"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
[Message/communication apparatus]
Date: September 1079
Location: Data not found
POV: Narrator
Infected, the unfortunate people of terra cursed with an incurable disease known for its 100% mortality rate, the victim of oripathy. Unlike the mutation of other similarly dangerous and lethal illness or disease, Oripathy acted more like an ever growing blight that stained the earth to claim more victim but with a force that can level a country with a mere snap of fingers by comparison.
The existence of this disease also affected everyday life in terra, it is not an exaggeration to say that life revolved around it and to be more specific, revolved around Originium. This miraculous mineral had singlehandedly answered the old age question, how do gain limitless source of renewable power?
No matter how much people hated oripathy, originium must always flow without fail. There has been breakthroughs with using robots and protective gears, but they too can still fall victim with it.
Bringing in a smattering amount of originium dust or even the malignant tumor itself that latched on everything it touched, thus furthering even more infection vectors.
A much more insidious approach was also taken by the opportunistic, hateful, avaricious and even the so called good men. Ursus had employed oripathy as a mean to erase undesirable rabbles or unruly rebels, sending them forth into the mines to toil and be used with utter indignity.
The tales of their brutal regime was propagated with hate where pogroms and lynching against the infected are common place. The last protest by infected activists and protestors were met with blades and mortar fire by an Ursus army, squashing it with lethal force.
Rumors were even abound about a, supposedly, decorated General of Ursus army had killed his own son because they were a part of this demonstration turned into massacre. Whether by proxy, ignorance, or deliberate act, his stance is clear for the public regarding infected.
Then there are the Columbian where, despite their relatively humane treatment of the infected, they used them to settle new lands and claim it for Columbia. The so called settlers, with a fancy name of pathfinders, was used like indentured servant.
All because they had been made to agree with Columbian health plan that most infected, the poor or middle strata citizen as majority of oripathy victim, can’t afford to pay. Becoming a settler will allow them to live free and having their health plan been rendered more manageable so to speak.
Despite these polite wordings, Columbia had effectively mitigated several bad reputations merely by using this move. The first and more obvious, the infected are being gathered in a land far away thus limiting further infection.
The second is that they can work as natural resource prospectors. With the life on the frontier harsh and rife with catastrophes, the settlers must procure most things by themselves. But because they would still need help from major nomadic cities, they ended up bartering or purchasing infrastructure and modern consumer goods with an almost extortionate rate.
Third is that they can’t really say anything, because everything had been done on the table, a legal dealing that bind both parties.
And fourth is that they toiled on expanding Columbian’ sphere of influence all the while being graced with quiet life and most likely… forgotten death and suffering for as long as they are able to live, without too much societal backlash against the image.
But none can rival the insidious approach of Leithanien predecessor of the current Twin Empresses who co-ruled Leithania, the dreaded and horrid Witch King who was also Terra’s finest and deadliest arts caster.
His rule was started with a high note however. The still sensible and sane king ruled with great wisdom and magnanimity, to the point that he ushered in the golden age for Leithania. His rule brought forth stability, influence, and most importantly, peace that was at first being predicted to last until his majesty finally departed the mortal life and into the next.
But that’s not going to come after all, for the witch king love of his people was drowned by his lust of perfection. He was Terra’s greatest musician, arts caster… and originium researcher.
In his pursuit of this perfection, he had gone mad since originium, the ingredient of perfection to him, was very hard to decipher and too little sample to work with…
Thus he did the unthinkable towards his own people, forcefully infecting a number of his own subject with a monthly quota from each Leithanian Kurfursten (Prince-Electors) and their respective nobilities.
With that as its cue, Witch King 100 year’s reign of terror began. Numerous innocent were forcefully turned into infected if which they were used for further experimentation.
The Leithanien nobles are horrified, but are too powerless to actually stand up to his ruthlessness and not to mention that he has his own loyalists that fanatically do his bidding unfailingly. This 100 years of suffering, terror, and wish for liberation from tyranny made the infected population skyrocketed.
It is not until the Battle of the Four Emperors erupted in 1053 where cracks and opportunity for liberation free from terror surfaced. The war was bloody and Leithania was thoroughly weakened, both because they gained too little and the Witch King who immediately busied himself with experimentation and cared little for war gain.
Enough is enough, thus the Twin Empresses along with the entirety of Leithania risen up in total revolt and rebellion against the Witch King. The battle between the Empresses along with their Royal Guards against the Witch king, by is lonesome, was rumored to be on a nigh biblical proportion.
No one knows how it actually plays out, but one thing is certain. The empresses and along with the remnants of Royal Guards held up, what was allegedly, the severed head of the Witch King in public. The rebellion was a nightmare, but liberation from terror made it all worth it.
Witch King’ brutality was ironically one of core reason why Leithanien Infected have been treated better. They’re still in the ghetto, but their ghetto is a haven compared to pretty much everywhere else. One place called Afterglow is an entire district where the infected people can live normally for the most part.
And so much more tales about the infected’ plight. Regardless of how badly the general treatments are, manpower is always needed and there are plenty of work that required manual labour…
Suddenly infected turned into a commodity and means to an end. Such a thing had received a mixed bag in terms of ethics. Well, the pencil pushers and orators can espouse whatever ideals they wanted, the real world is where we will turn our attention to.
Thus we’re shifting to our current predicament. Nyx is on her way to free some civilians from neighboring region that had been smuggled out by traffickers.
The civilians are made up of infected for the most part, but there also several non-infected because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time …
Location: West from County of Toron, Victoria.
POV: Nyx
‘It’s a quiet night…’ an inner voice of mine, this is indeed a quiet and serene night. Situation like this would usually cause me to turn into a slob and doing nothing but laze around, that’s how I work around this part.
No one is tailing me, my handlers, spies, stalkers, or whatever should be turning several regions upside down just to find me. They come in variety of colors so to speak, thus I just wanna make them earn their payroll a bit harder than usual.
County of Toron had become my temporary base at the moment. The county was really harmonious compared to others that I had the pleasure or displeasure to operate at. County of Toron good public order also reflected at how capable Vincent is at managing his domain.
The guy acted like a no-good and full of empty boasting buffoon but I know deep down that when things turned dire, he will not go down quietly. I’m still unable to decipher who is behind him, at first I conjectured him to be under Count Skamandros’ influence but come out nil.
Count Skamandros led the biggest neutral influence in Victoria, also my best bet in striking a deal about mutual exchange. I don’t know why he don’t stand with the late king, but I do know that, despite everything, he is still a very strong and influential noble.
My standing here is still up in the air, thus it’s better to just shelve it and ponder later. I was supposed to be ambushing the traffickers and dealers at the promised meeting point, just 400 meters to the west of my current location.
But instead I just lean on my back all the while stargazing. How did I know about this yet I just lazed on top of a tree? Well….
Flashback an hour ago, 50km from present location.
“AGGGGGH!” Tsk, how noisy. I just ripped off one nail, and this is how bad he screamed? Talk about all bark and no bite. Come on now, his last colleague lasted until the 3rd nail, this one is disappointing.
“Shut. Up. Wretch!” I kicked him in the stomach, he coughed up blood and looked up with a mix of fear and desperation also hate, good to know you’re still in the game bud.
“fuk ov cunt! I kne nuthin! I – I – I just joine-” Oh still spunky eh? Nice, you get 5 more points and your score is at whooping 11 now. Congrats, the highest was 37 out 100, heh…
“Who gives a shit you just joined, I want the direction and all it entailed.”
“Please… I ‘new nuthin… hah… hah… I swe-” I’m fed up already, pulling a gun I just point it at this disappointing feline.
“Bye”
“wai-”
*BANG* pop goes the tomato!
“Ahn~ that felt good…” Uh… fuck me, my concentration lapsed again…
‘Deep breaths, don’t do anything too stimulating now…’
“Uh… ahem, that was quite therapeutic but I’m still on the clock.” Whoops, my mask did really slipped badly there. Kinda problematic, but meh I still have some time to get the info… speaking of which…
That was the… um… 9th participant? Meh, more than 3 that’s for sure. Ok then…
These are the only outlaw survivors in this barn, all the slaves were freed 3 hours ago. I just give them a key for the transport truck traffickers meant to bring them with. They should start heading back to the County of Toron.
I turned my head around to see 7 tied up traffickers all of whom are crying and shivering in terror, some of them already soiled themselves… Ew, but whatever really.
“Do you guys enjoyed the show? I’m quite an affable host no?”
More audiences to play with… Goodness, I’m such a piece of shit to enjoy this but I won’t deny it was less about the song I had sung years ago and more like how I’m deep down.
I yanked the nearest one by the hair. Hoh! This one is a special, a wanted man, they had been rather rare in this country. Also hmm… hey, it was also that arts caster who flung a fireball into my face when invad- I mean, conducted surprise inspection.
“Well, what’s you-”
“*spit* Fuck you, disgusting monster!” Oh, he spat on my face… that was rude…
“Yuck…”
“You called yourself enforcer!? You’re nothing more than a damn animal! Your’ so called duty and community service is nothing more than an entitled and empty self-validation! You’re no better than us, you’re worse if nothing else! I don’t care if I die, but at least I died as a much more decent person than you, asshole! You-” He goes on a long pointless tirade that I got tired after hearing the exact same thing for god knows how many times…
“…”
Well he called me an enforcer because I presented myself as one, hiding my tail, wearing balaclava with navy blue uniform, and voice distorter or changer does wonder. Technology is truly a blessing…
“Hah! Speechless now huh!? You know I’m right that’s wh-”
“Very unimaginative, like what kind of script was that?”
“!?”
“Did you know that pain won’t kill?”
“What ar-”
“You know there was this one time I met a really nice but pathetic, and absolutely average guy. He made a really convincing… philosophy, from what he had styled as anyway…”
I squatted down and bring his face directly in front of me, I just smiled through the mask. He seems to be shaken immediately, hmm… for someone so notorious to be shaking like a leaf… what to do, what to do… oh that might work.
“I shall paraphrase what he said, ‘Humans are surprisingly fragile yet tough you know? Just a deadly boop in the back of the head and you’re gone, otherwise, as long as you avoid vital area or profuse bleeding, human body can take up a lot of punishment.’ Fascinating isn’t it?”
Seeing that his mind seems to start working a little too creative, I added even more fuel to his imagination.
“Pain won’t kill people, even the shock itself was only a bodily response. What kills people is when the blood stops flowing towards their brain because they’re too anemic. So by that logic, you can stay alive as long as I’m being careful.”
I then stood up and circle around even cutting his bindings off… the thing is he is too petrified with fear… the poor little thing can’t move… I made a show of biting my own palm a little, letting my unusual blood coagulated after mixing it with my venom.
This was the best discovery, not only did my snakelike feature slowly but surely becomes much clearer, I might finally know what in the goddamn this me is really.
And yeah, it hurts as hell for me too but I had gotten used to it… even enjoying it. Pain is, in my opinion, the purest proof that we’re alive and living consciously like a civilized folks. My blood won’t do anything on its own, but mixed in my venom and voila I got myself an interrogation technique.
This poison is paralytic in nature, mostly, and quite acidic, not lethal but definitely painful, which is perfect for me… I eyed a few small scratches here and there, and then letting my blood grazed it.
“AGgggghghhhhh…..” he screamed aloud but suddenly turned slack jawed, his eyes are shaking from both burning pain and having his body pumping more and more endorphin to keep him conscious and suppressing the growing pain.
“You know, the both of us are producing endorphin at the moment. Just for a different reason, yours for numbing the pain, and mine for the euphoria I feel…”
‘Minus the fact that I’m also in pain’ I added quietly in my mind but they didn’t need to know that. So come on folks, fess up already I wanna go to bed ASAP if there is truly nothing…
His body can only stay paralyzed while also shaking, sweating, and he even starts foaming from the corners of his mouth, and the pain seems to be driving him insane. Oh yes, my blood will get dried by itself and turned harmless in just 10 minutes… 10, hellish, minutes…
For that 10 minutes, my blood act like salt. But instead of making the wound close, my acidic blood only worsen it and because of that the wound will keep expanding for that 10 minutes all on its own.
I’m still unsure why my blood behaved in such a haphazard manner. I can’t just go to a doctor and say ‘Hey, I got this funny blood on me, got an idea why?’ that would only add more enemies while also attracting those scientist with a hard-on for experiment.
“You might be thinking that I knew nothing about you, but let me reiterate your crimes and some personal records. Not because I care, but because having a moral high ground had indeed stroke my ego pleasantly.”
The other 6 survivors can only watch haplessly.
“Jean-Duboin Rekasia, 36 years old Liberi, former Victorian soldier, born in Calais-Blaison and also the top of the class from Cyr Military Academy. You have been set for life, but decided that it was too boring and joined the Burgundian Brigade, Gaulish separatist. But you’re such a human waste after mere months being freed of rules and orders, ended up raping 13 women and 7 men with 41 recorded cases of homicides. Thus you’re hunted down by both the Victorian authority and Gaulish separatist. Now, you joined the Corsair Grandee, trafficking links that deals with contrabands and human slaves. But that’s not all…”
I squatted down again while yanking him by the chin and glared square at his dimming vision, no doubt about to go unconscious.
“I witness it when you branded kids with hot sizzling metal… in lieu of barcode. You said that I’m a monster and no better? Well you laughed hearing them crying, you even had the gall to pour salt water on their lacerations… You have bounty, but you’re not worth it.”
With that I kneed him in the face, he can’t even scream in pain only convulsing helplessly on the cold ground. This one seems to be no good too…
With that I got bored and just broke his neck by stomping on it.
“Alright! Who is next on th-”
“Wait! Wait!”
“Yes?” I then kneeled down and stare at his snot ridden, tears stained face.
“Th-the-the meeting… po-point… is at Regis Ridge, Barony of Sarca-Belu…. The client was... the client was...”
“Finally! Someone who have utilized their brain cells! Also, continue!”
“The deals was made between Blanc Cutlass syndicate and us. That’s all I know so please spare me! I truly just joined a week ago, I'm still innocent please have mercy...”
I stood up and check my magazine… there are still 11 left… reinserting it then I aimed back at him.
“W-w-wait!”
Then I just pivot my gun sideway, sparing the smart guy, and starts gunning down the slowpokes… except for one who managed to free himself off the binding and bolted outside, neat to see someone so energetic.
I just languidly follow him and shot lazily around him, a waste of ammo but it’s getting enjoyable and serves as a therapy from constant noble harassment.
The escapee then entered the car and starting it, speeding away from the scene… I can’t believe it! This is the best possible thing. To think that the explosive strapped in that car meant for later would be used so early, the car fuel was only enough to reach the meeting point and then some so it will explode anyway.
“Hahahahaha! This night can’t get any better!”
I just skipped back to the barn, the last survivor seems to be really dazed… Well, he kind of was smart… but!
“Good night, my dear~” I said while showing my true face in its full glory, his face finally lose all hope… He does knows me after all… and what was my modus operandi against outlaws for the most part… there are exception and I wondered if tonight is the night for that exception…
*Bang!*
End of Flashback.
Yeah… that was really cruel of me, I can just extracted the info but my stress of dealing with nobles who keeps pushing all the wrong button just caused me to lapse a little. This is really not Kazimierz, but because of that I can be as petty as I wanted to be.
I stand back up and stretch, the escaping car should be arriving soon and like it or not, the deadman’ switch detonator that I had installed with the explosive will trigger the moment the car goes below certain speed.
“Hehe, I love fireworks. Thus nothing beats an impromptu one!” with that I moved in full speed towards the meeting point, eager to see my little prank come into fruition.
POV: Narrator
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck!” The last survivor, a feline man, the very one who are unaware that his car was already doomed to explode, is speeding away towards the meeting point.
He must tell them that deal was kaput and everything goes to hell. He had tried using personal terminal but it didn’t work, most likely broken or perhaps jammed.
He is extremely terrified, the visage of that mysterious person keeps replaying in his mind. They came like a thunderbolt and start massacring everyone, their movement is akin to Victorian Special Forces.
It was further reinforced with the fact that they’re jammed almost immediately the moment said assault started, causing them to be cut off. Victorian Special Forces never played nice, there are rumors where they employed Sarkaz Ventriloquism or Poltergeists to mimic the speech pattern of one of their and keeps feeding false information.
Thus he dismissed the idea that the perpetrator was that Pythian lady.
Not to mention that she was reported to be operating way up north, the information brokers that are tracking on her weren’t cheap. That’s the only info they have, regardless he must tell them that the deal breakdown.
It will certainly be dangerous for him to limp back, but he has no other choice. Even if he ran away, he doesn’t know where to run. The syndicates will find him and make his life hell… just like his brother being hunted by the nobles…
He is stuck between rock and hard places, but what can he do? Smuggling is the only way he can feed his 5 years old daughter.
The irony wasn’t lost to him, but it is either his daughter get starved or consigning others to it. Not to mention that, his daughter is the only thing his dear wife left him. They were a poor farming family, but then they got displaced because his brother was trespassing noble hunting ground unintentionally.
The nobles’ soldier just start beating his brother in the middle of the village and telling the villager to bring his family here or face the consequences. They were dragged into the plaza by terrified villagers.
All goes to hell immediately when his wife was immediately shot, and he was also being beaten to an inch of his life. The noble in question just laugh while the villagers watches on horrified…
He then blanked out, and then the next thing he know is that his daughter was crying cradling her mother. Their house was torched, and he just lost hope.
It was an explicit eviction by the noble, if he stay in that village after all that, there will only be hell. He and his daughter then wander from place to place, until he reluctantly joined a local syndicate…
From there the rest are history.
His eyes are watering recalling the painful memory, but he will do everything for his daughter. He should be close to the meeting site and tried his best to deflect the blame, at least he had given his daughter all the money he had made over the past 2 years, and hopefully she can live peacefully that way.
While it is sweet of him to give his daughter all that money, it is doubtful how would a 5 years old use it correctly. He never told her about his work and it would be better to stay that way.
He can finally see the meeting point, the deals seems to be breaking down because no goods arrived. They turned their heads on his car, wondering who this is. Then they starts aiming their weapon his way.
They stand down when this car show the syndicate emblems. He is heading right down the middle to ensure that the information he bring can be heard by both side.
But just when he is about to get the car to stop.
*Click*
His heart sank hearing the all too familiar sound… He closed his eyes for the last time.
“I’m sorry…”
POV: Nyx
“3….2…1… Boom!”
*BOOM!*
As on cue the car stopped right in the middle, the very same car I stuffed with 5 kilograms of TNT and several metallic bits to make a homemade pellets, bits of metal, and those fancy thing that can decapitate a limb or two, basically an over glorified shrapnel.
The group was immediately annihilated, and I don’t have to get my hands dirty for the finishing touch. This is a great win in my book, something that is pretty high up there… still can’t top that one time I redirected a flood gate to wash away hundreds of target thought…
Of course, since I played dirty, more than I usually do, and the fact that this job was finished without any contract whatsoever, I got paid nothing.
Not that I cared all that much with money at this point, so there is no loss on my part to do some community service charity. Winter is fast approaching, a perfect time for me to just sit back and turned into a slob until New Year.
“Hah… life is great.” I said while watching over the blasted and burnt earth from the shadow. Several outlaws can be seen to be dying with various wounds and infection, but they’re not my problem. If they survive then good for them, hopefully they turned over a new leaf and lead for a better life.
If not? Well, I can just add more skull marks to my collection, I had gathered so many, thus just a couple tens more won’t make that much of a difference.
Seeing that the whole thing had unfolded, it is now time for me to return home and watch some local football or soccer matches between the villagers that are scheduled monthly in Toron County.
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author’s Note:
Here is the start of rewrite.
You might have noticed that Nyx is not… really humane. This chapter showcased just that while also highlighting that she doesn’t always have to do everything directly…
More to come, and I hope to that the buildup for 1084’s event is enough with this.
Update as usual… and if I can keep up the current level of motivation, we might reach the academy arc sooner again…
Ciao.
"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
[Message/communication apparatus]
Date: September 1079
Location: Data not found
POV: Narrator
Infected, the unfortunate people of terra cursed with an incurable disease known for its 100% mortality rate, the victim of oripathy. Unlike the mutation of other similarly dangerous and lethal illness or disease, Oripathy acted more like an ever growing blight that stained the earth to claim more victim but with a force that can level a country with a mere snap of fingers by comparison.
The existence of this disease also affected everyday life in terra, it is not an exaggeration to say that life revolved around it and to be more specific, revolved around Originium. This miraculous mineral had singlehandedly answered the old age question, how do gain limitless source of renewable power?
No matter how much people hated oripathy, originium must always flow without fail. There has been breakthroughs with using robots and protective gears, but they too can still fall victim with it.
Bringing in a smattering amount of originium dust or even the malignant tumor itself that latched on everything it touched, thus furthering even more infection vectors.
A much more insidious approach was also taken by the opportunistic, hateful, avaricious and even the so called good men. Ursus had employed oripathy as a mean to erase undesirable rabbles or unruly rebels, sending them forth into the mines to toil and be used with utter indignity.
The tales of their brutal regime was propagated with hate where pogroms and lynching against the infected are common place. The last protest by infected activists and protestors were met with blades and mortar fire by an Ursus army, squashing it with lethal force.
Rumors were even abound about a, supposedly, decorated General of Ursus army had killed his own son because they were a part of this demonstration turned into massacre. Whether by proxy, ignorance, or deliberate act, his stance is clear for the public regarding infected.
Then there are the Columbian where, despite their relatively humane treatment of the infected, they used them to settle new lands and claim it for Columbia. The so called settlers, with a fancy name of pathfinders, was used like indentured servant.
All because they had been made to agree with Columbian health plan that most infected, the poor or middle strata citizen as majority of oripathy victim, can’t afford to pay. Becoming a settler will allow them to live free and having their health plan been rendered more manageable so to speak.
Despite these polite wordings, Columbia had effectively mitigated several bad reputations merely by using this move. The first and more obvious, the infected are being gathered in a land far away thus limiting further infection.
The second is that they can work as natural resource prospectors. With the life on the frontier harsh and rife with catastrophes, the settlers must procure most things by themselves. But because they would still need help from major nomadic cities, they ended up bartering or purchasing infrastructure and modern consumer goods with an almost extortionate rate.
Third is that they can’t really say anything, because everything had been done on the table, a legal dealing that bind both parties.
And fourth is that they toiled on expanding Columbian’ sphere of influence all the while being graced with quiet life and most likely… forgotten death and suffering for as long as they are able to live, without too much societal backlash against the image.
But none can rival the insidious approach of Leithanien predecessor of the current Twin Empresses who co-ruled Leithania, the dreaded and horrid Witch King who was also Terra’s finest and deadliest arts caster.
His rule was started with a high note however. The still sensible and sane king ruled with great wisdom and magnanimity, to the point that he ushered in the golden age for Leithania. His rule brought forth stability, influence, and most importantly, peace that was at first being predicted to last until his majesty finally departed the mortal life and into the next.
But that’s not going to come after all, for the witch king love of his people was drowned by his lust of perfection. He was Terra’s greatest musician, arts caster… and originium researcher.
In his pursuit of this perfection, he had gone mad since originium, the ingredient of perfection to him, was very hard to decipher and too little sample to work with…
Thus he did the unthinkable towards his own people, forcefully infecting a number of his own subject with a monthly quota from each Leithanian Kurfursten (Prince-Electors) and their respective nobilities.
With that as its cue, Witch King 100 year’s reign of terror began. Numerous innocent were forcefully turned into infected if which they were used for further experimentation.
The Leithanien nobles are horrified, but are too powerless to actually stand up to his ruthlessness and not to mention that he has his own loyalists that fanatically do his bidding unfailingly. This 100 years of suffering, terror, and wish for liberation from tyranny made the infected population skyrocketed.
It is not until the Battle of the Four Emperors erupted in 1053 where cracks and opportunity for liberation free from terror surfaced. The war was bloody and Leithania was thoroughly weakened, both because they gained too little and the Witch King who immediately busied himself with experimentation and cared little for war gain.
Enough is enough, thus the Twin Empresses along with the entirety of Leithania risen up in total revolt and rebellion against the Witch King. The battle between the Empresses along with their Royal Guards against the Witch king, by is lonesome, was rumored to be on a nigh biblical proportion.
No one knows how it actually plays out, but one thing is certain. The empresses and along with the remnants of Royal Guards held up, what was allegedly, the severed head of the Witch King in public. The rebellion was a nightmare, but liberation from terror made it all worth it.
Witch King’ brutality was ironically one of core reason why Leithanien Infected have been treated better. They’re still in the ghetto, but their ghetto is a haven compared to pretty much everywhere else. One place called Afterglow is an entire district where the infected people can live normally for the most part.
And so much more tales about the infected’ plight. Regardless of how badly the general treatments are, manpower is always needed and there are plenty of work that required manual labour…
Suddenly infected turned into a commodity and means to an end. Such a thing had received a mixed bag in terms of ethics. Well, the pencil pushers and orators can espouse whatever ideals they wanted, the real world is where we will turn our attention to.
Thus we’re shifting to our current predicament. Nyx is on her way to free some civilians from neighboring region that had been smuggled out by traffickers.
The civilians are made up of infected for the most part, but there also several non-infected because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time …
Location: West from County of Toron, Victoria.
POV: Nyx
‘It’s a quiet night…’ an inner voice of mine, this is indeed a quiet and serene night. Situation like this would usually cause me to turn into a slob and doing nothing but laze around, that’s how I work around this part.
No one is tailing me, my handlers, spies, stalkers, or whatever should be turning several regions upside down just to find me. They come in variety of colors so to speak, thus I just wanna make them earn their payroll a bit harder than usual.
County of Toron had become my temporary base at the moment. The county was really harmonious compared to others that I had the pleasure or displeasure to operate at. County of Toron good public order also reflected at how capable Vincent is at managing his domain.
The guy acted like a no-good and full of empty boasting buffoon but I know deep down that when things turned dire, he will not go down quietly. I’m still unable to decipher who is behind him, at first I conjectured him to be under Count Skamandros’ influence but come out nil.
Count Skamandros led the biggest neutral influence in Victoria, also my best bet in striking a deal about mutual exchange. I don’t know why he don’t stand with the late king, but I do know that, despite everything, he is still a very strong and influential noble.
My standing here is still up in the air, thus it’s better to just shelve it and ponder later. I was supposed to be ambushing the traffickers and dealers at the promised meeting point, just 400 meters to the west of my current location.
But instead I just lean on my back all the while stargazing. How did I know about this yet I just lazed on top of a tree? Well….
Flashback an hour ago, 50km from present location.
“AGGGGGH!” Tsk, how noisy. I just ripped off one nail, and this is how bad he screamed? Talk about all bark and no bite. Come on now, his last colleague lasted until the 3rd nail, this one is disappointing.
“Shut. Up. Wretch!” I kicked him in the stomach, he coughed up blood and looked up with a mix of fear and desperation also hate, good to know you’re still in the game bud.
“fuk ov cunt! I kne nuthin! I – I – I just joine-” Oh still spunky eh? Nice, you get 5 more points and your score is at whooping 11 now. Congrats, the highest was 37 out 100, heh…
“Who gives a shit you just joined, I want the direction and all it entailed.”
“Please… I ‘new nuthin… hah… hah… I swe-” I’m fed up already, pulling a gun I just point it at this disappointing feline.
“Bye”
“wai-”
*BANG* pop goes the tomato!
“Ahn~ that felt good…” Uh… fuck me, my concentration lapsed again…
‘Deep breaths, don’t do anything too stimulating now…’
“Uh… ahem, that was quite therapeutic but I’m still on the clock.” Whoops, my mask did really slipped badly there. Kinda problematic, but meh I still have some time to get the info… speaking of which…
That was the… um… 9th participant? Meh, more than 3 that’s for sure. Ok then…
These are the only outlaw survivors in this barn, all the slaves were freed 3 hours ago. I just give them a key for the transport truck traffickers meant to bring them with. They should start heading back to the County of Toron.
I turned my head around to see 7 tied up traffickers all of whom are crying and shivering in terror, some of them already soiled themselves… Ew, but whatever really.
“Do you guys enjoyed the show? I’m quite an affable host no?”
More audiences to play with… Goodness, I’m such a piece of shit to enjoy this but I won’t deny it was less about the song I had sung years ago and more like how I’m deep down.
I yanked the nearest one by the hair. Hoh! This one is a special, a wanted man, they had been rather rare in this country. Also hmm… hey, it was also that arts caster who flung a fireball into my face when invad- I mean, conducted surprise inspection.
“Well, what’s you-”
“*spit* Fuck you, disgusting monster!” Oh, he spat on my face… that was rude…
“Yuck…”
“You called yourself enforcer!? You’re nothing more than a damn animal! Your’ so called duty and community service is nothing more than an entitled and empty self-validation! You’re no better than us, you’re worse if nothing else! I don’t care if I die, but at least I died as a much more decent person than you, asshole! You-” He goes on a long pointless tirade that I got tired after hearing the exact same thing for god knows how many times…
“…”
Well he called me an enforcer because I presented myself as one, hiding my tail, wearing balaclava with navy blue uniform, and voice distorter or changer does wonder. Technology is truly a blessing…
“Hah! Speechless now huh!? You know I’m right that’s wh-”
“Very unimaginative, like what kind of script was that?”
“!?”
“Did you know that pain won’t kill?”
“What ar-”
“You know there was this one time I met a really nice but pathetic, and absolutely average guy. He made a really convincing… philosophy, from what he had styled as anyway…”
I squatted down and bring his face directly in front of me, I just smiled through the mask. He seems to be shaken immediately, hmm… for someone so notorious to be shaking like a leaf… what to do, what to do… oh that might work.
“I shall paraphrase what he said, ‘Humans are surprisingly fragile yet tough you know? Just a deadly boop in the back of the head and you’re gone, otherwise, as long as you avoid vital area or profuse bleeding, human body can take up a lot of punishment.’ Fascinating isn’t it?”
Seeing that his mind seems to start working a little too creative, I added even more fuel to his imagination.
“Pain won’t kill people, even the shock itself was only a bodily response. What kills people is when the blood stops flowing towards their brain because they’re too anemic. So by that logic, you can stay alive as long as I’m being careful.”
I then stood up and circle around even cutting his bindings off… the thing is he is too petrified with fear… the poor little thing can’t move… I made a show of biting my own palm a little, letting my unusual blood coagulated after mixing it with my venom.
This was the best discovery, not only did my snakelike feature slowly but surely becomes much clearer, I might finally know what in the goddamn this me is really.
And yeah, it hurts as hell for me too but I had gotten used to it… even enjoying it. Pain is, in my opinion, the purest proof that we’re alive and living consciously like a civilized folks. My blood won’t do anything on its own, but mixed in my venom and voila I got myself an interrogation technique.
This poison is paralytic in nature, mostly, and quite acidic, not lethal but definitely painful, which is perfect for me… I eyed a few small scratches here and there, and then letting my blood grazed it.
“AGgggghghhhhh…..” he screamed aloud but suddenly turned slack jawed, his eyes are shaking from both burning pain and having his body pumping more and more endorphin to keep him conscious and suppressing the growing pain.
“You know, the both of us are producing endorphin at the moment. Just for a different reason, yours for numbing the pain, and mine for the euphoria I feel…”
‘Minus the fact that I’m also in pain’ I added quietly in my mind but they didn’t need to know that. So come on folks, fess up already I wanna go to bed ASAP if there is truly nothing…
His body can only stay paralyzed while also shaking, sweating, and he even starts foaming from the corners of his mouth, and the pain seems to be driving him insane. Oh yes, my blood will get dried by itself and turned harmless in just 10 minutes… 10, hellish, minutes…
For that 10 minutes, my blood act like salt. But instead of making the wound close, my acidic blood only worsen it and because of that the wound will keep expanding for that 10 minutes all on its own.
I’m still unsure why my blood behaved in such a haphazard manner. I can’t just go to a doctor and say ‘Hey, I got this funny blood on me, got an idea why?’ that would only add more enemies while also attracting those scientist with a hard-on for experiment.
“You might be thinking that I knew nothing about you, but let me reiterate your crimes and some personal records. Not because I care, but because having a moral high ground had indeed stroke my ego pleasantly.”
The other 6 survivors can only watch haplessly.
“Jean-Duboin Rekasia, 36 years old Liberi, former Victorian soldier, born in Calais-Blaison and also the top of the class from Cyr Military Academy. You have been set for life, but decided that it was too boring and joined the Burgundian Brigade, Gaulish separatist. But you’re such a human waste after mere months being freed of rules and orders, ended up raping 13 women and 7 men with 41 recorded cases of homicides. Thus you’re hunted down by both the Victorian authority and Gaulish separatist. Now, you joined the Corsair Grandee, trafficking links that deals with contrabands and human slaves. But that’s not all…”
I squatted down again while yanking him by the chin and glared square at his dimming vision, no doubt about to go unconscious.
“I witness it when you branded kids with hot sizzling metal… in lieu of barcode. You said that I’m a monster and no better? Well you laughed hearing them crying, you even had the gall to pour salt water on their lacerations… You have bounty, but you’re not worth it.”
With that I kneed him in the face, he can’t even scream in pain only convulsing helplessly on the cold ground. This one seems to be no good too…
With that I got bored and just broke his neck by stomping on it.
“Alright! Who is next on th-”
“Wait! Wait!”
“Yes?” I then kneeled down and stare at his snot ridden, tears stained face.
“Th-the-the meeting… po-point… is at Regis Ridge, Barony of Sarca-Belu…. The client was... the client was...”
“Finally! Someone who have utilized their brain cells! Also, continue!”
“The deals was made between Blanc Cutlass syndicate and us. That’s all I know so please spare me! I truly just joined a week ago, I'm still innocent please have mercy...”
I stood up and check my magazine… there are still 11 left… reinserting it then I aimed back at him.
“W-w-wait!”
Then I just pivot my gun sideway, sparing the smart guy, and starts gunning down the slowpokes… except for one who managed to free himself off the binding and bolted outside, neat to see someone so energetic.
I just languidly follow him and shot lazily around him, a waste of ammo but it’s getting enjoyable and serves as a therapy from constant noble harassment.
The escapee then entered the car and starting it, speeding away from the scene… I can’t believe it! This is the best possible thing. To think that the explosive strapped in that car meant for later would be used so early, the car fuel was only enough to reach the meeting point and then some so it will explode anyway.
“Hahahahaha! This night can’t get any better!”
I just skipped back to the barn, the last survivor seems to be really dazed… Well, he kind of was smart… but!
“Good night, my dear~” I said while showing my true face in its full glory, his face finally lose all hope… He does knows me after all… and what was my modus operandi against outlaws for the most part… there are exception and I wondered if tonight is the night for that exception…
*Bang!*
End of Flashback.
Yeah… that was really cruel of me, I can just extracted the info but my stress of dealing with nobles who keeps pushing all the wrong button just caused me to lapse a little. This is really not Kazimierz, but because of that I can be as petty as I wanted to be.
I stand back up and stretch, the escaping car should be arriving soon and like it or not, the deadman’ switch detonator that I had installed with the explosive will trigger the moment the car goes below certain speed.
“Hehe, I love fireworks. Thus nothing beats an impromptu one!” with that I moved in full speed towards the meeting point, eager to see my little prank come into fruition.
POV: Narrator
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck!” The last survivor, a feline man, the very one who are unaware that his car was already doomed to explode, is speeding away towards the meeting point.
He must tell them that deal was kaput and everything goes to hell. He had tried using personal terminal but it didn’t work, most likely broken or perhaps jammed.
He is extremely terrified, the visage of that mysterious person keeps replaying in his mind. They came like a thunderbolt and start massacring everyone, their movement is akin to Victorian Special Forces.
It was further reinforced with the fact that they’re jammed almost immediately the moment said assault started, causing them to be cut off. Victorian Special Forces never played nice, there are rumors where they employed Sarkaz Ventriloquism or Poltergeists to mimic the speech pattern of one of their and keeps feeding false information.
Thus he dismissed the idea that the perpetrator was that Pythian lady.
Not to mention that she was reported to be operating way up north, the information brokers that are tracking on her weren’t cheap. That’s the only info they have, regardless he must tell them that the deal breakdown.
It will certainly be dangerous for him to limp back, but he has no other choice. Even if he ran away, he doesn’t know where to run. The syndicates will find him and make his life hell… just like his brother being hunted by the nobles…
He is stuck between rock and hard places, but what can he do? Smuggling is the only way he can feed his 5 years old daughter.
The irony wasn’t lost to him, but it is either his daughter get starved or consigning others to it. Not to mention that, his daughter is the only thing his dear wife left him. They were a poor farming family, but then they got displaced because his brother was trespassing noble hunting ground unintentionally.
The nobles’ soldier just start beating his brother in the middle of the village and telling the villager to bring his family here or face the consequences. They were dragged into the plaza by terrified villagers.
All goes to hell immediately when his wife was immediately shot, and he was also being beaten to an inch of his life. The noble in question just laugh while the villagers watches on horrified…
He then blanked out, and then the next thing he know is that his daughter was crying cradling her mother. Their house was torched, and he just lost hope.
It was an explicit eviction by the noble, if he stay in that village after all that, there will only be hell. He and his daughter then wander from place to place, until he reluctantly joined a local syndicate…
From there the rest are history.
His eyes are watering recalling the painful memory, but he will do everything for his daughter. He should be close to the meeting site and tried his best to deflect the blame, at least he had given his daughter all the money he had made over the past 2 years, and hopefully she can live peacefully that way.
While it is sweet of him to give his daughter all that money, it is doubtful how would a 5 years old use it correctly. He never told her about his work and it would be better to stay that way.
He can finally see the meeting point, the deals seems to be breaking down because no goods arrived. They turned their heads on his car, wondering who this is. Then they starts aiming their weapon his way.
They stand down when this car show the syndicate emblems. He is heading right down the middle to ensure that the information he bring can be heard by both side.
But just when he is about to get the car to stop.
*Click*
His heart sank hearing the all too familiar sound… He closed his eyes for the last time.
“I’m sorry…”
POV: Nyx
“3….2…1… Boom!”
*BOOM!*
As on cue the car stopped right in the middle, the very same car I stuffed with 5 kilograms of TNT and several metallic bits to make a homemade pellets, bits of metal, and those fancy thing that can decapitate a limb or two, basically an over glorified shrapnel.
The group was immediately annihilated, and I don’t have to get my hands dirty for the finishing touch. This is a great win in my book, something that is pretty high up there… still can’t top that one time I redirected a flood gate to wash away hundreds of target thought…
Of course, since I played dirty, more than I usually do, and the fact that this job was finished without any contract whatsoever, I got paid nothing.
Not that I cared all that much with money at this point, so there is no loss on my part to do some community service charity. Winter is fast approaching, a perfect time for me to just sit back and turned into a slob until New Year.
“Hah… life is great.” I said while watching over the blasted and burnt earth from the shadow. Several outlaws can be seen to be dying with various wounds and infection, but they’re not my problem. If they survive then good for them, hopefully they turned over a new leaf and lead for a better life.
If not? Well, I can just add more skull marks to my collection, I had gathered so many, thus just a couple tens more won’t make that much of a difference.
Seeing that the whole thing had unfolded, it is now time for me to return home and watch some local football or soccer matches between the villagers that are scheduled monthly in Toron County.
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author’s Note:
Here is the start of rewrite.
You might have noticed that Nyx is not… really humane. This chapter showcased just that while also highlighting that she doesn’t always have to do everything directly…
More to come, and I hope to that the buildup for 1084’s event is enough with this.
Update as usual… and if I can keep up the current level of motivation, we might reach the academy arc sooner again…
Ciao.
