It had been several days since Nix's slaughter of the pack of mutant wolves. Since then, she had encountered a number of strange animals. Elk and Deer that assaulted her with both ice and fire spells, easily guessed by either the corresponding colors of their fur or the crystal-like antlers on their heads. Rabbits the size of dogs able to use fire and wind magic and held razor sharp teeth, a boar that was able to manipulate the earth around it to run away instead of fighting her.
If Nix was to give the various creatures a description in one word, it would be deceptive.
Her knowledge of common animals was completely wiped clean as peaceful animals attacked her and usually predative animals ran as fast as they could. If it weren't for the wolves or the giant fire bear she sat upon currently, she would've completely given up on her current knowledge.
What was strange was how almost everything in this forest was edible. Rarely any poison or toxin was found in either the creatures or plants she stumbled upon. Even the still water she would occasionally happen upon didn't need any sort of filtering to consume.
It was almost like everything was being purified at a constant pace, save for the few species that relied on these toxins for protection or assault. It took almost two full days for Willow to process and algorithm and realize that Mana was the key, which was already assumed, but still strange to have solid proof of.
"It's almost like the properties of Aether. Willow, how long until you can use this as a power source?" Nix asked again, already knowing the answer.
[ATTENTION: Current processing is impossible. A new form of processing is needed to handle the properties of Mana. Unlike Aether, Mana is to thin to contain within current parameters. User is advised to learn how to handle Mana themselves and create new Veins to filter the new source of power before proceeding with tests.]
Nix sighed and and fell onto her back against the giant bear she had just killed. Unlike a normal bear, it's fur was an eerie red and held crystal like claws compared to the bone ones it should normally have. Of course, like the elk, Nix harvested a few samples from the creature and put them away for later research.
Reaching into her waist pouch, she pulled out a stick of touch meat harvested from the Elks and munched on it in annoyance.
"How long until the next pulse?" She grumbled over a full mouth of venison.
[ATTENTION: Next pulse is to happen in 10 New Clock minutes. User is advised to stay in place until the next pulse.]
Nix sighed at the news and lifted her arm to check her energy levels. By either luck or due to the weakness of the current creatures, she had only used 13 percent of her current energy levels. If she were in her old world, she wouldn't need to be so stingy about these little things. It was to the point that she almost missed her old world.
[WARNING: Users emotional levels rising. User is advised to change train of thought and remain focused.]
"Yeah yeah." Nix sighed and took another bite of her jerky.
Leaving it stuck between her lips, she folded her arms under the back of her head and watched the clouds above slowly creep by. How strange it was that she felt so familiar with such a new sky. She recalled how she loved to spend her free time staring up at the sky like this in her old world and let her mind drift away to the sound of music playing close by.
A far off voice began to ramble on in her mind about something, but it was all but muffled by the ambience of the background as she eyed the tiny flakes of snow that began to fly through the air. It must be almost winter, given how far the snow had flown given no storm clouds had gathered.
"Willow, analyze." Nix suddenly ordered as she jumped up to her feet and shoved her head into her helmet. It took a few moments for Willow to spot what she had previously seen, letting her know that she wasn't going crazy for a moment.
[ATTENTION: Clump of ash has been identified. Given height and distance, the source seems to be a large and abrupt fire. User is advised to prepare for combat.]
"Giving permission to activate Wings. Keep power to a minimum." As Nix spoke, she jumped off of the bear and jogged toward where she spotted the ash.
[Acknowledged. Wings will be activated for 1 minute. User is advised to find source quickly and prepare for glide.]
As Nix ran, she felt her suit hum as some life was given back to it. The familiar feeling of something detaching from her back brought back both pleasant and bitter memories, but did nothing to shake her focus. Running a bit faster, she aimed for a large tree and jumped towards it.
As the Aether filled her suit, she jumped a little higher than normal and landed feet first against the rough bark. Crouching a little, she then forced herself up at an angle and looked to the sky. Instead of falling, she quickly rose to the air at a steady pace.
She quickly looked around as she reached the tops of the trees, catching the sight of the neon purple, metal feathered wings she had become so accustomed to. Though she would've loved to appreciate their beauty once more, she focused on searching for the source of the fire Willow mentioned.
It wasn't until she turned around that she noticed the pillars of smoke rising in the distance. Though they seemed to be thickening, it was obvious that they were contained in a peculiar way.
[ATTENTION: User is advised to rush towards the source. Data suggests the nature of the fire is of assaulting nature towards a village.]
"Looks like we've found our goal. Willow, allow 20 percent of power to rush to aide." Nix ordered and furled her wings to boost herself up at an angle towards the smoke.
[ATTENTION: Willow will allow 10%. User is advised to end pulses and aim for a surprise attack.]
"Maybe allowing the Goddess to resurrect me was a bad idea. To think we would immediately recognize a burning village." Nix sighed as she shook her head.
[ATTENTION: User is advised to remember how many villages they'd seen the same way.]
How could she forget. She'd lost count of the number of villagers she was forced to take in after their homes were burned to ground alongside their loved ones. Though the years of war was supposed to have dulled the anger towards such atrocities, she found it never got any easier.
[ALERT: User is advised to prepare emotionally for casualties.]
"You know me Willow. Mission first, feelings later." Nix sighed, barely hearing herself over the rushing wind around her.
Thankfully it only took 9% of her current power to reach the edges of the forest where the village was located. Landing on a nearby tree branch, she crouched down and scanned the area.
The clearing itself was much wider than the actual village itself, suggesting either plans for expansion or as a means to spot enemies from a distance. Though it seemed to only push them against the wall, given the slivers of wood embedded into the ground lining from one end of the forest and into the broken wooden gate of the village.
Given the state of the buildings and the damage, it seemed the people of this world preferred close combat compared to ranged like her, suggesting an almost midevil style of fighting.
[ATTENTION: Exchanges of metal and Mana confirmed. User is suggested to use known combat methods to exterminate threats.]
"Scan for levels of enemies." Nix whispered the order as she jumped towards the broken gate and spread her wings to glide towards it.
[ALERT: Spotted several level 3 and 4 entities. Any further scanning could give away the user's position.]
Nix listened to the alert as she descended to the ground, landing with a soft thud a few meters from the gate. As the wings retracted back into her suit, she trained her rifle to the entrance and walked at a quick pace while hugging the wooden wall.
As she moved towards the wooden post that made up the gate, she immediately noticed a boot covered foot laying motionlessly at the entrance. Sweeping her barrel at entrance, she took a few steps away from the wall to better see the inside.
Inside, she saw nothing but death. At the entrance were several under armored corpses of various new races that had tried and failed to hold the line. Those of smaller sizes were suggested to be children of these races that either tried to assist in defense, or were struck down when running to their fallen parents.
[ATTENTION: Beast-Kin, Stone-Folk, Dru'Kel, Oracian, Gnome and Vyrin beings identified. Scans show most fell to bladed or blunt objects, confirming theory that combat is mostly close quarters.]
Nix saw that the bodies of the slain people were still leaking blood, suggesting that it hadn't been long since they were slain. Calming herself to her emotionless state, she slowly stepped over the corpses to follow the trail of death into the village. As the creatures of the forest manipulated Mana easily, she strengthened her shield to withstand any surprise attacks in case someone had the idea to use Mana to hide themselves to attack.
Not even moments later, she was warned of a few living beings moving in a building just a few houses down. A soft breath in preparation left her lips as she slouched a little and walked towards the busted door. She spotted a man sitting dead against the wall next to the door with a look of horror eternally locked on his face. This irked Nix, causing her emotions to flare for a moment in anger as she made her way to the window.
Though she'd seen this sight quite often, it never got any easier to get used to. Within the open area on the house, she spotted three people dressed in midevil armor armed with swords, while a fourth was hunched over a woman laying on the floor. It was easy to tell by the faces of the three as they stared down at the tear soaked face of the Beast-Kin Wolven woman.
[ATTENTION: User is suggested to end the Beast-Kin's pain quickly, as she will suffer from bloodloss.]
"Understood." Nix whispered through gritted teeth as she took aim at the middle soldier.
After the first flex of her finger, her barrel immediately switched to the next target just as the soldiers head cocked back from the force of her shot. Before the group could realize what happened, the second soldier crumbled alongside of the first with a thud of metal onto the ground. As the third turned to look at his falling comrads, she took the shot and dropped him like the others. The one in the cloak swiftly grabbed his staff as soon as he realized what was wrong and tried to stand up to defend himself, only to find himself on the ground next to the woman with a similar smoldering hole in his head.
After making sure the place was clear, Nix walked inside toward the sobbing woman who refused to take their eyes off of her. This was always the hardest part for Nix. Having to look into the helpless eyes of an already dead person, begging for a second chance. Yet, the same words she'd spoken so often fell from her lips fell quite easily.
"I apologize for not coming sooner. Though you did well in holding on this long, know that this is not the fate Mother Moon wishes for you." Nix spoke in a deeply saddening tone as she slung her rifle onto her back and slowly pulled her helmet off.
As she did, she noticed the woman's face seemed to lighten a little with a shred of hope. It seemed the mention of the Goddess eased the woman's pain, or possibly Nix's expression of regret did more to ease her.
Kneeling down next to the woman, Nix reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial filled with a purple liquid, showing it to the Beast-Kin.
"This poison will ease your pain and send you off peacefully. You may choose to take it, or try and live through all of this. Either way, know that Mother Moon has not abandoned you and will accept you no matter the state you arrive to her in."
Slowly, Nix placed the vial between the woman's lips and stood up. Though it seemed harsh, she had to put her mission first. At least this way, she could give the woman a choice to go the way she pleased. After slipping her helm back on, she grabbed her rifle once more and turned to leave.
"And when you see Mother, give her a message. She owes both me and the people that survive this ordeal a great deal of love." She finished her script as she made her way out of the building.
Just as she took a step out of the building, she heard the crack and tingle of glass behind her, causing her to freeze and squeeze her eyes shut. She waited until the Beast-Kin let out a sigh of relief from her pure white muzzle before looking up to the smoke covered sky.
Long had her heart hardened enough to not cry in moments like this. Yet, time and experience did little to quell the anger felt. After a rough sigh, she finally collected herself and gave Willow the order.
"Willow, I need a pulse large enough to cover the village."