In the gloomy dark forest, the silver moon shone with its pale moonlight. Its brilliance covered both the heavens and the earth, giving light to those covered in darkness. The dark itself wasn't the one that should be cautious towards, but those that tread in the eternal black night. The danger they posed, the chaos within their hearts, and the sick evil dreams of their consciousness.
It was midnight as the small village within the dark forest crumbled along with the crimson flames. The survivors were unknown though there was one of them who managed to leave the small settlement. Unfortunately, though, she was found and got almost captured by the bandits who had the intention to defile her.
Such was her fate if not for the revelation of something or someone else. An ethereal beauty who emerged from the dark thunder of the vast storm above them.
She was a young girl with silver-white hair long enough to reach her waist. Her irises were light magenta as they revealed themselves strapped onto her cold gaze. The girl's skin was pale white, smooth, and soft. And finally, she had a pair of crow-like wings behind her waist.
She resembled that of a fallen angel from the heavens.
She was Alastair Hecate, the First Krieger.
The girl was looking at Alastair with a shocked expression. She didn't know why this silver-haired girl emerged before her. Though, she did hear that the recent visitor's name was Alastair. She shook her head as she was still wondering why Alastair appeared after that thunderstruck right beside them.
"W-who are you?"
The girl questioned with a broken sentence as she couldn't speak clearly after the recent events that struck her mind. The four bandits also had the same thing in mind. They wondered where this silver-haired beauty came from. But though, the gorgeous girl in front of them was enough to tug their disgusting heartstrings.
Upon hearing the words of the girl, a smile formed on Alastair's face. She had already introduced herself, yet the girl asked a single question that correlated to that. Was it due to confusion, stress, or fear? It was a question Alastair would rather not deal with.
Alastair looked around for a short while as she found that she had emerged from that thunder in a forest. A dark one at that. It appears that it was evening, probably midnight. This was her first soul deal, so she had to act as professionally as possible. Even if that meant manipulating the girl in front of her.
"I believe you are wondering, what am I, instead of who am I? Although, It seemed that you're forgotten a part of my introduction." Alastair was now developing a temporary business persona for the situation at hand. She gathered all her knowledge about marketing, which she observed during her former life.
The girl nodded upon hearing Alastair's words. She did ask that question as she wondered what kind of human Alastair was. Seeing the girl moving her head up and down, Alastair slightly bowed and introduced the first explanatory introduction of the Kriegers.
"I am Alastair, the First Krieger."
"Someone had summoned me, using their life to create a tunnel. The last thoughts of the summoner were you, girl. Protecting you, saving you, and giving you a good life. What a good brother you have."
Discerning the words of Alastair, the girl realizes what happened to her brother. Tears escaped from her eyes as she remembered the last moments of her brother. Meanwhile, the bandits still found themselves confused as one of them walked forward and questioned with a grumpy voice.
"What the hell are yo-"
Before the bandit could continue, Alastair looked at him with a cold gaze. She was doing something important, and she needed to be good at this first job of hers. Besides, she would be thrown out of the mansion after this, which made her pissed off even more. The atmosphere between the bandits and Alastair got colder as they backed off.
Seeing the bandits back off, Alastair returned her gaze to the girl with a smile plastered on her face. The girl was still crying as she released every stress and pressure she had felt during the entire time. Surviving all alone, running away from humanoid monsters, and the thought of getting defiled.
"Well, now... Shall I continue?"
Alastair asked with a calm and soothing voice as the girl slowly nodded. She tried to keep her tears and to stop crying. Finally, she looked clearly at Alastair as Alastair herself nodded and continued the explanation. "I am here for one thing, and that is the soul deal."
"The soul deal is simple. One soul shall be the sacrifice for the tunnel, known as the summoner, and another shall be the sacrifice for the deal known as a contractee. The summoner is your brother, and you were the given contractee. But there is one thing you should know about me."
"I cannot give you anything you want. There is only one thing I can do. It is to eliminate 10 people for you. Nothing more, nothing less. Keep that in mind."
Such were the words of Alastair. They were simple, soothing, and yet cold. The girl thought about it for a short while. The ethereal being before her wouldn't be able to do anything for her. The fallen angel was only here for one thing. That would be to follow someone's revenge.
"You know, the ones that killed everyone you love are still standing. If you sell your soul, you would have revenge. If not, you will be defiled by them and die. Facing a fate worst than death, what will you pick, girl?" Alastair questioned with a calm voice.
The girl contemplated it for a short while as the memories of the ones in the village sounded within her mind. She didn't know what to do. She was confused about what to do. And before she could continue with her thoughts, the bandits decided to stop the girl from doing something.
"Hey!!! Don't you dare do it!!!"
"If you do it!!! We will not only defile you but throw you into the pig's pen. What about dismembering your body into many pieces and making your surviving friends eat them!!! Don't you like that?!" One of the bandits said with a threatening voice as he walked forward.
A smile plastered on Alastair's face got wider and wider like an actual businesswoman, seeing an opportunity present itself before her. "Look at that, even with or without me, they will do it to you nevertheless. Will you cower in fear like before? Or will you face them and destroy them with your own soul?"
"That decision is entirely dependent on you. You have been given an opportunity to strike back at those who wrong you. It is an opportunity never to be seen before. For someone you consider a monster to be treading on the string of life and death. What would you do, girl?"
Alastair questioned with a tranquil tone as she was simply waiting for the girl to decide. The girl slowly clenched her fist upon hearing the words of Alastair. She was nothing more than a coward during her lifetime, which was 17 years. She was content with her lifestyle. But unfortunately, they destroyed everything.
They trampled on it and laughed as if it was a funny thing to do. They defiled both men and women without any hesitation. They murdered her family and her brother. They killed them all without any remorse on their faces. They seek pleasure from destroying people's lives.
So she must pay to have her revenge against them.
They were a monster, a beast she never thought she would be able to touch or defend against. But as said, an opportunity arose for a deal. A deal that would give her the last strike for those that suffered. She had to strike for her brother and friends. If not, she would simply be a coward, waiting to die.
Alastair was simply waiting for the decision to be given. She was sure that the girl would accept the deal. And after that, Alastair could finally take the lives of the bastards in front of her. After all, there was one thing she didn't explain. It was something dangerous and straightforward. She wasn't allowed to take life until the soul deal happened.
She had to bluff so that the girl could speak clearly. She released an intimidation technique which pushed the bandits away from the girl. The fact that she had to do all these things for her first soul deal spoke a lot. She wanted the first to be good. Even though she was adapting, it still wasn't fast enough.
So she had to improvise to give the soul deal a success.
Alastair sighed as she silently thought within herself.
'The fate of a lone businesswoman.'
From a warmonger general to a spirit businesswoman who collects souls, it made Alastair wonder about the situation of the devils. Do they also need to bluff to get the results they need? They might even outright lie to create some loopholes in contracts.
Manipulation seems to be something natural in this kind of situation. Alastair didn't like to manipulate people as it was a waste of time. She would rather punch her enemies and behead them. Unfortunately, Alastair couldn't do that at that very moment. She needed to be patient with what she did so that her new life would be steady as she needed it to be.
"Girl, you better not do it, or else. What do you think would happen to your friends if you did it? They will die because of you. It will be your fault for causing more deaths." Another bandit spoke with a threatening tone. The girl was simply silent until she turned her gaze towards Alastair and said.
"I will accept your deal. You will have my soul in exchange for their lives."
Her words sounded as the bandit felt a chill within their spine. They wanted to stop her, but they couldn't. With that thing blocking their way, what would they be able to do? A smirk formed on Alastair's face as the first soul deal finally had its signature.
"That's it, girl. You have accepted the soul deal between you and a Krieger. My name is Alastair Hecate. What is your name, girl?" That was the final stage of the soul deal, the name between the Krieger and the contractee. The girl gulped and uttered her name in a soft voice.
"Maria..."
"My name is Maria. Please give me my revenge."
She looked at the bandits in front of her, who were slowly backing away. They knew that they needed to retreat, but for some reason, they couldn't move a single muscle. Fear itself was shrouding their hearts as their mind was screaming for their body to run.
The storm above the dark forest got stronger and stronger as thunder flashes followed right after. With the brilliance of the bolts of lightning, the sound followed. *BANG!!!* *BANG!!!* *BANG!!!* *BANG!!!*
The bandits covered their ears as their bodies shook in fear. They backed away as they gazed upon Alastair, who was glowing with a dark silver light. They wondered what it was, but they knew it was dangerous. After a while, the glow from Alastair's body faded.
Without talking much, the bandits had finally gotten control of their bodies. They looked at each other and quickly ran away from the girl and Alastair. The girl looked at the monster who chased her, running away. She couldn't help but relax as Alastair, who was right beside her, uttered with a calm voice.
"Thank you for the deal, girl. It's time for me to meet my end of the agreement. I'll eliminate the bastards that caused you pain. Fortunately, fate is on your side. There are only 10 of those bastards running around."
"So I'll be back."
Alastair waved her hand as she walked towards the small village. As she walked through the dark forest, everything around her rotted into its decayed form. The first deal has been completed. It was time for the first massacre.
Every step of Alastair caused her gaze to become cold and colder. With a thunderstorm above her, she resembled a predator looking for her prey. She wasn't someone that would give mercy. She was someone that would do her job. Her current job was simple.
As a Krieger, she must follow the deals she had acquired.
That was... To eliminate.