Nyxoria, 28th of Lyra, 518 ER(Continuation)

  Leah then disappears.

  Jasmine has written the letter and heads to one of the rooms of the open chamber of the gate where the Xerxes eagles are being kept. To use one of them to send the letter to Xerxes.

  As she turns to enter the room, Barksley enters her view, thereby blocking her path. He transforms to his normal demonic form and then walks towards her in a lazy, joyful manner, his movements animated.

  Reaching her, he stops, his demonic form towering over her petite structure, his appearance a stark contrast to her youthful and non-threatening demeanor. He then looks down at her, his gaze lingering on her small frame, and chuckles, as if thinking, "This little thing is supposed to be a threat, and one of the guards of the Topple minister? How adorable."

  He cracks his neck, more out of habit than necessity, and grins, ready to toy with his prey.

  Then, suddenly a long tail forms from his bottom, depicting the alligator tail-like structure we know of, followed by claws forming out of his hands(fingertips), like an eagle's claws.

  After the transformation, a soothing sound can be heard from his ear as he puts his palm to his ear.

  Leah: "Barksley, where are you? I hope you're not slacking."

  Barksley: "No, Leah, I'm just handling one of the pesky guards - a female - so she can't deliver the message to Xerxes."

  Leah: "OK, I'm going to the main entrance of the minister's house. See you there in a flash."

  Barksley: "Ok, my Dearie. Till then."

  He hears her voice through their mystic conduit, a gentle whisper in his mind. Ending the communication, he then laughs.

  Barksley: "Oh, where are we? Oh, the fun part."

  He propels himself towards Jasmine, the guard who has been startled by the sudden appearance of Barksley, and then lunges his tail towards her.

  Jasmine, who has snapped out of it now draws back some steps away, sweating profusely, and tries to defend herself. A sly smirk spreads across his face.

  Jasmine, who was originally in shock suddenly smirks in just a second as her emotions turn to pride. She tries to compose herself as Barksley attacks.

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  As the tail nears her, she immediately unsheathes her sword, stabs it into the ground nearby, and propels herself by performing a backflip, evading the tail as it hits and shatters the sword into pieces.

  As she lands, she delivers a swirl of poisonous daggers with a swift kick from hidden compartments in her shoes to Barksley, who is stunned and immediately transforms into a pigeon, dodging the daggers in the air.

  He returns to his normal form and then stares at Jasmine in shock, his eyes widening in incredulity, his face pale with surprise, unable to believe that this frail-looking female guard was able to dodge his attack and counter with such ferocity.

  Barksley's eyes remained fixed on Jasmine, his mind racing with wonder. But while he was staring at her, something amazing happened.

  Jasmine flashed a sultry glance as she gazed at Barksley. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, and her lips curled into a small, enigmatic smile.

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to recite the mantra maze of the plan. Her voice was low and husky, the words dripping with malevolent intensity.

  "Inhaling deeply, she recited:

  "Derousticrousti Bardnexixi Rumblestizidi Mancri Mancri Maze!!"

  As she spoke, she reached for a strap under the leg of her leather breeches and pulled out a dagger. The mystical glyph etched on the dagger's hilt shimmered with a soft, ethereal light.

  Barksley watched, smirking and ridiculing her in his mind. What was she doing? What kind of silly spell was this?

  But unbeknownst to him, something remarkable was about to happen, revealing the true power of Jasmine's strategy

  Jasmine, after reciting the words, opens her eyes and smiles.

  Suddenly, the section of the open chamber they are in begins to shudder as if awakened from a deep slumber. The wall opposite Barksley slides open, revealing a hidden compartment, which shoots out a crossbow attached to the wall.

  Barksley, stunned by Jasmine's mesmerizing smile and the sudden movements, looks around in utter confusion. his eyes dart widely as if searching for an escape from the chaos. As if alerted by some unseen danger, he turns back, but it's too late. Arrows from the crossbow shoot him, one narrowly missing his heart and the other hitting his waist.

  Feeling the searing pain, he shouts in anger and turns to stab Jasmine with his razor-sharp claws, his fingers extended like deadly knives. However, underestimating her plan, the floor beneath her starts moving downwards, and she begins to descend into the shadows.

  Smoke starts shooting out, enveloping Barksley in a choking cloud that makes him cough and stumble.

  As Barksley notices her collected expression, his pandemonium reaches a boiling point. He is consumed by a raging fury, his mind clouded by pain and confusion. He shouts ferociously and attempts to attack her again, but his efforts are futile.

  The smoke overwhelms him, choking the air from his lungs and causing him to lose consciousness. He slumps to the ground, his body wracked with violent coughs as he desperately tries to find the source of the smoke, but it's too late and the darkness closes in.

  As the smoke clears, the section of the open chamber returns to its normal state, an unsettling silence falling over the space like a shroud, a stark contrast to the chaos that had erupted moments before.

  Leah, done with defeating Captain Jack, appears inside the minister settlement's surroundings. She materializes and stops for a second, looking around in stunned silence. The place is eerily quiet, with no guards in sight. Then, the rune-etched sentry bells toll out a warning. She rolls her eyes seductively and thinks, "Great!!".