Chapter 15 - Pawn

Two hours had passed since Nyx had last seen the Minotaur. His thoughts remained cold and focused as he continued to roam the city, cutting down the goblins that crossed his path.

'I've encountered two new types of monsters while patrolling the streets,' Nyx noted to himself, his eyes scanning the latest corpses.

______________________________

NAME : KOBOLD

LEVEL : 4 

STATUS : DECEASED

DESCRIPTION : UNABLE

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NAME : DREADWOLF

LEVEL : 7

STATUS : DECEASED

DESCRIPTION : UNABLE

___________________________________

As Nyx strode forward, his steps precise and deliberate, a shout echoed nearby.

"I swear I'll kill you all!" A man's voice rang out, filled with fury and desperation. Nyx's gaze flicked in the direction of the sound. He moved swiftly, yet silently, until he peeked around the corner of a narrow alley.

A scene unfolded before him: a man, perhaps in his thirties, ragged and beaten, was kneeling on the ground, his head gripped tightly by a towering bald brute. The man's clothes were torn and filthy, and his face was contorted with rage. Two others stood by—one, a skinny man who was laughing at the poor soul's predicament, and the other, a figure in a pristine, untouched suit. His hands were casually in his pockets, his expression unreadable, but there was no mistaking the aura of authority he exuded.

"I'll murder everyone you know!" the kneeling man spat, glaring at his captors.

The skinny man turned to the one in the suit. "Boss, what do we do with him?" he asked, grinning.

The man in the suit glanced at the situation, his voice as calm as if he were ordering lunch. "Throw him to the monsters. It'll buy us some time to move."

Without a word, the hulking brute grabbed the man by the collar, tying him up effortlessly as the others turned to leave, paying him no more attention. The victim continued to scream obscenities, vowing vengeance even as the ropes tightened around his limbs.

Nyx observed the scene with cold detachment. 'The man in the suit... he's the one in charge,' Nyx thought, calculating. His gaze briefly scanned the brute and the skinny man—useful pawns, but pawns nonetheless. The real threat was their leader.

But Nyx wasn't concerned about them at the moment. He had already lost interest in the fleeing trio. His attention was now on the man they left behind—the one consumed by rage and hatred.

As monsters began to slowly close in around the helpless man, Nyx remained hidden in the shadows, his expression as impassive as ever. The man, bloodied and beaten, looked around in desperation as the creatures drew nearer.

"Is this how I die?" the man muttered bitterly. "Without getting my revenge?"

Before he could voice another thought, a goblin's head flew past his face, blood splattering across his cheeks. The man blinked in shock. He had expected a monster's attack, but what he saw was something far more terrifying.

Standing in the street, amidst the carnage, was Nyx—his blade dripping with blood, his face expressionless, his movements precise and lethal. He cut through the monsters with surgical efficiency, decapitating one after another without a single wasted motion. The cold, calculating look in Nyx's eyes made him seem more monstrous than the beasts he was slaying.

The tied-up man stared in disbelief as the last creature's body hit the ground, leaving only Nyx standing in the middle of the street.

"Who... who are you?" the man asked, his voice trembling.

Nyx didn't respond immediately. He flashed the blood from his blade, his cold eyes locking onto the man. "Revenge," Nyx said quietly, his tone as emotionless as his expression. "I can give you the power for that."

The man's eyes widened as Nyx crouched down beside him. Nyx didn't need allies—he needed pawns. And this one, filled with hatred and desperation, could be molded into something useful.

'He'll serve a purpose,' Nyx thought, his cold smirk barely noticeable as he cut the ropes binding the man's hands. 

"But first," Nyx said, his voice low and commanding, "you'll do exactly as I say."

The man, still trembling but now filled with a glimmer of hope, nodded without hesitation. His desire for vengeance had made him malleable, and Nyx had already begun shaping him into the next pawn in his grand game.