“You had better get going,” Apoch mentioned waving them off. “He is only moving further and further away while you stand there with that silly look on your face.”
“And just how am I supposed to catch up to him?” Tabitha groaned. “There’s still the problem that he’s too fast for us.”
“He’s not too fast for me,” Scay pointed out. “He’s just too fast for you.”
“Please be quiet, Scay,” Tabitha dryly requested. She sighed and rubbed her hand down her face before glancing to the witches with a lifted eyebrow. “Is there any way you two could help out with this problem? I would love to finish this job, especially with the payment you’re promising, but the issue still stands with me not being able to keep up with him. He never tires and they only rest for a few measly hours each day.”
“With the gold we’re offering you should be able to think of something,” Astreal mused. “We don’t care how, just find a way to make this happen.”
“However we can give you a little help this one time,” Apoch sighed. “We shall take you ahead to meet up with them, after that you had better stay with them by any means necessary.”
“Fine,” Tabitha said while scratching her head. “I’ll think of something to keep us with them, somehow. I won’t let that gold slip away from me again.”
“Yay!” Scay cheered with a hop. “We’re going to get paid again! Happy!”
The twins watched the naga bouncing about in question then turned to Tabitha, the neko merely shrugging as she glanced over to her special friend with a blank expression on her face.
“She’s odd, but she could come in handy with this.”
“If you think so,” Astreal replied skeptically.
“Please do assist him with his search,” Apoch requested as the twins spun their staves around next to them. “The sooner he finds those fragments the sooner we can all get what we want.”
“And what is it you two want?” Tabitha questioned as the staves trailed sparkly colors.
“To please our alpha,” the twins replied before clanking their staves overhead, a bright flash then engulfing the four girls with a dust cloud blowing away. As the light faded to reveal they had vanished silence filled the area as not a living creature was stirring anywhere among the arid wilderness.
Up in the sky however there was movement, as a winged figure’s silhouette briefly passed by under the moonlight while traveling east with a dark aura trailing behind it.
*****
Hollia’s eyes began watering as she shakily breathed in and out, the centaur standing in what was once a peaceful and joyful street within her homeland. There used to be smooth dirt roads, green grass and beautiful flowers lined along the sides, and the buildings that served as homes and shops for the centaurs were crafted with beautifully sculptured stone walls and pillars with finely cut timber to frame the lovely dwellings.
Now the road was torn up with centaur and monster corpses scattered about, the flowers being smothered with blood and decaying flesh, the buildings having been toppled and broken down into smoldering ruins, and the air holding a foul aroma of blood and ash from the recent battle. The moonlight above revealed more than the princess wanted to see, although inside she already knew what to expect upon returning to her fallen home.
“Holy shit,” Rulo commented from behind her. “You weren’t kidding. This place was a slaughter.”
“This sickens me,” Sasha raged as she stood to the side of the road, her eyes beholding the sight of a centaur slumped against the wall of a building with a large gash cut down her middle. And in her arms were two young centaur children, both lying dead with their mother with dried blood covering their pelts.
“Even children? Even children? How low could they possibly be to slay children?”
“They tried to fight back,” Forrus speculated as she saw centaurs holding spears and swords in hand while lying about. “Seems they weren’t ready for such a battle. Aren’t your people better trained to handle invaders such as this?”
“We’re not warriors!” Hollia yelled out at her in frustration. “We’re neutral! All monsters know this in Eden. We only work as couriers in the world, we don’t go to war with anyone!”
“Well war came to you,” Rulo retorted. “And it kicked your ass.”
“How many were there?” Sasha questioned.
“They never stopped coming,” Hollia answered, with the three girls looking to her curiously. “They flooded our land with never-ending waves. At first our guards held them at bay, but then were quickly overwhelmed. They stormed through the entire kingdom and into the palace in no time.”
Sasha eyed her for a moment then turned her sights over to Daemon, the swordsman standing further down the street and watching something to the side of the road in silence. The girls saw him remaining still and calm while the moonlight shined down around him, with Hollia then taking a few steps towards him before turning to the others in awe.
“I still can’t believe he was able to run like he did all the way here,” she whispered to them. “I’ve never heard of a human running as fast as a centaur, let alone could believe seeing it. And all of you as well, you managed to move just as quickly even while carrying your heavy armaments. Where in Eden did you learn to do that?”
“We learned by following him,” Sasha answered as she kept her eyes on Daemon.
“Being around him changed us for the better,” Rulo admired.
“And he’s no human,” Forrus corrected the centaur.
“What do you mean?” Hollia asked. “His speed, his strength, his magic, what manner of knight is he?”
She watched the other girls remaining silent while keeping their eyes on her, a cloud moving overhead and casting the area into a dark shadow while the piercing stares of the three monsters shimmered slightly in what little light there was left. Hollia felt a strange chill run down her spine then turned to see Daemon still standing near the side of the road while looking off to the side at something. As the cloud passed by and the area brightened again Hollia felt her fur standing on end as the swordsman had a cold aura to him that was becoming intimidating.
“What is he?”
“My master,” Rulo snorted as she walked by towards Daemon.
“My lord,” Forrus added as she followed after.
Sasha took a few steps past the centaur then glanced back to her with a sharp eye.
“Mine,” she hissed before making her way towards the others with a waving tail.
Hollia eyed the girls curiously then Daemon as she slowly trotted over to them. Upon arriving next to them she looked over to the side of the road at what everyone was staring at before a startled gasp escaped her throat.
“Oh my god,” Hollia breathed out in horror, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes widened.
“That’s just fucked up,” Rulo said shaking her head.
“Barbaric,” Sasha cursed.
“Those demons are spreading hell wherever they go,” Forrus growled.
Everyone was looking into the side of a building that had been ripped apart in the front, the large hall having rubble and burned debris littered about within its destroyed interior. And hanging above the ground from the rafters were three centaurs, all having been skinned and strung up by their rear legs as they had bled every drop of blood they had onto the floor below them.
“I can’t… I can’t take this,” Hollia whimpered. “This is too much to bear.”
“I know,” a voice hissed from above. “Such a waste of good food.”
Looking up they saw a shadowy figure moving on the roof of the building, its long spidery legs quietly skittering along near the edge as the monster snickered to itself.
“Who goes there? You’re one of them, aren’t you?” Hollia raged with clenched fists. “You’re one of those damned monsters that did this to my people!”
“I never laid a hand on them,” the voice chuckled before the figure leapt down onto the roof of a smaller building next to them.
Her eight long spidery legs lightly touched down on the wooden shingles below her, the monster’s dark colored legs and lower body blending in well to the darkness. While she had the upper body of a human her lower one was that of a spider’s with its large abdomen having dark blue markings dotting it while the end had a few tiny spikes that were closed together. Lined around her waist where the flesh met with her insect body were sleek black carapace plates, the coverings also adorning her upper body as they wrapped around her sides and covered her breasts. Her long silver hair was draped over her shoulders while her head had two red eyes that were watching the group along with six more set in her forehead. And her hands which she held up defensively had long fingernails which were sharpened with small gleams in the moonlight.
“I swear,” she slyly added with a slick grin. “Never laid a hand, or leg, on any of them.”
“An arachne,” Sasha dryly said. “Somehow I’m not surprised to see these lowlifes mixed up in this.”
“Now now,” the spider calmly replied. “No need for such cold words. I’m innocent after all.”
“You’re not innocent!” Hollia shouted at her. “How dare you show your face here after what you did!”
“But it’s the truth. I never touched any of your sisters. I never got the chance.”
All around the darkened street laughter and hissing sounds echoed about in the rundown dwellings. Daemon and the girls watched as shadowy figures started to make their way out while the spider shrugged modestly with a low chuckle.
“We arrived after this place was brought to its knees. Such is the price for being too far behind the front lines of our grand army. Sadly, we missed all the fun.”
Hollia grit her teeth as she saw the dark monsters coming out into the moonlight, some carrying torches while others were seen scraping their sharpened weapons against the walls as they stepped out into view. Goblins carrying rusty daggers and swords, trolls carrying axes and clubs, gremlins holding their alchemic pouches, arachne which skittered along the walls and rooftops of the buildings, and from a broken wall another monster slowly crawled out in the shadows and onto its feet.
“I see a man,” the little one droned. At first glance it appeared to be a young girl however as she stepped out into the light she appeared far from human. Her mouth was opened wide with small mandibles sticking out from the sides, her yellow eyes staring at Daemon while her black hair was messy and draped over her face. A tattered white and golden dress was worn over her small body while from her back small insect wings were buzzing quickly now and again. Her steps towards the newcomers were shaky with legs being thin and bug-like in appearance, the monster’s hands twitching constantly as she appeared jittery and restless.
“What is that?” Hollia quietly asked.
“A mite,” Sasha answered as she lifted her sword up. “Nasty little things.”
Rulo brought her hammer forth in both hands while Forrus unhooked her bolas from her hip, the three girls tensing up while Daemon merely glanced around at the monsters with his hand still lightly drumming its fingers on his sword’s handle. Hollia watched the dark creatures that attacked her home surrounding them with her rage from that fateful day returning in full force, her fierce glare going over all the wicked monsters that had invaded her home before resting on a fallen centaur and troll nearby next to the road.
“How fortunate for you to come here,” the arachne snickered as it skittered closer to the edge of the roof. “We’ve been a little bored, and hungry. I heard centaurs taste delicious, but sadly I wasn’t able to find any that were still alive when I arrived. How very lucky that another wandered into our new home.”
“Your new home?” Hollia bitterly repeated.
“Yes, ours. To the victors go the spoils, as they say.”
“Drop your weapons and we’ll make it quick,” a troll sneered while running a finger along the steel of her axe.
“I don’t know,” a gremlin hissed while tossing a chemical pouch up in her hand. “I kind of like it better when they slowly die in agony.”
“Make ‘em screem,” a goblin squealed while another hopped on her feet anxiously. “We want to make ‘em screem.”
“Give us the man,” the mite dully ordered with drool coming from her mouth. “And your flesh. They will be ours. One way or another.”
Daemon remained still with his sword at his side while the other girls tensed up with their weapons drawn. Sasha glanced around at the horde of monsters staring them down then over to Hollia as the centaur slowly walked over towards her fallen kin.
“You may wish to flee while you can,” Sasha warned. “I don’t believe this is a good place for a wayward princess.”
“I’m no princess anymore,” Hollia said as she knelt down and grabbed a spear from the deceased centaur. Standing up she sharply spun the lance around in one hand before thrusting the end towards the arachne above her with a cold glare at the monster.
“I’m just a centaur seeking revenge. And I will have it.”
The gremlins nearby threw their alchemic pouches towards them, with Daemon and the girls quickly scattering before the bags hit and exploded into bright flashes and swirling clouds of noxious vapors. Sasha dashed forward and swung with her blade, streaking through a troll’s axe with a bright flash and then her head before racing past and cleaving a goblin in two with a powerful swing. The reptile girl angled her sword behind her to block a club from hitting by another troll before she whipped her large blade back with one hand and slashed the monster’s arm off.
“This is hardly sporting,” Sasha hissed as she sliced upward with her sword with a large arc, carving through the ground then the troll which was thrown back in two halves with blood painting the road beneath it.
Rulo leapt forward and swung down with her hammer, smashing a goblin into the ground with blood splattering to the sides and a loud crunch while the monster’s torch bounced away. A gremlin swung at her with a dagger from the side, the orc grabbing her wrist then crushing it before swinging the monster around in the air.
“That all you got?” Rulo oinked before slamming the gremlin down onto the ground and breaking all her bones. She grabbed her hammer then swung around wildly, smashing it into a troll and goblin before crashing them through a wall of a dwelling. The hammer and bloodied remains of the two monsters plowed through the stone wall, the heavy swing throwing the dead creatures aside along with debris while Rulo braced herself with both feet from the great momentum. She then spun the hammer around above her head as an arachne and troll closed in on her before slamming the heavy weapon down onto the ground, knocking both incoming monsters away into a stumble from the forceful hit. Rulo darted around her hammer while holding the handle tightly, turning the weapon around before she swung out with it and struck the troll so hard that the monster splattered to the side in bloody pieces.
Forrus howled as she pounced down on a gremlin, pinning the monster against the dirt by the throat before she threw her bolas to the side in a sharp spin. The whirling trap ensnared a troll’s feet that charged towards them, the monster dropping to the ground as the lycan slashed apart the gremlin’s throat with her claws. She then leapt over and clawed at the troll, tearing apart her face and neck before dashing away as a brown pouch was thrown at her. The bag exploded into a noxious gas that began melting away the screaming troll while Forrus quickly raced along the ground and tackled an arachne to the ground.
“The world will be glad to be rid of you!” Forrus yelled as the spider tried to wrestle her off while stumbling about.
“Stupid mutt!” the spider hissed before it grabbed the lycan and threw her to the ground. Forrus rolled to the side to avoid the spider legs that tried stabbing down at her repeatedly before she swiped up an axe and threw it at the monster in a tight spin. The blade struck into the arachne’s face with a loud crunch, dropping the monster while Forrus quickly got onto her feet and dashed towards another troll with a vicious growl.
Hollia galloped through the road whil
e axes where thrown at and just missed her from all sides, the centaur spearing a troll then a goblin as she charged through with a loud warcry. She swung the skewered monsters off her spear then bucked her hind legs back, connecting both hooves with the chest of a troll that was then crushed inward with a sickening crunch. The centaur yelled something in her enraged state but as usual it was impossible to tell what she was saying as her anger slurred her words.
“Take her alive,” an arachne hissed as she and another skittered towards the rampaging centaur. “They taste best when they’re fresh.”
The two spiders scampered around Hollia in circles as the centaur tried swinging her pike at them. Ducking and dodging her attacks one of the arachne then spun around and fired out a thick stream of webbing from her abdomen, the sticky rope hitting against Hollia’s back and coating her shoulder. The centaur yelled and swung around with her spear as the two spiders circled and shot their webbing onto her repeatedly, covering her backside and flanks while her arms became pinned against her chest along with her spear.
“We got you!” the spiders taunted as they held their webbing and began reeling in the bucking centaur.
“You should have aimed for my legs, idiots!” Hollia raged before she took off running, the webbing snapping taught and yanking the arachne after her with screams. The two spiders were dragged and tossed about through the dirt as Hollia raced along the road, the centaur trampling over a goblin then a gremlin before she quickly dashed to the side around the corner of a building. Looking back she saw the two spiders striking against the corner with hard impacts, the monsters dropping into a tumble on the road together while a few of their legs were broken and twisted.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” one whimpered while the other struggled to get up from under her sister. They both turned to see the centaur yelling something as she ran towards them, moments before they were viciously trampled under hoof with loud crunches and screams.
“Accursed demons!” Hollia raged as she finally stepped off from the bloodied pile of dead arachne. She struggled to pull free from the entangled webbing on her body while seeing the other girls fighting against the dark monsters that continued to jump out from the shadows. Racing back over into the road she saw all of them fending off the incoming monsters valiantly, all of them seeming to be expert combatants as they moved about and fought with great skill.
Chronicles of Eden - Act VIII Page 26
