AN: Last NSFW chapter of the arc, because tomorrow will be part one and two of the Epilogue, followed by a Q&A with yours truly. It's not as bad as the others, but I still have to point it out. There's also a major cliff hanger ahead, too, which may cause some people to be a bit upset with me, especially after the bomb shell I drop tomorrow~.
As per usual, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have ANY questions, comments, or concerns, let me know either down below, or in my PM box. Or you could always tell my tomorrow.
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"Y-you a-a-a-are...," Nox continually stuttered as I regained my skeletal body once more, which caused my imaginary lips to grin a feral grin.
"Yes," my voice hissed out as sickly green fumes. All around us were the screams of the dying and the damned, along with many dwarves who cried out in surprise at my appearance change. "I am." Laughter, melodiously hideous echoed throughout the crowded air full of screams, as my acidic breath fell upon a small squad of dwarves rushing towards my position. These dwarves, like all others who fell victim to my breath, screeched and yowled as the poison ate away at their everything, and reduced them to puddles of flesh and metal.
"Witness, little Nox," his body was held high above the battlefield, showing him everything around us, "Witness the fruits of your laborious treachery, and know that it has failed." All around us was a song like no other; of claw and metal rending flesh and each other; of screams and yells from both the living and the dying. The damned had their own song, but it was more haunting, than melodious.
"Brutus, capture those that are not of the Dwarven race. Bind them tightly, and bring them to me." The Lich, who had been summoning up a large host of ghostly skeletons paused in his summonings, and commanded a few to do as I had commanded.
As this was progressing, my voice thundered across the battlefield, causing the earth to quake beneath our feet, and the air to ripple with strain, "All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places; worn out faces." Several dwarven heads, including an odd tiger-kin's, flew into the air. The Kin's head smacked itself against the clawed hand that held Nox's body, causing him to stare at it in horror.
"Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere... <
"Their tears are filling up their glasses. No expression; no expression." From what I was able to see, and from what my group boasted about, many of the dwarves, in their final moments and towards the end, were found to be crying. For what reason was still a mystery to us; even to this day, no answer has been found. They were scared, yes, but the dwarven races are usually very mysterious about their emotions regarding fear, as they usually put on a strong front to word it all off.
"Hide my head, I want to drown in sorrow. No tomorrow; no tomorrow." The non-dwarven races were now chained together nearest my clawed feet, each wailing for someone, anyone to save them from their predicament. A few were still young children, which was odd, but did not bother my past self. They will all be punished, yes, but those still a child will have their memories extracted and altered to suit my desire.
"You're insane," whispered the hybrid, who simply stared with a blank expression, then gasped as my gripped tightened for a moment around his body.
"That is quite impossible, Nox, as I am Undead."
"What does that even mean?" His voice was filled with such hatred and loathing, I was actually starting to enjoy this side of him. Unfortunately, I could not afford to keep him, which was a pity.
"We who are Undead can never feel emotions. If we did, then something steals it away, leaving us hollow, cold, uncaring. Many even go so far they desire the rest of the world to feel what they feel, or simply desire to remove all living creatures from the face of their world." My shoulders lifted themselves up for a brief moment, then dropped quickly as I shook my skull slowly, "Regardless of what I feel, the matter at hand is your own predicament." The eyes within my skull flared brilliantly, illuminating his body in its glow, "You have disappointed me, Nox, and must be punished severely. For now, though, you will answer my questions as to why you instigated a riot towards my person."
"I will do no such thing, you monster," his body did its best to twist and turn from my grasp, but to no avail.
"Oh, but you will, as have all the others, dearest Nox," my right primary foreclaw pointed itself towards his mind, causing him to wail from the pain of my spell of, "<
*
The white and grey mists churned about my mental body, forming up an image like no other. It was hazy, and continued to swirl around, but still expanded to that of a mountainous range full of dead and dying trees. My eyes did not recognise the scenery, and none knew of it when questioned as to its origins. However, Nox's body was quickly formed, and was running from something large and bestial. The shape of it was my skeletal form, but full of shadows that I did not have, but did strike the ground around his body with dark gold coloured lightning.
For some odd reason, every time the creature would enclose upon the hybrid's position, something would force it to teleport away, whereupon they would continue the game of cat and mouse once more. This strange behaviour continued, until a silvered armoured figure descended from the heavens, and through a glowing, white spear towards the creature of his nightmares. This caused the end of the creature's life, of which roared with anger at the pair as its body became ash.
"Are you alright, Nox?" Asked the silvered figure, who strode towards the other slowly, the moment his armoured feet touched the ground.
"Thank you for saving me," he replied, brushing himself off, "but who are you?"
"My name is-," no words were heard, but it was clear this armoured being had spoken, and only the hybrid heard it. "Do you remember how you got here? This forest, though it no longer has a name, is quite dangerous." The other shook his head, "A pity, but come. We shall journey together."
The pair left the mist filled area, as did the range of mountains and forest of trees, and was replaced with the interior of a small cabin. There was a single bed off to the side, and under the sole window of the home, along with a wood burning stove on the opposite side. The only other piece of furniture was a plain, wooden chair, and the mists created Nox, who was sitting down upon it, drinking from a wooden cup and laughing with the armoured individual.
"-I was caught soon afterwards, with the piece of meat hanging from my jaws," he finished speaking, then raised the cup high, "Is this your home, by the way?"
"Yes it is," replied the other, whose voice still held traces of joy, "It's small, but this is where I call home. What of you? Where do you reside?"
"The castle of New Wair," he replied almost immediately, "We live with Father and the new queen of the humans."
"I detect unrest within you, young one. Speak. There is only we within the cabin, and no others reside without."
Nox simply nodded, and began to speak of what he witnessed within the throne room, the day the rapists among the older children were brought in for punishment. He spoke of the fears he felt when the giant skeletal creature appeared, and transformed them into skeletal creatures that were able to wield great magicks of the earth, water, wind, and fire.
"What did the queen do when all of this was said and done?"
"She bowed her head low, and would have kissed its feet if permitted."
The armoured creature simply hummed, as the mists faded away once more, then revealed the forest once more, but this time with Nox angrily shouting at the other. He was hugging a tree, as my various exploits upon this world was revealed to his eyes in the form of floating windows. "Liar," he roared, turning on the armoured creature with a pair of glowing red eyes, "Father said she died at birth, and came for me soon after."
"No, young one, your father took you from her, then killed her himself for simply choosing another." These words caused the hybrid's body to leap onto the other, and began clawing and punching its body. "My words speak the truth, Nox, and these images are my proof towards you."
This seemed to placate him, who slid to the ground, staring up at the armoured being before him. "Then," but the mists claimed the scene, erasing their presence from my eyes. However, they did return, but inside something akin to the young queen's throne room. Instead of Deliah sitting upon the gilded throne, sat the armoured creature, whose head was turned towards the kneeling body of Nox.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"I accept your fealty, young child. Go, and convert the others to our cause. For the evil that was your father must be stopped at all cost. Use whatever method you desire to do this, but you must stop it."
"Yes, my Lord High God."
After such words were spoken, the mists, too, claimed the scene and people, revealing several dozen scenes of Nox trying to recruit others within the castle of New Wair to bring me down. However, those that did not wish to join him met with accidents that either crippled their bodies, or outright killed them. Most seemed to have fallen from a great height, whereas the rest were simply found with stab wounds around their chests.
The Undying and guards below were on alert after three of the bodies were found, making it difficult for him to kill them. However, the day he was caught, was after the night Puella desired to cuddle with Lupa for a reason only she knew.
The scene played out, revealing the feline girl-child walking down the halls towards the wolf-kin's room, dragging a long, thin blanket behind her small body. However, she stopped when she heard muffled arguing coming from the kin's room and a small scream, followed by silence. The doors then burst forth, revealing the rushing body of Nox who pushed past the other girl-child without a glance towards her body. Once his presence was gone, however, Puella entered the room, and started screaming at the mangled body that was once Lupa.
If my past self had a heart, it would have shattered at the scene before him, as a surge of female Undying charged the room, only to find the dead body of the wolf-kin girl-child being shaken by the other, trying to wake her up.
*
"Oh Lupa," my voice was barely a whisper, as it hissed between my fanged teeth, "Puella. Forgive me for not being there." A great tide of emotion welled up within my body, to which my left clawed foot lifted itself high, then stamped the ground in front of my person. This allowed me to arch my back fully; my skull tilted back, and my arms flew to the sides, as I released a primal howl infused with rage, loss, and sorrow.
Those within my group, each howled or roared alongside my voice, adding to the pain I felt for a brief moment, before that which was within my being stole it all away. Once I had calmed down, and my body was straight once more, did my eyes glare balefully towards the hybrid within my clawed grasp. "You have stolen from me something precious, boy. Therefore, I will steal from you something of equal value."
Turning towards the group of overly soiled beast and kin, my eyes spied a bound bear beastman. A lesser clawed hand gingerly lifted its body towards my skull, as a clawed forefinger pointed at its skull. "<
"No," cried out Nox, who could do nothing, but watch as his close companion's mind was slowly turning him into a drooling, empty shell.
Within moments after his outburst, the body of the bear beastman was thrown far away from our position, and I forced the hybrid to watch as the body soared towards a range of mountains in the distance. "We are not done, yet, boy," his eyes were full of tears, begging me to stop. "You have stolen a child's life, one that was worth more to me than you realise. Therefore, I shall steal the lives of your followers. You will watch as their bodies are torn asunder, their minds destroyed by my magicks, and you will listen to their screams for your help as they die. All of this will happen, and in the end, you will know it was your own fault, and can do nothing, but watch."
The first of many victims was a female feline-kin who was well endowed. She screamed and begged my person not to proceed with what I planned to do, but I would not listen. Instead, my lesser claws gripped tightly to her torso and waist, then began to twist and pull her body in different directions. Blood, shreds of meat, bone, and organs fell upon the ground, spattering my legs and clawed feet as her body fell to the ground.
The retching of stomach contents soon filled the air about us, before the screams continued as another feline-kin was hoisted into the air. This one was also a female, but with a flat chest, and instead of being twisted apart, one of my clawed hands held her as the chains were being removed from her person. She was then released onto the ground, and ignored, as I reached for another of the bound creatures. Not missing the chance presented before her, she turned and ran from us.
However, her legs only carried her for a few metres, before a large gaping hole appeared within her abdomen. No scream ensued from this, beyond Nox who was calling out to her, begging her to rise from her position, and run from the madness of this apparent nightmare. When she did not move, the hybrid began to let out a mournful wail, but was stopped when I shook him quickly.
From the memories of the bear beastman, the female I had just killed was the hybrid's chosen mate. One who had been found in his bed on many a night, which caused my imaginary lips to twitch into a sneer. "No more," came a whisper from my clawed hand, "Please Father. No more."
"I do not have a son," was my reply, as I continued on with the execution of his followers. My eyes did not see his reaction, but Brutus did, and spoke of how broken the hybrid looked when I spoke my words.
The next to be lifted towards my skull was an elven female, but instead of dying, she was given over to the surviving male orcs who were simply watching with fascination. They whooped and hollered as the female was given to them, and tore off her bindings and clothing. Without missing a beat, the orcs removed what remained of their trousers, and shoved their hardened members into the female. Of whom was now crying and silently screaming with pain and horror as blood began to pour onto the ground between her legs.
There were a few remaining orcs who had to wait a turn, of which were gifted a second female. This one was of an avian tribe, and though she had a beak for a mouth, it did not stop them from shoving their own throbbing members into it, whilst the others went for her lower body. The remaining monsters of my group, an eye with a mass of tentacles, and a creature that stood tall with elongated limbs, a business-like outfit, and a featureless white skull, were also gifted with females. However, the elongated limbed creature desired one of the males instead, and traded its female for it.
I will never know what had happened to the both of them, as the creature and captive vanished from sight for a time, and only the former returned. Whereas the one with a mass of tentacles had stuffed the orfices of the female with many of its tentacles, rubbing its insides whilst fluids, blood, and unidentifiable substances fell to the ground below them.
Returning to the task at hand, another intended victim, a male bear-kin was gripped and lifted enough to allow Nox to watch what I did next. "It'll be okay, Rex. Just trust me, okay? Everything will be okay," he would continue saying this over and over, even as his friend and follower melted into a puddle of flesh and fur beneath my clawed feet. This would continue, this breaking of the hybrid's mind, until, at last, we came to the only children of the group.
"Please," he whispered, "They're just children. They didn't do anything."
"Lupa was a child, Nox," my voice was only a soft hiss, as my acidic breath slowly escaped my maw, "She didn't do anything either." There were only three children within the group, and all were not beastial in any way. No. Instead, they looked elven, and two of them had seemingly passed out. Within my own mind, a small part of my being of grateful for this, while the rest did not care. The third child, on the other hand, stared into my eyes with defiance, even though its small body shook violently.
However, even if I was impressed, their death sentence was still carried out. My great maw opened slowly, which allowed my acidic breath to baptise their small bodies, reducing them, and the ground, to nothing.
"NO," wailed Nox, who had witnessed it all. His eyes had gone blank at this moment; shattered after witnessing such a gruesome scene.
"Brutus," I called out to the Lich, who appeared by my side within moments, "Do you have a two sided coin?"
"Yes, My Lord God," who held up a gold coin in his metallic, clawed hands. On one side was a dwarven face, whereas the other held a picture of an anvil and hammer.
"Good. I want you to flip the coin high into the air, then tell me on which side it lands."
"For what reason, My Lord God?"
"If it lands upon the anvil and hammer, with the dwarf head facing up, then this creature in my clawed hand will live whilst the scene of today forever plays in its mind. If it's the other, then it will join the others in whatever awaits them in the next life."
At my explanation, the Lich flicked the coin high, and watched as it landed upon the ground...