The Huntress counted to ten as she waited for her shot to connect with...something. Truth be told, she couldn't exactly see any of the Mamono within the camp. All she saw were dots that she assumed were monsters. The incline was steep enough that her vision started to distort after a certain distance. While she had no doubt her bullet would hit something there was little doubt it would be a Mamono.
However, one thing it would accomplish was telling her how far down the incline was in seconds.
She mouthed the number ten when the bullet's outline finally dropped out of sight. With a nod, she reached into her left pocket as movement in the camp picked up. She couldn't tell if her shot had actually hit something, but that wasn't important. It had served its purpose. Now, it was time to go for a more precise shot. And for that, she'd need something to better her aim.
Within moments her left hand grasped a familiar cylindrical object. She pulled out the brass monocular and held up the smaller end to her left eye. It was slightly awkward to do while aiming the Evelyn with her right hand. However, it did afford her a better view and detail of the camp below. The occupants of the camp, though still blurred, were much more defined through the lens of the monocular. She noted how there weren't many succubi. Only a few wandering here and there.
The majority of the camp seemed to be comprised of multi-colored Mamono. They had the flat, triangular ears and twirled tails of pigs, and carried various types of stone weapons. Most of those were hammers or clubs, but they all were generally made of stone or some type of rock. They came in many shapes and sizes, with some even wandering with staves similar to Spencer's. Selina assumed they were magic users, which made things more complicated.
The main difference between them were the colors and designs of their armor. Some wore armor that was more like metal slabs hammered together into barely functional armor that only covered the bare essentials, such as their arms, shins, breasts, and waist. Others wore leather capes and nothing more, allowing their naked bodies to be seen by anyone looking at them from the front. Yet others had little more than belt straps and strings to hold their breast up, leaving everything else completely bare.
Once she was satisfied with her observations, Selina sighted down one of the wandering pig Mamono with her monocular then fired. She started counting backward from ten while sighting down another target.
The first time she had fired had woken the camp somewhat, but no one was really worried. Her second shot got everyone's to pay attention to their surroundings and realize something was wrong. By the time her third shot echoed out into the air, one of the Mamono went down with a bullet hole through her torso. Her closest ally barely had time to react before she too fell from a shot through the head.
This sent the entire camp into a panic. The pig-like Mamono began running to and for looking for their weapons as more of them were slain by an unseen assailant, while some of the succubi used their flight to soar into the sky and find Selina. It didn't take long for one of them to spot the glint of her gun from the top of the incline. Just as the Mamono shouted the information to everyone, a bullet pierced through her chest.
Selina put the monocular back into her pocket as her latest kill fell to the earth. She had three bullets left. No reason to waste them here, and in case she needed more...
She grimaced while pulling a strange syringe out of a different pocket on her left hip. With a quick intake of breath, she jabbed the clear needle into her left thigh. There was a short, sucking sound as she felt the blood from her body leave her and go into the syringe. It filled up quickly and she took it out as soon as her blood reached the top. The crimson liquid sat in the glass for a few seconds before suddenly disappearing. Once it was gone she felt the bag she kept her bullets in get heavier. She still had no idea how extracting her blood gave her Quicksilver Bullets, but wouldn't question such things when a battle was about to begin.
She put the syringe back and put up the Bowblade. She would be up against a myriad of foes once she got into the camp. She would need more than a single blade to fight effectively. She kept her eyes on her approaching adversaries as he pulled out the familiar, curved blade of her mentor. She stepped back until she was ten steps away from the edge of the incline.
The succubi, three of them now that one of their numbers was gone, were closing in on her position. One had a long, two-pronged spear and looked ready to dive-bomb Selina, while the other two waited in the wings gathering magic into their hands. The one on the left had green light falling from her fingertips while the one on the right hand dark brown light gathering in her palm
Selina watched the two magic casters, waiting with a furrowed brow as they chanted. Just as the two raised their arms she dashed forward. The earth itself erupted in grasping tendrils of vines and rock behind her, grabbing empty air instead. She made note that she was five steps away from the edge of the incline. The sound of a battle cry made her look up at the diving bombing succubus. Her spear was pointed down aiming for Selina's heart. The Huntress stood her ground, tightened her grip on her curved blade, and kept her eyes on the diving Mamono. She stared the falling succubus down without hesitation, watching as the Mamono licked her lips at the thought of hitting her target.
When the spear was close enough for the Huntress to see the shining metal its tip was made of, she dashed forward while swinging her blade in an downward arch. The succubus realized her mistake but had committed to her attack. She couldn't pull up in time.
Blood rained down on the Huntress as her weapon smoothly slid through the Mamono's body. She didn't pay attention to where the body fell, mostly because she had a more pressing matter.
Her second dash had taken her over the edge of the incline. She landed on her feet but was rapidly sliding down the edge, kicking up dust and rocks as she went. The good news was that she could control her slide to an extent. It wasn't the first time she had to do something like this.
The bad news was that she was rapidly hurtling towards a small army of the pig-like Mamono. They were all trying to climb up the incline to get to her. They had already made it to the halfway point of the slope and were making rapid progress despite their lack of climbing equipment.
However, that didn't change the fact that they were still attempting to climb up a steep ramp.
And they were completely unprepared for Selina sliding straight towards them.
The Huntress swiftly switched to the Burial Blade's scythe form. One of the Mamono only just managed to look up from her climb and see the shining executioner's blade as it cut her down. Her blood soared through the air and was soon joined by the blood of those behind her who fell to the Huntress' blade. The deaths eventually rippled to the rest of the group, but they could do little to retaliate. They had been caught off guard, most were still clutching the face of the incline, and the rest were at the bottom staring up at the carnage in terrified shock.
Some of the climbers gave token resistance, managing to get out a hidden blade or small weapon to slash at the falling woman's legs. But such things did little to slow Selina as she slid through the carnage, her clothes, and boots getting covered in crimson ichor as she played the part of the reaper once more.
The entire time she was counting down the seconds in her head. When she hit five, the halfway point of the incline, she turned her attention to the bottom of the ramp. Unfortunately, it seemed that some of the Mamono had managed to gain their wits. They were fanning out, pulling the climbers they could reach down while creating a circle around where she'd land at the end of her skid. They had their weapons out, ready and waiting to dog-pile Selina when the time came.
Selina decided to not give them the chance.
Moving quickly she took out and threw a Molotov from her pocket at the congregating monsters. She put as much force as she could into her legs and jumped after the flying bottle. The Mamono could only watch as the bottle full of flammable liquid landed among them. It shattered on the head of a tall, dark-skinned pig-girl who started to squeal in pain as the liquid ignited. She was joined by her fellows who had been hit with the burning broth, but they were all soon silenced as Selina landed among them.
Ignoring the fire as it clung to her clothes, Selina slashed out in a circular motion. Her scythe cut down enough of the Mamono to give her space to breathe. The Burial Blade swung back into her hands as she watched the Mamono that still surrounded her.
As expected, she had hardly made a dent in their numbers. She could hardly see anything beyond the ever-growing mass of busty pig-like girls. She could see a multitude of emotions reflected in their big, overly expressive eyes. Anger, disgust, awe, and other natural reactions to seeing her in action.
However, above all of them, the primary emotion among them was fear. She could see it not just in their eyes, but in the way their weapons trembled in shaky hands. The way she could see some start glancing around at the Mamono around them. The ones whose legs kept stepping away from the ring of corpses she had created. The way some would stop to vomit at the increasingly thick smell of blood and death.
Selina took in a deep breath. Then let it out in a frustrated sigh.
Here she was again. Surrounded by fear, the dead, and the soon to be dead.
However, this time she had a reason for it. One beyond simple clueless, emotionless slaughter.
She was here to protect the innocent people of a city, completely unaware of what could've been their fate.
She steeled her gaze, pushed her hat down, and gripped her Burial Blade tight. The Mamono shifted as they saw her prepare to attack.
Two tense moments passed by as Selina's eyes scanned the army around her for any weak points. She found her answer when a menacing glare to her right sent the pig women at the front of the lines scrambling backward. Instinct kicked in as she charged towards the shaken group, her scythe flashing blood red as she cleaved five Mamono into pieces. She kept up the momentum, scythe moving to and fro as she cut down every foe that dared stand in front of her.
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Effective as this method was, it could not last forever. The primary advantages she had here were the shock still rippling through her foes from the sudden attack, and the fact that her opponents wore little armor. Her current weapon, while incredibly apt for fighting a large group of foes, was made to cut through flesh and bone. Things that Beasts, humans, and in many cases Hunters had in abundance. It was not made to fight against armored foes. If any of the Mamono bothered to wear anything approaching actual protection she'd need to change her strategy.
As it stood, she had a few moments of uninterrupted slaughter. However, even her immense reserves of stamina had a limit. The moment she felt her chest strain with effort she stopped in her stride, cutting down one of the jacketed pig Mamono. Her enemies, free from the initial shock of her attack, didn't waste their opportunity. They surged towards her, swinging their weapons at her body while others started grabbing at her arms and legs. The Huntress grit her teeth as the stone weapons smashed against her flesh. These were actually painful due to being made of stone rather than the Demon Realm Silver her previous opponents had. She could actually feel the strikes bruises and breaking her skin.
However, she didn't cry out in pain.
For while the attacks did cause her pain, they could not compare to getting smashed to paste by a massive, electrified skeletal claw.
Once she felt her stamina return, she planted her feet and took in a deep breath. With a powerful shout, she threw the majority of the Mamono off her. A few still clung to her arms and legs, but their grips were too weak to hinder her movements. They fell off as she jumped into the air once more, coming down among a group of Mamono to her left. However, learning from their previous mistakes, the majority of them moved away from Selina as she landed in a crouch with her hand on the ground. Only then did they charge forward to bring her down with their numbers once more.
They were met by red hot flames as the Huntress pulled the Flamesprayer from the black portal in the ground she had summoned. They all jumped back as the burning flames enveloped their flesh. Few managed to get away from the rapidly expanding wall of fire. Selina didn't pause in her attack, moving her sprayer in a wide circle around her. The smell of blood and death was replaced with burning flesh and grass. The screams of burning Mamono filled the air as Selina took a moment to jab a Blood Vial into her thigh. She felt the Blood rush through her veins and begin knitting her flesh and bones back together. The sensation was far from pleasant, but she had grown used to it after all this time. She followed it by jabbing the Quicksilver Bullets Syringe into her left thigh to replace the five she lost from using the Flamesprayer.
The fire afforded her a short reprieve. She took the time to use a second Blood Vial to heal up all her wounds. As they closed she took a moment to examine her situation. So far, this assault had gone about how she anticipated. She had killed a good number of them, managed to get into their camp, and had struck fear into their hearts. And she had done it all while taking minimal damage and retaining her supply of Blood Vials.
However, it wasn't a perfect situation. She hadn't managed to make a large dent in the enemy force. Not surprising considering they were confident enough to prep to attack an entire city. Powerful and skilled she maybe, she was still a single woman. It wouldn't make sense for her to kill all of them within the first few seconds of her assault. They were already getting over the shock she had inflicted upon them at the start and were preparing ways to counteract her maneuvers. Namely by taking advantage of their numbers and trying to hold her in place.
She grimaced while taking a look at her clothes. The Mamono that managed to get a hold of her had used the chance to start tearing away at her garments. Her jacket, sleeves, and trousers had uneven holes in them that revealed the skin underneath. They were focused around her chest and inner thighs but hadn't managed to reveal any of her privates.
She shook her head, then glanced up at the sound of wing beats in the sky. The four succubi, two of them the ones who attacked her on the top of the incline, were circling over her position. She frowned at the sight of water gathering in their hands, put up her Flamesprayer, and took out the Evelyn. Ultimately, there were two ways Selina could end this fight. The first, and preferable one if she wanted to leave on time, was to find the leader of this force, take them down, and then hunt down as many as she can as they scattered.
And the second...was to keep fighting until morning came.
It was not an ideal outcome...but she would do what she had to.
She quickly shot down two of the succubi before putting up her gun. She gripped the Burial Blade in both hands and prepared to move. The moment the succubi doused the flames with their conjured water, she charged forward but came to a halt as an icy wind suddenly blew at her from all directions. She grunted as the powerful freezing breeze surrounded her, eyes barely able to see through a growing film of ice on her vision. She did manage to make out a few of the stave-wielding pig-like Mamono all holding their hands out towards her while bright blue light emanated from their bodies.
Selina grit her teeth and started marching her way forward. The magic winds caressed her body, literally, seeming to aim for sensitive areas. She briefly wondered if the Mamono could tell that she was unaffected by their attempts to inflame her lust, She got the shadow of an answer as she got close enough to see the shocked faces of the magic users directly in front of her. They backed up while still casting their spell. It didn't save them.
The moment Selina reached their lines she started slashing once more. While her movements were slowed from the cold, and some of her skin had started changing color, she could still swing fast enough to cut down three to four Mamono at once. The Mamono tried to dogpile her again, but she was wise to their tactics. Whenever she started to slow down, she would throw a Molotov at their feet. They would either step into the fire and get burned or step away and be cut down. Usually the latter. While some did manage to get through to her, it was never enough to bring her down like before. Even the pig-like Mamono continuing to cast their spell at point blank range did little to slow her attack.
Her rampage only ended when the two succubi swooped down and grabbed Selina under her arms. They flapped their wings rapidly as they dragged the woman up into the air. The pig woman stopped their casting as the succubi flew the Huntress higher and higher into the night sky. Eventually, the two stopped when they were high enough to get a bird's eye view of the whole camp.
Selina didn't let her chance go to waste. Her eyes took stock of the encampment below and any stand out areas. The entire camp had been stirred up now. Campfires and torch stands stood alone as the Mamono covered the pathways and exits of the camp. She could hardly spot a single place where there weren't any Mamono...save for one.
The area in front of the largest tent at the back of the camp. Four torch stands were placed in a square around the front of the imposing dark tent. That would likely be where the leader was, which meant that should be her next destination.
Her view of the tent was wrenched away as the succubus on her left yanked her head to face her. The Mamono's dark hair did little to disguise the burning rage in her red eyes as she took her free hand and yanked down the Huntress' bandana. "You're gonna pay for what you did to my sisters! And I think I'll start collecting now!"
"Hera, wait!" the other succubus shouted, but it was too late. Hera smashed her lips against Selina's, her thin tongue forcing its way into the Huntress' mouth. Feelings of conquest and triumph swelled up in her as she probed for Selina's tongue.
Until Selina bit down on the offending appendage.
Hard enough to draw blood.
Hera's eyes went wide as pain shot through her tongue into her mouth. She instinctively tried to pull away, but Selina simply bit down harder. The Huntress pulled her head back then slammed it forward into the succubus' face. With a wet squelch and burst of blood, Hera's tongue was ripped in half as the succubus' head flew backward. The amount of pain she had suffered in such a short time sent her body into confused shock. Her grip weakened, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the color and Mana faded from her skin, and her wings stopped flapping sending her hurtling towards the ground and removing Selina from her grip.
"Hera! You monster!" the second succubus shouted while moving behind Selina to grab her from underneath both her arms. Selina threw her head back and crashed it into her current captor's face. The succubus' nose broke but the Mamono simply bee-lined towards the large tent. She spoke in a muffled tone, "Let's see how you deal with Chief Tuula! She'll set you right!"
Selina stopped her attempts to struggle against her captor's grasp. She spat the other succubus' tongue out, ignoring the copper and iron taste of blood filling her mouth. Instead, she pulled up her bandana locked her eyes on the large tent's increasing size as she got closer to it. If this succubus wanted to help her reach her objective, who was she to stop her?
After what felt like two minutes, the succubus dropped Selina down towards the open area in front of the tent while gliding into the entrance flap. Selina rolled along the ground to soften the impact before getting to her feet and taking up her stance as the succubus came flying out of the tent. Behind her came another Mamono who Selina was certain was this "Chief Tuula".
The Mamono was taller than any of the Mamono she had seen so far, with the red-skinned demon she fought during her flight from Lescaite and that large bull woman from Vinvers being the only exceptions. She walked with an air of authority and confidence that those in charge of large forces carry with them. Her hair was pure white and flowed down to her neck, the night air making it flutter behind her as she walked. Her body was covered in tight-fitting black leather strips that barely hid anything at all. Much of her dark tanned skin was laid bare save for a few belts and furred shin guards.
But the things that drew Selina's attention were her equipment, a large sword and a smooth shield. The Mamono Chief flipped her blade around and stabbed it into the dirt. It slid in with little resistance, giving Selina a good look at the blade. It was smooth and pitch black with red lightning crackling off it in all directions. It was taller than she was, enough to reach all the way to the Mamono's chest even shoved into the ground, and wider than a full-grown male human. Red runes etched into the flat of the blade pulsed with energy. In contrast, the shield had a shining silver center while its rims were pitch black. Strange winds seemed to swirl around the circular object, and she swore she could hear whispers as she stared at it.
"So, you're the one," the Chief said, drawing Selina's attention. The Mamono's eyes looked her up and down, then sniffed the air with a huff, "Don't look like much. How'd you manage to scare them so much?"
"Many seem scared of me at first glance," Selina answered, waving a hand at her self to indicate the blood coating her clothes, "Could you be more specific?"
"You know, the gods," Tuula's eyes glanced up for a moment, "They're really worried about you ushering in an age of blood or something like that. Personally, I don't see it."
"Why do you say that?" Selina moves the grip on her scythe to one hand while reaching for the Evelyn.
"You don't smell like a Hero for one, and they said you ain't a monster. And you're clearly skilled considering you managed to make it this far, but any powerful Hero could've done that. Just don't see what makes you special-"
Selina fired a shot straight at the Chief's head...only to raise an eyebrow in confusion as the shield suddenly snapped into the bullet's path. Her shot pinged off the metal surface while Tuula simply sniffed in annoyance at her action, "They said you had a habit of doing that. Looks like this shield actually works."
Selina narrowed her eyes, putting the Evelyn away while taking the Burial Blade in both hands. The way that shield moved to block her shot. That wasn't natural unless the Chief could somehow predict where her shot would fly. She would need to fight this opponent in close quarters.
The Chief pulled her sword from the earth and swung it onto her shoulder. She pulled up her shield and held it in front of her to cover her torso. She stomped her foot forward, red lightning running from her sword onto her skin, then smiled with savage glee, "That's more like it. Now, come on! Let's see if you're worthy of the fear of the Gods!"
Selina bent her knees and held her scythe out behind her as she readied herself for battle. Her heart was hammering in her chest, muscles she hadn't used in a long time started to ache and pulse, and her mind worked overtime to analyze the opponent's tactics.
She could feel this fight would be...a bit more difficult than the last few. There was the unknown nature of the opponent's tactics, the fact that this Mamono seemed more experienced and wise than those before her, and her equipment clearly had unknown enchantments to them. This fight would likely take longer than before.
No matter.
She had said she would be back by dawn's first light, and she planned to keep her word.
Selina moved first, kicking off the ground and dashing towards the Chief. Her scythe flashed and met the Chief's shield in a clash of sparks. The moon shined down as the two warriors began their duel.