Hey Guys! Crescent Rider here and I am back with another chapter of the story!
But before you all begin, I just want to announce that I'll try to update two Chapters at the end of September. That way, I can finish the first season and go on with the next story.
That is all, and enjoy the chapter!
Central Colony Capital
After Nadia's declaration to free the western regions, preparations are underway as Nadia's army was all packed up and ready to go.
Reese and his group are armed with modernized weapons such as daggers with sharper edges that can cut through thick layers of metal like butter, rune armor that cannot be broken so easily, and rune stones that are used as communication devices.
Also, Reese carries around a gun staff of Nadia's invention. A blade beneath the barrel, its ammunition is magic charges than regular bullets, and a short stock by the end of the staff.
Osman and his group had geared up as well, however, they were wearing robes that are embedded with a rune that camouflages them, armed with the same daggers as the first group, and wore an improved version of their armor to make them recognizable to their people.
As for Willow, the only thing she held was a communication crystal as she prefers raw power over weaponry. The same can be said for her subordinates; though some have evolved to the same species as Willow.
There are also several large spiders present, and some carried
And the last one was Nadia herself, she wore light armor that was made from the minerals she found in the underground capital, a hooded cloak that hides her weapons, a sword on her right, and a modified pistol on her left. Around her were the underlings she had hypnotized and acted neutral as they did before.
"Are we ready, Everyone?" Nadia questioned,
"Yes, we only await for your command," Reese replied,
Nadia nods then she turns to Zen, Alia, and "You know your duties?"
"Stay here and keep the kids safe," Zen said, "We got it,"
"And reassured, Nothing will happen to them," Da Vinci promised,
Nadia acknowledges Da Vinci's word and turns back to Reese, "Let's get going,"
With that, everyone marches their way out of the gate while Zen, Alia, and a few other ants watched as they all left the capital and make their way through the desert with Osman's guidance.
Once the group was no longer in sight, the gates closes and everyone who remained prayed for their safe return...
Meanwhile...
The Demon Lord's Subordinate was sitting by his bed slacking when an ant came to his chambers and prostrated before him.
"What is it now?" The Subordinate questioned,
"Um... A Visitor has just arrived, Milord," The Servant Ant announced,
"Send them away," The Subordinate replied while waving his way in shooing manner, "I'm busy,"
"B-But... He states that he came here under the orders of the Demon Lord," The Servant Ant said,
"Don't care, just give him his share and send him away," The Subordinate said,
Then loud thuds of footsteps entered the room and the Servant Ant shuddered to the side as this visitor stands by the foot of the bed.
"That's no way to treat your visitors, Astranul," The Visitor mockingly scolded, "Just think of all the trouble I went through to be here,"
The Subordinate, now known as Astranul, recognizes the voice and sat upstraight from his bed.
Before him was a tall man with an average muscle build, pale skin, red glowing eyes, and his mouth and cheeks were covered by a black iron mask. His coveralls consists of black armor, gauntlets with blades attached to the back of his arms, and a couple of spike features on the edges of his pauldrons, chest plate, cuirass, greaves, and feet.
"Oh, it's you... Why are you here?" Astranul irritatingly questioned,
"I was sent here," The Visitor stated, "And here I find you slacking off as I expected,"
"He sent you? Why the hell would he send you of all people?" Astranul complained, and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why can't it be her or someone less annoying than you,"
"Do you honestly believe that I want to be here? If it weren't for my boredom, I would have declined the order," The Visitor stated,
"Boredom, eh? If that's your problem, why not you go out there and kill some ants?" Astranul suggested and reaches out for some fruit,
"Ugh, the mere sight of them bores me as well. These things hold little to no challenge. They aren't even worth crushing for," The Visitor stated, "You, on the other hand, are more worthless that these insects,"
Astranul takes a large bite of the fruit and chews on it before frowning at the Visitor.
"That's offensive, comparing me to these things," Astranul said with his mouth full, then swallows the fruit and stood right out of bed, "You should know, that I'm more capable than any of these things. Hell, I'm above these pieces of trash, Look,"
Astranul turns to the Servant Ant, and activates his skill, "You!"
"Y-Yes!" The Servant Ant responded,
"Kill this guy already," Astranul ordered, and the Servant Ant's body suddenly moved on its own,
It then grabbed a small knife from a table and unwillingly charged toward the Visitor. The latter did nothing as the knife broke in contact with his armor, then he grabs the Servant Ant by the head and lifted him from the floor with no effort at all.
Then he crushes the Servant Ant's head with enough force to kill him instantly and the body soon went limp. The Visitor then dropped the Servant Ant onto the floor and his blood leaked all over the floor and carpet.
"Couldn't have at least thrown him at the window? He's messing up the floor," Astranul stated,
"This is your stronghold isn't it, shouldn't you be the one cleaning it?" The Visitor mockingly said, then turns his back on him and marches his way towards the door,
But he momentarily stops and glanced at Astranul, though he looks away a moment later, "You should be aware... That I wasn't the only one concerned for your authority,"
The Visitor soon left the room and Astranul watched as the former passed through the open doors and closed them with a skill he possesses.
Astranul then wondered to himself about what his comrade said. When his assumptions were directed to the Demon Lord, he clenched his fists and wandered all over the room with newfound anger in his mind.
Then, he stops by the deceased ant and glares at it. Before long, he grits his teeth in anger and started kicking the lifeless body despite its blood dirtying all over the floor again.
Once he had cleared his head, he rubbed both sides of his head and sat down on his bed, 'So I'm weak, huh? Once I've gotten my hands on that Princess, I'll show you that I ain't so weak in your eyes,'
Back to Nadia
Traveling from the Central Capital to the Western Region was long and harsh. But Nadia and her army endured especially when Nadia brought enough provisions to make them last for weeks of travel.
The time was also short as Osman and his group acted as their guide and they avoid the necessary dangers such as the battles of rivaling colonies and constant monsters roaming about.
When they were nearing Western Territory, Osman and his group stopped and Nadia went to his side.
"Are we getting close to the Western Regions?" Nadia questioned,
"We are, but we're now standing in Western Territory. Any further, we'll stumble upon the nearest Ant Colony," Osman stated,
"If that's the case, I will go on ahead while the rest of you follow from the shadows," Nadia ordered, then she turns to Reese and Willow, "As for the rest of you, you are all on standby. When I signal you, make your way to the first ant Colony,"
"Understood," Reese said,
"Though I prefer to stay by your side at all times. But today is important, so I follow you on this one," Willow followed,
"And remember, fight only when it's necessary and keep yourselves safe until we get back," Nadia reminded,
"Right!" Everyone excluding Osman's group responded,
"Let's get going," Nadia ordered,
"We're right behind you," Osman responded,
With that discussion, Nadia and Osman's group pressed onward and they made their way to the first ant colony.
A Few Hours Later...
It was night time and the two groups arrived just meters away from the first ant colony. The colony was almost similar to a human village, though it was constantly patrolled by the Queen's Guards and some of the Subordinate's Underlings.
With ant skirmishes are lessen during the night, Nadia had formulated a plan in setting an outpost in this colony.
"Alright, Osman. Here's the plan," Nadia said and drew a simple drawing of the colony and its entrances, "First, I'll blend in with your people and have one of our 'friends' here accompany me. After I've located the Queen's Nest, I will free her and Heiress from the enemy and signal you with a whistle,"
"What kind of whistle?" Osman questioned,
Nadia made a ring with her right thumb and index finger placed it into her mouth, and demonstrated her whistle to him. To which, he nods in response.
"Stick to the shadows, I'll be right back," Nadia said then used a skill called [Facade] to disguise herself as a Western Ant and made her way to the colony with an Underling beside her.
When Nadia and her escort made their way to the entrance of the colony, they were stopped by another Underling, "Hey, state your business,"
"I'm just here grabbing some supplies for me and my boys," Nadia's Underling said, though the message telepathically came from her, "We plan on returning to the Western Capital to deliver a runaway princess from Captivity,"
"Where are they now?" The Underling questioned,
"Just meters away from this town," Nadia's Underling responded and pointed in a certain direction,
"Why don't they just come here?" The Underling inquired,
"Can't, the boss said that we need to bring her back now before our lord gets our necks for it," Nadia's Underling responded, "As I recalled, he's been getting impatience since he's been having some problems controlling a colony lately,"
"Okay, but why do you have one of those things with you?" The Underling questioned,
"We thought it'd be a good idea to have an ant help out on directions. This isn't the colony we're assigned with, you know," Nadia's Underling stated, "And don't worry about it biting, one of our guys applied a [Bind] Spell to ensure she remains obedient,
The Underling steps over and stretches his hand towards Nadia's neck. Then, it soon reveals a Small Magic Circle located at the neck and looked rather convinced to the story.
"Okay then, you go on ahead," The Underling said, and makes way for him,
Nadia then enters the colony with her Underling, though she smirks to herself for her success.
[You still have it in you? Huh, Nadia?]
'Of course, I haven't. If I didn't, then I would only bring shame to myself,' Nadia said,
As for how Nadia managed to deceive the Underling, she fabricated a fake magic circle that portrays the [Bind] Spell on her neck while keeping her magic power to a minimum with her [Mana Supression] Skill.
Thus making her an average person among the crowd of ants.
Though as she enters the colony, she glances around and notices the treatment that these ants had to go through. Some were harassed on the streets, some had their food taken regardless if the ant is young or old, and there was also a death match between an Underling and a Common Ant.
The very sight of these things infuriates her, though she trained herself to endure such things as the mission matters more than a handful of these people and the ants' resentment would prove useful to her advantage...
As she browses through the buildings, she soon stumbles upon what appears to be a tavern that seems out of place compared to the other structures made by the Western ants.
First, she and her underling entered the tavern and most of the occupants were Underlings drinking and eating to their heart's content while a few Ants served as its employees.
Nadia looks around and finds the tavern rather suitable to be in. Thus, she hummed in approval and goes into action...
"Excuse me," Nadia called out loud, and both the occupants and employees shifted their attentions to her, "I'm very sorry to disturb you all, but can anyone tell me where I can find the Queen's Nest?"
The Underlings in the Bar glanced at each other, then one of them approaches Nadia and seemingly towers before her.
"The Queen's Nest, huh? And why would like to know about that?" The Bar Underling mockingly questions while leaning toward her,
With his face up close to hers, Nadia swiftly pulls a dagger from her right hand and stabs the Underling from the chin up to the brain.
"I have some important business with her," Nadia politely answered before pulling the dagger out of the Underling's skull,
the rest of the occupants were soon alarmed by the death of their own and stood up from their chairs.
[Activating [Barrier] Skill]
Upon activation, a barrier blocks off all possible routes of escape...
[No one comes in or out]
"Good," Nadia muttered, disables her [Facade] skill, and pulled out another dagger on hand,
Some of her enemies were infuriated when they saw her kill one of their own, and four attempted to gang up on her. But Nadia evades their grasp by jumping straight into the air, then comes crashing down on one of them.
Killing that underling instant as his back was crushed under Nadia's foot. With immense speed, Nadia swirls around with her daggers and decapitated the three other underlings into three separate pieces.
The other underlings were soon enraged by this, grabbing either their weapons or anything they can get their hands on.
Though Nadia didn't care about the numbers and weapons they had as she activates certain skills to handle the scenario. Although, she took this as more of an experiment than an actual battle...
The first skill was [Thought Acceleration]. Once active, Nadia noticed that the underlings' movements were slower than hers. As if time was slowing down as well...
'So this is [Thought Acceleration]... Who knew such a thing could affect my perception so greatly,' Nadia commented while narrowingly avoiding their attacks,
After several minutes of dodging their attacks, Nadia jumps in mid-air when a total of five enemies tried to thrust their swords at her. Then she lands in the middle with one foot and her daggers at the ready.
'Next,' Nadia declared,
[ You've got [Ultra Acceleration] due to your experience in your first life. Give it a go]
'If you say so,' Nadia agreed, and the skill activates upon her approval,
In one swift motion, she swirls around with her daggers directed at the five underlings around her, and seemingly blinked onto the counter.
The five underlings flinched for a brief moment, then their heads lopped right off of their necks and a fountain of blood spews out before their bodies fell on the floor.
Some of the underlings got sprayed with blood. When they wiped it off and stared, they began to panic and bolted their way towards the exits.
But Nadia's [Barrier] prevents them from escaping. As for the rest of the underlings, they had to discover this barrier just now and concluded that defeating her will dispel the barrier.
'What's next? Cause I feel like a cheat with these things,' Nadia said,
[A Lot Actually. I can't even get an exact number too]
'Just give me something already' Nadia requested,
[Alright. And to be honest, these guys aren't worth it]
'A statement that I can agree on,' Nadia said,
[How about this [Darkness] skill?]
'Let's try it out,' Nadia declared, and the skill activates upon her permission,
Then the room was soon engulfed in darkness and the Underlings were virtually blinded by the effects of this skill. As for Nadia, she was excluded from the skill and only she could see the Underlings.
'They can't see us?' Nadia muttered,
[That's the effect of the Skill. It makes them virtually blind as long as it remains active.]
'Interesting,' Nadia remarked, 'And since it's going to be like that, I might as well try another Skill in mind...'
Nadia then uses another skill in her arsenal and played with the minds of the Underlings. They began seeing monsters beyond anything they'd seen and frantically waved their weapons all over the place, shoved each other, and some went as far as to tackle one of their comrades and beat him to death with his bare hands.
This skill is called [Nightmare], and it causes the user's target/s to see either their deepest fear or unspeakable horror that's out to kill them. It also affects their vision as they see their comrades as monsters rather than their allies.
In a matter of minutes, the remaining number of enemies was down to at least five people and they were far away from each other. Thus, Nadia finishes them off with her daggers.
Once the bar was clear of enemies, Nadia dematerializes her daggers and approached the counter where the ant employees and her underling went as soon as all of this began.
Nadia first approached the ants, and leaned toward them, "Greetings,"
Then she offers a hand to them, "I've come to help,"
The ants were utterly confused by this and hesitant to take her hand. But when she killed the Subordinate's men, one of them reaches out for her hand.
Nadia then pulled the ant up from his feet and kept a positive attitude toward them.
"I hope don't mind the mess I made. But I've got a few questions that I need to ask of you," Nadia said while telepathically ordering her under to something important...
Western Capital
The Visitor that came under the orders of the Demon Lord was seen attending some sort of arena that Astranul established.
Not only did he enter the arena, but he also participated in the matches to kill some of his boredom.
The result of his participation led to one-sided matches as he demolished every contestant with ease. Regardless if his opponent is either an ant or an underling.
Even when he faced the pro-claimed champion of the arena, he had little to no expectation towards him as he finished him off with just two moves.
Grabbing his face, then smashes his head once against the hard ground.
Now, he sits on a large chair he often brings and waits for an opponent that would match his strength...
That is for this chapter, everyone! As you may all wonder, will this Visitor fight Nadia and quench himself from his boredom?
The answer is no. For I have other plans for this character.
Also, I wanted to make this character closely similar to a Starcraft Character. The Highlord of the Tal'darim, Alarak. But this is all I can do and I will try to make it better.
That is all I have to say, stay safe from the virus, and I will see you all in the next chapter!
