Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroinu and 'The Shinigami of Selenus' by 'Takamagahara2012'. They belong to their respective owners.
Enjoy.
The moonlight shone brightly over the silent night sky. An unseasonably warm, humid breeze blew through the air. That night and all seemed to have been so very still and quiet. Yet for the two beautiful elven women fleeing through the dark forest, desperately running from their captors, it was anything but a peaceful evening.
The elves' voluptuous figures were barely concealed by the tattered rags they wore. Their long hair, one golden blonde and the other raven black, flowed behind them as they dashed through the underbrush. The pointed ears and striking features of their faces marked them unmistakably as elven. But it was a shame that around their graceful necks, chains signified their bondage.
They had escaped from the clutches of their hated captors mere hours ago. And now, as ominous sounds approached through the woods behind them, they redoubled their desperate efforts to flee.
They knew who hunted them: the Black Dogs. Once revered mercenaries, champions of the Seven Shield Alliance, they had betrayed their oaths, their leader, the charismatic but ruthless Vult, plunging Eostia into chaos. He'd harnessed the very monsters they'd fought against, forging an unholy alliance that shattered the Seven Shield Alliance. Alicia, Prim, Maia, Kaguya, Ruu Ruu, Claudia, and even Celestine, the Reincarnated Goddess, had all fallen before Vult's brutal might. Now, he aimed to turn Eostia into a playground for his twisted desires, a land where women were mere playthings and dissenters… well, their fate was better left unsaid.
As the elven women ran, the blonde suddenly stumbled and fell with a cry. Her companion rushed to help her up, but they froze in horror as rough, jeering voices rang out. They had been surrounded by a grinning gang of Black Dog mercenaries and their monstrous orc and goblin allies. Lupine smirks played across the faces of their pursuers as they leered hungrily at the two women.
"Well, well," sneered the lead Black Dog, a hulking brute with a scarred face. "Look what the moon dragged in. Back for more, slaves?"
"It's past time you returned to your place and served your new masters!"
The blonde whimpered, her blue eyes wide with fear. The dark-haired elf glared at them defiantly. "Never!" she spat. "Black Dogs, traitors! Have you no honor left?"
The mercenary leader just laughed, unmoved. "Honor? That's a joke. Now get on your knees and start serving, bitches, unless you want us to put you back in chains!"
When the elves refused, snarling in fury, the mercenary waved a hand. "Well, have at 'em boys! Let's show these whores who they belong to."
But the mercenary's next words were drowned out by an inhuman scream. They all whirled to see one of their own clutching at his neck as a figure in dark, tattered robes pounced on him. Bloody teeth sank into the mercenary's throat and he convulsed, arterial blood spraying as the attacker tore into him. The mercenary shuddered and went limp.
Shocked murmurs rippled through the band as they stared in horror at the corpse-like figure feasting upon their companion. Its skin was gray and rotting, flesh sloughing off yellowed bones. The reek of grave dirt and decay hung around it. This was no man - it was one of the undead!
Before they could react, a guttural shriek went up as the orc was tackled by the undead. The creature clung to the green-skinned giant, biting and clawing. In moments, the orc was swarmed by a dozen more undead, their jaws tearing him apart.
Suddenly the clearing erupted into chaos as the mercenaries and monsters realized they were surrounded by a shambling horde of undead. Screams and the clash of weapons rang out as the Black Dogs tried in vain to fight off the endless tide of rotting corpses.
But the mercenaries were ill-equipped for this foe. Blade and bolt could not stop the dead. They were quickly overwhelmed, dragged to the ground and torn to shreds. The orcs, despite their strength, fared no better. They were swarmed under a tide of grasping gray hands.
The goblins were the most helpless of all. Small and weak, they were snatched up, their high-pitched shrieks cut off as undead jaws crunched through their bones. The elven women huddled together, watching in numb horror as their former captors were massacred before their eyes.
After long moments, an eerie stillness fell as the last mercenary fell, his scream choked off. The elves trembled as they looked around at the sea of bodies, the only sound the wet chewing of the undead. But then they gagged as the foul stench hit them.
Through the press of undead, a new figure glided into view, moving with the ease of a specter. It wore a long black coat over dark clothing, with a brass mask hiding its face behind three glowing green lenses. Its hands were hidden in black rubber gloves from which protruded odd metallic tools. As the elves stared, the figure was joined by two more similar forms, their masks different - one bulbous with three eyes, one bald and masked.
The lead figure fixed them with its unsettling gaze and spoke in a rasping, unnatural voice.
"Well now, what have we here? Two more rats in my domains, I see. You'd best explain why you trespass..."
The elves clutched each other in fear, backing away from the horrific figure. "P-please!" the blonde begged. "We meant no disrespect! We're just trying to escape!"
The figure cocked its head, lenses whirring. "Escape? From whom? Who sent you fleeing into my woods?"
The dark-haired elf swallowed hard. "The...the Black Dogs. They captured us, enslaved us. We broke free and were running from them when..."
"When we found you," the figure finished. It looked to its companions. "It seems we interrupted a little hunt. You're welcome to share the kill."
The elves froze as the figures glided towards them, looking like carrion-crows. Only one thought hammered through their minds:
What have they stumbled into now?
Well, hope this is the story that is the closest thing I can give for this unconventional chapter I am doing, actually.
If you have anymore stories that you think are utterly written awfully, let me know in the comments below.
As always...
Ciao...