The dripping sounds multiplied. No longer one source, but dozens. Liquid shadow falling from the Stalker's body as it moved through the chamber, each droplet evaporating before hitting stone.
Sael fired toward the densest cluster of sounds. The arrow split mid-flight and struck two positions simultaneously.
One hit solid flesh.
The other passed through empty air.
'Afterimage.'
The real attack came from his left. No sound. No warning except the bow's frantic pulse against his palm—the weapon itself screaming danger through the bond between artifact and wielder.
Sael manifested a white light platform sideways as a shield. The barrier materialized just in time—something massive slammed into it with enough force to crack the compressed air. The platform shattered, fragments of solidified light dissolving like glass, but it held long enough for Sael to roll away, firing blind as he moved.
The arrow curved back mid-flight and struck the Stalker's retreating form.
