Inhuman – Part 02
“We have Cecily to thank for this,” Lisa said.
“Why are you bringing her up now?”
“Because this new side of yours is all thanks to her.”
Luke’s face twisted with irritation. “And here I was, sincerely apologizing.”
“Your sincerity reminds me of Cecily.”
His brows furrowed deeper. “I can’t stand her. Everything she does gets on my nerves.”
Given your personality, I can see that.
But there was no denying Cecily had left an impression on him.
After gathering the notable herbs within sight, they decided to move on. The ash-covered forest was devoid of wildlife, so there were no animal trails. They forged their way through the undergrowth, moving slowly but steadily.
“There’s a cliff ahead, so watch your step,” Lisa warned.
“Right back at you.”
A gust of wind lifted their hair. Before long, they arrived at the edge, a cliff deep and wide enough to truly be called a sheer precipice. The forest ended abruptly, dropping off into an abyss below. The smooth rock face, straight with no protrusions, along with the view of the Blair Volcano, earned it the name Clawmark from the locals. Because of the drifting ash, the other side and the bottom was impossible to see. The cliff’s edge was connected to the stone wall encircling the city, acting as a natural barrier against intruders.
The vegetation and poor visibility made it difficult to see the drop-off unless you looked closely. Fortunately, the air currents along the cliff altered the way the ash drifted, providing a marker of some sorts. The plants they were looking grew in that area, thriving in the unique conditions caused by the wind.
The ravine was deep. Luke watched with concern as Lisa moved along with familiar strides.
“Be careful. One wrong step, and it’s an instant death,” Luke cautioned.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been exploring this forest for years.” She puffed out her chest confidently. “This place is like my backyard. I won’t fall. And I’m not afraid of heights.”
Lisa stood at the cliff’s edge and flashed Luke a smile.
“See?”
Just then, the brush beside her exploded. A hole tore through the ash, and from it, a massive beast charged straight at them.
Luke had no chance to react. He didn’t even have time to gasp.
Lisa’s vision went dark, and then came the impact. The beast slammed into her, knocking her off the cliff.
The clock rewound slightly.
In the city, shops opened for business as usual, and the streets bustled with activity.
As an independent trading hub with lax border controls, the city attracted a constant flow of people and goods from the Empire, the Militant Nation, the Crowd Powers, and other countries. Fascinating curious and tantalizing cuisine filled the bustling marketplace, where merchants, travelers, and locals, with varied skin tones and eye colors, queued up in front of the stalls. One store, the Jewel Shop, caught particular attention. Jewel steel, the city’s primary revenue source, was smelted at the foot of Blair Volcano and sold wholesale, based on its purity and intended use. The shop was one of the few authorized to sell it. The bustling crowd, combined with the humidity of midsummer, created an intense heat.
The larger the population, the more crimes—pickpocketing, theft, assault, even murder. Illegal trade thrived, taking advantage of the city’s open borders. The Knight Guard, tasked with keeping the peace and apprehending offenders, patrolled diligently, keeping a constant watchful eye on the city.
Still, they were slow to react when the unexpected struck. It was nothing short of a disaster.
In the broad daylight of the Third District’s busy food market, near the heart of the trade city, was a typical scene. The sun beat down mercilessly, the humid air sticking to the skin. Vendors hawked their goods, and laughter filled the streets. Even the rowdy, early-morning drunks were just part of the everyday scene. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Until a scream shattered the peace.
“Wh-What is that?”
All eyes turned toward the source of the commotion—an Inhuman.
It had appeared suddenly, in the middle of the day, and without warning, began killing indiscriminately. It slashed through the crowd with a sword, skewered others with a spear, and tore them apart. The beast’s sword even sliced through buildings. Wood splintered into dust, blood sprayed in all directions, and soon, the streets were drenched in red mist. Screams turned to shouts as people scrambled to flee, but in the crowded alleyways, escape was nearly impossible.
A nearby mercenary tried to strike the beast but only managed to cut its bridle. Freed from its restraint, the creature gleefully lunged at him, its massive jaws clamping down on his head, tearing it off. It chewed loudly, slurping down blood. Suddenly, the beast convulsed, and it began to retch violently, vomiting bile and chunks of fresh meat. Roaring in twisted delight, it resumed gnawing on the corpse, playing with it, relishing it piece by piece until there was no bone left. Ironically, its gruesome feast bought time for others to escape.
Catastrophe was the only word that could truly capture the horror of the unforeseen massacre. Panic spread like wildfire through the city.
The Knight Guard who rushed to the scene shuddered at the sight. Among them was Cecily Campbell, who stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Wh-What is that thing?”
The term Inhuman could refer to anything from wild animals to grotesque monsters, but was generally used to describe creatures that harm humans. During the Valbanill War, creatures like these took advantage of the chaos to attack human settlements. After the war ended, however, they began avoiding human habitation, living in seclusion. While they still frequently appeared in the war-torn Crowd Powers, they were never seen around the Independent Trade City. The only exception was the incident involving a band of thieves a few months ago.
But what stood before Cecily now, feasting on human bodies, was beyond anything she could comprehend. It was a four-legged creature, massive, about the size of two horses. Its light brown fur was matted with dirt and blood. Despite its large snout, the fangs it used to tear flesh were rather small, albeit still strong. It crunched through bones with ease. Its large, round golden eyes darted around, gleaming fiercely.
That alone wasn’t particularly shocking to Cecily. It was a gruesome scene, but not enough to freeze her in place. What really stunned her was the “mountain of swords” on its back.
There was no other way to describe it. A cluster of swords in various sizes, double-edged to single-edged, jutted from the beast’s back, their gleaming blades still slick with some unidentifiable liquid. A shiver from the beast caused the blades to scrape together, producing a jarring noise. Droplets of the liquid splattered around.
And its front legs—severed halfway—had been replaced with thick, long spears. With these spears, the beast pinned its prey to the ground, burying its snout into the flesh as it feasted.
It was a bizarre Inhuman, something nature couldn’t have possibly created.
A chill crawled down Cecily’s spine. Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past her, snapping her out of her daze. Her eyes followed it.
“Captain Quasar!”
Hannibal Quasar, the commander of the Third District’s Knight Guard, was a large man with dark brown skin and bald head. The cross-shaped scar stretching from his cheek to his neck flushed red as he charged at the creature mid-feast, gripping a massive greatsword usually mounted on a horse’s saddle. The beast, blood still dripping from its maw, raised its head just as Hannibal’s towering form bore down on it.
The creature was fast. With a grace and speed that belied its size, it sprang away from the mangled corpse, dodging the charge. But it wasn’t quick enough. Hannibal’s greatsword came crashing down with earth-shattering force, striking a portion of the swords protruding from the beast’s back.
Metals screeched. The impact drove the creature into the ground, but Hannibal’s sword was flung back with equal force. Gasps of disbelief came from the knights watching in the distance. The commander’s strike, powerful enough to split rocks, had been repelled.
“Unshackle from slumber. Seize the truth. The wind, in my hand. Slay God.”
A whisper brushed Cecily’s ear, words of transformation. A fierce wind swirled behind her. She turned and grabbed the sword that materialized. A thrusting weapon with a cross-shaped silhouette—a rapier. This was Aria, her partner, in her Infernal Blade form.
Now armed, Cecily turned back, clenching her teeth as the grim reality hit her. She had failed to protect them.
Cecily’s eyes were on the corpse lying on the pool of blood right next to Hannibal and the Inhuman. The body of a citizen. He wasn’t the only one either. All around them lay the bodies of civilians, mangled by the beast’s swords.
At first, she had been paralyzed by the sight of the monstrous creature. But now—far too late—the truth set in, and her whole body trembled with fury and regret.
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