Golem of the Crimson Heart

The moon rose slightly above the horizon, the night was all encompassing. The moon and the torches on the gate wall were the only lights that offered any direction.

But Nyx had not yet made a move. He stared at the wall of logs, pointed heads. A few people with torches along them, probably on platforms and a single watchtower. Two ....people in it. 

Maybe I don't have to kill them all. He stood flat,leaning with his elbow on the ground, everything, including his hair, now repaired from the consumed blood of the soldiers with a rag over his face not to be recognized.

No one's left the camp yet. Judging from the last several hours of surveillance, they don't know about the dead left in the road. Leaving the bushes, I retreat through the trees, out of sight.

Circling the field, I reach the back of the camp. Though still a good stretch of ground between me and the wall ,the grass is my only way to sneak through. So I crawl. I stop. And crawl again. Not wishing to be noticed. The night is still young. They'll tire the longer I stall.

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The trudge through the grass proved good. Though the dark, I could see under some logs was.... an opening? The mud made it easy to dig, making the way in bigger. Shoving my weapons underneath, it was my turn. 

This ground is very soft. And slippery.

But I get through. Above me being the platform. Tents in front. And the shrubs were still slightly scrubby on this side of the wall too. 

But along the tents there's a light. This one moves slightly from one to the other. A guard. And it's above me.

With the spear in my hand, I stand up and slowly lift my head. The guy was dressed like the rest of them. Red tunic covered with chains. He stands for a few moments, then turns back. Probably looping his way back and forth along the wall.

Sneaking between the tents, I see few soldiers around the fire. Others at tables under a small roof, chatting.

I almost step to the wrong turn when I spot to my left a soldier leaving a tent, but he takes off in the opposite way towards some horses. 

I circle back behind the tents. Standing low so as not to be seen, I approach. I see him scratching his ass. And yawning. No sword. Likely left in the tent. I grab the ax. Flipping it backwards, I hit him in the back of the head with the smooth side. Luckily it works. He goes unconscious and drag him in the bushes.

Turning back, I walk alongside the wall, unseen by the soldier patrolling it.

The tower comes next. 

The stairway leading up seemes a little steep. Hmmm... Nothing else to do..

Step by step, I climb to the top. But the second flight breaks under my weight. Shit. Okkk....maybe I don't go up.

All around was just the camp's wide yard. There's no sneaking around here. Back against the wall I guess. But before...Nyx..in all his creativity, pulls down the ladder. That just so they don't get down from up there.

Back to the soldier patrolling the wall, moment he was above the back entrance. Hurrying through the bushes, Nyx waits for him to return.

"Pfff... How long do I wait for Kreg...?" complains the soldier, presumably waiting for his shift's end. I slowly climb up the frame supporting the deck. The man still looking toward the forest."Hmm..a bear. Maybe we can.. AH!" I interrupt, plunging my dagger into his calf. Letting go of the knife, I grab his tunic and let myself fall, pulling him off the wall as well. He hits the ground on his back, losing his breath, enough time to slit his throat, causing a massive bleeding.

Staring at me, he struggles to get away. Kicking and swinging, but he loses his strength and stops. Taking the blood through the neck wound, I still feel the same. I'm still full. Let's go...

But the whole improv is going down the drain. The torch fell on a tent. Which was now in flames.

Shit! Back on my feet I retreat, running behind the tents. Might as well set everything else on fire.

Snapping my fingers, but now stronger flames shoot out and strike various tents again and again and again. Must be all that blood I drank.

"Fire!" yells the soldier.

"What do we do? We have no water to spare!" another one scolds.

One more shot of fire, I ignite the horses' chaff. "Nyyyaaaaahh" the horses yel out. "I see the intruder! Next to the horses! She started another fire!" yells one of the soldiers in the tower. 

"She set our things on fire!" complains one of the soldiers.

"Ciiiaiaaaaaaaaahh" shouts someone, jumping from a burning tent.

"Kill her!" one screams. At his command, all the rest of the soldiers draw their swords and jump her.

About fifteen of them. Getting my spear ready, I throw it. To have missed among so many soldiers up close would have been idiotic. I stabbed one. 

Charging toward them, I draw the axe from my back and the sword from its holder.

I smash in them head-on. Ducking under the first man, I throw him over my back. Three men strike me with the sword. Keeping the axe in my left and the sword in my right, I block two blows, where the third hits me across the back, to no avail. 

"What the fuck? The sword bounced right back!" 

My weight and the sharpness of your sword cut straight through the chains of the soldiers. Hitting one with his elbow, he loses focus in which time I thrust the sword in his guts.

No point in pulling it out. With both hands, I slash at a soldier with my axe. His effort to block was futile. Cutting from rib to rib up to the collarbone, the shock sends him stumbling backwards. 

Just then I get a blow across the face from a sword. Feeling my face crack causes me to jump from between the soldiers. Pressing my hand to my face, I feel a piece fall off.

That motherfucker broke my nose!

"HA! See you guys? We can do.." but he stops talking. Looking at me, he sees I'm not bleeding. And.. "It's the wanted girl! The one who killed our friend!"

Holding my nose, I realize I've dropped my mask. Well, fuck.

Mending my nose back in place, I get some alarmed looks. Even so, I start the attack again. A heavy axe-throw at one of the soldiers, cutting in his elbow. 

"You dumb bitch." says a confident soldier, ready to attack me. But his happiness is short-lived when I grab his hand. Stunned, or perhaps shocked by his own stupidity, I snap his arm in two, followed by a punch in the face.

Reaching out, I call back the axe, thus cutting someone across the leg, making a deep wound. "What is this woman doing? She even knows magic?" says the man with fear over that might lose his leg.

I swing the axe again, but this time, the guy takes a step back, dodging completely. Another attacks from the right behind, hitting me in the leg with his sword. Again to no avail.

I kick him back over the knee. "AAAAH," the man cries. Another kick to the stomach, hard enough to make him vomit and fall unconscious from pain. 

One of them launches with a spear. For the heck of it, I ducked and jumped, jamming my knee in his face. Only I see his neck break. I should take it down a little.

"Where's the captain? Why isn't he out here?" says a soldier on his last legs.

"Imbecile fools."

The only tent untouched by fire was the big one offered to superiors. "Just satisfying my curiosity. I watch you all fighting in a group, against a single WOMAN, and all you did was breaking her nose?"

"But sir, none of our attacks are any good!" a soldier defends himself.

"Shut up, you weakling," the so-called captain snaps at him. "Nobody seems to have learned anything yet. No matter."

Now there was a man standing in front of everyone, 6.6 feet tall, covered from top to bottom in an armour mixed with leather and metal, wearing a helmet and carrying an oval metal shield. As well like his subordinates, having some red painting over some spots.

"To be honest, I don't care who you are, but I'm going to get in trouble for letting you infiltrate the camp and attack my men."

From behind his back, the captain pulls out what appears to be a double-bladed sword, holding it by the middle hilt."Watch and learn, boys."

The captain raises his shield and takes a small hop backward. Not a second later, he makes a dash toward Nyx. Confused and unsure how the man has covered 15 feet in a second, the shield collides with Nyx's whole body, knocking him back and digging him a little in the ground after about 15 feet.

"Heh... You're solid... Some would have died on impact." he comments. "Come on, let's have a look at what you can do." she adds with an enthusiastic grin.

AAAH!!! It felt like a angry Tarchia's tail!

As Nyx stood up, he felt the cracks made by the attack. Grabbing a sword from next to a dead soldier, he stands up. But he doesn't attack, instead he pulls the vial of poison out of his pocket and spreads it over the sword.

She changes tactics. Poison, eh? No trouble.

The next thing the woman does is run around. "Stupid. You're running in the wrong direction. I keep my shield on the left, run to the right!" comments the captain on the enemy's unstrategic behavior.

Nyx make a small jump. Both weapons ready, he slams hard over the shield. The captain blocks the attack, although the attack didn't hurt him, it caused two small dents in the shield metal. With a smooth motion, the shield moves out of the way, but the captain now hurls his sword at Nyx. 

The tip. That's it. That's all that cut in Nyx's abdomen. His stone muscles ripped in two, joined by cracks and lost stone splinters. They protected nothing. No vital organs. Yet fear was there.

"Don't stand in a blind spot, you idiot!" the captain yelled, followed with a kick, dropping him down. 

Now again in his range, Nyx swings the axe at the man's legs. A blow across the right calf. Yet no blood. 

"No leverage or momentum. Wrong!!!" he then stomps on the back of my head, driving my face in the dirt. He stomps again. And takes two steps back.

" Everyone! See what I've done to this little slob?" The soldier applauds their captain. "No, you morons! That's will be you if you don't work hard and get strong before you go to the main front!"

This dick uses me as an example?! 

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"I won't fight you, you're gonna crush me!" 

"Oooooh...come on Nyx. I need opponents that fight back." Kara begs. "Look, we use wooden swords. Please???"

Speculating but powerless to refuse Kara, Nyx takes the sword.

"YES! NOW FIGHT ME!"

"How?"

To Kara, that question made her feel as if she'd fallen on her head."You've never held a sword?"

"You know I'm not allowed."

"Right, right. Okay, let me show you." His friend takes a pose. Knees bent, one leg back and one leg forward. Guarding her face with her sword. "See? Not so hard. Now on guard!"

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Pushing myself up, I assume the long-foregotten pose.

"Eh? You see, boys, the wench wants another beating. That's why when the enemy is down...finish him off."

In a stunning spin, the captain was ready to cut Nyx in half.

A roll saves Nyx from impact and repositions himself behind the captain. Throwing the axe hard, it slams into his back. But the armor still held.

"You bitch! You're gonna--" but he's interrupted. Nyx charges an attack, ready to hit him in a few steps. He raises his shield to block only for the sword to pierce through the metal and slice through the captain's wrist. "AAH!" The captain swings the sword hard, but hits nothing. Nyx abandoned the sword in the shield and picked up another and the axe.

The thrust cut into the hand, those the poison started doing its job.

Eh... I didn't think it could hit me... Yeah well, puncture my shield. That's got balls. Feeling the numbness in his hand, the captain lets the shield fall, but still holding on with the last of his strength. 

Nyx launches at it. Ready to hit him again.

"Shield of Faith!" the captain calls. Now his shield's shining a somewhat glowing gold.

Hit. Hit again. Another blow with the axe and another with the sword. Sparks fly with each blow. The captain's spell has improved on the shield.

I step sideways behind him. A sword blow over the helmet. Hit!

"AAAAAAAA!!" yells the captain. Another sword thrust. Blocking partially with my sword, his weapon slips and shreds through my trapeze, pieces falling all over.

"Take that!" He says as he hits Nyx with the shield across the mouth, breaking through his guard. He whirls around and with one end of the weapon,it plunges deep and goes through his right shoulder.

A jolt from the weapon manages to break completely through Nyx's shoulder. The entire hand dropping to the ground. 

Nyx sees the wound mark. But he doesn't have time to react as another sword slashes across his leg. One last attempt to retaliate, Nyx strikes again with the axe, but is blocked and knocked off his hand.

His foe now disarmed, the captain takes the opportunity to draw his sword from his shield. "In this short time, you've managed to pull off something neat. I underestimated you." He raises his shield and repeats the first attack, knocking Nyx to the ground.

The crash wasn't so powerful as before because of the distance, so Nyx was not blown far.

I have to run... Nyx is trying to crawl away but is stopped in his tracks.

The captain now standing over him stabs him right in the back. "You don't scream, you don't bleed, you don't die! What do I have to do to make you die!?"

Fucker! Nyx screams internally. With one last burst of power, he calls for a spark, right in the captain's face.

"AAAh!" the captain cries, direct hit.

Dropping his shield and putting his full force into one last attack, he swings around. Nyx, unprotected and with no weapon that could parry, is slashed across his left shoulder. The attack proceeds, from the shoulder through the center of the chest and out under the ribs. Now severed in two. His body breaking down.

Visible in his chest was what appeared to be his heart, the core of the golem. Now damaged from the attack, he lays on his back, losing strength.

"You died for nothing" the captain judges. "Everything you've done here has been useless. You come into my camp, you try to kill my people, at your level you try to fight me!? Learn your place!" But all his hatred was directed at no one. His enemy had already fallen and taken by death.

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