Golem of the Crimson Heart

Where the hell have you been? Nyx thinks after just came across the bear.

"Mrrroooorr!!" articulates the bear.He was currently perched in a tree, munching on some apples...? But he seemed somewhat relaxed, leaning against the tree trunk. But he falls and hits the ground with a little thud. Quickly jumping back on his two hind legs, as if he hadn't even realized he'd fallen. 

You're kind of dumb... Nyx assumes about the bear. But one more glance, he spots red marks along the fur. And what seems like a claw above the left eye, on the arch.

What did you wrestle with? Nyx asks herself skeptically.

Just now it was noon. The day before in town was full of crap, hoping today everything proved to been working smoothly. Like nothing bad has happened.

The mare was getting better. She'd stopped limping since yesterday, and today she seemed to have no problems. Jumping over the fence separating the orchard from the road, the bear climbs back in the wagon. Stupid bear. Can't you feel the mare's hurt? And so Nyx is pulling on his ear.

"Mrroooaar!!" the bear complains, but does what Nyx wants after all. Great. A horse, a 'woman' and a bear traveling along the road. If we meet someone, I hope they don't throw a pitchfork at us. Good think I dumped the bodies.

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"The sergeant said that the woman went north of the village..."

"You mean directly between us and the garrison? HA, the wench's going to fall right between us and the rest of our men."

"Quiet at once." says the sergeant, but still focused on the road. "Are we still following? Dogs still have the scent?"

"Yes, sir." shouts a boy from the front, farther away from the rest of the soldiers so the scent of the horses doesn't interfere with the dogs.

"Sir. The trail goes down this little ravine. Shall we follow?"

"No stopping. Boys, I want six of you to come down with me and the dogs. Come on." ordered the sergeant, dismounting with the rest of the men. Carrying the same clothing as the doctor's son, chain armor and red tunic, plus each a helmet for extra protection, not forgetting the standard swords.

"Sergeant, we see a trail in the grass. I wonder why she left the road."

"She's already gone anyway." says the sergeant, confusing his soldiers.

"How so, sir?" asks the dog master.

"The tracks don't match the wagon, more like a crate. She's back on the road." Now the sergeant was getting worried. "At least now we know this is the right way. She dragged something down the ravine and left." ....sighhh... "Ok we'll get in quick and get back." 

Nothing seemed unusual to soldiers searching through the woods. "Sir, shall I let the dogs go?"

"Do it."

Both dogs off leash took off running. "Follow."

"Sir?"

"Yes soldier?"

"If everything points to the ravine...then what were we following so far on the road?" asks the boy.

"Might as well be the woman or what's left of her. Don't know."

"SIR! HERE" cries the scout.

Both men looking down into the ravine see the dead bodies of thieves from the bar. "Who are they?" asks the sergeant, not knowing what happened that day.

"Nobody reported any missing men." says the scout. "Good place to get rid of leftovers." At this the sergeant turns to the soldier.

"Yeah.. let's see what we got here. Boys. You guys stay here on lookout. Let's get down." says the sergeant.

A slip here and a jump there... both of them were down next to the bodies.

"Hmmm...not old...villagers?"

"Naah I know this one...Duncan. In for two weeks. Fight in the square. Moves from village to village. Thief."

"Why not hanged?"

"One of his friends got him off. Though that one took his place at the gallows." Inspect the corpse better. "A wound on the neck. The blade went in one side and came out the other."

"She got that spear, ain't she?"

"Or the knives. But see here. Blood on the shirt, but almost nothing around the wound." 

"This other one's got a ton of blood on his clothes. Chest wound. Exiting out the other side."

"So spear."

"Yeah. But why is Duncan so clean when this one's dirty?"

"I don't care. What else you see about him?"

"Eeeeh...A bracelet. Looks silver. So not robbery?" 

"Looks nice. Guess not." he comments.

The sergeant turns, staring at the corpse. 

"Sir...you think she's a vampire?"

"Don't jinx us, boy. If she's one...she's a higher vampire...But one traveling by wagon? Vampires are territorial. She would be better hunting in a city, not the outskirts of Shyw."

"Maybe she's going to. Elth is not far from the garrison. Just halfday."

"If so, it's bad. Monster like her. She passes through town raising no suspicion, will only vanishes when she arrives in a city as crowded as Elth."

"What do we do with the bodies?" asks the scout.

"Leave them to the ghouls. We have to go back."

"'ALL OF YOU!! BACK ON THE ROAD AND FOLLOW HER."

"YES, SIR." all the soldiers salute in chorus.

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"Mrooooooooor....." the bear cries to Nyx. 

He really likes riding in the cart. I wag my finger at him again. Bad bear. No.

"Pffffffff...." exhales the bear, unhappy that he can't travel in style.

Since when do animals communicate so well?

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On the horse beside his men was the sergeant, waiting for the answer to his scout. "Well?"

"It's definitely her." The boy replied, looking through binoculars. "Black hair, sleeveless top,very pale... But a bear is traveling with her. Brown bear. Quite big."

"Damn. Not that she's an unknown monster, but she's got that thing on her side." 

A few seconds of thought pass, everyone waiting for orders. "Very well." 

"What, sir?" one of the soldiers asks.

"We'll play a little game. Soldiers, follow what I do and say. On my signal, we strike."

The sergeant and his soldiers slowly closed the distance between them and the woman. But before they got too close.

"Eeeeh.... hello!" shouted the sergeant.

Nyx stops to let them know she spotted them. Looking at them, she waves.

"Sorry to bother you, but the bear...is it safe to pass by? I don't want any casualties or harmed horses."

The woman waved the soldiers through, signaling that everything was okay.

Good.

One by one avoiding the wagon and the somewhat agitated bear, but Nyx somewhat tugged him to stay put, placing herself between him and them.

Halfway between the men, it's all changing.

"NOW!"

Two lassoes fall around the mare's neck, tethered to the soldiers' saddles. "Nyyyaaaa!!!" the mare panics.

Oh...NO NO NO NO!!!

A hiss. Followed by another and two more. "Mrrroooaaaar!" cries the bear, being hit by 4 bolts shot by soldiers.

Soldiers jumped off their horses with swords in hands, swinging to land a blow. 

One ,more one and another and another. All the blows bouncing back off the woman. She was protecting her face. Cuts in her clothes and hair. But never raised a hand to attack.

Except to run. 

What the hell is this woman? surprised thought the sergeant seeing nothing of the marks left by the swords. "Don't let her get away!"

Before one of the soldiers managed to grab her, she crashed into one of the horses that had the mare tied up. Both horse and soldier fall to the ground, breaking the horse's leg.

"AAAH SOMEBODY HELP ME!" but it wasn't the soldier trapped under the horse. The bear was surrounded on all sides. The one who thundered was the unlucky man who found his femur between the jaws of the beast. And snap. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!" the soldier screamed at the top of his lungs, missing more than half his leg, bleeding to death in the road.

"Bastard!!!" yells another soldier striking the bear with his sword, the bear responding violently by hitting it with his claws.

Nyx was shoved from behind. Hands locked around his neck. Another, jumping to help his colleague, grabs Nyx by the legs.

 "AAAAAAAA!!!!" yells another grabbing an arm. Pulling on it causing him to lose his balance and fall face first to the ground.

Now holding both her hands and with a man on her back, Nyx can't get up. Shit.

He's strong. Stronger than some people, but now there was nothing he could do. The average soldiers were men that had worked hard much of their lives and then put on armor. Not some weaklings.

"Mrooooarr!" roared the bear, clawing at another soldier. Although the claws didn't go through the chain armor on his chest, the bear grabbed him. Now under all his weight, the bear bites from the throat, tearing through the windpipe. The man choking on his own blood.

A too-late stab, intended to save his comrade, lands in the bear's side. A fury of the beast slashes in response claws the man across the face. But before he can kill the man, he cuts through the rest of the soldiers towards Nyx.

"MRRROROOOAAR" howls the bear in rage.

But another bolt hits the bear in the belly. This time he trips between his legs. Pain stopping him from moving.

 I try to escape, pull the soldiers off my hands. All I can do is barely move them. NO, NO, NO! In a final desperation I try to ignite my hands with magic. Snap, snap, snap, snap of my fingers.

"AAH! This bitch is burning me!" both soldiers having their tunics lit. Leaving him to extinguish the flames, Nyx now has his hands free. Head butting the one on top of him, he manages to roll off and get away from him. But he sees that all this time...he had an boner?!?? A punche over the helmet, knocking the soldier unconscious.

"Don't let her get away!" orders the sergeant.

But unexpectedly, out of nowhere, Nyx jumps between the soldiers and the bear. His guard up, showing he won't be beaten. The standoff between them had projected a brief silence. "We know what you've done. You killed Dr. Wilson, his wife, his son, our comrade and one of his neighbors." Shock and fear take root in Nyx. "Those two assholes in the ravine were your kill too, right?" Now Nyx was getting more agitated. "Never mind, they were scum, but not yours to kill."

Now all the soldiers were surrounding Nyx. "Just a second, boys." She also can use magic. Better do this safe than sorry. The sergeant says to his own soldiers. He extends his hand. " Ray of frost!" A cold beam of light hits Nyx, slowly freezing. Slowly forming ice crystals along her hands, her hair growing wrinkly. But Nyx couldn't move. The bear, his only companion, he wouldn't allow it to be more injured. The beam hit from head to toe. Even the ground had frozen under his feet. And so it stops.

I hope it worked. 

The sergeant seeing the results is still in awe of this woman. "Okay, guys, take care. She's still alive."

He was right. Nyx, though he was stone cold, could tell he was chilled to the core. Skin covered in ice. Cracks of it could be heard as he gently moved his body. 

A direct hit. But still alive and somehow unaffected. What is this woman? The sergeant knew what the spell does. A direct hit like that would freeze the lungs, killing within seconds. But the woman was still on her feet, unaffected by such impact.

"Ray of frost!" The sergeant enchanted the spell again. When he stopped it, Nyx stopped in place. " Whew... I hope she's not moving anymore."

"Mroooaar!!" the bear howls. Now lifted off the ground, he breaks the circle of soldiers, twirling the claws and making a way to escape.

One more crossbow shot, one more bolt to the bear's back before he escapes into the woods. 

"Sir?"

"Leave it. We gotta get this thing to the garrison." With no other trouble in sight. "Put her in the wagon with the fallen."

As ordered, the soldiers' bodies were loaded in the wagon, and so was Nyx. "Everybody! Back to base!"

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AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Nyx was still huddled in the ice, next to the corpses of the soldiers. Everything, blood, no movement, fear. He's back in hell. I must escape!

Shifting his eyes, all that was around were the his weapons and the soldiers. Fuck! What do I do? What do I do?

His thoughts were interrupted by the soldiers. They were talking. But the ice made it difficult to understand. Useless... But moving his eyes he saw. His hand. Close enough for a neckless soldier. 

Blood. Need more blood.The corpses!!

Anything, anyone who could help me... I DON'T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!

Crash. 

" Fuck this fucking road." cursed the wagon driver. Potholes. The ugliest thing for drivers ever. Swinging you side to side. The salvation Nyx had been waiting for. Now with his palm on the soldier's throat, the flow of blood began. Sucking the wound and the rest of the body of it. Blood becoming power, slowly melting the ice from his fingers.

Relative movement in his two favorite fingers. Pressing the pointer over the tip of the thumb, pushing as much hand as I can, pressing... and snap!

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Sighhh.... If only we didn't have any casualties...I need to contact the families. Segent was picky. He hated doing his job at the cost of people's lives. But what to do now--

Looking down the road and back at the cart, he's about to scream. "See the-!" 

BOOM! A realtive blast sets the wagon ablaze. The frightened horses back away from the fire, some soldiers falling off them. Driver stunned by the explosion and flames.

The sergeant desperate to bring the situation back under control calls in another blizzard to quen the fire. Slowly killing the flames, he stops to catch his breath. Huge mistake.

To everyone's horror, Nyx jumps up from the back. Spear already in hand. And so he plunges it deep. Deep in the driver's back. The only sound at that moment was him, choking on his last breath.

"NOO!!!" shouts the sergeant, preparing another spell. But Nyx learned from his mistakes. Putting the wagon between him and the segent, the spell misses him. He's going under it. Though still freezing cold and by nature still slow, Nyx grabs the wood, lifting and turning the wagon on side, pushing it toward the sergeant.

The frightened horse is shoved down the hillside along with the sergeant."Attack her!! Go rescue the serg!!" taking command of one of the soldiers. 

Pushing the wagon again, it rolls downhill, taking the poor mare with it. Sorrow and regret were the only thoughts in Nyx's head minus his desire to escaped. 

Using the spell from the shop, he summoned the axe that had fell with the wagon down the hill. Flying into my hand in moments, everyone was now on their toes.

"AAAAHHHH!!!" yells a soldier before hitting me over the head with a sword. 

Now Nyx had taken damage. His hair. Already frozen and after smoking, chopped. Now looking like a barber's first cut. Grabbing the axe with both hands, he spins and hits the soldier over the leg, spot he has no chain armor. 

"GGAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH" cries the man in pain. 

I stand over him. Axe in hand. From him I turn to the rest of the soldiers, my gaze undaunted by their fear.

That guy won't bother me now. Nyx looking the way the sergeant fell.

In one smooth motion Nyx throws the ax and cuts off a horse's leg. The beast, crying in pain, falls down with the soldier on top of it. 

Kicking his foot on the soldier's helmet, only he heard the cracking of the neck, leaving the man motionless.

Pulling his daggers still attached to his waist, he charges toward the rest of the enemy. Pushing his whole weight into each thrust, he penetrates the chains with ease. One lethal blow, one not. A kick, a punch, a headbutt. Breaking bones, smashing faces. Some dead, some bruised, some bleeding. Every last one.

He was the only one still standing.

.... Four..Five. Five dead men.

Everything left a foul taste in his mouth. But no. He defended himself as gently as he could. He only told himself that so he could sleep tonight. 

Looking at the corpses, Nyx approached them. Soaking up blood. First, second, third. But by the fourth, he'd drunk his fill. Same sensation. Vigor all through the body.

Was that a sign of fullness? Wondering. Pressing his hands on the wound of the fifth victim, a stab wound in the spleen. Slipping his hand under the chains, the blood has no problem being drained. Seeing the red puddle, Nyx sticks his finger in. And then the whole hand. Grabbing what's left on the ground.

Looking at the soldiers to check that everyone's incapacitated, Nyx calls back the axe. Reaching for the spear, he plucks it from the ribs of the soldier's back, just so he doesn't forget it around here.

Stepping to the side of the road, he sees the wagon turned over to the bottom of the hill, stopped in a few trees.

Getting closer, he sees the mare, legs broken and a huge splinter stuck through her neck. Already dead.

Beneath the timber, still alive, the sergeant struggles to push aside the debris to climb out. Blood from beneath the helmet left trails as it trickled down his bruised face.

"You ugly thing." commented the sergeant. His lower half caught between the wagon and some rocks.

I look at him. I'm ugly. Switching glances between him and my axe. 

The man with the heavy breath. "What are you waiting for?"

Sure.

NO!

I shouldn't. Ignoring the man, Nyx reaches under the wagon, among the other old corpses, pulls out his backpack. Slightly disheveled but still in one piece. The sword. Crossbow. Broken. 

Grabbing my things, I turned to leave.

"We'll find you, you know!" the man yells. "Everyone in the garrison knows what you look like."..couch...couch..

Now Nyx was fear and worry. What to do?

Turning my head to the sergeant. Staring sternly at him. From my bag I take out the notebook and the pencil. Writing a little...

'No witnesses then.'

The sergeant's courage gets stuck in his throat. "HA! You.... won't get away with it...the captain will kill you.." he said with the last courage he had. Just as Nyx raised the axe. What have I brought upon my comrades? the man thought. The last thought, after Nyx had cut his head in two. Body losing control, going limp.

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"Shift's almost over, right?"

"Just a little more. Yeah. You hungry?"

"I really am!! hehe..." 

Chattering soldiers, standing guard at the camp entrance, the garrison.

"Are you going home in the morning?"

"Yes. My sister is waiting for me. It's her wedding."

"Ah yes, you said. What beautiful moments, even with the battles in the south. "

"NO NO! Say nothing of it! I don't want to think about us going there. Did you ever see a lizard man? They're big! Bigger than the captain in armor!"

"Eh..."

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The guards have changed.

Nyx observes from the bushes across the road.

A little more.

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