A ragged mantle fluttered in the wind. Out of its formless silhouette jutted a pair of short, slender legs, standing over the mutilated corpse of what was once a living man.
"It smells..." a small, airy voice emerged from within, "...of terror."
Its form convulsed, first protruding forward, and then upward in a curved motion.
And when the fabric finally sagged away, a tiny hand sprung forth. Its skin flashed for but a second, but did so with a porcelain gleam. It pulled down a length of cloth, revealing underneath a pair of soft lips, sandwiched between flushed cheeks.
"Haa... haa..." The girl within released a sensuous sigh.
A crimson glint streaked from her eyes, visible even beneath the dark hood covering the rest most of her face.
After a few moments, her vision was turning hazy. And thus, she turned away, anxious to distance herself as quickly as possible.
I was right...
The murder scene was rife with residual emotions.
Fear.
Anxiety.
Grief.
Those three blanketed the entire street like a thick, suffocating smog.
On the other hand, there was hardly any trace of aggression or hatred.
Analyzing such details, she surmised that an ambush must have taken place.
The victims didn't even see their attackers long enough to feel either. They died fully immersed in terror.
She clutched her chest, where she sensed first-hand the striking beats of her heart.
I can't... lose control...
She panted.
Not here...
The girl took an abandoned sidestreet and followed it for a while. She made sure to avoid coming into contact with anyone. This path brought her far away from the noisy festival, though at the same time, her destination - the merchant's house where she and her brother were given lodging.
Soon, she settled on a dark street where she rested her back against a wall and sat down.
Her fingers on one hand trembled as they grasped anxiously at the hilt of her blade. Meanwhile, the other clutched at her arm, hoping to keep it at bay long enough for her to calm down.
She wiped her forearm across her sweat-drenched forehead.
The girl lost track of the time, but eventually, the tremors in her fingers had ceased.
"Hah..." She let out a sigh of relief. "Safe..."
The boss would sure be angry, if I killed someone by accident...
Patting her clothes of dust, she stood up and continued on her way back.
Now that she had calmed enough to think straight, she took a moment to recall at the scene she just left.
But those wounds... a long blade?
Peasants don't have access to swords.
...and the cut was too clean.
A trained assassin?
...but to then murder a mere villager?
Strange...
The more she pondered, the less it made sense. However, she did come to one clear conclusion:
The kill was recent. The perpetrator may still be around...
It's none of our business, and a stray murderer won't hinder our mission... but I should still report this to big brother...
Then, right as she turned a corner, she felt a gust of wind on her back, sweeping across her mantle.
Her eyes swung to one side.
That very next instant, she twirled around, sweeping her feet apart for a lower stance. At the same time, she grasped both her blades, each ready for a drawing slice at the slightest reflex.
And as her rag cloak settled, she saw it - a pitch black silhouette.
It stood like a sentinel upon the peak of a thatched roof. At a glance, she knew it not to be human. Its short, stocky body seemingly served as a pedestal for its massive, bulbous head.
It gazed at her with bright, golden eyes, slit down the middle. "Are you a bandit, meow?" The thing said, in a screechy tone comparable to that of a grown man making a ridiculous fake voice.
Her eyes widened. "It... spoke...?"
I see...
She had heard those rumors - of ghosts in the forest. Eerie voices, they said, stalked the woods, and would always ask the same question:
'Are you a bandit?'
Superstitious elders talked of a curse - the vengeful spirit of a deceased caravaneer. It would pull its unsuspecting victims into the shadows and, if given the slightest hint of guilt, tear them limb from limb. The younger generation believed nothing of the sort, though were nonetheless hesitant to pay a visit and find out for themselves.
So it was just a monster...
Her eyelids then fell.
That means this is our business, after all...
She quietly drew her long, thin blade from under her cloak.
I should report this strange, speaking monster. But first...
It repeated its question, "Are-"
But before it could say anything, she blasted forward.
Kill.
"Unya!?" it shrieked.
Stacks of crates stood alongside the house like a staircase. She leapt off of one and onto next, kicking off at the third and launching herself up the roof.
She left the sound of splintered wood in her wake as her makeshift stepping stools toppled into the ground and, with a mighty crash, scattered the produce within all over the road.
But she paid it no heed - her eyes were dead set on her prey.
As she reached level height with the monster, she swung her long sword out of her cloak for a guillotine strike.
All this time, it just stood there, stunned.
Or so it seemed.
Just when she had fully committed to her attack, the creature then bent down and swung a jet black blade to meet hers.
Sparks flew as their weapons clashed against one another, each deflecting the other out of harm's way.
Reaction... fast...
With a swift kick, the girl then leapt out of range from a potential counterattack.
She landed with her back turned to her enemy, thinking nothing of her failed attack - only calculating her next, and the one after that. But as soon as she swung around, she balked at the sight of the monster soaring in mid-air, its silhouette eclipsing the light of the moon.
It pounced at her with weapon raised, pointing its sharp tip straight at her eyes.
She leapt away just in time, its edge barely grazing her skin.
Her boots skidded across the street as she made her second consecutive landing and left a trail of dust in its wake.
Several feet now separated them.
With each returning to a stationary guard, their exchange wound down just long enough for the girl's mantle to settle. And when it did, it sagged further down than usual, due to a significant hole newly torn into the fabric.
This monster...
Her eyes narrowed.
It doesn't attack try to scratch or bite... Bis Sister mentioned that some used weapons instead of its claws... Is it a goblin? A kobold? An ogre?
She circled the beast, and in response, it did the same.
Which one is it?
On occasion, she would lunge in, jab her thin sword and pull right back as the thing parried her blow. It would then answer with a lightning fast swing, which she just as quickly evaded.
It would seem as if the two were measuring each other.
But in truth, the girl was making little progress in understanding her enemy.
There she faced not a human, but an unidentified monster. The psychological blind spots her boss taught her - those of humans - were missing. And without an obvious weakness to exploit, she fell back on trial and error, prodding its defenses for any openings, but found none.
In the end, she was forced to rely on the basic movements she learned, and adapt them to this monster's speed which, to her surprise, matched her own.
And as the battle dragged on; as her sweat spattered from her every movement, her frustration mounted.
Each time her blow was deflected, she was upset.
Each time a thrust came her way, she felt insulted.
In this rush of negative emotions, her eyes began to glow a bright, blood red.
Alas, after another bout of screeching metal, she finally confirmed her single advantage:
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
The monster only wielded one weapon and nothing more. It did not attack at all with its claws or teeth, even when given the chance to do so.
Thus, she finally drew her second weapon. Its thick, notched blade weighed almost as much as her other sword, though with it being shorter, controlling it was just as easy, if not easier.
The monster raised its guard in response.
Kill...
"Haa... haa..." she panted.
I want to kill...!
She bent down, storing all of her energy into her legs.
I need to kill!
And with a massive kick, she blasted forwards with a straight thrust.
"Nyaa!" It shifted its weight and prepared to parry her attack.
It was just as she expected.
Just as their blades were about to clash, she pulled her long sword back and swung forth the other.
With an ear-raking clang, the thick blade hit the spine of the monster's weapon, pushing it into the ground.
"Nyaa!?"
In all haste, the beast attempted to pulled back its sword, but at the same time, she twisted hers around, clamping it within its notch.
"Ungyaa!?" it screeched in open panic.
It's over!
With a second step, she twirled around, brought her main weapon back for a decapitating blow.
"Funya!!" the monster squealed as it a kicked off the ground, flinging itself backwards.
The wind screamed from the sheer speed of her slice.
...but in the end, all it cut was thin air.
Her eyes trembled in disbelief.
It wiped its cheek, where a trail of blood marked the wound where tip of her blade grazed its flesh.
H-how...? How much faster is it than a common human!?
She clenched her fist.
But...!
The moment she recovered from her attack, she wrenched the blade now stuck within the teeth of her swordbreaker and threw the bent piece of black metal aside.
Frustration reached its peak as she stood mere feet from an unarmed opponent.
She no longer saw the creature as an enemy.
It was prey.
"Haa... Haa..."
Her heartbeat raced.
Here now was her long-awaited release; to dissipate the pent up negative emotions in her body.
She thirsted for it -
Murder.
Quite unlike humans, who, when disarmed were quick to flee, this monster merely stood there, seemingly frozen, perhaps in fear, though she wasn't registering any further negative emotions emanating from it.
It mattered not.
"This time-" The girl spoke for the first time. "-I will end you." Her voice had an ephemeral, wispy, tone to it, almost as though she were merely breathing.
At first, she walked slowly, her every step, pronounced with a vivid patter on the ground.
But as she loomed closer, her steps grew quicker.
And lighter.
And then even quicker.
This continued until, finally, the monster broke as she reached terminal speed and lifted her blades.
"Hngyaah!" it screamed as it turned away to escape.
But it was far too late to run. She sprinted at full force, aiming for a piercing blow at the base of its head, where it connected to its tiny torso.
Die, monster!
However, just as she was about to land her finishing blow, a pair of shadows zoomed in from the sides.
...!
In a split-second reaction, she planted both her feet into the ground, twisted her body and hurled her cloak forward. In doing so, she managed, just barely, to stop herself right before being sliced into quarters, as the ragged mantle was.
It was difficult to see, owing to the sparse lighting, but apparently, two more monsters of the same kind had sprouted seemingly out of nowhere, each brandishing the same jet-black blade as the first.
Her breaths condensed into a white fog as they escaped her lips.
The night chill bit into the girl's skin, now covered only by a thin, black suit, akin to a swimsuit or leotard, that clung tightly to her slender form. A network of belts cross-crossed her torso, serving as latches for armor plates and weapon sheathes that dotted her body.
"Nyaa," one of the monsters mewled, "that's why we keep telling you to stop playing with the bandits, meow."
"Nyanyaa..." the other shook its head, "are you alright, meow? That was a close one, meow."
Soon enough, the first monster got back to its feet and protested, "Ungyaa! I wasn't playing with it, meow! That bandit isn't like the others, meow!"
The two monsters then turned their attention to the girl. "I know, meow." One said, "I did not expect any other furless to be this strong, meow."
"Reminds me of the visitors who challenged the old Chief Headhunter, meow."
They are... talking...?
She lifted her arm to wipe the sweat off her brow, shifting the chain sleeves sagging from underneath her shoulder plates.
With each other.
"Go get the others, meow. This one may be trouble, meow."
"B-but, meow...!"
"Nyaa!! You are tired, meow. And you have been disarmed, meow. Do not further dishonor our Goddess with your death, on top of your failure, meow."
"Gnya...!"
Thus, the first monster bent down on all fours and dashed away with surprising haste.
Guh...!
She twitched at the sight of her prey escaping, but she was quickly blocked off by the newcomers.
"Nyaha. You can't catch a kobold, meow," one said as it drew its black blade.
The other then added, "We are your opponents, meow."
She clenched the handle of her blade, her frustration hitting boiling point.
This... isn't good...
The full moon lit the forest edge with an eerie bluish tint.
Mere hours after the execution, and consequent dissolution, of her plans, Eris was, against her will, limping towards the hand-off point, alone, and with nothing in hand.
Forget threatening me, he could just kill me on the spot...!
She looked to the changing landscape she passed by.
Are they... really following me? I can't see anything...
It might not be too late. If I ask Roderick for help...
Her grip tightened the wooden cane given to her by the little girl's kobolds, presumably stolen from somewhere.
Will he even believe me? And if that girl wasn't bluffing, will he be able to protect me?
...will he even care, either way?
She gnashed her teeth.
No, that man is more likely to run and leave me to the wolves...!
Damn! Is there no way out at all!?
She agonized, fruitlessly, until the very last second, when she finally arrived at the designated area.
There, several armed men gathered, like a phalanx poised to repel a charging horde. And in the middle stood the old man, eerie as ever with his wrinkly skin just peeking out from under his hood.
Meanwhile, she barely held up a crooked gait, thanks to her cane being a tad too short.
"Look at your sorry state," said Roderick, "what the hell happened to you? Fall down a flight of stairs?"
Annoyed, she turned sideways and clicked her tongue.
"Bah, never mind." His tone then darkened. "Where are your men? And where is my prize?"
A cold bead of sweat dripped off her chin.
"The..." Her voice trembled.
For one last time, she deliberated whether to plead for Roderick's mercy and ask for his help, or do as she was told.
She made her decision.
"...guards, they..."
The moment these words slipped out of her lips, she had carved her fate in stone.
"...happened to pass by, and just when we were about to kidnap her, too."
She heaved an anxious sigh.
This is it... there's no turning back.
The wind howled, shaking the dense canopy overhead.
With it, a cold chill ran across her skin and sent a dull jolt down her spine.
She was all-in on a hand offered to her by a strange young lady.
There were no highs, no pairs to speak of.
Her future now rested entirely on the next, and last, card to be dealt.