Late at night.
Inside the camp.
Szzzzz...
The sharp sound of a file scraping against the cage bars echoed endlessly. Cuddled in the corner of
her cage under a wool blanket, Katarina opened her eyes with irritation and looked next door.
"Little kitty, you're wasting your strength."
"As long as there's even a sliver of a chance, a beast never gives up," Nidalee replied, continuing to file
at the cage bars. Katarina rolled her eyes. "This crystal's strength is far beyond steel. That tiny file in
your hand won't scratch it!"
"You might as well give it to me. I'd use it to pry the bars clean off..."
Katarina's words trailed off. Damn this cage, it had no lock, as if it were naturally formed. No visible
seams, and far sturdier than she'd imagined.
"Why'd you go quiet?"
Nidalee paused and looked over at the red-haired Katarina. She blew her bangs aside and said:
"Get some rest. Rather than wasting energy on pointless efforts, you'd be better off saving your
strength for the moment we break out."
Katarina sniffed the blanket. Her accommodations weren't bad, at least she had a tent and a blanket.
Her companions weren't so lucky. They were shackled together in a much larger cage with no shelter.
"What did you come here for?"
Nidalee used her night vision to study Katarina from across the bars.
"The usual: plunder, conquer, and expand our territory."
Katarina was in the mood to talk. Raised harshly by her father, unlike her sister who inherited their
mother's intellect and lived in luxury, Katarina's childhood lacked warmth, even rest.
"You people are never satisfied. Always greedy for more."
"And you're any different?"
Wrapped in her blanket, Katarina scoffed. "You're human too."
"I'm not like you. I have a tribe. I am a lion."
Nidalee rejected her humanity. Though she saw her similarities to others, years of living as a beast
made her refuse the label.
"Fine, fine, a lion!"
Katarina snorted. "But I bet, once you're out of here, people will be falling over themselves for you."
"Just for that pretty face!"
"I can earn their respect with claws and fangs."
"You're no fun!" Katarina rolled her eyes. Her roommate really didn't seem very smart, everything
about her screamed wild beast.
"No more talking. Sleep!"
Katarina snuggled into her blanket. Nidalee also quieted, mimicking her, curling up in the corner.
Just then, footsteps echoed outside. Both women opened their eyes.
"Seriously? You have to pee now?"
"I ate too many berries!"
"You glutton!"
"Five minutes, tops!"
The voices and footsteps faded. Apparently, one of the guards had an upset stomach and asked a
buddy to come along. Katarina closed her eyes again, but remained on alert.
Outside the camp, near the bushes.
Kali stood beside the thicket, waiting for his companion to finish. He wrinkled his nose at the smell and
stepped further away.
Meanwhile,
A blurry figure flitted silently through the void, closing in on the camp.
Moments later, it landed atop a tall tree, surveying everything below.
Its sinister compound eyes reflected the image of a squatting human. Saliva pooled in its jaws.
Look what I've found.
An unguarded human!
A tasty snack on my hunting path.
That big one's scent still lingers, I'll find it.
But first, a little energy top-up.
When was the last time I feasted like this?
I forget!
Too many meals, too much digestion.
No time to remember the unimportant ones,
Except for that one!
That powerful, savage one.
Where is he now?
Is his eyeless socket still throbbing in pain?
Heh heh heh...
Just thinking about it excites me.
My hunger returns, demanding flesh, digestion, evolution!
Perhaps it's him that stokes my hunger...
Well then...
The shadow in the leaves dropped like a falling leaf, landing silently behind the human. Raising two
scythe-like claws, digestive fluids dripped from its mouth.
Dinner time!
"You done yet?"
Kali growled. His companion was just pulling out tissue. "One sec, just a, "
Twin scythes on his shoulders cut off the rest. Kha'Zix held the corpse silently, then bit down.
Surprisingly sweet.
And there's more!
"I said quit wasting time!"
Kali pushed into the bushes, parting the shrubs, only to see a headless corpse and a shimmering
shadow. Malicious eyes locked with his, then a flash of steel erased everything.
......
Inside the tented cage.
Nidalee abruptly stood and growled deep in her throat.
Katarina sat up with a scowl. "What now? Can't you just, "
"...Something's wrong."
"Hmm?"
Katarina stopped complaining and noticed the strange atmosphere.
"...Blood. I smell blood."
She glanced through the tent's gap. Nothing but moonlight,
Splat!
A spray of blood painted the ground.
Ah... now there's something!
Katarina crouched, clutching her blanket, the only weapon she had. It was silly, but in the hands of an
assassin like her, even that could be deadly.
A foul, sweet stench crept into the tent. Nidalee transformed into her lion form, roaring to warn the
intruder.
Katarina was briefly startled, this shape-shifting... just like those in Ionia.
A black-purple miasma surged into the tent. The flickering figure was like a ghost wrapped in gauze.
Even a brief glance made her hair stand on end.
Its body defied logic.
Limbs, claws, carapace, nothing about it made anatomical sense. A mishmash of stolen parts, yet
strangely harmonious. Beautiful in a grotesque way.
It was wrapped in a black-purple exoskeleton like rotting fruit.
The fusion of harmony and chaos clashed in Katarina's mind, but her hardened heart held firm.
"Hissss!!"
The flickering creature struck the cage, then slowed, gently tapping it.
Katarina edged away.
The thing was terrifying, brutal, patient, and cunning like a true hunter.
It circled the cage, looking for a way to kill.
This translucent stone blocks my meal!
How irritating!
Kha'Zix raged internally as he finished circling the cage.
No matter.
I'll crack them open like stone beetles, then feast.
These two look delicious!
As digestive acid hit the ground, the soil sizzled. The stench made Katarina grimace.
It's thinking about how to kill us...
Kha'Zix tapped the cage again and tried slipping a claw inside.
No matter the shell, I'll kill, carve, and eat them piece by piece.
Delightful!
As the scythe-like claw reached in, Katarina whipped her blanket like an iron whip.
It slapped Kha'Zix's claw, only for him to tilt it and slice clean through.
"Ah, oops!"
Katarina looked at her torn blanket, forced a sheepish smile.
"HISSS!!"
Kha'Zix lunged.
Katarina made a decision, wise yet humiliating.
"INTRUDER!!!"
Her scream pierced the night. Lights flared throughout the camp.
Jinx rushed out with her weapons. "Where? Where's the intruder?"
"Someone's dead!"
"Grab your weapons!"
Chaos erupted.
Kha'Zix, realizing the risk, withdrew. His blade left only a shallow scratch on the cage, useless.
He vanished.
Katarina exhaled deeply. Turning to Nidalee, she muttered:
"Good thing this cage is sturdy."
"Or we'd be dead meat."
(End of chapter)
We're still in the early chapters fam! and to everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world. I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters
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