Chapter 36. Solar Eclipse

 When Yara realized that Lucy and Rina were alone, she believed she wouldn't have any trouble capturing them because they were at a much lower level than her and didn't seem to be the kind of people who had faced many hardships in their lives, as the expressions on their faces still bore the innocence characteristic of those who had not had prolonged contact with the hidden side of the world, one full of cruelty and governed by interests. However, things didn't go at all as she expected because the catgirl, whom she thought was too confident in her own abilities due to her strange skills, not only managed to evade all her attacks, but she also seemed to have the advantage, as the catgirl's counterattacks always managed to catch her off guard, proving that she indeed had reasons to be so proud of herself.

 Yara was not at all satisfied with how she had performed so far in the fight against Lucy, who not only managed to bring her down without much effort but also dared to taunt her, which was truly humiliating for her because she was aware that Lucy's level was much lower than hers and that Lucy probably had only half her years.

 'Screw this mission. If I don't put this catgirl in her place, I won't be able to look at myself in the mirror...', Yara said to herself, determined to show the catgirl, who was looking at her with a mocking smile, what she was capable of when she was serious, and to make the catgirl regret provoking her.

 "What's happening, dark elf? Did you bump your buttocks when you fell? I apologize if I've hurt you... Yes, I know! I have an ointment with me that could help you with the pain! If you want, I can give it to you, or better yet, I can help you apply it...", Yara heard the catgirl next to her continue to joke about her without a care in the world, not realizing that the danger was approaching her.

 "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about others' buttocks, but rather about my own...", Yara said as a sphere of deep black formed inside her fist, which flew immediately when she opened her hand towards the barely rising sun, growing bigger and bigger until the entire area around them was covered in shadow for over a kilometer.

 When Lucy saw that a large amount of mana was gathering in Yara's hand, she thought she was about to be attacked again, so she immediately disappeared from beside her, leaving behind a substitute made of dark vines, which eliminated all her chances of stopping the black sphere.

 'This is bad...', Lucy thought, sure that the skill used by the dark elf had more than just the role of casting a shadow over the ground, detecting traces of mana all around her.

 "Rina, run as far as you can!", Lucy shouted, believing that Rina wasn't safe as long as she was in the shadow of the black sphere blocking the sun.

 Unfortunately, at that moment, any warning was futile, as Rina didn't even have a chance to utter a word before being enveloped by a mass of shadows that rendered her unable to move at all.

 "Rina!!!"

 Seeing what happened to Rina, Lucy immediately threw a stun grenade toward her in the hope that she would be able to free her by creating a strong enough light to disperse the shadows around her, but the result was far below expectations, as Lucy could only see Rina for a few fractions of a second before she was swallowed again by the shadows.

 'Damn it! I thought she was just an assassin specialized in using shadows! I didn't expect her to have a skill capable of affecting such a large area...', Lucy said to herself, somewhat relieved that she saw the shadows didn't seem to have caused any harm to Rina, but aware that to free her, she would have to find a way to defeat the dark elf who had the advantage at that moment since the entire area was under her control.

 "Are you impressed, kitty?", Lucy heard the voice of the young dark elf woman from the area around her, unable to determine her exact location.

 "Heh, you seem very proud that you managed to bully some young girls...", Lucy replied, not understanding why the dark elf was so proud of herself when she had cornered someone who didn't even have half her level.

 "Hmmm, you're right. Maybe I exaggerated a bit. But I had no choice... How can I tame you when you're capable of scratching me?"

 Hearing the dark elf's words, Lucy began to regret teasing her until she finally managed to get her angry.

 "And who says I'm no longer capable of scratching?", Lucy asked in turn, wanting to find out why the dark elf was so sure of herself and to buy herself some time to find a solution to escape for both her and Rina.

 "Well, as long as you're within the area affected by my skill, Solar Eclipse, your mana will be constantly absorbed, so it would be wise not to waste it. Additionally, I think it would be a good idea to keep your claws sheathed and do as I say if you don't want the one you're protecting to suffer...", Yara replied from behind Lucy, who was seated on a throne formed of shadows. She gestured for Lucy to approach after Lucy turned to face her.

 'Shit! Maybe I could manage to escape on my own from the area affected by her skill, but escaping with Rina is almost impossible. Hmmm, the only solution I have is to stall until the effect of the skill she used wears off, because I don't think such a skill can have a longer effect than 5 minutes. But I can't let this dark elf control the situation, because she might come up with some weird ideas. What if she slaps my butt? Ugh, that would be truly humiliating... Hmm, I guess I have no choice but to use my catgirl charm. Yes, I don't think there's been a being born yet that my cuteness couldn't conquer. Probably if I were to go back to my old world, I'd only need to post a picture of myself for everyone to consider me the goddess of cuteness...', Lucy thought as she made her way with timid steps towards where Yara awaited her, wanting to appear as harmless as possible.

 Upon reaching Yara, Lucy didn't wait for her to give any further instructions, and she settled very quietly in her lap, her tail lightly brushing against Yara's right hand.

 "Big sister,... please be gentle...", Lucy said with a trembling voice, her ears perked making her appear resigned to what she was about to endure, like a cat seeing a hand reaching towards its head to pet it.

 'Fuck! What have I gotten myself into?', Yara cursed in her mind, completely overwhelmed by the behavior of the catgirl in her lap, forgetting all the plans she had made to humiliate her.