Atop a very long tree devoured of leaves, Valentine stared at the sky in the distance... With a certain amount of concern, but also, the unprecedented thrill!
In the base of that tree, his partner Fayette, craved a shower more than an expensive meal in a Michelin ranked restaurant.
That didn't stop her stomach from mumbling in dissatisfaction.
Soon she would need a piece of her love-*cough* partner's flesh...
"The black cloud is coming, if they don't show up today, we're off..." She heard him speak as he came down from the tree.
"There is no need to wait... they're here." The ex-commander said nonchalantly, preparing her knives as the two crouched on the floor, picking some rocks in the process... she had the fur bag with the crystals and rocks, together with a knife in each hand, now starting to use the wolves' since she saw they were sharper.
While Valentine held the weapons as they were more dangerous to handle, at least she didn't have to hold that rotten bear's stomach where the crystals were before, Valentine had assumed the reason they didn't regenerate was that they were inside that stomach or something of the sort... now at least they know nothing will happen as long as they don't place the crystals directly on the soil.
…
"Can you see them from here?" He couldn't see anything more than the man tied to the tree.
"I can... It's called enhanced vision." She said cheekily.
"How come you couldn't see them before?" He inquired with the intent of teasing her 'enhanced vision'.
He only obtained an 'enhanced' eye roll, "It's a genetic trait, it only works if I focus on something... we had some many weeks without human contact that I just lowered my guard too much, it's not going to happen again..."
"... Anyway, when they're close enough, can you listen to what they say too?"
"I can, but we will have to approach several metres, what's the plan?~"
"It's like this…"
***
"Farah! Useless cunt! How could you let yourself be captured by a pair of toddlers!? Where are the others?! Where is 'she'!?" A black tall man appeared through the woods with an upset expression, behind him, seven other men walked, each dressed in rags and with weapons of their own.
*BAAANG!*
"AHHH! D-DAMN! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"
The Arab received a fierce kick and yelled back in outrage after coughing a mouthful of blood, not understanding why his 'companion' was acting so aggressively now!
"I just told you to check if there were any creatures nearby and it turns out you got a whole unit killed!? you wasted my time and resources and still dare expect to get a good treatment!? where is she!?" The black man grasped Farah's head forcefully and huffed on his face disgustingly.
He clearly didn't come here to save Farah.
"... They left somewhere else, I gave them a fake location, they said they wanted to ambush you all in a cave, they're no pushovers! Release me now!"
"Release you?~ Boys, you haven't had a proper meal in a while, right? I said we'd kill that fat whore Kelly and eat her in two days but... another snack appeared right in front of us, at least like this we don't have to get rid of the hookers..." The black man yelled and his companions snickered at the suggestion.
Farah's visage, however... grew pale!
"Y-You can't Shaquille! I have helped you for months now!" His despaired visage stared at the approaching men.
"You have Farah... And as a show of gratitude for that, I'll make sure to do it fast! Boys eat this bastard now! We don't want to be out here if any of those damned clouds come by!" His shout of confirmation was all those guys needed before the carnage began!
"NO! NOOO!! AHHHHH!!!"
***
"Disgusting... this is how it is when there are other humans in groups..." Fayette frowned in disgust, ready to charge the moment her partner adviced.
"We have eaten each other's flesh." She received a deadpan from her partner.
"Yes, but... that's kind of romantic, this however..."
"Romantic you say?!" She's not making any sense!
But when has she ever?
…
"Sorry, either being too close to you or remaining too long in this place, my mind seems to be getting screwed big time~" Fayette giggled, clearly not at all repenting for this new 'mindset'.
"You were more than a little crazy to begin with, piss drinking commander..."
"Hush!"
***
The stirring noises of meat being eaten resonated for several minutes, minutes in which Farah suffered the fool fledged pain of being eaten piece by piece.
His pained and despaired yells followed that of the munches in a vigorous rhythm, even his crystal wasn't spared.
"Ha! Boss, we should leave, the place is darkening, I believe it's one of the clouds..." One of the men with a bloodied mouth and a finger in his mouth finished his meal
"There is still half of the torso left, it could be just that the moons are dimming, continue until there's nothing left, we ain't taking anything to the cave!~" He chuckled and the subordinates heeded.
'Hungry and scared people are easier to control...'
"I would heed your subordinate if I was you~"
!!!
Upon hearing a glamorous voice, he turned around and stared at the woman whose dirty blonde hair fluttered, she smirked with a frosty gaze.
His heart stopped, he didn't even pay attention to the man standing beside her... Those hips, those breasts, those blue and yellow eyes... Even with a deep layer of dirt covering her, there is no doubt this woman is a diamond!
It was love at first sight.
Alas, a love that was not fated to be, now or ever.
"Hey! Stop eating, we've got company... hello there~ you decided to come back to daddy... how about you come and have a meal? We can do a lot of fun stuff afterwards."
If there was something everyone in this accursed place wanted, is food!
The other guys stopped eating and glanced at Fayette with equally disgusting expression.
"Thanks, but... no thanks~"
*THUD*
"..." His still bloodied gaze lowered, he hadn't even noticed when she threw it.
Because she didn't, it had been Valentine!
Deep inside his leg, maybe going through his knee, there was a knife, blood seeped through very quickly and it didn't take long for his brain to update...
"AAAAHHHHHH!!! Y-YOU BITCH! GET HER!" Shaquille stumbled, trying to hold himself in place! This damned knife!
He took one of his own, ready to charge, having gotten it from the wolf before!
Two of the men took their bows and their improvised arrows could only be counted with one hand, the others took hammers with just two having knives made out of wolf claws...
"Don't let those knives touch you, remember the plan..." Valentine took his two knives and rushed forth, his first objective, the piece of shit that was staring at his wom- partner... as if she was his property!
"Roger!"
Fayette's objective were the archers, they escaped before but they wouldn't know!
However, they weren't underestimated this time around, the men charge evenly and due to the open clearing, she had the capability to evade but found herself unable to attack!
"Tch!" She caught a glimpse of Valentine, only to see him behead the black man despite the fact that he was being attacked by three more plus the black man!
'How the hell does he do it!?'
They barely started and he already got first blood?! She wouldn't lose this time.
...
Valentine just evaded three strikes, two coming from in front and one arrow, his eyes moved like those of a schizophrenic, up, down, right, left!
Staring at everything, not letting go of any detail!
Even Fayette was within his gaze, he ducked to evade one strike and cut the man's stomach making him fall stumble in pain to hold his organs, this was enough for Valentine to grab him and block the arrow, while his other hand received the hammer blow!
"UGH!" Several of his bones shattered but he held his place, the arrow went straight the man's shoulder and he groaned in pain, seeing the black man rush, he moved the injured guy against the one that striked him and kicked his bleeding stomach as hard as he could.
The two fell to the ground together, when he finally managed to turn his gaze, the black man was upon him, ready to cut him down with his wolf knife.
But... He was slow, too slow.
His overbearing size, double his height, and bulky muscles, made him as slow as a turtle.
Like going to the park on a Sunday, Valentine boringly cut the black man's head down and it fell to the floor in a bloody mess, in total disbelief.
Everything had happened so fast!
The two men still groaned on the ground, but it was then time for the last part of the plan.
The burning smell started to concentrate, due to the darkening sky and the thrill of the fight, those men hadn't realised but that wasn't Valentine and Fayette's case!
The black cloud is upon them!
He didn't have time to collect any crystals, the two stared at one another with a smirk, "Oh? The cloud is coming, let's go dear, I know the best way!"
Fayette ran in a certain direction, the one that would allow them to round up the cloud the same way the had done before.
"HEY! WAIT!" The remaining injured and uninjured men stared at one another in fear, the cloud is coming!
They saw Shaquille's beheaded body and shook their heads, 'The cave is too far away, maybe they know the right way!?'
"Follow them!"
"Hey help me!" One of the fallen men, the one whose stomach got cut, twisted on the ground, asking for help, but no help came at all!
The ones that managed to stand up and those that fought Fayette directly ran after Valentine's trail!
"UGH! H-HELP!" The remaining survivors plus the beheaded man stood in their place, unable to move at all.
Soon, the burning forest was upon them, a barrage of toxic 'acid' fell from the sky, burning everything in its wake!
"AHHHHHHH!!!!"
***
Three of the survivors kept running, having already lost Valentine's trail, they could only try to follow the direction where he ran to!
Sadly, they were also caught up by the burning forest and the acid!
"OOOHHH!! DAMN!!" One of them yelled, he tried to run for several minutes, but eventually fell!
"AHHHHH!!!"
***
Outside of the burning forest, and out of the gigantic cloud's way, the pair stood, waiting...
They could see the burning forest was no longer approaching them, this meant they truly managed to get out of its way.
"Do you think they will make it?" Fayette asked, embracing her partner's back and crushing her chest against him.
She was surprised on how adept they became on surviving in this forest.
"I hope at least one of them will... we need someone to guide us to that cave."
"But they might not know the road back anymore."
"Let's also hope they do, in any case, we don't really need to find that cave."
The two believed themselves perfectly capable to survive in this forest, as long as they could find creatures to eat and small wisps of water every so often, they would be able to make it without having to eat each other's flesh.
The most dangerous characteristic of this forest, the black clouds, was something they had already learned how to evade.
Or at least... That's what they thought.
Fayette paid attention to the flame's direction and stored it in her mind.
Not shortly after, they managed to witness how a burned and battered body left the flaming forest, struggling to even crawl out, not a single part of his body wasn't fried like boneless chicken on a pan full of oil!
"So just one, huh..." Valentine sighed, but it was then that Fayette tugged on his arm.
"V-Valentine..."
"Hum?"
"What is it?" He turned around only to see his partner's pale visage.
Behind them... In the dead night of the dimming moon, the forest was burning!
"..." His countenance paled.
It's another black cloud, coming straight at them from behind, and now they're in between two of them!
Where did it come from!?
"We have to run! Hey you! Tell us where that cave is!" The first thing that dwelled through his mind was that grilled man!
He ran up to the still barely conscious man and grasped his shoulder roughly!
"I..." The man whose body was burned and melting couldn't even speak properly!
Gritting his teeth in irritation at this unexpected turn of events, he stared at his partner that awaited his input!
"Follow me!" The other cloud came adjacent to the first one, there was a slim path they could follow to evade it, but no doubt the acid was going to fall on them, it's now or never!