Several blurs shot through the trees, fleeing as if their lives depended on it. Three blurs follow shortly after, hot on their tail.
"Damn bitches! Quit chasing us!" one of them screamed back without stopping.
The woman leading the charge let out a maniacal laugh and slightly sped herself up. "Oh come on, boys~. Weren't you lot so desperate to play with us? It hurts to see you reject my feelings~."
"Fuck yo- argh!" The man's sentence was cut short as an arrow pierced his chest, narrowly missing his heart. He lost his balance and fell, his allies leaving him behind. Two women continued past the first as she stopped, chasing the stragglers.
"Now then, why don't you tell me why you were following us?" The brown-haired woman cut the man's ankle to prevent him from running.
"Argh! Fuck you! As if I would say anything to a slut that worships the goddesses!" He spat at her, something Stella blocked easily. Her face contorted with rage at his disrespectful comment towards her Lady.
"I was planning to give you a quick death… but it seems you wish to suffer!" She stomped down on his leg, shattering his knee. He started to cry out from the pain when something was shoved in his mouth. "Tch. Even the sounds you make are grating to my ears. Stay silent, you who defile my Lady's grace, shall know no mercy."
She began to cut him all over. Shallow cuts that caused pain, yet not deep enough to cause death. She pulled the object out of his throat. "Now, Ill ask one more time. Why were you following us?!"
"Haha! I won't tell you a damn thing! Just wait! Once our god is freed, you will all stuff-" He never got to finish, instead feeling his head rolling along the ground.
"I've heard enough. Go suffer in Kier'van, you witless heretic." Stella flung the blood from her blade and ran off to catch up to the others. However, she failed to notice the one watching them from a distance.
The stranger rubbed their chin. "Oh dear, it seems the ants have disturbed the scorching gale. Quite a nuisance, but not something that should delay the coming ordeal." They waved their hand towards the fallen man, and a green glow enveloped him. A few seconds later, the man rose, his head reconnected, and all his wounds vanished. He dropped to one knee and bowed to the stranger.
"This lowly one greets the Eighth Pillar." The Pillar simply waved him off.
"Return to the hideout and rest. Don't forget to report your findings to Lady Neme. I will go to recover the others." They blinked out of existence in the next moment, making the man freeze.
I knew the Pillars were strong, but the Eighth is a monster. To revive us as they do… He shook the thoughts from his mind. Time to leave. He soon ran in the opposite direction as Stella had, unaware he had already been marked.
~~~~~~~
Aurora notched another arrow and took aim as she ran. She let it loose and struck down another member of the fleeing party. These damn bastards are like ants, there's no end to them. Four remain. She slung the bow over her back and summoned several spikes of ice, launching them in front of the runners.
"Haha! That stupid bitch can't aim!" The man's laughter was cut short as the spikes landed in the ground. Once they hit, the spikes exploded, expanding rapidly into a wall that cut off their escape. He slammed into the wall, unable to stop himself in time, and was cut down by Camilla soon after.
"Still your tongue, maggots." Camilla glared at those still alive, her eyes calm, yet full of fury.
"Die!" The three survivors charged her, one dropping dead after he got an arrow to the skull. Camilla swiftly disarmed the first one, kicking him in the chest and knocking him to the ground. She then turned her blade towards the last member, a woman, who attempted to slash at her.
Camilla dodged her first swing, ducking under the second that came shortly after, and parried the third. She countered off the parry, landing a solid slash across the woman's stomach, and backed away. The woman clutched her stomach, holding her innards from falling out, and fell to her knees.
"Spill it. What are you doing, lurking in these woods?" Camilla pointed her sword towards the woman, ready to finish her off.
She coughed several times as blood continued to pour from her wound. "As if…haa…haa… I'd tell you anything." The woman took in Camilla's looks again. Wait, I know her. The woman grinned as a plan formed in her mind.
"To think someone survived. Hehehe. It seems she was right." She spat out a mouthful of blood, grinning as Camilla's expression contorted. "Their screams were like music to my-."
A sudden pressure descended upon the woman, forcing her to shut up. She began to sweat under the feeling, looking on in horror as Camilla began to change.
This bitch thinks she can just talk about destroying our lives like she was slaughtering cattle?! Her feelings began to become a storm, with Camilla rapidly losing control, until something snapped.
Her draconic form slipped out, horns grew from her head, wings burst from her back alongside her tail. Scales covered her arms and neck, her fingernails turning into talons, and her pupils narrowing into slits.
"W-w-what are you!?" The woman attempted to crawl away from Camilla on her butt. Her retreat was stopped by a rock, the sudden contact made her tense up. Camilla flexed her claws while she closed the distance.
The woman grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it, attempting to blind her. Camilla summoned a wall of water in front that caught the attack, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground. "This is the end for you."
Camila dug her claws deep into the woman's chest, breaking past her ribcage, and grabbed her heart. With a swift motion, Camilla ripped it from her chest, the woman falling over instantly. She spasmed for a few moments before going still.
Camilla dropped her heart to the ground and let out a roar. She released her transformation as Aurora approached. "Did we get them all?"
"I'm pretty sure we did. Only a rogue could have escaped, but I didn't see one in their group." Aurora hugged Camilla from the side, laying her head on her shoulder. "For now, let's go get you washed up. Your arm's covered in blood."
Camilla let out a short chuckle. "Lead the way, princess."
"P-princess?!" Aurora stared at her, dumfounded. "When did you decide to call me that?"
"Just now." Camilla walked alongside her as they traveled to the river. Look at that expression. That pout is simply too adorable. Once they reached the river, Camilla kneeled down on the shore, sticking her arm into the water.
She scrubbed at it for a few minutes, until the dried blood slowly came off, before she began to clean her blade. Aurora sat near her, cleaning off the few usable arrows she had recovered from the bodies. "How much farther is it to our destination?"
Camilla thought for a moment. "We should arrive in two days on foot. Then, from the city it's about another three days. One day if we get a carriage or horses."
Aurora smiled softly. "Plenty of time for you then, huh?"
Camilla looked away awkwardly. "About that… I wanted to get my parents' blessing before I um…"
"Um, what?" Aurora smirked at her. "Don't tell me the big, bad knight is afraid of a simple question."
"I'M NOT!" Camilla blushed hard as she put her hands on her cheeks. "I just… just need to do things right."
Aurora stood up, having finished cleaning her gear. "I know, after all, I'm the one who told you to do so." She walked over, Camilla having got up as well, and wrapped her arms around Camilla's shoulders, pressing their bodies together.
"Aurora.."
"Shhh… no need for words right now." Aurora put her finger against Camilla's lips, silencing her. She moved it away shortly after, her lips claiming the other woman's as her own. For the next several minutes, all they thought about was each other, unaware of what was happening a distance away from them.
Eventually, Stella returned, prompting them to end their little makeout session. "Did you two catch the rest of them?"
"Yeah, we did. Their bodies are over there." Camilla pointed over at the half-melted ice wall.
"Alright, I'll go check for clues towards their plans. Get ready to leave once I return." She hurried off to go check, quickly stopping in her tracks. "Uh, Camilla?"
"Yeah?"
"You killed all three of them, right?"
"I'm positive." Camilla began walking over, Aurora just behind.
Stella turned towards them. "Then where are their bodies?"