Me, Sylphina, Grimga, Thron, Freya, Gideon, Lyranthra, and Malachi all suited up in our gear, preparing for the night's mission.
Sylphina, a spider demon with black hair and demon eyes, led the stealth squad.
Grimga, an orc with red hair and green skin, was in charge of the brutality squad.
Gideon, that lazy bastard with dark brown hair, handled the arms squad.
Malachi, an apostle for the death god with black hair and eyes, oversaw the death squad.
Thron managed the trap squad with his meticulous attention to detail.
Lyranthra, a fearsome chimera, commanded the execution squad.
And lastly, the most dangerous of us all, Freya—a killer and demon in disguise as an innocent woman—commanded the strategy squad.
Our target was clear: Aric, the so-called hero. He needed to be eliminated before he could pose any further threat to our plans. As we moved through the shadows, each of us knew our role.
Sylphina's stealth squad would handle the initial infiltration. Grimga's brutality squad would create diversions, drawing attention away from our true objective. Gideon's arms squad was prepared for any combat we might face. Malachi's death squad would be our last resort, ensuring that any loose ends were dealt with. Thron's trap squad had set up numerous traps to prevent anyone from following us. Lyranthra's execution squad was ready to deliver the final blow. And Freya's strategic guidance would navigate us through the complexities of the mission.
We were ready. Tonight, the hero's journey would come to an abrupt and fatal end.
***
The night was cold, and the hero and his wife slept, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited them. By the end of the night, our wrath would descend upon them.
Thron and his squad had meticulously set traps within the inn and its surroundings, ensuring no one would escape or interfere with our mission.
Grimga and her squad took their positions as the attackers. They staged a convincing fight with Gideon's squad, creating chaos and diverting attention from our true objective.
Sylphina's squad moved with deadly precision, silently taking out the guards in the inn. No alarms were raised; the way was clear for our approach.
Inside the inn, the flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls as we moved swiftly and silently. Sylphina's squad signaled that the perimeter was secure.
"Phase one complete," Sylphina whispered, her demon eyes glinting in the darkness.
Grimga nodded. "Let's move to phase two."
Gideon's squad took their positions, ready to neutralize any resistance we might encounter inside the hero's room. Meanwhile, Freya, with her strategic mind, guided us to our final positions.
We approached the hero's room, the soft creak of the wooden floor the only sound in the silent night. Malachi's squad, the death squad, stood ready, their presence a grim reminder of what was to come.
As we reached the door, I turned to Lyranthra, who gave a nod. Her execution squad was prepared to deliver the final blow.
With a swift motion, Sylphina unlocked the door, and we entered. Aric and his wife lay in peaceful slumber, oblivious to the doom that loomed over them. We moved into position, our breaths held, our movements synchronized.
Freya gave the signal. It was time.
"My, my, Father, how could you,' Seraphina
said. I turned to look at her, startled.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered
urgently.
" just wanted to be useful to my dear father"
she replied with a mischievous glint in her
eyes.
"This is not a place for a child," I said, trying
to keep my voice low and firm.
"Well, Mr. Solomon told me to give you a
note," she said, handing me a small piece of
paper.
As I picked it up, my blood ran cold. The note
read: "Artorian, I know your hesitation on
murder. Considering the only time you killed
was when the curse was active, you never go
your hands dirty by your own will. So l'll give
you some motivation. The hero in the near
future will kill Luna, Fren, and Seraphina."
Rage filled me instantly, quelling any
hesitation I had left. I looked at Seraphina, her
innocent eyes waiting for my response.
"Father, what did it say?" she asked curiously.
So she didn't know what the note said... good.
But now, any hesitation I had was gone.
"Hold his wife," I instructed. Seraphina
nodded and, with surprising strength,
punched the hero's wife, dragging her out of
bed. I did the same to the hero.
Aric struggled, his eyes wide with fear and
confusion. "What is this? Why are you doing
this?" he demanded.
"Look, I need you dead to save the world,' |
hissed, holding a blade to his neck.
"But l'm the hero! I was summoned here to
save the world. She said so herself!" he
panicked, desperation in his eyes.
"Who, the goddess? Who's she?" I demanded.
"Eva, she's an apostle of the goddess. She
said I was summoned to save the world."
Shit. So Eva's got him wrapped around her
finger? Damn, I almost feel bad for him.
"You fail. You fail at your job, and my job is to
find the true hero. So do me a favor and just
accept death."
He stayed silent for a bit, then spoke with a
defeated voice. "Okay, just let my wife go..
please, she's pregnant and-"
Before he could finish, Seraphina stabbed his
wife's stomach and slid the blade open. The
baby slipped out, and the room stayed eerily
quiet. Seraphina's face was twisted in rage.
"You bastard!" The hero roared, hitting me in
the stomach. He lunged for his weapon, but
before he could grab it, he disappeared. It
was obvious Eva was behind this. Seraphina
let go of the corpse, her hands trembling.
"The hell's wrong with you?!" I yelled, unable
to contain my anger. She flinched, tears
forming in her eyes.
"I... I'm sorry.." she whispered, her voice
breaking.
"AIl of you, leave! Freya, take Seraphina back
to the castle." Freya nodded, and everyone
quickly left the room, leaving me alone with
my thoughts.
The night had turned into a bloodbath, and
the weight of our actions hung heavy in the
air. I had set out to eliminate a threat, but the
cost had been higher than I had anticipated.
As I stood there, the enormity of what had
transpired began to sink in. The hero was
gone, but the consequences of our actions
would ripple far and wide.
"The hell!?" I cursed, clutching my stomach as
a sudden, agonizing pain ripped through me.
It felt like my insides were eating themselves.
Why now, of all times?
As I doubled over, my gaze locked onto the
corpse. Something in me shifted. No, no, no,
this isn't me!
I fell to my knees beside the body. Despite
knowing it was wrong, an overwhelming,
primal hunger consumed me. I couldn't stop
myself. I began to eat the corpse and the
unborn baby.
I devoured everything, unable to control the
ravenous urge.
I. Am. Hungry.