A metallic harsh stench whizzes past my nose; unforgiving. It's one blade making for my chest.
I don't see it. I feel it. And it's not hard moving to a side to avoid it.
Another blade tears through the air, followed by a swung arm. I grasp the arm with my left hand—the same hand I wrapped with Azalea's chain.
In doing that, Azalea's back bumps mine. But I don't care as I tackle my attacker, diving my right fingers into whatever seems to be his throat.
He makes a choking sound before falling with a thud to the ground.
Ten, twenty, thirty…. Twenty five, eighteen, seven.
That's the order with which I take the intruders' headcount before I open my eyes to find the bodies scattered on the ground, each with missing parts; could be their limb, head, heart…
The recent decapitated soldier lost his eye, which Loka now sits comfortably on hiscorpse while munching the missing eye.
In a split second, she stands up and zips around the area. My ponytail hair brushes my face due to the breeze created by her.
In that same second, the remaining seven all fall dead with parts already digested by the Firne.
She stops some trees away to look at me, smearing the blood on her hands horizontally over her lips before flashing me a bloody mischievous grin.
"Wow," Azalea mouths. I notice he's staring at Loka as I blow away the long strand of hair resting across my face.
The Firne starts taking slow paces towards me. "You're still clean, sister, except for that hand." She points at my right fingers. "Chilling in battle, eh? That's very like you."
Walking past me to lead the way, she's bathed in blood and revels in it. I won't lie, Loka does look good whenever she's bloody.
The only thing aloof is that she's not naked. It's usually a ritual for her to strip, fuck, then kill. Funny how she's now simply skipping the first two.
"That's because you let me do all the work," she snaps. She isn't mad, I swear. It's just the blood.
"I killed two," I argue as I push Azalea forward, following Loka's lead.
The Firne scoffs. "Two equals none."
"It's more than I've unalived in the past years."
"That's where the problem stems from. It is in our nature to kill, Socculus. You're becoming weak at heart. Whatever happened to the brutal Socculus; the queen of blood and night?"
I shrug. "Nothing."
"Then I shouldn't be wondering why our prisoner isn't dead yet." Loka stops and swings around to face me. That's when I notice her eyes have turned red. And it isn't like blood splashed on her eyes. It's literally inside her irises.
"The Socculus I know wouldn't bother bringing this weight," she adds. "His head would be off already. His bastards too."
I walk past Loka with a stoic expression on my face, mumbling, "Your anger is boring, Loka."
"Yes, it always is to you 'because then Loka will be jumping through hoops in the next second, looking out for who's next to devour'."
"You think?" I stop and turn to look at the girl. "You think I'm making an exception for this son of a bitch?" I point to Azalea who gasps.
"Whoa…"
"I think you've changed," Loka stresses. "It's not about Azalea; he doesn't matter."
Azalea raises a brow. "Ha…"
"Or you're just restless that you haven't touched him," I scoff. "I know how badly you want to fuck him."
"Well, don't you?" Loka asks. And as I try to speak, the words doesn't come out. "The two things Firnes are most good at are fight and fuck, y'know. Lately, you've done none."
"You know what? You can have him." I grab Azalea's forearm and shove him towards Loka, tossing the chain to her.
She can have him however she likes. It's no business of mine.
"I'm happy to share," she says behind me as I continue walking.
"To hell with you, Loka!"
~
The night soon closes in on us. Now we're sitting at the edge of the Forest of Oaks, directly overlooking Gar Valley.
It's best to journey across the latter at sunrise because at sundown the dreadful Gar beasts would hover above the sand, searching for their cursed victims to tear apart.
I can see them now loitering in the air, their resonating shrieks a… pleasurable?… sound to my ears.
They can't get into the Forest of Oaks since their large wings would definitely get caught in the tree branches. It's the only thing saving us from being badly injured already. Or—for Azalea—dead.
Speaking of death, I'm sure the witch doesn't know he could actually die from hanging out with Loka.
I can hear them burst into loud laughterfrom time to time. They're sitting some paces in front of me, a small fire serving as our demarcation.
At first, I don't regard them. But when their ceaseless chuckles start to ring in my head over again, I look at the duo with a sigh.
Unlike me, Loka prefers leaving the chain linking her wrist toAzalea's handcuffs intact even while resting.
Maybe it gives her a sense of intimacy. I wouldn't doubt that since the girl is prone to oddity.
Watching them bite together into the roasted thigh of a pig disgusts me.
Human food. I hate it. It isn't made for Firnes. Wecan survive without it.
Loka's only having it now since she and Azalea both struggle to take a bite at the same time without greasing their noses.
It's fun—at least to them.
The more I watch them, the more their action bites my ass. Now I want to strut over there, grab the meat, and shove it down Loka's throat.