Previously: The Siberian appeared in Lailight Scintillation - the capital of Roshal. Roshal is the country of [Slavers] and Sibby was caught and bound as a Djinni. She was sold to Riqre'ma Medaale who performed vile experiments on [Slaves] and twisted them in both body and mind to serve him. Also there was Laila - a Stringfolk [Flayed Slave] who's class let her survive having her head modified. Sibby eventually killed everyone with the help of the memory of William Manton. She and Laila (who's now a [Stitch Selphid] inside the body of her previous owner - Zehia) escaped towards Pomle, and saw the meeting of the rulers. Sibby decided to help Tiqr, and has been waging a one-woman war on the army sent by the Illivere Federation. However, multiple other countries have also sent their armies...
The war was not going well.
Tiqr had skilled people, large animals, intimate knowledge of the terrain, and a willingness to fight to the last breath. In contrast, the opposing nations had more troops. A lot more troops. They hadn't even sent their best [Soldiers]. Any single invading army Tiqr could've easily held off.
All of them?
It was less of a drawn out fight and more of a wild race to protect its citizens from the inevitable.
...And Laila wanted to help.
The problem was that a former bed slave didn't have any Skills that were applicable to the situation. The ones that she still had, despite losing her class, really wouldn't work with her new monstrous body. She'd thought about fighting, but she was no [Soldier].
Zehia's cursed body was faster, tougher, and stronger than most other people, but that didn't help in a war.
...Or so she'd been told.
Even Tiqr's wild troops used discipline. More discipline than others would imagine. They had to. It was the only way to use animals in a war.
In contrast, Laila just didn't have the proper mindset. She didn't really want to fight. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She knew how much pain came from such things, and she just couldn't stand it.
She'd tried to be a [Healer], but her claws got in the way.
She'd tried being an escort, but even skirmishes were too much for her. Her body wanted to go berserk. It took all her effort not to start killing. She knew that if she did... she wouldn't stop at just her foes. The blood class Zehia had was too potent.
But, she'd finally found a way to be useful. Laila had even gotten a new class!
[Runner].
Not [Swift Runner] or [Nimble Runner] or [Barefoot Runner]. Just, [Runner].
It was as basic as could be... and Laila loved it!
There was a thrill of freedom in striding across the plains. It was something she'd remembered doing as a child, but [Slaves] were never allowed to run - not even as exercise.
It also filled her with joy for actually being able to contribute in some small way. There were two major reasons to use a [Runner] rather than relying on Message Spells. The first was that [Runners] were more secure. Important orders and supplies could be delivered by high-level experts without opposing [Mages] intercepting them.
Laila, of course, wasn't that sort of [Runner]. Not only was she a foreigner, she was also low-level. Zehia's body was powerful enough that Laila could sprint for hours, but that didn't make up for her lack of Skills.
However, the second major type of [Runner]? The one that ran two and fro and kept the populace updated? She could do that. It might not seem important, except for the people she visited.
Everyone wanted news. Not just in a passive sense. They needed to know where the invading armies were, so they could run away. Refugees were an issue that Tiqr couldn't overlook, and Laila was making a real difference in their lives when she came to them with news.
She was running to a small village named Lipn near the west side of the northern border. Directly north of Tiqr was the Great Zeikhal Desert. Nothing really lived there, and Tiqr's border was more of a line on the map than anything truly contested. It ran from Pomle to where the Oliphant river curved to the west and into Killale.
At least it was called the Oliphant river in Tiqr because it flowed next to the capital city to the south. Laila assumed it was called something else in Killale.
Liqn was to the east of the river, and as such it wasn't directly in the way of any invading forces. Compared to that, the city that sat on the border and along the Oliphant river - Kanga - was much more hotly contested. Killale had wanted it for years, and they'd pushed hard.
Of course, the Oliphant river let Kanga receive supplies and reinforcements quickly. Further south, Killale was pressing in, but Kanga had yet to be conquered. For now. As a [Runner], Laila got news from all over Tiqr, and she knew the war wasn't going well.
At least she had someone to keep her company while she ran.
Kinda.
Long way down.
Zehia was endlessly falling and those words repeated themselves in her mind. It had become a mantra for her. A poetic way to sum up what had happened. She wasn't just falling deeper into her mind, she'd fallen from grace. Fallen out of favor. Been cast aside. It was a...
Long way down.
'I don't think I'll make it on my own.'
The presence spoke to her. Or were those her own thoughts? Zehia couldn't really tell anymore. Not that it mattered. All that mattered was that it was a long way down and she still fell.
'I don't want to live in here alone.'
That... was different.
Zehia mentally paused. That wasn't... it wasn't what the presence was usually like. It had tried speaking to her. Cajoling her. Offering meaningless platitudes or baseless words of advice. This time? It felt more like the presence was talking to itself and Zehia was listening in.
She still was falling a long way down, but... but...
'I don't think I'll make it on my own.'
But she wasn't falling as... fast?
How did that make sense. She had such a long way down, but she found herself listening in. The familiar presence was... sad? Afraid? Lonely?
Yes. Lonely.
That was obvious. The presence had never been alone ever since...
The thought slipped from Zehia's fingers. She'd almost remembered whom the presence was. She almost remembered who SHE was.
Time passed. Zehia fell, but not as fast or as deep. She had nothing except the presence, and now that it wasn't focusing on her, Zehia didn't push it away.
Instead she... listened. A part of her told her she was eavesdropping, but that was... wrong? Okay? Expected? Part of her job?
She felt like she was on the edge of remembering something.
The one bad thing about being a [Runner] was the loneliness. Others would probably have said the boredom, but Laila didn't get bored. Doing nothing was something to be treasured.
Then again, solitude used to be something even more valuable. She was never alone. Even when she'd been locked away or in her private chambers, Laila hadn't been alone. There were other people, other [Slaves] that knew where she was. A stifling presence as her time wasn't her own and anyone could come in and order her around at any moment.
The idea that she could be lonely was... absurd.
Of course, there had been people she'd cared for over the years. People like Sibby who treated her nice. Who she looked forward to seeing each day. Not seeing them after they were taken away or killed was...
Yes. She supposed she had felt lonely in the past, just in a different way.
Laila smiled to herself as she kept running. Besides, she wasn't really alone right now, was she? Zehia wasn't much of a talker, but she got the sense that her former owner was listening to her. Part of Laila wanted to go on a tirade.
She could mentally yell about the things Zehia had done to her. About how her ability to have her face cut off was a horrible experience. How the times they'd been together had been degrading.
Laila thought she could even show Zehia those times from her own point of view to make her really understand.
But... why? What would that accomplish? Being angry just made you an angry person. And... Zehia hadn't been that bad. She had suffered enough. She was continuing to suffer.
If anything, Laila should share the moments that she remembered fondly.
Black and white.
It was an odd thing for Zehia to think about, but there it was. A stark contrast. Two opposite things. That was how she felt right now. The presence was white, and she was black.
Or... was she white and the SECOND presence was black? The one that she felt even now. The one she was running away from. Falling away from...
Then, another memory came to her. An image of a woman that was black and white. Zehia recoiled as if she'd been burnt. There was something there. Something painful. If not the woman herself, then something that had happened because of the black and white woman.
But... The white presence... was nice. Nice in every way that the black presence was dark.
Zehia began to remember.
They were brief flashes. Disjointed. Out of order. But the way they made her feel was... nice.
...Until something happened. The white world faded and Zehia was left alone with the darkness.
"No..." Laila gasped as she entered Lipn's town square.
She'd had a sense of dread as she'd entered the village. The surrounding farms had been abandoned and the streets had been strangely empty. That had been a little unusual. People fled of course, but normally a few stayed behind to fight, hide, or surrender.
Lipn wasn't in the path of any army, so they should've been safe. In fact, Laila was fairly sure that if push came to shove, the people of Tiqr would escape this way. The Zeikhal Desert wasn't exactly the best location to flee to, but considering that every other bordering country was hostile, except for Pomle, there wouldn't be much choice.
Instead of a living, but scared, village. She'd found an execution site. The only thing the village square had held was a stack of corpses.
She heard movement.
Laila turned her head just in time for her improved eyes to see someone laying on the roof with a crossbow!
As fast as she was, as good as her eyes were, and as amazing as this body's reflexes were - she couldn't track the bolt that flew towards her. Laila twisted her body and nearly managed to avoid it. The quarrel took her in her left shoulder and she stumbled to the ground due to its impact and her attempted dodge.
Laila staggered to her feet when another bolt hit her right calf. Pain flared from the wounds but it was nothing. Even without [Ignore Pain] she would've been able to easily push through it. She'd suffered worse.
She half stumbled, half fell around the side of a building as she narrowly avoided the next shot.
What to do? What to do?
She was hurt, but she could ignore it. Her body was strong. She might have a limp, but surely she could outrun... whatever this was?
Laila didn't know. Before that, she had something important to do. Her claws fumbled with her satchel and she pulled out her speaking stone. It wasn't a very good one. Tiqr didn't have a supply of them on hand. It was for emergency use only. It could send a distress Message one time, and that was it.
Laila activated the stone... only for it to glow briefly before turning dull.
That... that wasn't supposed to happen! She'd remembered the instructions she'd been given. The stone may have been a single use item, but it was supposed to glow while it relayed the message. The only reason it would stop would be... if the Message spell had been blocked.
That was when the [Piercing Shot] went clean through the earthen wall of the house she'd chosen to hide behind... and through her chest.
Laila felt her body slumping to the ground.
Something was wrong. Something worse than the white presence not talking to her!
Zehia's consciousness stirred as the protective presence withdrew. Without it, without her, there was nothing stopping the black presence.
Zehia howled in pain as her eyes opened for the first time since THAT day.
"Oh, would you look at that?" A group of Humans stood above her. "Not quite dead."
"Look at this." One of them pulled out a seal from a bag. "She was a [Runner]. We're in trouble!"
"Ha! Not likely." Another person wearing the same uniform said with a smug smile. "[Runners] die in wars all the time. The Runner's Guild might make a fuss, but even if they do for some reason, it's impossible to tell exactly where they vanished." He grabbed the seal from the second person and tossed it onto Zehia's lap. "We're fine."
"Shouldn't we bury her or something? Hide the body?" A younger looking Human said from the side.
"Nah." The smug Human grabbed her hair and pulled her head up. "We were going to burn all the corpses anyway. Can't have undead rising at our backs. She'll make good kindling."
"Is, is it okay to say that?"
"What?" The Human let go and turned to the other [Soldier]. "What do you care, Dillver? Huh? She was dead the moment she set foot in this town. Besides." He kicked Zehia's leg. "Look at her. Filthy Stitchfolk turning themselves into monsters! I bet she'd use those claws she had sewn on to gut you in a second."
"Ha." Zehia coughed. "You're right about that."
"Huh?" The Human kicked her again. "What was that you pile of yarn? Got something to say?"
"Yeah... I do..." Zehia coughed again and her blood splattered onto her chest. "First, gloating is stupid. I found that out for myself in a very visceral lesson. Second, [I'm Taking You With Me]."
What an ironic fucking Skill to have gained from leveling up last. She didn't know what it did, but she was about to find out.
Zehia's hand shot out and grabbed the Human's leg. Her claws dug in deep and shredded his calf.
The other [Soldiers] sprang into action. Two raised crossbows at her while one pulled away the person she'd just wounded. The rest raised their swords.
Too slow.
The pain and sluggishness she'd felt had vanished. No, that wasn't quite right. She dodged one bolt while the other suck into her gut. The pain was still there. Worse than before, even, but it was empowering her.
It hurt. It hurt so much.
The dark presence in her mind surged forward as if it had been waiting for this moment... and Zehia welcomed it.
Laila desperately tried to stem the bleeding. The crossbow bolt had pierced through Zehia's body. Thankfully, it had missed her heart, but it had struck one of the large blood vessels that came from it.
She didn't know what it was called.
She didn't know how to fix it.
She was a [Stitch Selphid], not an actual Selphid. She'd never met a real Selphid, she'd only heard of them. The walking corpses. The living dead. But... not really. She knew enough to know that Selphids were actually creatures that lived inside of dead bodies.
Repairing them. Animating them, but not with Necromancy.
She understood that. She had experience in exploring Zehia's body... but mainly her nervous system. She understood how things were supposed to work. How the lungs breathed in air. How that air mixed with blood somehow. How the heart moved the blood around.
She could 'see' the air-full blood coming in from Zehia's lungs and into the heart. See it pushed throughout the body. See it return to the heart. And then see it spill out into her lungs.
She knew what needed to be done... but not how to do it!
Laila began to wrap herself around the smaller blood vessels. They weren't doing anything except letting blood out. They'd need to be healed eventually, but stopping the bleeding would have to suffice for now.
Laila focused on the big vein. She had an idea. It was a bad idea, but it was the only one she could think of. She extended herself to the spinal cord and the nerves that ran to the heart... and turned it off.
The body couldn't survive without blood. She knew that. She also knew that it could keep going for a while. Just like how you needed to breathe, but you could hold your breath for a time. That was true for most people. It was true for Zehia, and that's what mattered.
Laila quickly wrapped herself around each side of the damaged area. It was starting to stretch her thin. She... just wasn't that big. A real Selphid could probably do this with ease while still touching the brain. Of course, they'd also have to deal with what was going on outside at the same time.
'Please be safe, Zehia.'
Laila put those thoughts out of her mind and turned her attention to the stitches in the heart vein. Stitches she knew. One by one, she pulled them out. When the last one was removed, the damaged vein became torn cloth. Cloth she could work with.
Blood was staining it already, along with the stitches, but that couldn't be helped. Laila took a stitch from each side and began to sew the vein back together. Sewing came naturally to her string body. She moved where she wanted the stitch to be, grabbed the stitch, then pulled herself out of the cloth vein.
She did it twice, then tied the stitches off.
As quickly as possible, she reconnected the vein. As the stitches connected it with Zehia'a life-thread, it morphed from cloth to flesh. The connection wasn't great. She would need to somehow get more threads down here and do a more thorough job later, but for now Zehia had stopped bleeding.
Stopped bleeding here. There were other wounds accumulating that she could sense through the nervous system. What was going on outside?
More! More! More!
She tore through the meat with ease. She stuck to the shadows and ambushed them one-by-one. Their blood was sweet and their flesh succulent. The moist chunks went down her gullet until her stomach was bursting at the seams.
She couldn't eat another bite, but her hunger only grew.
Another troop of Humans moved along the quiet streets. Their eyes darted from side to side. Their postures were hunched and withdrawn - a far cry from her first prey. They had lost their arrogance... and that enraged her even more.
How dare they?!
How dare they look down at her! How dare they hurt her! How dare they try to avoid death at her hands!
She crept up behind the last one. He let out a small 'eep' as her claws wrapped around his neck. It wasn't loud, but the sound was like a gong in the silence of the dead town. Her target stiffened as his companions started to turn.
[Bonesaw Cut]
His blood splattered across his still-living allies faces. They lunged. She swiped.
They hurt her. She hurt them more.
It didn't matter if she was injured. She didn't care if she lived, just so long as all of her opponents died.
She moved on instinct. Her form slunk back into the shadows as her Skills activated. It felt... strange. Natural and foreign. She was used to sneaking around, but all she wanted was to charge her foes. It almost struck her as odd, but nothing else mattered except for their deaths.
She had nothing else.
She had no one else.
'I never put you down.'
The thought came from... somewhere.
That... made her pause.
There was a flicker of something. She recognized that voice. Somehow.
But... that couldn't be true. She had no one but herself... despite feeling split in a strange way.
'I never pushed you away.'
It hadn't?
She was confused.
Her internal dissonance grew. If she hadn't been pushed away, then why was she alone? She'd always had been alone, hadn't she?
She didn't like this feeling. She wanted to rip it to shreds. To claw at the voice that was speaking to her. To rip it apart with her jaws!
'You're not supposed to be that way.'
She wasn't?
No.
No, no, no.
No!
She wouldn't listen. The voice didn't matter! All that mattered was killing. That... that was... her purpose.
'And anything you want-'
"No!" She shouted and clutched her head between her hands. She'd had enough of this! She needed to kill and eat. Eating living flesh! Yes, that was it! That was what her body was made for!
'...there's nothing I can say.'
Then the world turned on its side.
'Is there anything to feel? Is it pain that makes you real?'
Zehia came to. The voice, the presence, it wasn't talking to her. It and the dark rage that had engulfed her were wrestling inside her mind.
"My head hurts." She mumbled to herself as she brought a hand up to her forehead before freezing. "It... it wasn't a dream." She looked at the bloody claws she had instead of fingers. She felt at her mouth. At the fangs that had replaced her teeth. "No..."
Her wide eyes took in the carnage around her. The sight of dead bodies wasn't new, but the claw and... bite marks. "No..."
Zehia staggered to the side and vomited. Her stomach hurt. It was too full. She looked at the bloody chunks she'd just expelled. "No..."
This... this couldn't be real. "Cut me off before it kills me..." She sobbed as she sank to her knees and pushed the world away. She didn't want this! She couldn't handle this!
Long way down.
And then, she was falling again. However, this time, she remembered. She remembered it all. She remembered what Riqre'ma Medaale had done to her!
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Those were the words the presence... that Laila had told her. She understood. It was a long way down and...
"I don't want to live in here alone!" She yelled into the void... but it was only herself. No dark presence. No Laila, just a long way down.
And Zehia? Zehia the [Assassin]? Zehia the problem solver? Zehia who'd killed so many people to protect her country? To defend it from the self-righteous outsiders and the dark heart of Roshal itself?
That Zehia was dead.
She wrapped her arms around herself and cried. Not really, for she had no arms. No eyes. No voice.
She... was alone. As she fell, Zehia mumbled one last thing before falling silent.
'I don't think I'll make it on my own.'
Laila heard Zehia's plea as she wrestled with the cannibalistic urges of the blood class her former owner had. She'd been able to suppress it before, but the dark presence was stronger now.
Hungrier.
Laila could get away by just physically moving herself. The class wasn't a part of her. It was part of this body. Part of Zehia.
But, if she did that, then what would happen to Zehia? She... she was so fragile. Nothing like the Zehia that Laila had known. It was like the dark presence had been feeding on her mind.
So, Laila fought.
It wasn't a grand fight with swords and Skills. It wasn't something that anyone else could perceive or interfere with. It was something that only she could do. A trial of willpower that only she could pass!
...And Laila felt herself losing.
The [Carrion Eater] was too strong now. Zehia's body was injured and her spirit weak, but the blood class was stronger than it had ever been! Always hungry. Never sated.
Even now Laila could sense something happening inside of Zehia's stomach. It wasn't regular digestion, but there was room being made for more flesh. Alive, dead, it didn't matter. She found herself salivating at the thought.
Sibby ate people, so it can't be THAT bad of a thing. Surely just a taste would be fine...
She reached down and tore off an arm.
The red blood was dripping out of it in an enticing way. Dead, but still warm.
Laila inhaled deeply. It smelled soooo good! She hadn't realized just how... appetizing people could be. She should really run away. There were other [Soldiers] around. Zehia's body was injured. She'd done well, but even with her cursed body there was only so many people she could fight at once.
If she was going to run, she'd need energy...
Yes. That made sense. She didn't want to eat the bodies around her, but she had to. She had to do it if she wanted to escape.
Laila's jaw unhinged as she brought the severed limb to her mouth.
'I never put you down.'
What?
'I never pushed you away.'
Those? Those were words she'd said to Zehia in what felt like a lifetime ago. Laila slowly began to lower the [Soldier]'s arm. Should... should she do... something?
Then, Zehia's mind moved. It crashed with the dark hunger while yelling. A yell that only Laila could hear.
'Take another piece of ME! Give MY mind a new disease!'
Laila blinked and then dropped the bloody limb in disgust. What had she been about to do!?
'And the black and white world never fades to gray...' Those were the last words Zehia spoke before she started screaming.
Joy. Anger. Sadness. Rage.
Laila couldn't make out the surge of emotions from the owner of her body. She wasn't sure what was going on.
Zehia... Just. Kept. Screaming.
"There she is!" A shout from her left drew her attention. A group of [Soldiers] were advancing on her position. The leader glared at her with hatred in his eyes. "The monster is to the South-East of the town square." He whispered into a speaking stone.
Oh no. They'd found her. All the work Zehia had done to get them away, and they'd found them because Laila had dawdled over dead bodies instead of running or hiding.
She threw the arm at the group before bolting away!
She fell almost immediately.
Whatever strength the blood class had granted Zehia was gone now. The body was damaged. Blood leaked from a dozen wounds. None of them at the same level as what the [Piercing Shot] had done, but each one slowed her down. In fact, it was hard to breathe. She might've repaired the heart, but the crossbow bolt had done damage to other things as well.
[Blood Control]
Laila activated her Skill as she stood up. It wasn't strong enough to halt the blood coming directly to and from the heart, but the smaller wounds she could fix - at least for a short while. It was temporary, and wouldn't repair any damage, but she wouldn't get worse.
The [Soldiers] were slowly advancing as others no doubt converged on her from the sides. At least they were wary of her because of what Zehia had done.
Laila swayed on her feet. The bloodloss, pain, and exhaustion didn't touch her, but they did make controlling Zehia's body difficult. She KNEW what she needed to do, but her limbs just didn't obey her.
"Ready." The [Soldiers] got on one knee in a line and aimed at her with their crossbows. "Aim." Laila needed to do something, anything, but Zehia's body was too worn out. Without the blood skill empowering it... "Fire." The twangs of the crossbows echoed in the evening air of the slaughtered town.
Laila could see them coming for her. She had to do something... She had other Skills, right?
Of course!
[Hysterical Strength]!
As she activated the Skill for the first time, time seemed to slow down as Zehia's brain released all sorts of chemicals. At the same time, her muscles bulged as tendons pulled at them.
Laila MOVED.
She reached down and grabbed a dead body and managed to interpose it between her and the [Soldiers] before the bolts reached her. There were several meaty thumps as they landed. Laila then raised the corpse over her head and hurled it at them with all her strength.
It didn't reach.
Even with Zehia's body rampaging and her muscles constricting so fast and hard that they damaged themselves, her targets were just too far away. It still got a lot closer than the [Soldiers] expected, and they flinched as a group.
Laila ran.
"[Formation: Rapid Reload]! Shoot her!" The leader shouted, but Laila was already behind a corner and running as fast as she could.
And that was fast! She felt a giggle forming on her lips as she sprinted out of Lipn. She'd got away! She was-
Zehia's right calf muscle gave out.
Laila tumbled to the ground as her momentum made her roll along the road. She looked at the leg. It had been the one that had been shot. Moving it had been hard, and while [Hysterical Strength] had let her run on it, it hadn't healed the damage. In fact, it had made things worse.
Pain signals were coming in from all over. Laila started to crawl away, but she heard faint footsteps approaching.
"What is this?" She looked up at a old human with a long, gray beard, gray robes, a pointy hat, and a staff. He looked down at her with twinkling eyes. "Are you, perhaps, in need of assistance, young lady?"
"H-help... me..." She managed to breathe out.
"Yes." He nodded. "I think I shall." Laila watched as he moved past her towards the approaching [Soldiers]. The old man raised his staff above his head.
"[You Shall Not Pass]!"
The words reverberated as he brought the magical instrument down on the ground with enough force that she could feel the thud from where she was.
A moment passed in silence except for Zehia's heart beating.
Then, the ground shook. Great geysers of steam erupted in front of them as the earth moved! The pressurized gas escaped from the confines of the ground as a chasm opened between them and the [Soldiers]. Laila's eyes went wide as she saw the Skill spread out to the sides as far as she could see. Once the water vapor and dust settled, there was a chasm fifty feet across, and at least several miles wide.
Who was her savior?
Bios:
Gandalf the Grey - OC. A [Wizard], [Wanderer], and [Avatar]. He was dispatched to combat the threat of a great evil - that isn't Sauron.
Zehia Maquet - OC. Was one of Lailight Scintillation's top problem solvers. She is now a [Carrion Eater] with Laila controlling her body.
Laila Yosef - OC. A [Slave] from a very young age. After experiencing a lot of torture managed to get the [Stitch Selphid] class after being eaten by Zehia. Now lives as a life-thread inside of Zehia's body.