NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54: All is quiet on the front.
Nekra perched on a weathered tree trunk, Her hood covering her head as the weight of the guilt from her actions over the past few days slowing her down.Was what she did good? No, but she was a monster afterall… I mean they had probably enough blood to last her tens if not hundreds of thousands of years yet that was so much blood on her hands.
“Hey, you alright?” A voice asks
Nekra looks up to see a man in full plate armor with his hand on his hip talking to her.
“Nyo, it’s not good nya.” Nekra says dialing up her verbal tick for effect.
“What does that mean?”
"There was this thing, and it's traveling north killing everything nya," Nekra explained, her voice lowering to a hushed whisper as she recounted the horrors she had witnessed. "I think I managed to keep away from it, but I don't know how far it is."
A flicker of alarm passed over the man's features as he absorbed her words. "We need to warn the others," he declared, his voice resolute.
Nekra stumbled slightly as the man grabbed her arm, his urgency evident in the firmness of his grip. With a nod of agreement, she allowed herself to be pulled away from the downed log and towards the main road, away from the shelter of the forest.
As she neared the company Nekra couldn’t help but smirk to herself.
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The company of knights moved cautiously through the dense woods, their senses alert for any signs of danger. As they rounded a bend in the trail, their eyes fell upon a lone figure sitting on a log, her presence incongruous amidst the shadowy forest.
“Aruther… Do you see her aswell?” the commander asks
“Yes, I do. Sir” Arthur says a mix between a spear and a barrel loaded gun strapped around his shoulder sword at his hip.
“Go, and see why she is here. Maybe she knows what happened to the 3 cities we lost contact with.”
“Of course Sir.” Arthur says
Arthur, with his comboweapn, stepped forward, his armor clinking softly with each careful stride. He approached the lone figure cautiously, his senses attuned to any hint of danger that might lurk beneath her calm exterior.
"Good eve, traveler," Arthur called out, his voice echoing softly through the forest.
Said figure on the tree moves.
"What brings you to these woods alone?" Arthur asks
“Nyo, it’s not good nya.” Nekra says dialing up her verbal tick for effect.
Arthur stills a demi human here? How did it escape the factories?
“What does that mean?”
"There was this thing, and it's traveling north killing everything nya," The cat girl explained, her voice lowering to a hushed whisper. "I think I managed to keep away from it, but I don't know how far it is."
This girl… she knew what it was why those cities have gone silent.
“What does that mean?” Arthur asks grabbing the girl knowing the captain needed to see her.
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“Arthur, I see you brought her here.” The captain says with a smile.
As they returned to the captain, Arthur presented Nekra, the captain smiling at the sight.
"This thing would be an IT, sir," Arthur explained. "And IT saw whatever the beast we are hunting is."
But Nekra's true nature soon revealed itself as Arthur pulled back her hood, revealing her “bestial” blood.
"You are going to tell us what you saw, and then you shall have served your purpose," the captain declared with a sickening smile. "Maybe we could find a use for you."
But before the captain could react, Nekra's eyes turned into soulless, glowing red orbs.
"Thank you for the snack nya," Nekra said with a chilling smile.
In an instant, all but the captain fell to the ground, their armor seemingly crushed faster than he could blink.
"Now… You are going to tell me where the stupid capital is so I can raze it to the ground then head home," Nekra stated blandly, her tone devoid of any emotion.
The captain felt the agony of his armor merging with his skin, his nerves on fire as he writhed in pain.
"It’s about a day and a half northeast," the captain whimpered, unable to withstand the torture.
"Good. Now die, you worm," Nekra said coldly, as flames consumed the entire company of knights, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake.