Witch of the Ruins (5)
Every time I leaped off a branch, my vision shot backward in a rush.
Was it thanks to my improved night vision? The forest, cloaked in darkness, looked as bright as midday.
It wasn't long before I spotted the horseshoe prints stamped into the ground. They didn't last far, but the desperate traces they hadn't managed to hide stretched clearly onward in one direction.
"Found you."
A smile crept across my lips.
"Huff... huff...!"
"Faster! If you stop, you're dead!"
The knights were sprinting through the forest. Their horses had scattered from the grueling march, so they were desperately churning their legs with the goal of just escaping the woods first.
Their stamina had bottomed out long ago. Was it the heavy armor? Their breaths were clawing up to their throats.
But they couldn't stop. A chilling presence emanated from afar. The terror of death closing in was what kept them moving.
"V-Vice-captain... what happened to her?"
"Shut up! Don't look back!"
The lead knight bellowed. But even his voice carried a faint tremor.
Swordmaster Adelaide had stayed behind. If it was her—one of the kingdom's strongest knights—maybe she could hold off that monster.
No, she had to. It was the only way they'd survive. The only way to contain the disaster early.
Swish. A faint noise from overhead. Too deliberate to be leaves rustling.
The knights instinctively looked up.
And saw it.
"Hi?"
A silver-haired girl hanging upside down from a branch, peering down at them with a smile.
"Hiiik...!"
"How... already...!"
"You bitch! What did you do to the vice-captain—!"
One knight shouted. But their faces were drained white.
She'd promised to buy them time. Risked her life to hold it off.
Yet here she was, less than thirty minutes later?
Then what about the vice-captain?
The worst assumptions they didn't want to imagine flashed through their minds.
Thud. I landed lightly and brushed the dirt off, rising with the leisure of someone back from a stroll.
"Vice-captain...? Oh, that pretty knight lady. Should I call her sis? Not sure. Why so shocked? You thought I couldn't catch up?"
"You demon bitch—!"
Starting with one, they all drew their swords. To shake off the fear, to avenge their vice-captain, to rescue the wounded.
Whatever their reasons, their hands shook uniformly.
I pressed a finger to my lips, pretending to mull it over. That innocent act only amplified their terror.
"Hmm. Wonder what happened to your vice-captain? Killed her? Or let her live?"
"What the hell...!"
"You guys ditched her the second you got the chance. If you're that curious, ask her in the afterlife."
The words barely left my mouth before I vanished into thin air.
The ground rippled around them, shadows lashing out to snare their ankles.
Shwaaak—!
"Arrrgh—!"
"Dodge! Scatter and dodge!"
The knights bolted every which way.
I furrowed my brow and reached out. The shadow stretched long, coiling around a fleeing knight's waist.
"Where do you think you're going."
"W-Wait! Sp-Spare...!"
He was dragged back, clawing at the dirt in futile resistance.
Finally dumped at my feet, he lay there sobbing snot and tears in abject terror.
"Spare me! Please! I'll do anything you say...!"
"Hm."
I propped my chin, gazing down at him.
Spare me. Such a clichéd line. Why did every NPC spit out the exact same drivel? AI limitations? Lazy devs? Didn't matter to me.
"Perfect timing. I wanted to test something."
"Y-Yes...?"
"Stay still. Might hurt a bit, but I won't let you die."
I placed my hand on the knight's body.
Warm body heat. A pounding heartbeat pulsed through my palm.
Always the same unnecessary details. I scowled and channeled mana.
Slither. Black energy wormed its way through his armor gaps, burrowing into his skin.
"Gu... guaaaak!"
He screamed.
Agony twisting his entire body. Mana invading his nerves, forcing his muscles to contract—it had to feel utterly vile.
"Told you not to move."
"Aak—! Aaaaak—!"
"Resisting makes it hurt more, y'know?"
"Please, spare me, I'm sorry! Never again, aak! Please spare me you crazy bitch aaaak—!"
"Oh, it's working."
"Aak! Aaaaak! My—my arm!"
Crack. His arm bent at a grotesque angle, and I widened my eyes in fascination.
Injecting mana could force the joints to move. I ramped up the output bit by bit, testing.
Precise control was beyond me, but immobilizing or puppeteering like a marionette? Seemed feasible.
"Kill...! Kill me please! Guuaaak—!"
"Not yet. Hang in there a little longer."
I directed mana toward his heart, squeezing and releasing around it.
His face turned purple, then pale, over and over.
How long did I toy with him? His eyes had rolled back. Foam bubbled from his mouth in incoherent groans.
His mind had shattered. Physical pain was one thing, but the horror of his body being violated by another's will? Unendurable.
I clicked my tongue and pulled my hand away. My interest had waned.
He slumped to the ground. No signs of getting up.
I decided to grant the knight who'd helped with my experiment a proper end.
Stab. A shadow pierced his heart, finishing it.
"Time to clean up the rest."
I scanned the forest.
They'd scattered every direction, but none could escape me.
Darkness was my stage, shadows my limbs. It had just... become possible at some point.
But I didn't dwell. It was a game, after all. Overthink it, and my head hurt.
Screams of agony echoed ceaselessly through the shadowed woods.
In the process, I ran all sorts of experiments on the knights.
Inject mana to lock their legs rigid, or make their bodies move on their own to stab allies.
"Arrrgh! My body! Something's wrong with my body!"
"Jon! What the hell are you doing! Kugh...!"
A hell where they slaughtered each other.
I perched on a tree branch, watching the spectacle at my leisure.
Definitely efficient. No need to lift a finger—they were self-destructing. Mana cost was negligible too.
Pretty damn useful. Especially for training someone.
The knight I'd left in the village crossed my mind.
What better way to break a prideful Swordmaster?
Still, time to head back. Get too late, and she might slip away—my loss.
The forest fell silent again once I snuffed out the last knight.
I rummaged through their gear. Checking for worthwhile spoils.
"Jerky, bread, water...."
Luckily, plenty of rations. Enough for two to last days.
Plus some decent daggers and what looked like coin pouches. A tidy haul for me.
I hummed a tune as I headed back to the village.
Ethan's house sat on the village outskirts, one of the few buildings to escape the blaze. The interior was intact too.
But what I liked most? The basement.
No idea what it was originally for, but it suited me perfectly.
A space cut off from the outside. No sound, no light. The ideal prison.
Creak. I pushed open the heavy wooden door and descended into the basement. Step, step. My light footsteps echoed with a deep rumble, tickling my ears.