Legacy (Daughter of War #2)

Chapter 5: ...And Into Darkness (Part 2)

Music is A Beautiful Song from the NieR: Automata OST, composed by Keiichi Okabe. Play it!

Media: What the creatures look like. (I contemplated putting it in the middle of the chapter, but it might give a few readers heart attacks...so yeah.)

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I barely dodge the demonic creature; it crashes into the tripod standing over the fire pit. But that does little to deter it from quickly wheeling around and snarling at me.

That's when I realise that it's actually a man.

What remains of a man, that is. Shadows curl around its body, and its aura reeks of menace. Under the moonlight, I see black veins running throughout his face. They pulse under his skin, almost immediately invoking terror in anyone who dares to take a glance. In fact, if I didn't force myself to calm down, I wouldn't have recognised the face.

"Ruddybones?" My voice is harsh, grated, as though it's being dragged across a path of cobblestones.

He snarls, reaffirming the reality that he's completely gone. His mind has been taken over by whatever sickness that's eating into it. I shift my scimitar so that my fingers are curled more comfortably around the grip. He isn't dead. So he's not a reanimated corpse. That much I know from what little skill in necromancy I have. Yet the air of death surrounds him—swallows him whole.

The creatures Sir Kendrick and Gilbert had been talking about.

I prepare for Vanryse—no, the creature that had been Vanryse to attack, going into a defensive stance. But he doesn't come.

Instead, he leaps sideways and disappears into the forest, howling into the darkness.

"What's going on?" Sir Kendrick's voice bellows from my right. I look at him. A cloak had been hastily fastened over his shoulders, and his hair is a complete mess, but his eyes are clear and alert. The rest of the party slowly trickle out of their respective tents.

"Vanryse, sir! He turned into one of those—those creatures and took off there." I point a finger at the direction he went.

Sir Kendrick clenches his jaw. "Are you sure of what you saw, Squire Rutherland?" His tone is hard. However, I detect the distress guised underneath it.

"Positive," I reply.

The Bane leaps into action. "You and you, stay behind to guard the camp. The rest of you, follow me!"

I'm one of the two you-s commanded to stay behind. I know that this isn't quite the time to be questioning orders, but I say, "Sir Kendrick, shouldn't I go? I can run faster."

"Squire Falkner can do just that for us. We need you here because Sir Isaac's still in the tent," he barks. "Go check on him. The rest of you, move out!"

The ones who aren't staying behind follow Sir Kendrick. Only Gilbert spares a worrying glance over his shoulder at me. I snap myself to my senses. Sir Isaac is supposed to be the one who shares a tent with Vanryse. I return the scimitar to its sheath and head straight towards the tent.

"Sir!" I shout, pushing my way through the flaps. A vaguely sleeping form is curled up on a bedroll. I approach Sir Isaac and shake him hard. "Wake up!"

A faint groan escapes his lips. Relief floods through my limbs. He's still alive! I roll him onto his back, checking him for any visible injuries. None. Save that he looks paler than usual. And that he's icy to the touch. My necromancy tells me that it's the aftereffects of being so close to such a...creature.

"Sir, sir!" I continue to cry. "Can you hear me?"

He emits another groan. Louder this time. A gentle hand places itself on my shoulder. Instinctively, I shrug it off. The hand comes back, firmly clamping down on me, refusing to move.