Free Shadow Seed by Jose Rodriguez Page B

than man in appearance. While
the Cyclopes’ size proved to be a bit of a problem, the Liros could
pounce on anything smaller and claw them to pieces.
    The Doran had perfected the use of blood as a
weapon. It was like liquid mercury in their hands, and they had
full control over it.
    One used his blood staff to block a
Corinthian's sword before turning it into a whip-like weapon that
shot through the Corinthian's chest.
    A powerful Doran could control the blood
without even touching it. The blood spike was a nasty weapon that
could repeatedly run someone through, with the Doran at a safe
distance.
    Two Satyrs went after Marus, jabbing at him
with their spears through the fog. One managed to slash his coat
pocket, dropping the few precious blood marbles he had.
    Several yards away a Centaur took aim with
his bow.
    As Marus tricked the Satyrs into stabbing
each other, an arrow stuck his shoulder. Flinching for a split
second, he took a Satyr's spear and threw it at the Centaur's head
with incredible precision.
    At the rear of the Vesuvian army, the Siena
made the most of their unmatched intuition with a bow and
arrow.
    What separated one Siena from another was
their ability to hit a target in all the commotion. The least adept
aimed high, shooting far into the enemy army.
    For the more experienced, it was like
watching a magic trick executed effortlessly. The best could fire
past dozens of people in the midst of battle, and hit the enemy
exactly where they wanted.
    The only Vesuvians not physically fighting
were the Kanara. Mind-control used a fair amount of blood, even for
the powerful ones. In a massive battle, it wasn’t as efficient as a
support role.
    They functioned as a second set of eyes for
those actually fighting. A Remian pulling his sword from a Satyr
would have been struck from behind were it not for the timely
telepathic warning of a watchful Kanara.
    The Kanara also relayed vital information
about enemy movements at the speed of thought. This let the
Vesuvians instantly know where their line was beginning to break
and reinforce it.
    The dirty fighting was left to the Orlok, and
they loved it. Those who could do so remained invisible, with many
Pelasgians never knowing what hit them.
    They preferred jagged knives and blunt
objects, quickly eliminating enemies already locked in battle from
behind.
    A Turin girl blocked one attack after another
from two Corinthians using only a short sword. As a Minotaur joined
the fray, she threw a black powder that ignited with a blinding
flash. With some assistance from the Orlok, she was able to quickly
finish off the Pelasgians.
    Melding with the ground in the nick of time,
Marus barely avoided being smashed by a Cyclops bringing his mace
down like a hammer. He instantly reemerged and stabbed the Cyclops
through the chest.
    Monitoring the battle from the Council's
building, Helen called out to Marus with her telepathy. “Fall back!
The Pelasgians are pushing hard into the flanks.”
    “Can we counter?” Marus thought as he pulled
the arrow out.
    “It doesn’t look good,” Helen replied. “The
rural section should be better for fighting, but you must go
now.”
    At once, the Vesuvians went into retreat.
    The Pelasgians gave chase, fighting much of
the way across the farmlands. They soon reached the rural section,
a part of the city with buildings up to three stories high at the
most.
    “Stand your ground!” Marus ordered.
    Without question, the Vesuvians turned to
face the incoming enemy.
    Marus dodged a Minotaur and kicked him to the
side where an Orlok happily took over.
    Little by little the fog covering Marus was
dissipating, making him easier to see. A Corinthian swung and
barely missed.
    Marus blocked the second attack, but that
allowed a Satyr to spear him in the stomach.
    The sound of Marus' grunting in pain
instantly drew his fellow Vesuvians' attention.
    A Liro tackled the Satyr, with many of the
Turin charging the Pelasgians.
    The fog around Marus completely