3 years ago.
Nikolai sat at a bar. He finally made his way to the Duty base of operations. It had taken him a while, Duty was wary of outsiders as normal so he had to earn their trust to let him pass through their checkpoints. Coincidentally he found a group of Duty soldiers pinned down by Freedom soldiers. He hit in a nearby bush and dispatched them.
Duty and Freedom... Duty believed in protecting the outside from the dangers of the zone. They never traded with outsiders, after all it would be like handing a loaded gun to a child. The only group they traded zone items with were the Ecologists. A group dedicated to studying the zone. Freedom, on the other hand, had a more libertarian approach to the zone. It was all fair game, they wanted the zone open to everyone. The difference in ideology made it inevitable that clashes would occur.
And occur they did, the endless war between the factions only escalated with the introduction of vehicles to the zone. Nikolai really didn't care about these petty conflicts. He was here for his dad if a bunch of nutjobs with guns wanted to kill each other who was he to stop them?
Rostov was a rather large industrial complex. A lot of abandoned factories and nearby apartment buildings. Duty had taken upon themselves to add several forts around the area as well as underground tunnels. An almost impenetrable base in Nikolai's opinion.
His train of thought was broken by a nearby shouting match. He sighed and turned around. He saw three Stalkers trying to flirt with a girl who had just arrived. She looked around his age, pale white skin and long blonde hair, deep blue eyes that he could get lost in... He quickly brushed aside the thought.
The whole shouting contest looked really close to devolving into a fistfight or worse a shootout. Not wanting his drink to be ruined Nikolai slowly stood up and walked towards their table.
"Gentleman? Is there a problem?" Nikolai asked.
"What do you care kid!?" Said one of them. Clearly intoxicated beyond reason, he was surprised the man was even standing.
"Not much, but if this keeps up the Duty guards will come down and throw all the troublemakers in the brig.
The three men looked at each other. They were drunk but not idiots. Messing with Duty was the fastest way to ensure a quick death or being thrown in the brig. By brig they meant a small room where you couldn't even sit down. So tight you could only stand, the only light source being a hole on the roof.
" Aye... We... We're leaving... See ya later sugar tits" the leader said crassly. Nikolai rolled his eyes, at least he defused a situation that could intervene with his drinking. Without another word he went back to his stool and took a swig from his vodka. The day was ending and he really needed a drink.
"Hey thanks" a soft voice said. He saw the girl sitting down next to him.
"Think nothing about it. The last thing I need is someone interrupting my drinking" Nikolai said dismissively.
"Ladies man huh," the girl said sarcastically.
"Totally" Nikolai replied calmly.
"Well aren't you a bundle of sunshine?"
"I totally am" he said as he drank more from his bottle. Seeing it was almost empty he signaled the bartender for another bottle.
"Asshole much?" The girl said surprising him. From her appearance, she looked like the type of girl that wouldn't even say damn without apologizing.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" He asked.
"No, I kiss yours" she said laughing. Definitely she was crass as they came. He was now regretting even stepping in.
"Charming"
"I know... Anyways where are you headed?" She asked curiously. She ordered her own bottle of vodka.
"Pripyat"
"Really? You seem as green as they come. Well at least that's what your equipment screams. But your eyes..."
"What do they say?" Nikolai said indulging her. Although he really wasn't in the mood for talking he could not deny he liked the company of this stalker beauty.
"They tell me you're far more experienced than you look" she said.
"Yeah, training tends to do that"
"Oooh who trained you?" She asked curiously.
"My dad"
"Really? Same here! Well my dad not yours" she said chuckling. Nikolai couldn't help but feel amused.
"Didn't think a father would willingly let their daughters into the zone"
"Well my determination and constant pestering won in the end" she said proudly. Nikolai raised his brow, was she Wolf's daughter?
"Lemme guess you're old wolf's daughter" Nikolai said.
"Wait how did you know?" She asked surprised. "Are you stalking me?"
"Stalking a stalker? Nah, met your father. Helped him clear out bandit camps and military forward bases close to Cordon" Nikolai said.
"Ohhh... Well thanks for helping my dad out!" She said with a beautiful smile on her face.
"No worries"
"So Pripyat? Why you do realize that it's going to be an uphill battle with that gear"
"I know but time isn't a luxury I can afford."
"What are you actually looking for in Pripyat," she asked, her curiosity peaked.
"My father disappeared along with the rest of his squad"
"How long ago was that?" She asked concerned. Nikolai was surprised it sounded as if she was genuinely concerned.
"About a month" he said somberly. From what I've gathered they were packing enough to last God knows how long. They even got a Jeep from the military.
"Why were they going?"
"According to my dad to find my sister" he said looking down at his bottle.
"I don't see the problem"
"Miss my sister has been dead for almost two years now. They found some of her gear, and a puddle of blood. Whatever got to her didn't leave tracks." It didn't make sense to Nikolai. His father was not one to take decisions lightly. If he prepared this much ahead of time he must have been sure he could bring her back.
"Gees don't call me miss call me Tanya. Well anyways I wish you the best of luck" she said raising her bottle. Nikolai let out a faint smile as he did the same.
Something Nikolai learned pretty quickly was that Tanya couldn't hold her drink. After their drinking session she was babbling barely making sense.
"Tanya you got somewhere to sleep?" Nikolai asked. She looked at him dazed and smiled.
"Sly dog... You want toooo fuuuuck!" She said giggling. He sighed as he rubbed his temple.
"No I don't just gonna take you where you sleep. Make sure no one takes advantage of you" he said. Nikolai was also tipsy but growing up where he did mean drinking alcohol was something he did from an early age. Smoking and drinking were part and parcel for him and his friends back then.
"Aren't youuuuuuuuu the gentleman!" She slurred. "But I do have a room!" She said sloppily throwing the keys at his face. Nikolai was already regretting his choices.
Following her directions he carried her. The old run-down apartment complex seemed to be some kind of inn. Nikolai would have loved to stay. Had he not been saving up money for more equipment.
With trouble he managed to get the door open. The room was rather small. A small kitchen, a table a sofa and a room with a bathroom. The room was in a surprisingly good state.
He carried her to bed and laid her down as she giggled.
"Come heeeeeeeereeee big boy," she said giggling.
"Stop it Tanya" he said sighing. As he was stepping away she grabbed his has tightly and pulled. For a rather slim girl she was strong. He stumbled back into the bed almost hitting his head against the wall.
"Youuur like myyyy age! Come on, you're not like the other idiots! You don't see meeee as a piece of meat to fuck" she said crudely.
"Look Tanya, you are... Lovely in your own way. You are attractive and everything but no this isn't happening" he said sternly. As he tried to stand up she grabbed onto him tightly in a hug.
"Don't leave..." She said in a softer tone. "Don't leave like everyone else..." Nikolai's heart sunk. The girl had a lot of problems and alcohol had just brought them out. She was vulnerable... He quickly thought about it. He would keep her company and leave at dawn. She needed someone, he decided to be the shoulder she could cry on.
"Okay I won't" Nikolai cooed relenting. He threw his bag on the floor as well as his weapons. He laid there next to her as she held tightly onto him.
"You didn't leave" she said sniffling. The girl was petite, she was what his friends back in the slums would have called a washboard. But her beautiful face made up for it. He stroked her hair as he saw her slowly close her eyes. Nikolai laid there confused. He found the girl amusing and pretty, whatever problems she had probably molded her into this crass stalker.
Nikolai barely got a few hours of sleep, he kept running his route in his mind. Over and over again, things were going to get even tougher. As he saw the sun start to rise he gently wiggled out of her arms. He smiled softly as he headed to the kitchen. He made some coffee and left it there for her. He wrote her a letter telling him what had happened and explaining he was heading out but telling her they would meet again at the bar once he got back. As he left the room he sighed and put his mask back on.
Present-day
Nikolai woke up shaking, it had been a few days since he arrived in this world and the nightmares hadn't stopped. He was reliving the past over and over again. He did his morning routine and rummaged around his bag. Pulling out a bottle of vodka he took a large swig to calm the nerves. Another thing that was bothering him was the fact he kept dreaming about that dark void. The cold dark void, he always heard the distorted voice call out to him only for him to be smothered by some sort of dark tentacle.
To add to his growing list of worries he noticed how the maids looked at him. Rem and Ram were distrustful of him. Rem more than Ram though, in her he saw the eyes of somebody willing to kill. The target on his back had been set so now he roamed around armed to the teeth, he would take no chances. As he went over to put the bottle away he noticed a picture along with four dog tags.
His face darkened as he pulled them out. Reminiscing he nostalgically thought of the good times. Pushing the thoughts away he put them in his pocket. Today would be another long day, magic training and sword training much to his distaste. Roswall insisted in his need to carry a sword.
He could use a bayonet but as he soon found out if he used a sword the same way he would probably end up gutting himself. His saving grace came in the form of footwork. The only part that really translated from his training.
The only thing he was looking forward to was his trip to the village Roswall had mentioned. He would try to make homemade bullets in the forge, with any luck they would not blow up in the chamber of his gun. Sure homemade bullets weren't as good but he doubted he would find a gun shop anywhere.
He looked outside and saw it was still pretty early. He had slowly learned the layout of the manor. His PDA might not have a map of the area but he could at least do a rough sketch of it just in case. He was rather surprised he hadn't bumped into the twins. They were always there somehow. He shook these thoughts and kept walking. He finally arrived at the bathhouse. He smiles as he stripped down and got in.
The warm water did wonders. If there was any highlight besides the food it would be the warm water. One thing people don't appreciate till they have to shower with freezing water. He closed his eyes and sank deeper.
He tried making sense of his dreams. Why was he remembering it all now of all times? He thought he had made peace with what happened but here he was again wallowing in regret. Survivors guilt was one hell of a thing.
"Mayyyyyy I join?" A voice asked. Nikolai opened his eyes. He wished he hadn't... For all the horrors he had seen in the zone this was definitely the worst one. There he stood, Roswall... Naked... Nikolai had forgotten it wasn't technically a private shower. Still he wished he could bleach his eyes.
"Serve yourself" Nikolai mumbled.
"Howwww have you been settling in?" He asked curiously. Nikolai knew he wasn't a man to trust. Something in the way he moves, his eyes and expressions. They were a telltale sign of someone hiding something.
"Rather well. Though it seems the maids do not approve of me" Nikolai said.
"Is that sooooo?"
"I'm not dumb, I know when someone is gunning for me" he said calmly.
"I'm sorry to heaaaaar. Though I wouldn't take it personally. The twins have gone through a loooooot their distrust isn't unfounded."
"I understand that... As long as they don't try anything I don't mind it if they trust me or not" he really didn't care. He wasn't a people person till he met his friends and reverting to distrust and always seeing a potential enemy in people wasn't that hard.
"Besides the twiiiiins what do you think about the accommodations?"
"To be honest, they are great, I've never lived so well in my life. Only problem is my ability or lack thereof to read"
"Are you illiterateeee?"
"I take offense to that, no I can speak various languages as well as write them. Sadly none of them coincide with the written language here."
"I apologize... I didn't taaaaake you for the scholar"
"I'm not, there were always idiots who would pay for a tour around the zone. Came from all around, the rules were simple, follow the rules unless you want to get ripped apart by some creature" he had done a few of these tours, they were always a pain in the ass. From vloggers to scientists they never listened. At least the babysitting job paid well.
"I must saaaaay this place you come from has piqued my curiosity."
"There is much to cover, maybe later on I can go into more detail on what I know" Nikolai said. He was getting a bit uncomfortable with Roswall and he wanted to get the hell out of dodge. "Anyways bath is done gotta go" he said stepping out and quickly getting ready. "Can't keep Emilia waiting."
Emilia passed most of her time in her study. Doing what? He did not dare to ask. Though it did seem to be tiresome. Nikola felt as if someone was watching him. Rather calmly he pulled out a small mirror he always had. Aiming it naturally he saw blue hair. Rem was again on his tail.
She was getting on his nerves, Ram was more of a sarcastic ass in his opinion. Annoying sure, but not really dangerous. Rem, on the other hand, seemed to be capable of bashing his head in if he did anything remotely suspicious.
He finally arrived at Emilia's study and closed the door behind him quickly.
"Miss Emilia," he said respectfully, she looked at him puzzled.
"I told you, call me Emilia" she said.
"No formalities? Wow didn't know you were already falling for me" he said grinning. The girl turned red as she failed to come up with something to say. Since his arrival, Nikolai grew quite close to Emilia. He found her cute, yet very naive. And in a world of political intrigue she will be eaten alive. Nikolai might not know much about politics but he can sniff bullshit out so he would make sure no one tried to get a one over Emilia.
"Teasing my daughter in front of me?" Puck asked trying to sound serious. Nikolai let out a hearty laugh.
"I mean wouldn't I be a great son in law?" He asked. Puck put his paw up to his chin and hummed.
"Good point! I give you my blessing" he said happily. They could both see the poor Emilia shutting down at the prospect.
"W-what!?" Nikolai and Puck both burst out laughing. The poor girl not being able to respond. Nikolai and Puck had become rather good friends in the short time since their first meeting. Nikolai had always wanted a pet, sadly with his economic situation he couldn't now Puck was like the pet he never had. His fur so soft melting the veteran stalker's walls. Puck, on the other hand, had taken a liking to the boy for his commitment to Emilia. He could see the eyes of someone who had seen death in the eyes too many times.
Still somehow Nikolai always looked happy. He was rather open to new circumstances. He rolled with the punches and nothing seemed to shake him. When questioned about it Nikolai explained how he had seen crazier things and how this was the best chance at living he ever had.
"Ahh Emilia you are sooo pure! We are just joking, we are just yanking your leg" Nikolai said trying to not cry.
"M-meanie..." Emilia mumbled.
"So anyway, I'll be posting guard. At least until someone kills me"
"W-what are you talking about!?" Emilia asked in a worried tone. Nikolai couldn't help but smile. Her genuine concern really moved her.
"It seems the maids still don't trust me. Specially Rem, caught her shadowing me" he said calmly. He didn't want to bother Emilia with trivial matters but it would good to give them a heads up.
"Hmmm, are you worried?" Puck asked seriously.
"To be honest... As long as they don't try nothing I don't mind the distrust"
"Still! You've done nothing but help me! You even became my knight!" Nikolai chuckled, the girl definitely seemed to forget how convenient his appearance in the capital was. And his total lack of knowledge on the current situation didn't help his case either.
"Still, my presence here is convenient to say the least. The anomaly that teleported me here really chose a bad time" Nikolai had explained his appearance with a teleportation anomaly. That was his closest explanation to how he got there. Teleportation anomalies were uncommon and normally just teleported you a few kilometers away. Not across worlds, but still it was a better explanation than 'hey I tried to blow myself up and appeared here'. "I'll talk to them."
"No worries Emilia, I will confront them soon enough. I need to head to the village today and considering Rem will also be picking up some things from there I'm sure I'll have enough time to talk it out." Puck flew towards Nikolai, landing on his hand, he took off his gloves and started petting him.
"Still it could go wrong" Puck said.
"If I don't come back chances are Rem killed me" he said jokingly.
"Don't joke with that!" Emilia yelled. Both Puck and Nikolai were left flabbergasted at the outburst. "Y-you are my only friend and my knight... I-I don't give you permission to die."
Nikolai's eyes softened at the plead. Poor girl had had it pretty tough. "Emilia, I won't leave you. You are also my friend, and I truly care about you. I'll do everything I can to help you" he said. After a few seconds he grew stiff, his mind going back to that night. His mind repeating it over and over. Quickly he shook it off trying not to worry them. He saw a lonesome tear go down Emilia's cheek.
"Thanks Nikolai... I really appreciate it" she mumbled. Nikolai gave her a warm smile and nodded.
"Always" he simply replied.
"Aww you'll be the best son in law!" Puck said breaking the tension as Nikolai burst into laughter.
Time flew relatively fast, and the day turned into the afternoon. Training had been... Tiresome as usual but he was progressing rather well with magic. With praises from both Puck and Emilia. Sword training was... Worse, he really wasn't getting the handle on swords. The progress was slow much to Roswall's amusement.
It was finally time for his dreaded outing with Rem, he grabbed every gun and bullet he had. Hid his bayonette and made his way to the front door. To his surprise Rem was not alone, Emilia and Puck were waiting with her.
"Hey Emilia... Puck, why are you here?"
"Oh we are just here to wish you safe travel" Emilia said.
"Oh thanks! Still it will take more to kill me I can assure you that" he said confidently. He grabbed them both into a hug and smiled. "Emilia... Would you mind helping me with reading? I can't understand the written language."
"Ahhh sure!" She said blushing.
"I approve of him" Puck said. They bid farewell and so Nikolai and Rem were on the way.
The walk was tense to say the least. He could feel Rem's eyes glaring at him. If looks could kill she was definitely on the track of doing that. They were deep in the forest, if there was any time to confront her it might as well be now. He kept his hand close to his holster just in case.
"So tell me Rem, when are you planning to kill me?" He said not mincing his words, he heard the maid stop walking. He turned to look at her. He could see the surprise on her face even if she tried to hide it.
"Pardon sir Nikolai?" She asked innocently making Nikolai chuckle.
"You think I didn't notice you shadowing me? Or the obvious hatred you hold against me? Honestly I feel insulted" he said nonchalantly slowly going back to walking. He heard her follow suit. "You know I do wonder what I did to deserve your anger. I've really tried being nice." No answer from the maid. If she wouldn't answer Nikolai guessed he might as well speak his mind.
"There must be something you hate about me. What it is I do not know. Both Puck and Emilia warmed up to me and seem to trust me. But you and your sister seem distrustful. Especially you. I don't know if it's some irrational hatred or something... I can just tell you I don't plan on hurting anyone. If anything I plan to make Emilia's wishes come true, the girl is an angel and deserves the world..." Still no answer.
"Look if I die they will know it's you. It will be a given, I did warn Puck and Emilia... Look, I don't ask you to be my friend I just ask you to keep things civil. Not really for my sake but for Emilia's... The last thing she needs is more tragedy in her life." He finished off shaking his head. The girl would be hard to get through. But at least she would take the part of being civil to heart.
The village was very similar to some of the abandoned settlements Nikolai had seen in the zone. It felt strange seeing a medieval village is such a good state. As the entered a swarm of children ran towards them.
"Rem! Rem!" They cried as they gathered around them. Nikolai let out a hearty laugh at the sight of this. He would have never guessed she was so popular with kids. "Who is he Rem!?"
"I'm miss Emilia's knight" he quickly responded. They looked at him in awe.
"You don't look like a knight from mommy's stories" one of the kids said.
"That's because I'm a super special knight" he said smiling. "I come from a very far away land!" They all looked giddy at him as they gathered around him. "Rem go ahead with your errands. I'm sure I can handle a few kids" he said patting one of them on the head. Rem looked hesitant at him but nevertheless nodded and walked away. "Do any of you know where I could find the forge?" He asked.
"Me! Me! Me!" They all said raising their hands. Nikolai laughed at their excitement, they were really full of energy.
"Well could you show me the way?" They all pretty much dragged Nikolai pulling his arms as they asked many questions. He did his best to answer, he did leave the less savory parts of his journey out and focused on the adventure aspect.
The forge was hard to miss. The clanking of metal, the blistering heat, and the smell of smelt metal. He saw an older man working on what seemed to be a sword. He quickly noticed Nikolai who was still being dragged by the kids.
"Kids, kids, you don't treat strangers like that!" He scolded. The man was huge and burly, a big white beard and long white hair. His hands black from all the working, and he seemed to be missing an eye.
"It's okay" Nikolai said calmly.
"Mr Gunther! He's Miss Emilia's knight!" One of the kids said. He looked rather confused as he checked Nikolai's armor.
"You're not like any knight I've seen" Gunther said.
"I hail from a faraway land, I've traveled for a long time. But that is beside the point. You see I need help to build these" he said pulling a bullet from each of his weapons. He explained how they were made, the materials, and each part in detail. The kids looked with bright eyes as Nikolai showed the insides of a shotgun shell.
"Hmm this looks like a really delicate job" Gunther said scratching his beard. "I don't think we have anything like this gunpowder you talk about.
"Anything that can cause a small explosion could theoretically work," Nikolai said. He heard a door open he turned around to look at who it was and he went cold. Blonde hair, blue eyes... Nikolai felt a whirlwind of emotions as he saw Tanya standing in front of him, or at least someone who looked like a younger version of her. It was undeniable she was just like her...
"Ah Tanya thank you" Gunther said grabbing the glass of water and downing it quickly. "Sir Knight, this is my younger daughter Tanya."
"My name is Nikolai" he choked out. They all noticed how strangely he started acting.
"Are you okay Sir Nikolai" Gunther asked a bit suspicious.
"Ah... Sorry, it's just that your daughter looks like someone I used to know" Nikolai said. His mind racing reliving all those memories from years gone by.
"I see..."
"Yeah a fellow knight that fell in combat" Nikolai said. "The wounds run deep and I was overwhelmed."
"I see, sorry to hear" Gunther said sympathetically putting his hand on his shoulder. "Anyways, this will be an interesting project. How many do you need?"
"How many can you make? Lord Mather's will foot the bill. I just need a constant supply. Much like a bow, my weapon can't function without bullets or in the case of a bow, arrows.
"Consider it done sir knight! Would you like to stay and watch the creation of the first batch? See if it's up to standard?" Gunther asked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rem, she was carrying four bags all seemingly really heavy. Nikolai thought about it... He could stay, I mean it was her job to carry the bags not his... But... He couldn't, he needed to show to her he wasn't an asshole.
"I'll be back tonight, I need to help Rem carry the bags back," Nikolai said apologetically.
"No worries Sir Nikolai, I'll see you tonight" Gunther said.
Nikolai made his way back to Rem, the swarm of kids in tow. She looked at him curious about why he was back so soon.
"Is sir Nikolai finished?" Rem asked.
"No, I'll be back tonight, after I help you carry those bags" he said.
"There is no need" she said showing no emotion.
"I insist" he said smiling taking Rem by surprise.
"Very well" she simply replied. Nikolai turned to go to the kids and smiled.
"Kids, I promise I will visit, and I will tell you more stories!" He said grinning.
"Yay" they said happily. Then Nikolai something curious a girl he hadn't noticed before carrying a small puppy. Nikolai instantly fell in love with the puppy.
"I'll see you later too little guy" he said petting the dog. He quickly realized the dog was having none of it and tried biting his hand, he barely got it out in time. "Aren't you a feisty one!?" Nikolai said laughing.
The walk home was very much like the walk to the village, tense. The girl seemed to have relaxed just a bit. Nikolai quickly realized how heavy those bags were. He couldn't explain how the girl had been so unphased by it.
"Do you need help sir knight?" Rem asked.
"While I appreciate the offer it's nothing. I used to carry weights like this every day" he said dismissively. "At least this is a straight road with no mountains" he said laughing.
"You are not what Rem expected" Rem said surprising Nikolai.
"What did you expect of me?" He asked curiously.
"A monster, a fiend" she simply replied.
"Yikes, didn't know you had such low opinion of me" Nikolai said cringing. "How about this? I'll tell you more about myself and you tell me more about yourself?"
"Seems like a fair deal" she said.
"Well let me start, the country I come from is called Ukraine. The zone was just a small area in the country but it was seemingly expanding."
"Me and my sister were born in a small village" she said. He did except something like that.
"My mom died when I was young, leaving me and my sister alone as father was out in the zone. Big sis died a while back after entering the zone" he said a bit somberly. "Dad died later..."
"Why go there then?" Rem asked. "If it's caused nothing but sorrow why go?"
"Well this is what my family knows best... I refuse to let their memory die and so I felt responsible. That and back then I had hope my father was alive and went looking for him." Rem looked at him, not with the usual disdain but with a semblance of sympathy.
"You have the tenacity of a demon" she said complementing him or at least it may have been like that.
"Tenacity of a demon huh?" Nikolai said. "I like the sound of that!" He said giving her a smile.
"Do you like demons?" She asked hesitantly. Where was this coming from Nikolai wondered?
"Well I've never met one but they seem really interesting, who knows some may be nice" Nikolai said. He cringed when he thought of what his father would have said. He would have beaten his ass for such heresy. His father was a deeply religious man and telling him this would have warranted a good ass-kicking.
Then Nikolai saw something he didn't expect, Rem gave him a smile. The first time he had seen her smile, it was... Wow...
"Good to see you smile once in a while" Nikolai said laughing.
"I'm telling Miss Emilia" she simply said.
"I mean tell her, just don't twist my words" he said jokingly.
Nikolai felt as if his arms were about to fall off. He caught Emilia on his way to the kitchen and explained to her that he would be out tonight. Much to her distaste, but he promised he would be back.
The sun was already setting as he made his way to the village. This time his Kalashnikov in hand. The night walk was bound to be more dangerous. He took his night-vision goggles just in case. His mind went back to the progress he had made with Rem. She seemed at least a bit more relaxed. Well relaxed enough to not kill him. His thoughts were quickly interrupted when he saw a young man running towards him.
"Sir knight! Help!" He yelled. Nikolai with finger on the trigger got closer to him.
"What happened!?" He asked worriedly making sure to look around him.
"The kids... Mabeasts took the kids into the forest" he said panting. Nikolai went completely cold. What!? He didn't know what mabeasts were but it sure as hell not good.
"Okay... Go to the manor warn everyone. I'll go ahead and get the kids back" he said. The young man quickly nodded and left running. Nikolai also started running as fast as his legs let him. In the distance he could hear screams, he pushed himself even harder as he saw women crying and men seemingly readying whatever they had in hand to get back their kids.
"Nikolai!" Gunther yelled. "They took them all!" Nikolai could hear the despair in his voice.
"I heard, I sent the young man to the manor, backup should arrive soon enough."
"We can't wait!" He yelled angrily.
"And we won't" he said trying to calm him down. Point me in the direction they went. I'll go get them back" he said seriously. Gunther nodded and guided him to the hole in the fence. Seemingly one of the crystals was not working.
"The crystal that kept the mabeasts out is not working... They went that way" he said. Nikolai nodded and crouched on the ground. The tracks were fresh, with any luck he would be in time.
"Wait for whoever Roswall sends and tell them which direction I went. For now the only thing you can do is make sure no more mabeasts make it in the village." Nikolai said.
"I swear on the dragon I won't let them come back" Gunther said, the rest of the men nodding.
"Very well, I'll get the kids back." And with that Nikolai entered the forest. He quickly followed the trail, looking to his sides. Making sure nothing would get a jump on him. His heart threatening to burst out of his chest. It was just like in the zone. But this time kids were involved. God it made it all ten times worse.
The trail opened up to a field. He saw the kids ordered in a neat row. His heart sank. He quickly ran up the hill. He checked the kids for wounds. They all had some sort of bite. Their breathing was ragged. They were pale as ghosts. God he didn't know how to treat this. Gunshot wounds yes, this? Hell no. The girl that looked like Tanya grabbed onto him clutching his arm.
"They took one..." She said softly.
"Rest now little one" he cooed. "I'll get you all out." He heard footsteps approaching. He aimed his rifle and got ready to shoot. He saw a familiar figure appear from the trees. It was Rem.
"Nikolai! What happened!?"
"The-the kids they are weak. I have no clue what happened!" Rem kneeled next to one of the kids. Her face darkening as she saw the bite wound.
"They were cursed..." She said solemnly
"What the hell does that mean!?" Nikolai asked shaken. He had seen people die but this was different. They were kids, they had all their lives in front of them. "Doesn't matter... Get them back to the village. I don't care how, cure them. They said one was dragged deeper into the forest."
"It's too dangerous" Rem protested.
"I don't care. Take them now! After you're done you can follow but save them!" He pleaded his voice shaking. Rem saw how distressed he was and simply nodded.
"Good, I'll get the last kid back" he said confidently following the next pair of tracks. Why did the creatures only take one kid deeper into the forest? It didn't make sense unless it was a trap... Were they intelligent? It didn't matter now.
Nikolai prayed to whichever god existed that the girl was safe. He crouched near some bushes and saw an unconscious girl. And no enemies in sight. This was definitely a trap.
"Let's do this..." He muttered to himself as he ran in. He kneeled next to the girl and felt her soft breathing. Then he heard it. A shuffling, he quickly aimed his rifle. Some sort of demonic dog walked out of the bushes and growled at him. Red eyes, those spikes... A Doberman from hell he thought. Not wasting a second he shot at it blowing the head clean off.
"That was easier than expected" he muttered. He instantly cursed as he realized he had jinxed. At sure enough a wall of red eyes peered from the forest. Slowly backing away he holstered his Kalashnikov and pulled out his pistol. He backed away slowly to the girl. Not wasting a second one of the mabeast jumped towards him he aimed at it but before he could shoot something shot past him and ripped the head clean off.
He heard the rustling of chains. He saw something he didn't expect. He saw Rem carrying some kind of flail. The thing looked huge and heavy. No wonder she didn't mind carrying the bags!
"The kids are safe. Thank you for making time" she said. Three more mabeast jumped at her. Before Nikolai could shoot she spun around killing two of them with her flail and literally punching one unconscious with her hand.
"Wow you're really strong" Nikolai said as he picked up the unconscious girl.
"That's not a nice thing to say to a maiden" Rem scolded as she killed another mabeast.
"When we get out of here I promise to sing praises about your beauty" he said. He was taken by surprise when he saw Rem blush. They both saw more mabeast come out of the bushes they were severely outnumbered.
"If we didn't have to carry this kid I would like our odds" he said seriously. "But right now we have to run. Rem mind making an opening?" Rem nodded and quickly slammed her flail against the ground. Using the dust as cover they both started running. While carrying the girl bridal style he was of no use. He did the only thing he could do. He put her over her shoulder much like a bag, giving him move mobility and the ability to actually shoot back.
"Straight" Rem said. Nikolai just nodded and kept running. They needed to get to the village to have a fighting chance no matter how slim. "The barrier is back up. The fighting will stop when we make it." Well that made things even better in Nikolai's opinion. He saw a mabeast flying through the air dead.
"Jesus Christ this girl is something else" Nikolai muttered. After a few minutes he could distinguish the faint lights from the village. "Rem we're almost there!" When he turned back his blood went cold. Rem was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. She looked like hell... The earth shook violently, Nikolai couldn't make out how. But then he saw it. A goddamn avalanche heading towards them. He saw as Rem dashed towards him and pushed him out of the way. Then it hit her... She was sent flying through the air. Once she landed she didn't move. Nikolai looked at the motionless body in shock.
It happened again... He could do nothing... God... "Rem!!!" He yelled his eyes threatening to water up. Why!? Why does everyone but him die!? Tanya... Miche... Roman... Everyone they all died but he was still here. He was the only one left standing. He saw as they got surrounded by mabeast. He quickly noticed the puppy. That same puppy that had tried to bite him. As he took aim at the mabeast he heard chains rustling. He saw as Rem slowly stood up. A bright horn slowly protruding from her skull. Some sort of pinkish energy emanating from it.
"God... What is this?" Nikolai muttered in shock. Rem slowly walked towards the mabeasts. And then... Her flail was sent flying. She swung it killing many of the creatures.
"MABEAST MABEASTS MABEASTS!" She yelled as she laughed maniacally. She was slaughtering them. She killed every mabeast in sight till she saw on the top of the hill their leader. That damn puppy. She was so busy in fact she didn't see 4 more mabeasts jump out of nearby bushes.
Time slowed down. Without a second thought Nikolai dropped the girl and ran towards Rem. He pushed her out of the way and lifted his left arm. Then he felt it. Rows of teeth sinking into his arm.
"FUCK!!!!!" Nikolai yelled in agony. He shot each one of the mabeast with his pistol. They dropped dead. More mabeast jumped at him he shot one of them but wasn't able to finish the rest as the bit his legs.
"Come get some you сукині сини" he hollered as he dropped his pistol and pulled out his bayonette. Stabbing their skulls. He was running on pure adrenaline. He looked at his left arm, he could make out the bone out of the mangled remains. He slowly turned to look at Rem as he collapsed on the ground.
"Nikolai!" Rem yelled. She kneeled next to him. He was in really bad shape. "Don't die Nikolai" she said as tears formed.
"Heh... I have not... Come this far... To die now..." He choked out. His vision started to blur as he was enveloped by darkness yet again.
Aaaaand cut. Another chapter done. This one was a bit harder to write but I really enjoy how it turned out and I hope you guys do too. Thanks for all the support, it really makes me want to write more. As always feedback is always welcomed. UltimateMetroMan out!Ukrainian lesson of the day, сукині сини: sons of bitches.