Asteria was exhausted, both mentally and physically.
It was a thing to be admired. To push a being like her, who had one step firm into godhood, into such a level of tiredness.
She let out a groan, kicking a rock in her path along.
"How long until we reach the location?" She asked absentmindedly.
"20 more minutes, my lady" The deep gravelly voice of a man replied from behind her.
She shot a look at him.
"I think i told you to not call me that once we're out of the city"
"There could be anyone listening at the moment, my lady" He replied, the sarcasm basically dripping out of his voice.
Asteria turned around, still walking. And then poked a finger in the man's chestplate, barely holding herself back so that she didn't dent it.
"Well suit yourself Retainer Alaric, you asked for this"
Alaric let out a low chuckle.
"Yeah... yeah.."
Alaric was a handsome man, even for Asteria's standards. He was tall, taller than even her—who was already a giant.
His face looked like it was carved by a master of its art, the scars lining the right side of it doing nothing to dampen the shine of his stupidly gorgeous smile.
He had broad shoulders, and the way he oozed confidence just by existing...
It was not her fault her that Asteria was completely enchanted by this man, right?
She turned around, catching herself before she did something stupid.
Instead she focused on the task at hand.
The northern side of Ithralia had already been hot spot for all kind of abominations. Now that the war had started, and the efforts for colonizing had increased around this area. She had been sent over to take care of an especially gruesome abomination.
The walking lump of flesh, Carnis.
She let out a sigh.
"Those stupid old bastards" she sighed.
"Asteria..." Alaric scolded her, his tone sharp.
"Yeah yeah i know, but i deserve at least this for the gods' sake!" She shot back, practically fuming.
It was unfair really, for someone like her... An integrated being of all things, to be sent on clean up duty.
"Yes, but this is still a part of your job you know"
She groaned once again, then righted herself. Fixing her posture as she rested her left hand on the scabbard attached to her side.
The Second champion of Eos, Asteria Rose Luminaris, was currently on a perilous journey of cleaning up pests. And this was her second week of roaming around the northern part of the landmass Ithralia, taking out corrupted ones' one after another.
It was insulting to her status really, to send her to do something that a squad of retainers could have seen to the end. But she still gritted her teeth and followed through on the orders, cursing her past self for the mess she had gotten into.
While obviously, her body was still battle ready and unblemished, traveling all around the place hunting for elusive creatures was taking a toll on her mind.
The day before yesterday was supposed to be her last day. But the stupid lump of flesh... Carnis, or whatever it was had managed to escape escape her both times she had managed to catch upto it.
The thing was especially tenacious for a 3rd class monster, and a lot smarter than what its kind was supposed to be.
How the heck was a literal piece of flesh managing to outsmart her on several occasion!?
"dammi-"
"Asteria..." Alaric sighed.
She caught herself midway through the word.
"Yeah i know."
Her surroundings were still as desolate as ever. The ryhtmic pounding of the northern sea keeping them company as they walked along the rocky terrain. The horizon was painted a beautiful shade of golden brown as the sun lazy descended into the horizon. The sky above them a deep purple, stars already shining through the darkness.
A musty, but cool breeze blew past them, a true respite in the humid conditions.
Asteria could vaguely sense the presence of Carnis, and she was sure that it was somewhere in the vicinity. And the more she walked north, the more the presence and the burning scent of corruption assaulting her nose grew.
'Focus...'
She was determined to end this mission today, so she was ready for anything the vile abomination threw at her.
What she was not ready for though, was the gut wrenching scream that reached her ears a moment later.
Asteria moved before the scream even ended. Bolting into the direction of the sound in a instant, her form nothing but a golden blur to the mundane eye.
Judging by what she had head, the scream had most likely come from a child. And she was right, she saw the girl a moment later.
But more worrying than that, perhaps, was the figure of Carnis, readying itself to jump at her.
"NO!"
Asteria willed her essence into shape, coalescing it into a sphere as she had done thousands of times before. A split second before she lost control over the growing ball of pure energy, she righted herself and threw it directly at the abomination.
Carnis was way too focused on the child infront of it, inevitably failing to notice the ticking time bomb speedily approaching it.
In an instant, the pulsing sphere collided with the lump of flesh, still carrying its momentum as it sped farther forward, taking Carnis with it.
Asteria stopped right in-front of the kid, barely managing to catch her as she crumbled onto the ground.
The child, poor thing, was bruised all over, her eyes—a beautiful shade of red, were wide open in terror and confusion, tears pooling under them.
"Are you alright"
She pulled the child into an tender embrace, barely managing to hold back her own raging presence.
"Hey..." she repeated.
"Are you alright"
The girl pulled tighter into her, and then let out a muffled choke.
"I.."
She coughed.
"I thought i was gonna die..."