Aqua did not wish to leave the group so suddenly; however, she had a very good reason. She could feel a group of people hiding near the village they were about to visit. "If I am correct, these are all bandits who are about to ransack the village..." She inhaled deeply, "Calm down, Aqua. Ask questions first, kill them second."
She could not make that mistake again. I killed a group that was banished by Exterminators by accident. I will not let it happen again! She reassured herself as she slowly walked towards the would-be bandits.
She had one goal, and that was to see if they would attack her, or if they were there for a different reason. Aqua inhaled deeply as she assumed her 'Innocent Lady' appearance. As soon as she dispelled her [Beyond the Veil] the forms began to move.
It was like they were ready to attack anyone who dared pass through here. Aqua pushed air through her nose as a way to push down her frustrations that she was indeed right. The shadows moved through the trees with rather lackluster speeds.
What was even worse was that all of them were elves. The elves were acting like common bandits. Instead of showing pride that their elven heritage earned them, they decided to become no better than a lowlife human.
She placed her hands behind her back as she ventured off the path, and she moved through the trees and deeper into the forest. The disgusting gazes she felt on her made her wish to burn them all right away; however, she needed to see who was gonna follow her.
Aqua did not wish to burn any of the innocents, even if they seemed to be in a group. After all, they were elves, and she wished to be more merciful to them than the humans of Red Dawn. Yet despite her boundless mercy, only some remained and most followed.
However, despite the anger she felt, her aura was still suppressed. It was good that they did not know her power, for they would never dare attack someone of her power level. She clenched her fist as she attempted to show signs of anxiety.
She needed to feel threatened, and she decided to fidget and nervously look around. Her ears twitched as she listened to them. Those disgusting gazes and statements made her bite her lower lip.
They were just like humans, always seeking to use her body for their pleasure. It disgusted her. The power of lust and greed was their driving force. She walked through the thick woods with grace before she arrived at a small clearing.
She stretched her hands and back as she awaited the bandits to get into their positions. She stopped in the middle of the clearing, and her eyes darted around.
3…10…15…20. There are 20 of them… She sighed in disappointment. It did not take long for 5 bandits to make their way toward the clearing. Aqua crossed her arms before the voice reached her.
"The gods bless us this day, boys, look at that one!" A rough male voice reached Aqua's ears. Their cackles disgusted her, her long ears perked up as she keenly listened. They discussed various ways they would abuse her before they attacked Kam.
Aqua pinched her nose bridge as she felt the men surround her. "I would assume your purpose for surrounding me is to either kill or enslave me?"
"Look at her, so smart. And no, we will not kill someone who looks as pretty as you." The elf with a scarred face approached her. "We will just tie you up, have some fun with you to boost our morale before the attack, and then sell you. What do you think, doll?"
Aqua kept quiet; she wanted these men to feel despair to their cores. She was sick of people trying to enslave her; it was always like that. However, it was usually by the humans, never had it been done by the other elves.
Three of them approached her and leaned forward; however, they still kept their distance despite their foul goal.
"Why so shy, doll? You don't like us?" The man spoke in a mocking tone that made Aqua almost throw up in disgust. "Speak to us bitch!" The man approached and stretched his hand forward. Aqua let out a sigh.
In an instant, the man's hand turned to ash. "Why are you like this? I thought maybe… just maybe you elves would be better." Then the ash itself disintegrated. The man did not even have to scream as Aqua flicked her wrist.
The trio that was about to capture her all turned into gray ash and dispersed in the wind. There was no flame, no heat. Merely a statement. Nobody would ever hold Aqua captive again. No god nor mortal would dare wish for her body with their pathetic lustful gazes.
Nobody would ever again enslave her; that was her vow when she had met Sun God, and thus she planned to keep it even now. Supreme Tyrant sought to exploit her, to reduce her to nothing but a pleasure toy, and then, like many of his former concubines, discarded her when her body failed.
She frowned as she thought about it, yet she wished to push it down. She was hunted for far too long, yet even now, enemies sought to take away her freedom, despite being her own kin. The sheer disappointment made her tear up.
The other bandits tried to run, but Aqua would not allow that. "Come back here." She raised her fist in the air, and above her appeared a pitch black orb. It swirled around itself and sucked everything around it.
It was merely a [Black Hole], a part of the Authority of Space, yet she would not dare use it at maximum potential. Instead, she increased power just enough to uproot parts of the forest where the bandits hid.
Their screams were deafened as they were crushed by the trees that flew towards the black hole. "I vow, once again. Nobody who even makes an empty threat to me shall live to tell the tale. Be it a god or an elf, I WILL NOT BE RESTRAINED!"
She shouted as a large part of the forest was sucked in, together with the elven bandits. Their bodies twisted and stretched as they melded with the wood that was treated the same. The ground, the wood, and the flesh were sucked into the corpse of a dead star.
And then only 2 remained.
They were far enough to escape; however, Aqua did not allow that to be so. She stretched her hand forward and opened two portals. One in front of them, and one above her. The duo of bandits rushed into it and collapsed right in front of her.
They looked up in shock; they were a duo of rough-looking men; however, she did not care about their appearances. Their panicked faces filled her with joy as they scrambled back. "You know, there is no escape from me. You are not worthy of calling yourself my kin."
"Who in the hell are you?!" He demanded, yet he failed to understand his position. Aqua leaned forward. "Why are you attacking the village?" The men looked at her in utter confusion. "Because we need food and slaves to sell? Why the fuck would you ask that? Idiotic nobles…"
Aqua closed her eyes as she exhaled. "Such a plain reason. Goodbye." Aqua flicked her finger, and both men burst into flames. She patted down her clothes as she turned toward the village.
She had hoped that Sheira and Azure would head toward the village without her. After all, if she waited near the road, they would run straight into her. She stretched her arms and body before she headed back to the main road.
While she had left the forest with heavy damage, it was not like this part would be missed. At most, they would blame some monster. After all, she did not leave corpses behind; the bandits were either sucked into the black hole or reduced to ashes.
With one final glance at the aftermath, she headed back to the road. If she was correct, her companions should pass through it in mere minutes. Aqua looked around before she noticed a rather large stump.
With a smile, she walked over and took a seat. She spread her legs for a moment before she threw one leg over the other. She placed her hands behind her and leaned onto them.
"Well… at least I blew off some steam… but what even got over me to use [Black Hole] on them… Aqua, come on, it's not like you to use anything more than necessary." She spoke to herself as she took a deep whiff of the air.
"Nature is so nice here…" After a moment of enjoyment, she pushed herself off the stump as she waited for the approaching group in the distance. She couldn't help but crack a wide smile as she waved to her adoptive daughter.