programmed with specific targets. They knew me and knew to target me specifically."

"And they dissolved after death," Sigora observed, crouching to examine the ash remnants of the nearest fallen creature.

"Someone went to considerable effort to ensure they couldn't be studied or traced back to their creator."

Jorghan nodded, his mind working through implications.

"The question is who sent them and why. Who benefits from my death right now?"

"The Empire," Sigora suggested.

"You destroyed their deployment, and I don't want to say it, but the clans too."

"Possible," Jorghan acknowledged.

"But these didn't feel like Imperial design. Their tactics were too refined, too focused on my specific capabilities. The Empire doesn't know enough about blood manipulation to design creatures that adapt to it this effectively."

"Then who?" Sigora pressed.

"Which clan would want you dead?"

Jorghan considered the possibilities.

"Could be Amasurata hardliners who opposed my recognition. Could be elements from the three clans my father destroyed, survivors seeking revenge. Could be Council members who fear what I might do."

"I have a sense of feeling that the clans were the ones who plotted the attack, but I'm not sure which one exactly, though. I found it very odd that they accepted you and even went as far as hearing your opinions. The elves I know wouldn't submit so easily."

Sigora stared at the bodies, contemplating who it was.

He moved to where Kaleth waited nervously, checking the Swarafa for injuries. The creature appeared unharmed but clearly shaken by the attack.

"Or it could be someone testing my capabilities," Jorghan continued.

"Not necessarily trying to kill me, but seeing how I respond to threats, measuring my combat effectiveness in non-military contexts."

"That's paranoid," Sigora said.

"That's realistic," Jorghan corrected.

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