'His morality is admirable. Unable to make an innocent suffer for a crime that wasn't his. But it's a shame that he's so blind to the truth right in front of him.' Jarren mused at Callista, the two wondering whether to divulge the truth or not. 'Should we tell him who the traitor is or are we going to keep toying with him?'
Callista asked, though she wished to play more. 'Whatever you wish, my darling. Though the corrupted are becoming an issue we'll have to deal with thanks to Nucanor.' He couldn't help but ponder, his gaze lingering into the distance.
'Well it won't be that different from these demons. Though they won't be able to hold their own. This town might fall because of it.' She was aware of the corrupted, beasts similar to humans but wrong in more ways than one.
"We'll tell you when the time is right. Possibly by the end of the month that is." That was her words, final and cold akin to he guillotine before she took her leave, Jarren followed suit.
*Three weeks later*
The streets of Horshaw once lively had fallen into a state of silence. Most dreading to leave their homes. Attacks would take place, no order just the death of a citizen thanks to Jarren's wraith. It had claimed the lives of twenty civilians and fifty soldiers totaling his kills to ninety six while Callista sat far ahead with four hundred and sixty kills.
The two had remained in seclusion in their room. Whatever they indulged in a mystery to the outside world. Neil had grown indifferent to the racking number of deaths be it of his own men or the civilians. At first he wanted to stop the two however the outcome of such a short-sighted move would be more deaths so he refrained.
The hundred soldiers had been halved to fifty, reducing the five hundred soldiers to fifty. Not at the hands of demons but their so called "saviors" who killed like demons. Nucanor had fallen into hiding refraining from any engagements with his inside man, fearing that the two drew closer.
With each passing day, one of his men bit the dust. Reasons unexplainable or logical, only came to pass away. It wasn't just the demons but the people as well who grew to fear the two.
...
"We have a week left before we're done, the rest should have been deployed to their missions." Callista mused, her stark figure eloping with Jarren's. "Are you afraid of the consequences?" His tone light, almost playful making her chuckle. "Please, why would I be bothered with the lives of ants writhing beneath my feet?"
Her tone cynical before stealing a kiss from Jarren. He embraced it and the two were locked in a french kiss, deep and passionate before breaking apart. Strings of saliva snapping from distance. "That's great to hear." He hummed, his bare chest slowly bobbing up and down to his breathes.
"So when will Nucanor finally release that beast of his? I'm ready to get my hands dirty." Her concerns a mere whisper as she could feel the world around her descend into darkness. "Should be tomorrow. So be patient." His words now a whisper as she fell asleep. Jarren caressed her forehead before landing a kiss.
"Sleep well my cat." His words low before he too was swept away by slumber.
***
"Sir, we have a problem." Neil heard the concerns of Geraint, his tone heavy as he made his entrance. "Is it another death?" Neil blankly asked he sorted through the files on his desk. "No, it's a demon, or so we think. It's much bigger than the rest. Almost human but not quite."
Neil's apathetic face sparked with interest as he rose to his feet. "What do you mean?" Geraint merely stated before taking his leave. "It would be better if you saw it for yourself." Intrigued Neil left his office as he made his way to the town walls.
On his way, he couldn't help but wonder when the pair would finally tell him who the traitor was. 'However the chance of them telling me is in their hands.' The question of who the traitor was had been bothering him ever since the public execution.
His investigations never ceased as he toiled for the past three weeks but fate had other plans, never once had he managed to make any progress whatsoever. Making his way up the walls, his vision scoped into the distance to see a monster that made his skin crawl. "What is that!?"
His voice filled with shock and fear as he saw a monster make it's way to the town walls. It walk on all fours, it's face a blend of a lion and a human bathed in black ooze. It's mane golden as it danced freely in the wind, it's fangs sharp as saliva dripped out of it's jaws. It had two pairs of eyes, one human and the other that if a lion.
It's skin pale yellow as it's movements though erratic was a blend of a primate and a feline's. "Where are those two?" He asked only to be met with silence. It was clear that his men were fearful of fetching Callista and Jarren and he couldn't blame them.
...
His knocks frantic as he hoped for an answer. "What is it... Anhhh ~~ Neil?" What greeted him was Callista's moans which made him reconsider his visit. As much as he wanted to leave, he knew that he had to take care of the beast. "We have a problem on our hands."
"Anhhh ~~~ yes~~" The situation was a blend of ridicule and awkwardness. He could clearly hear his grunts and her moans through the door, their lovemaking anything but silent. "Come back another ~~ Jarren anhh~~ timmmme~~~ Mnnhhh~~"
Neil was more than just bewildered. 'Are these two seriously just going to keep on with their antics while the town is on the verge of being wiped?' His face portrayed dismay before leaving the premise. Mounting his horse, he made his way back to the walls where a loud rumble shook the ground.
The beast was locked in an engagement with the obsidian golems. The beast had beast and intelligence to dodge most of the golems attacks however the golems proved difficult to take down. The claws failed to dent the golems, sparks flying all over but not staggering the sentries.
*ROOAARR*
An ear deafening roar filled the air making some of the soldiers bleed from their ears, Neil being one of them however his malcore quickly began it's magic and repaired his ruptured eardrums.
*BAM-BAM-BAM*
Regardless of how hard the corrupted hybrid attack, the golems kept on pushing. "Sir, they're not attacking. Just holding it back." One mused as they realized why the golems had yet to take the beast down. If the creature dared to make any advances to the town the golems would cut it off forcing the beast back.
The fight dragged on for far longer than it should have, with no side seeing any form of advantage. 'Wait, if more golems were to make it here then the beast should be deterred from coming to Horshaw.' More golems joined the fray and it was clear that the abomination was struggling.
It's advantage of speed and intellect hit a wall as the golems would remain invulnerable to it's attacks.
*Whoosh*
Without warning all the golems stopped surprising Neil and his men. 'Wait?! What is going on?' They couldn't help but wonder and so was the beast as it halted it's movements expecting some form of attack from the golems but none came. Realizing this the beast darted towards Horshaw, it's maw dripping with saliva promising carnage and destruction.
It's hind legs that of a lion helped it leap greatly into the air, well over the walls of the town.
*Boom*
The archers on standby instantly shot their arrows.
*Clang*
Not just the beast but the soldiers were shocked when they saw the obsidian barrier cover the sky. The beast crashed hard onto the dome, it's teeth snarling as it pounded the dome wishing to crack it.
*Bam-Bam-Bam*
No matter how hard the beast rammed into the dome, the barrier remained strong and resolute. 'I forgot that she had casted such a barrier earlier.'
*Whoosh*
The barrier began to twist, it's edges rising now trapping the beast inside. The abomination leapt high up hoping to escape it's obsidian cage only to be shot with a crystal fragment from one of the golems making it crash back inside.
*Thud*
The crystal cage landed onto the ground, it's tremor making the townspeople shudder as they huddled up in their homes. Neil gave a heavy sigh, watching the golems go back to their posts. 'She failed to attack it with the hopes of trapping it.' Realizing her plan, he grew concerned with her plans for the beast.
...
"With those bastards focused with that abomination, I should have all the time in the world to collect my malcore shards." Nucanor smiled as he made quick work of the guards defending the caves. Two Wrymkindled were no match for a Malgrave like him.
His subordinates instantly swarmed the cave, diving in as they reported the stash still being present. He looked at the cave, shards glimmering faintly with no end in sight before stretching out his hand. An invisible glyph that guarded the pocket was undone.
Just as he was about to begin his corruption of the shards, the screams of a servant halted his actions. "Go check on who's here and make sure that I'm not interrupted!" His orders strict as he started to cast arrays and glyph works all over the pocket cave.
'There 's no way that they managed to cull that beast so easily. I paid a hefty price for such a gem like that.'His glyphs began to take shape, each array radiating with corrupted malcore however once more his psyche was cut off as the screams echoed through the cave.
'Can't these pitiful humans take care of a simple job? It's a waste that I wasted my money on such useless mercenaries.' Realizing that he would have to deal with the problem, he cut his bewitching making his way to the entrance of the cave.
What greeted him was a mountain of corpses, all of his men sprawling all over with their heads missing. "What in the world?!" Before he could wrap his head around the scene, he heard the snarls of a beast behind him.
*Whoosh*
His figure instantly flashed a few feet away before his eyes finally saw the cause of it all. It was a shadow, ash in color as it hovered with it's pitch white eyes boring into his being, it's white oblivion maw threatening to end his entire existence. "So you're the reason as to why my men are falling left and right!"
Nucanor mused with a smile, deeming the puppet in front of him nothing more than a cheap summon. "But where is your puppeteer?" He smiled as he bathed the forest with his dark aura.
*Boom*
His smile smug now faltered as he realized that the summon in front of him remained undeterred with his wave of corrupted malcore. "Very well. I'll have to deal with this pest myself."
*Boom*
Neil who was still in awe of the captured beast felt a dark aura emanating from the mines. "The demons are attacking the mines! We have to-" The surge was more than just demonic, it was too much for him to bear however the obsidian domain feel shielding him from the devastating effect s of corrupted malcore.
'With such a spike like that, it would make no difference if we were there or not. The golems are way too slow to make it in time.' He pondered as to how the two would tackle the situation though they were absorbed in other matters.
***
"Argh!" Nucanor spit out a mouthful of dark blood to the ground out of spite as his eyes remained locked with the wraith. Never once had it flickered or defected, always blocking his advances and landing devastating blows onto his body. What made him still able to fight it was his regenerative factor.
'This fight isn't going anywhere. I can't stay here for too long or those two brats will make things far more complicated than it needs to be!' He cursed, wishing this summon to die along with it's caster as it hindered his success.
His glance at Horshaw lasted for no longer than a second, shocked to see that his beast had been taken care off as a dark obsidian barrier engulfed the town. 'Just what am I facing here?!' He couldn't help but wonder.