The air filled with dread from the women’s fear alone
Kilmen looked at the women before speaking in a confused tone
“What the hell is a reaper”
“It hunts people like us”
She said back quickly in panic
“What do we…”
Before kilmen could finish his sentence the women begin to flee as fast as she could
But even her speed wasn’t fast enough to get away, Before the women even made it 15 meters, her body was separated from her right shoulder to her left hip, splitting her in half
Blood sprays across the forest, hitting something blood rolling down the humanoid shape. Her body hit the ground as it stood over her, it's body now visible
Kilmen dashed with his sword as fast as he could trying kill the creature he swings as fast and as hard as he could, but nothing
His arm, it was gone. The Reaper had already swung its large blade, a scythe, gold lined the blade, xera flowing through it. Its material is similar to kilmen's blade and the women’s rifle. It was almost like it was made of a crystal along its long black handle.
The Reaper's hand on Kilmen’s throat, it’s faster and stronger than anything he had ever seen since he became part xerankari
It pulled him close. He could see it’s features clearly, it looked to be wearing armor but it seemed to actually be it's bones, an exoskeleton in the shape of a skull and bones along its solid black body, it has deep eyes with a red glow it’s teeth sharp hanging off the skull, they looked sharp as a razer.
Kilmen swings at it's faced, the impact so great it makes a shockwave, but breaking Kilmen’s hand, the amor harder than a steel plate
Kilmen grabs it hand, but it won’t budge
‘So strong and fast, skin harder than steel, there is no way I can kill this!’ Kilmen thinks to himself. Then he hears a soft voice
“It’s ribs, between its exoskeleton…”
It was the woman, barely clinging to life. She had somehow managed to speak the words, Kilmen looked down at its ribs, seeing an opening in the reaper's exoskeleton.
Kilmen used the the xera that remained in his severed left arm to pull his arm back into place and heal it
It felt as tho his arm was being removed all over again but it was as the pain was revered, getting less painful with every second it was healing
Kilmen pushes his blade though the gap in the reaper exoskeleton, piercing 1 of it's hearts
The reaper releases kilmen calmly unsurprised by kilmens actions
“Interesting”
The reaper says to kilmen, while pulling out the sword
Just as it had appeared, it vanished, to kilmen he believed to be death, but this encounter put a new image of death into his head
Kilmen then ran over to the women, a huge pool of body around her separated body
She didn’t appear to have the same regenerative capabilities as kilmen
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Kilmen pushed her back together, he grabbed her hand palm to palm and gave some of his xera to her
Her wound started slowly healing
As the heal began she groaned in agony
It seemed to be more painful to her than it was to him or maybe he was more used to pain
She spoke to kilmen while grunting in pain
“Why are you saving me, I was gonna kill you?”
“A lot of things have tried to kill me, I don’t hold grudges”
Kilmen said in a calm voice
The woman doesn’t seem to believe him, she doesn’t appear to be the trusting type. Then she speaks to kilmen in a average tone
“What's your name?”
“Kilmen”
The women laughs as soon as it came out of his mouth
“Are you serious?”
she replied with a chuckle
“What’s wrong with it?”
kilmen says in confused voice
“Just kinda ironic I guess”
“How do you know I have ever killed anyone”
Your eyes, they are the eyes of a killer, like mine
The women had an intense look on her face
How many have you killed ?
Kilmen asks in a sad tone
15…
Kilmen is shocked and then replies
“15? That’s all? I thought you was some super killer badass”
“Really? ‘That’s all’, that’s all you have to say, how many have you killed?
Kilmen face turned serious, his eyes looked up to the stars before he spoke in soft voice
“I lost count in the 200’s while I was in the war”
“You fought in the blood war?”
“Please don’t call it that”
Kilmen said in a quick angry tone
“I didn’t mean to offend, that’s just what everyone seemed to call it”
“It’s fine I just would rather not think about blood or that damn war”
Kilmen said in a sad tone while quickly glancing at the ground
Kilmen quickly changed the conversation
“We need to head out and find these people that keep being taken”
The women replied ignoring what kilmen said, trying to avoid the topic of survivors
“The name is fox, thanks for asking”
“Ok…. fox we need to find all the poor people before they become these creatures lunch”
“If you mean the ferals, the people that were taken are safe from them, they have much biggers problems”
“What do you mean bigger problems”
“They have the actual xerankari to feed, but they can control themselves, and the ferals are considered pawns to them, they are nothing more than puppets to help trim the remaining humans”
“It's almost like a war to them”
“No, to them the hunger is all that matters, once they fill up on human cattle they will leave, this isn't war it's the extinction of human life”
Kilmen pulls his sword from the earth, xera pulses though the blade when kilmens hand meets the hilt
Fox now healed stands tall and slings her long rifle over her shoulder
Kilmen speaks in a stern tone, the flames of hate fill his glare
“Time to start our own extinction”
Killmen Knew that this would not be easy, it would be a hard road and he may even die, but for him to not try more would die than if he did
As killmen looked at fox, the serious look on her face made it clear she understood the same
They both looked ahead and began to head north toward this Texas military forward operating base
On their journey north they seen smoke, maybe a camp
As they walked closer they seen something quite unexpected
It was a town with scrap metal and steel walls, with at least 30 - 40 people
As Kilmen and Fox approached the town the guards spoke in a casual tone
“Stop there, identify your selfs, and show skin people with bites are not allowed past the wall and into town “
Kilmen spoke up immediately after the guard with a calm and relaxed tone
“ I am kilmen, we are just passing through looking for shelter from the day “
Kilmen takes his jacket off to show he has no bites from ferals, then puts his jacket back on
One of the 2 guards looks puzzled at kilmen he then speaks up in a confused tone
“ Don’t you mean night ? “
Kilmen realizing what he said replies
“ Yes of course we ment during the day for food and such “
The guard seems the have bought the cover up
“Oh i see we have clean water, rice, beans and other easy to come by food, it's not free though “
Kilmen realizing he doesn’t have cash on him asks in a almost worried tone
“ Alright thanks, what does your town use for currency? “
The guard replies in casual tone, like it was a typical question he was asked
“ Gold is the main currency, USD is now just a mix of cloth and paper, nothing more. Anyway, what’s your name miss? “
“ The name is Fox, you guys have liquor ? “
The guard seemed to be caught off guard, he felt as though he should have expected as much the two of them clothes were torn to pieces and covered in blood, blue and red, as well as dirt. After the guard was done pondering on unimportant things he speaks up in a concerned tone.
“ We have a wash and showers in the back of the town with warm water if you 2 need to clean up seems like you have had a long journey “
Kilmen begins to speak but is rudely interrupted by a searing hiss and the panic of a Town