Author's notes:
Hey, I'd want to share a development of the current chapter of the story. I must inform you that if I managed to achieve my writing goal of this chapter, it'd be a very dark one. It can contain (rape, abuse, cannibalism, gory). I hope you'll like it. If not, please tell me what you don't like, so I can adjust and learn from it :) As always, thanks for everything and see you next time :D PS. Sorry, it has taken more than it should have. Changelog: Schedule for the nearest future: *bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
[2021-04-20]: A preview was released.
[2021-04-22]: A bit more text added (around 2k words).
[2021-04-25]: A final version released.
(bonus): Sometimes it's just better not to know (possibly rewrite).
5. Kiss the rain (next chapter).
6. Whispers in the Dark (new chapter)/(possibly extending beyond just 2 part story).
7. Story of one lost soul (2 next chapters)/(The war call|The heart not so cold).
8. Prisoner of Your Eyes (next chapter).
9. Black Diamond (2 next chapters)/(possibly finishing the story).
10. The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (2 next chapters).
11. Alone (2 next chapters)/(possibly rewrite).
12. Last Christmas (finishing up the story).
13. My home is where my heart lies (a long, possibly 10k + words chapter).
End of author's notes.
Soon enough, the dusk came. The crimson-red rays of light flooded the exiled lands, announcing the end of yet another day of sorrow. These beams of blood colour found Akali wandering near the solid rock formation. She was tired, still recovering after the unfortunate and unexpected fight against the imp-like creature. Even though the wounds had sealed themselves some time ago, the blood loss still affected the woman. To make the matter worse, her belly started to ache, rumble. Akali was hungry, yet the only source of nutritions she currently had, were insects. Just a single glance was nearly enough for the burgundy-haired woman to throw up. It was a nightmare, yet the worst part of this realisation was that it only had begun.
Even though the rapper was shivering noticeably, she decided to postpone her "dine" till today's shelter would be fully prepared. The primitive stone pickaxe was not the best tool for carving a hole within the solid rock. Sadly, it was everything she had. It must have been enough.
After some time, she finally managed to dig a hole big enough to fit her. With the leftovers of the material she had gathered earlier, the simple door was made. Once they were installed, the woman allowed herself to rest for a few short moments.
The rumbling of her stomach was only getting louder and louder. Still, Akali had little to no interest in eating the insects. She found it… disgusting, for the lack of a better-describing word. She had thought about falling asleep without eating at least a couple of times. Yet, she was not entirely sure how would the "game" react toward such a decision.
The internal battle lasted a couple of minutes more, but the burgundy-haired woman began chewing her "food" in the end. All it took to convince Akali that it was the right choice was a reminder of Evelynn. After all, she needed to be in top form to rescue her girlfriend. No more mistake could have been allowed to take place. With such thoughts, she finally fell asleep.
The morning came too quickly – at least in Akali's opinion. The shimmering lights slipped through the cracks in the door's wooden frame, waking her up. A loud groan of discontent was allowed to slip through her lips. After all, the rapper was not known as a morning-bird.
Within the next 10 minutes, she was ready to continue her journey through the exiled lands. The door was uninstalled and put into the woman's inventory. Thankfully, this version of the "game" still allowed her to store various things even though it contradicted reality. The only minor setback was the fact that she was thirsty. Which meant that she would have to come to the river, potentially risking the encounter with the unknown creatures lurking there.
With a heavy sigh, Akali accepted the risk, starting to head there. The burgundy-haired woman paid much more attention to her surrounding this time. Her pace was much slower, yet as it was said – "better safe than sorry".
To her utter surprise, it seemed that her yesterday's action had consequences. At least a couple of imps were wandering near the river as if patrolling. Looking at the brighter side, she could not spot any "greater imps" – the name she chose for the creature she had faced earlier. Knowing all too well – by now – that overconfidence could be her downfall, she opted to proceed slowly. As quietly as she could, she prowled toward the nearest imp. Thankfully, she managed to stay hidden. The creature did not spot her till it was already too late. The stone maul - she crafted after awakening – smashed the imp's skull without a problem. When the creature's brain reached the ground – at least partially – the disgusting splash sounded.
The rapper dragged the lifeless form to the nearest bush, hiding it. Then, she decided to wait for a couple of minutes. She wanted to have absolute confidence that she could approach the riverbank safely.
She was patient, very patient. And… it seemed that she was rewarded for that. None of the other imps noticed the disappearance of their brother. Akali allowed a small smile to creep its way in. She waited a few moments longer before proceeding.
As soon as she got close to the water, she slowed again. Her vigilant eyes scanned the water mirror, seeking the monstrosities. Thankfully, just like the last time, they seemed to be sleeping. The woman never allowed her eyes to drift away from the monster's frame, even whilst drinking.
Shortly after her primal need was satisfied, she was free to proceed to her other goals for today. Once again, as quietly as she could, she backed off, vanishing in the bushes surrounding the river.
The next step in her plan was added out of pure necessity. Without waterskin, her journey through the desert-like lands of the southern part of the exiled lands would be unbearable. Akali needed to hunt down some animals as soon as possible. If it had been the base version of the game, she would have not hesitated a moment and would go fight the hyenas living nearby. Sadly, as it was already evident, the rules of this world were different. Who was to say what she would come across trying to hunt these animals? The vigilance and caution were the names of the game.
For more than an hour, the woman was wandering around the riverbank. If she wanted to make it to the other bank alive, she needed to plan the shortest possible route. She did not know what the monstrosities lurking under the water were capable of. So… the safest choice to make was to cross the water where the distance between the banks was the shortest. Unfortunately, it meant that she would have to return to the "Sentinels". In the original game, the opposite bank was inhabited by several crocodiles and two or three packs of hyenas to make the matter even worse. If she had leant anything by now, it would have been that assuming the worst-case scenario was the right approach.
Getting there could not have been called a trivial task. It became painfully evident that surviving would not come cost-free. Everywhere she looked, there were enemies, creatures, monstrosities. It would have not been an exaggeration if she had said that the number of potential opponents – all around her – had been at least doubled.
The safest option for Akali was to prowl her way toward the southern bank. To some extent, it could be compared to Guerrilla warfare, or at least partially. She attacked swiftly, making little to no sound. The remnants of her preys were being pulled into the flora. Of course, such actions were most likely already noticed by the creatures, highly relying on their sense of smell. Yet, she was allowed to proceed. Even though it took ages for the burgundy-haired woman to cover a short distance, she was still progressing.
After god-knows how long, she finally reached her temporary destination. Before getting into the water, at least a couple of prolonged moments were spent looking around. Akali allowed herself to sigh. As she had expected, at the opposite bank, the crocodiles were taking a sunbath. Truth be told, there was a chance that she could avoid them or at least run away from them. Thankfully, there was no sight of hyenas nearby which was welcomed wordlessly.
"You can do this," the KDA's rapper tried to cheer herself up. "It is just a short swim. Nothing wrong can happen."
The burgundy-haired woman knew all too well that inaction would only doom her. It was high time for her to act.
With more than a little hesitation, she pressed forward. The water was pleasantly cold. It contrasted with the scorching heat ruling all over these damned lands. Still, the difference was a welcomed change even though it was a matter of seconds before her primitive clothing dumped up, literally tripling its weight.
All the time, there was a fight inside the deepest part of Akali's consciousness. She was not entirely sure whether to swim slowly to stir the water the least or as fast as possible. The game offered her a hint when the water mirror at her left stirred out of a sudden. A red alert appeared before her eyes nearly instantly. The counteract was simple, executed without a single moment of doubt. Akali swam forward as quickly as she could. Even though it was not possible, it was easy to imagine the creature lurking right behind her.
The woman practically jumped out of the river, turning around immediately. Only a fraction of a second later, the monstrosity emerged from the water mirror, splashing the liquid all around itself. To say that she was scared would be an utter understatement. She was the very beginning of the game, forced to face an unknown enemy. There was no saying whether she could freely die in this world, and she could not afford to test it herself. For her, there was too much at stake.
The river creature seemed not content with fully stepping out of its usual inhabitation. It was throatily growling at the burgundy-haired woman, yet it did not opt to press forward. Akali should have been thankful for such a miracle, yet there was the other side of the medal. If the monstrosity had not decided to attack, she would have not been able to leave the small island. The monster would have waited for her just under the mirror of the water. Waiting for the woman to re-enter its domain.
These couple of moments of inaction gave Akali the chance to take a closer look at the creature. Her initial assumption of the monster origin to be a mix of a crocodile and human was wrong. It was true that the creature had something of reptile in its DNA, yet with a closer look, it resembled a drake more. Its height was roughly around of average human male. Still, the beast was far more muscular with a thick scale skin which was most likely more durable than some basic armours. In the firm hands, the primitive daggers made of stone were held.
The monstrosity did not seem to be patient. It waited a couple moments longer before finally stepping out of the water. For every single step, the beast took, the far smaller woman took 2 steps back. Akali tightened the grip on the handle of her weapon. In a matter of moments, her knuckles became white. She was nervous, yet there was no chance for her to run away. Thankfully, it quickly turned out that dragon-like spawn was pretty slow, clumsy. It was the advantage she needed to make full use of. The burgundy-haired woman opted to use a blunt weapon to shudder the creature's armour-like skin.
To buy a bit more time, Akali kept walking backwards, forcing the beast to follow her. It was evident that the immense heat of the exiled lands was tiring the creature massively. Maybe… just maybe, she could keep fooling the reptile, depleting its energy. Still, it would require time, time that was of the essence for her.
The spent time was not in vain; these moments allowed the rapper to notice another possible advantage. The monster was trailing with its left leg. On the scaly surface, the whitish scares could be spotted. It was the area she should aim for.
With a heavy sigh, the burgundy-haired woman stopped, allowing the creature to catch up. It was exhausted; it could be easily spotted. Its massive jaw was snapped open, tongue slip through the rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"Come on!" Akali taunted the monster whilst making offensive gestures.
The reptile roared, trying to speed up. Its clumsy movement only was only highlighted by such action. Still, it was steadily closing in. Its eyes filled with primal fury and hunger.
Soon enough, the monstrosity entered its attack range. Without a moment of doubt, it began slashing furiously, yet slowly – at least in the eyes of the woman. Instantly, Akali dove to the side, closing the distance even further. As soon as the reptile coiled due to the attacking momentum, she stroke. The maul hit right below the monstrosity's knee. A small smile crept its way in when a couple of scales dropped down, revealing the flesh. The hit-and-run fight began.
To say that the encounter was draining would be an absolute understatement. Even though the creature was slow, it was so durable that hitting it seemed to be tickling it, not causing damage. It took the burgundy-haired woman more than a dozen hit to even receive a muffed groan out of the beast. The evading and swinging of the heavy maul required a lot of energy, making her panting just after a couple of moments. Yet, it was only the beginning.
Soon enough, the ground - they were fighting on – was soaked with the creature's blood. It was so surprising that other animals opted to ignore the chaotic encounter taking place right in front of them. Still, the woman was thankful for that. The current fight against the dragon-like spawn required everything from her. Even though her clothing should have already dried out because of the high temperature, it was still soaked. The difference was that this time the reason behind that state was the sweat.
With every single swing of the heavy maul, the victory was drawing closer and closer. The enormous endurance of the beast had been long broken. The monstrosity was openly growling, groaning, whining. Its movement became even slower, clumsier. It was just a matter of time before the dragon spawn would eventually fall.
Finally, after what felt like ages, the creature fell onto its crushed knees. The blood loss ultimately affected the reptile, finishing its life. Still, the convulsion lasted more than a couple of moments after the monster stopped breathing.
Akali was beyond exhausted. She did not sustain any damage during the encounter, yet it could not have been named an easy victory. The woman wanted to make sure that the beast died. She took the matter into her bloodied hands once more, smashing the monster's skull till it was broken into pieces. Then, it was high time for her to retrieve anything useful from the corpse. With the hatchet in hand, she began skinning the monstrosity.
She could not stay on the small islet for much longer. Even though the other creatures had opted to ignore her fight against the dragon spawn, the vision of fresh, cost-free meat would have been too perfect to ignore. The woman spotted that the crocodiles started to get closer and closer with the corner of her eye. She had barely enough time to pick up a decent chunk of meat, some scales, and a fraction of the monster's skin. When the growling started to sound behind her, she knew that it was time to leave. Without a moment of hesitation, she sprinted toward the water, sprinted toward the northern bank. At that very moment, the adrenaline allowed her to forgot about her exhaustion, about the burning sensation in her worked up muscles.
This time, the crossing of the river did not attract any unwanted attention. That fact was wordlessly welcomed by the KDA's rapper. Before delving deeper into the land, she needed to regain at least some of her strengths.
It quickly turned out that these god-forsaken lands would not have allowed her to catch her breath. With relative ease, the burgundy-haired woman managed to reach the nearest incline. It was so surprising that there were no enemies around. She had been made aware of her mistake when the panting sounded on her left. The short squeal arose, followed by the light footsteps. A lone hyaena appeared seemingly out of nowhere, charging at the woman. Before she could even react, the razor-sharp teeth wrapped around her left forearm. Somehow, Akali managed to muffle the scream born inside her throat. If she had been less exhausted, she would have had a chance to counteract the attack. Sadly, it was not the case. Fighting with the immense pain, she pushed the animal, keeping it on the arm's length. The creature tried to reach her with its claws, yet its actions were unsuccessful. However, the pressure of the hyaena's jaw was slowly crushing Akali's bone. The fight needed to end quickly to prevent further wounds.
The burgundy-haired woman reached out for her hatchet. She was constantly fighting against the animal's strength and pain. Her teeth were gritted; the extended pressure was building up the pain. With all the strengths she could muster, Akali stroke with the improvised weapon. The very first hit caused her forearm to be released out of the animal's jaw. The creature was stunned, not knowing exactly what happened. Ignoring her wounded limb, the burgundy-haired woman continued her attack. The hyaena unsuccessfully tried to dodge the onslaught. All it took to kill the beast were the three hits. The rapper felt as if controlled by some primal rage. Controlled by anger, forcing her to spill the blood, the more, the better.
Within moments, the beast collapsed on the ground, dead. Even though it was a victory, it was paid with a lot of blood. And… the reward was less than satisfying for the price. The blood loss must have been tamed. Without a moment of hesitation, the primitive vest covering her chest was discarded and torn into shreds. The long strands of fabric were then used to bandage the mutilated limb. The pain was driving the woman insane. All she wanted to do was to scream on top of her lungs. Sadly, she could not do that. After all, she was surrounded by many enemies. Most, if not all, would be more than happy to prey on her current state. So, she muffled all her whines, screams.
She would have not stood a chance against the horrors inhabiting the further parts of the desert in her current state. She needed to make another improvised hideout, skin the damned animal, and make the water skin – she so desperately needed. She allowed herself to sigh heavily. It was going to be a long, difficult day ahead of her. To make the matter worse, her wounds would not make it any easier.
Without a moment of hesitation, the deceased animal's body started to be dragged by the woman. The place for the new shelter must have been chosen wisely and carefully. She could buy herself enough time to prepare the necessary items with a bit of luck, then eat something filling.
The very next day came too quickly to Akali's dissatisfaction. Her muscles still were sore; her exhaustion only partially faded away. Throughout the night, the provisional bandage soaked with her blood, turning to the shade of crimson. Thankfully, after discarding the stinking piece of fabric, it turned out that the wound had sealed up. As soon as she had seen it, she had allowed the sigh of relief to escape her throat.
Even though the pain arose during movement, the burgundy-haired woman was happy – at least to some extent. The previous day's events could have easily marked the end of her journey, yet here she was.
The thoughts regarding her primary goal could not have been cast out of her head. She knew all too well that Evelynn was somewhere there, left on her own, awaiting their reunion. Still, it was apparent that to even get close to this, she needed to become stronger. Something that she intentionally had postponed must be done.
Whilst slowly chewing the scraps of the roasted meat – she had prepared yesterday – she opened the character menu. The number of unknown talents, statistics, feats was simply overwhelming. To ever go through them all would have required a couple of minutes, if not more.
In fact, she had been mistaken, severely underestimating the number of differences between this world and the original game. After an entire hour of studying the changes, she was unsure whether she had even grasped the basics. Still, one aspect was pretty clear; committing to one build would have been much more rewarding than originally. Out of all available possible paths, one was so close to the woman's heritage. Even though the ascension name was impossible for Akali to even read, it could be easily described. The burgundy-haired woman chose to be a light-armoured fighter, specialising in a dual wield. Of course, if there had been a chance to get kamas, she would have gone for that option immediately. Sadly, according to what she had learnt, there were no such weapons. So, the swords were the way to go with.
At least an additional 30 minutes had been spent using all the skill points she had gathered thus far. Even though Akali felt that she had done a good job distributing the points, the same question remained – was it the right choice?
When she finally emerged out of her shelter, she felt stronger. The torn vest had been replaced with a simple leather chest piece. It was truly amusing that she – somehow – had managed to craft the armour with what she had obtained yesterday. Still, she would have not complained. After all, it might save her life soon enough.
With the newly crafter waterskin, she needed to get close to the river, once again. Yet, this time, she felt much more confident in doing so. The long daggers replaced the bulky stone sword and the maul. Before heading toward the water, a couple of moments were spent to ensure that she had everything she would have needed. Everything of value must have been taken with her.
After a short stroll, the burgundy-haired woman reached the river bank. Strangely enough, nothing tried to stop her on her way toward the river. She did not encounter any hyaenas on her way there. Something was not quite right. Even the original game tried to teach the players that something must have happened if it had been too peaceful. Without a moment of hesitation, the woman began looking around, trying to spot something out of place.
Truth be told, it did not take much time to spot the worrying details. Nearby there were no crocodiles. Something extraordinary must have happened. More than a couple of dozens of apex predators would not have changed their inhabitant overnight. It would be a challenging, if not impossible, a feat to force these creatures to leave. So… logically thinking, someone or something must have killed these predators.
Finding the evidence proving her thoughts process took her a couple of moments more. Yet, in the end, she found it. On the sand surrounding the very bank, the blood could be spotted. Based on the colour of the bank, a lot of blood must have soaked into it. Currently, its colour was of a mix of brown and crimson.
The burgundy-haired woman was curious what had been behind such a feat. Still, she knew better than to trail after. There was no time to be spent fooling around foolishly.
Filling the water skin took her less than a few heartbeats. After it was done, she was free to delve deeper into the wastelands. She was free to proceed into the desert.
Without wasting a single moment more, she began marching north. In the meantime, the map was opened. Akali needed the safest possible route to cross the vast desert. Of course, if she had so chosen, she could have followed the river. However, such an approach would have caused her a lot of troubles. It was common knowledge amongst the "Conan Exiles" players that the chance of encountering the enemy was significantly higher near the water. Even though the march straight across the desert area could be exhausting, it was a relatively safe passage.
Unfortunately, her curiosity overcame the reason in the very end. The thoughts about the mysterious vanish of the apex predators were constantly bothering her mind. With more than a little hesitation, she decided to follow the trail of the soaked blood.
After just a couple of prolonged moments, she managed to notice the pattern. It seemed that whoever or whatever had dealt with the crocodiles had palled them in groups. Such an approach must have been decently effective due to the sheer size of the beasts. The animals had been pulled into a trap. They had been lured into chokepoints where their mass and number had put them at a disadvantage. The woman found such an area on the long island, just a couple of minutes of walk away from "Sentinels". The tall grass and ferns had been utterly trampled during the encounter. The ground had been irrigated with the blood of the monstrosities. Yet, it was not the most terrifying thing Akali encountered.
The burgundy-haired woman mustered enough courage to press forward – at least for a couple of minutes. She knew that she was getting dangerously close to the Darfari war camp. With every single step she took, it became evident that these cannibals stood behind the bloodshed. Still, she pressed forward, foolishly.
After some time, she started to hear muffled sounds. Soon, the sounds of the wood cracking under the fire joined it. It was evident she was getting closer to some kind of a camp. If she could have one wish, she would have wanted it not to belong to the savages. Sadly, as it quickly turned out, no one cared about her wishes.
Between the small trees, the camp could be spotted. It consisted of 3 maybe 4 tents made of some sort of fabric. In front of them, there was a fireplace. On many spits, the huge chunks of meant were slowly roasting near the fire. The burgundy-haired woman had no doubt that these chunks were of human origin. Around the bonfire, a couple of dark-skinned muscular men danced, singing in hoarse, throaty voices. Whilst most of Darfari were occupied with cooking, celebrating, dancing, and signing, one of them had something else in mind. In the very back of the camp, there was a woman stripped of her clothing. Her skin colour was a dark as the others, yet there was no doubt that she was not a part of the savages. Her short black hair was being roughly pulled by the lone cannibal who had mounted her. Even from a distance, Akali could say – without hesitation – that the woman was savagely raped. This woman was a source of the muffled sounds she initially heard. A piece of dirty fabric was wrapped tightly around the victim's mouth, preventing her from openly screaming.
The anger filled the burgundy-haired woman within a mere fraction of a second. She wanted to leave her temporary cover, cross the river, and kill these cannibals. Sadly, it would have been a suicide mission. She had already spotted at least a dozen of Darfari. There were no chances for her to win in such an uneven fight. What was worse, she would not have been killed. No… certainly not. She would have shared the same fate as the raped woman - the fate of being used over and over again until they would eventually consume her.
With a heavy heart, she backed off. She would love to help, yet currently, it would be the case. Whilst running away, Akali silently promised herself to return for the woman. No one deserved such fate. No one deserved to be raped then consumed.