Heaven's Greatest Professor

Warden shot at the elusive figure in the dark, breaking through the ward. His sword raised in a swing, but before he could bring it down, the figure vanished from his side as if it were merely a ghost.

"Warden," Jason called. "What was it?"

Although Jason didn't see anything, he saw Warden swinging his blade.

His senses picked up a presence not far away, moving further away. "I don't know," Warden said, "but I'm going after it."

"Hey, wouldn't it be a better idea to stay together?" Nina's voice came, but Warden was already on the move, his figure vanishing in the darkness.

Warden was keenly aware of the elusive figure running ahead of him. It seemed human, at least in appearance, but the way it moved was nearly impossible for a human of flesh and blood. Considering it was a dungeon, Warden took a moment to cautiously bring out his best defence with Void shroud.

"Stop," a voice came, soft and feminine. "I meant no offence. It was merely an honest mistake, and I'm no threat to you, Great Warrior."

Is it a human? Warden considered, though he did not stop. "Show yourself; I will judge if you made offence or not."

"I would rather not," the voice said from behind him, where Warden had least expected it.

There was already a figure running ahead. How could she speak something from behind? Warden turned to find a similar figure behind him. In the dark, he could not see her face, but he noticed a smirk on her lips with white teeth.

"I am not there either," the woman purred, from his right.

Warden turned to find another identical figure on his right, still with that smirk.

"I'm here too," another voice heard from his left. Warden turned in time to find another identical figure of the woman. They all laughed in unison, as if playing a great joke on him.

"You know what you said about not being a threat," Warden said. "This demonstration did not really put my mind at ease."

"I apologise," said the woman on the right, as her figure vanished into the darkness.

"But to be honest," the one ahead opened her mouth to say, "you are the one who wanted to see us."

Her figure, too, vanished into thin air.

"So we decided," the one on the left said as she or it came forward towards him, "to show ourselves."

Her figure vanished too, halfway towards Warden.

"Did you like our show?" her voice whispered into his ears, as hot breath fell on his ears.

Warden spun to find the last of her figure standing barely any distance away. He winced. How she had got so close to him without his notice eluded him completely.

"You look impressed," she said softly, playfully. She was smiling. Although with the darkness, he could not make out her complexion clearly, he deemed her to be gorgeous, standing close to six feet with brim golden hair.

"What are you?" saying that, he stuck the hilt of his sword into her stomach.

"You don't know how to talk to a woman, do you?" she said with a great sigh.

The sword hilt was still sticking into her stomach, though there was no visible impression on her face. As Warden thought, it was another illusion.

Warden turned around to search around, reinforcing his defence. He could only sense a thin breeze that had been going on forever.

"You're not looking in the right direction," the illusionary figure whispered into his ears yet again. Warden withdrew a step to stay clear of her reach. The nameless woman laughed softly. "Relax, I'm harmless in this form."

Even though she said that, and Warden could feel that she was nothing but an extraordinary illusion, he could not help but stay alert.

"Fine, I apologise for putting you ill at ease," the woman said, bowing deeply.

"If you're really sorry, then show your true form," Warden said. "For all I know, you could just be a fiend, a monster with illusion power, coming up with a beautiful woman to put me at ease."

The strange woman's lips curved upwards, hearing his unperturbed words, or perhaps she liked being called beautiful. Warden didn't really know how a woman's mind worked, but this one eluded him more than the others.

"I cannot," she said, "without my illusion powers, I'm basically vulnerable. Besides, you have a big sword, and you seem to like to stick women with it very much. I'd rather not be another victim."

There was some innuendo in her tone, but Warden would be a fool to let his guard down just yet.

"Who are you?" Warden asked again.

"I'm many things," she said softly, "but mostly a small woman with small power."

"What were you doing near our camp?"

"Just checking," she said. "After finding it was merely rankers, I decided to withdraw, but then you found me."

"I wouldn't have if you hadn't made such a show for yourself," Warden said. "Why did you show yourself? Or better yet, why didn't you stay put to clarify if it was merely a misunderstanding?"

"Didn't I say already I'm a small woman?" she said, "and there were four of you. I'd be ill at ease against all of you. As you know what they say about dungeons, there are monsters and there are monsters in human form. For a small woman like me, I have to stay clear of them all."

Warden snorted, not believing her.

"Anyway, we have a fun talk," she said, "but I must depart now."

"Hold on," Warden said. "What are you doing alone in a dungeon if you—"

The woman's figure already vanished, though her voice came for one last time: "Perhaps we'll meet again and I hope you won't stick your big sword in me then, but until then I'll be on your mind."

Warden looked in his surroundings for an extended period of time, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The woman was really like a ghost, though she had a way with words.

Then he heard screeches of drakes, from their camp...

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