Damien and Garrick didn't see these ones at first.
The shadows themselves moved.
Twin Shade Stalkers emerged simultaneously from opposite sides, their forms half-phased, eyes glowing faintly violet.
Garrick barely managed to block the first strike, the impact numbing his arm. The second Stalker lunged for his blind spot and was intercepted mid-air by Damien's blade.
Damien didn't kill it immediately.
He used its momentum, twisting and slamming it into the ground hard enough to disrupt its phasing. The creature screamed as its form stabilized.
"Now!" Damien called.
Garrick struck, driving his blade through its core.
The second Stalker disengaged, trying to retreat into shadow but Damien followed, his movements matching the creature's unnatural shifts perfectly.
A single strike ended it.
Garrick laughed breathlessly once the danger passed. "You're terrifying, you know that?"
Damien sheathed his blade. "So are loan sharks."
They didn't stop.
