บท 1: Chapter One
This is the world's end but not the end of the world, the brim of human extinction, almost every living thing wiped out, only wild plants are spread out in some land masses, few animals and even fewer humans and humanoid creatures. The world was more filled up with dead things and more of undead things, these things were not controlled by some virus but mana, magic, Nomocracy, the most forbidden of all magical practices but is now the very thing that rules the world, casted by an unknown sorcerer. For the remaining survivors there are settlements built with walls surrounding them but then were still essential things like food, water, herbs and magical items come from, that is were they come in, the ones who risk their lives for the benefits of the these settlements, money, fame, their family or mere personal ambitions, these people are called travelers, due to the dangers they face on the outside they are very rare and therefore highly paid.
Most travelers die on a daily basis, some of the remaining lose body parts and are most likely to retire early in these settlements, some retire and settle on their own either because of love or other personal reasons while few, a very few minority, a very countable amount become ambitious and try to get the settlement for themselves.
Sara Neal is a traveler, but unlike most travelers who come from and work for a particular settlement, where she comes from is unknown and instead she moves from settlement to settlement selling her items, the settlement she was in right now was the Galevan settlement. An only human settlement where the only non- human creatures are merchants from other settlements exchanging goods, one who walks through the streets of Galevan settlement notices that at either sides of the streets are tall buildings from before attack of the damyoins but most of the buildings were in ruins and a few number of them seemed like they are being attempted to be rebuilt as some of the fallen building parts are floating around the buildings but down at the ground level there are smaller buildings and one could tell they were done recently or at least after the attack as most of them were built with random parts of anything they could find. As Sara walked through the street, heads turned occasionally and subconsciously, she is beautiful beyond human context, she had her long silver hair packed into a bun with some strand, with bright blue eyes and a big bosom and bottom as well as wide hips but the turn off was her eyepatch covering one of her eyes with a scar peeking out, showing there was a story behind it. Her left arm was replaced by a bionic arm and she had bandages wrapped around the right that made her look like a typical traveler but unlike other travelers that clothed themselves in expensive and glossy amour, she had absolutely no visible one on. Instead she was wearing long black tights that was torn in some places, knee high boots and sharp pointed heels that were withering and a long shirt with different faded colors. These colors were in fact the blood stains of the creatures she had killed. The only good thing she had on was a black long leather-like jacket with fur sticking out in areas like the neck, hand and the bottom; with a single dragger in its pelt. She carried a large brown bag over her left shoulder as she headed towards the travelers' guild in that settlement.
When someone hit her as they were walking past each other, she ignored it and continued walking but a male human held her free shoulder
"Aren't you going to apologize" The male human asked.
By his dressing one could tell he was a traveler but he must have been new because his amour reflected more style than service. He was probably one of those rich boys that think traveling is like a game, surely it won't take too long for him to die and be left in the middle of no where to be fed on by the undead and hungry creatures.
She stopped and merely turned her eye to look at the insect bothering her. Immediately he felt a painful chill run through his spine and he left her. She turned her gaze back to her destination and walked towards it until she had reached the guild's door. One could hear the distant chatter of men eating and drinking but the moment she entered, the place went silent. She continued walking towards the counter; they were staring at her for different reasons.
First, there were not many female travelers, especially in Galevan except for healers and the guild attendants who didn't really count.
Second, she was walking alone and travelers usually travel in groups.
Last, because that she was a looker, she walked till she reached the counter and dropped the heavy bag on it which made quite a bang. That turned even more heads but when she opened the bag, it contained just meat, herbs, water and a small bag. Almost everyone burst into laughter
"Just meat and water? haha"
"And with its sound I thought it was a dragon's heart"
"Dragon's heart?! haha you are doing this on propose aren't you?"
"What did you expect from such a shabbily dressed traveler? Its a miracle she is even alive"
"Why don't you quit and come and serve me, I won't mind bahaha"
In the midst of the laughter, the attendant handed over a quite large bag and told her "Here is your 10 million negenes"
The laughter ceased immediately. As Sara took it and walked towards the door, someone held her left shoulder and this time she was pissed "Why do people keep touching her?"
"Hey, lady why don't you tell us the reason why you were given that amount because it is unfair that we work our asses off collecting gems risking our liv..." He was cut off by a slash to his eye. He let go of her and grabbed his injured eye
"Ahh! my eye!" He screamed in agony and pain, falling to his knees. Sara slashed her dagger in the air to wipe the blood, returned it to its pelt and walked off. Everyone looked in shock at the screaming boy but the most shocking part was not her soulless reaction, it was the fact that they did not see her remove the dagger from its pelt or swing it.
"Roland! Trent! Sam!" The boy called out, breaking them out of their trance. They immediately stood up and rushed to him
"Lets make that bitch pay" He cursed, they responded with a nod and put a bandage on his eye then left. Slowly but surely, one by one, everyone returned to their business while a man wearing an old French hat went to the counter, specifically to the attendant she left, looking at the door and sighed.
"Poor woman, she should be at the prime of her youth and would probably be killed mercilessly. I mean aren't those three the best in Galevan?"
He then looked at the attendant, took off his hat, bowed a little and greeted her "Bonsoir Mademoiselle" before placing it back on his head and leaning on the counter. He smiled at her; "She has to have some romantic relationship with you for you to give her such an amount right?"
She blushed but it wasn't because of the question, she had been asked similar questions before and she usually answered with a simple smile. It was he looks. His looks could make creature go crazy
"No not at all" She replied, waving her hands
"Then what?" He asked, coming closer. Her face reddened, she hurriedly pulled out the small bag Sara gave her and opened it. The guy in the hat looked at it shocked.
"It can't be, mon Dieu" He gasped "Are those dark cores?" He asked almost so quietly.
"Yes. Twenty in number" She said with a smile.
"What? That would take a life time to collect" He said trying to stay as calm as possible.
"She got them in just three weeks" She replied.
"Three weeks?!"
He shouted, no longer being able to control himself "Then isn't 10million Negenes underpayment?"
"It is half without charges for the other items but it is the amount she asked for"
By this time people were already looking at them because of his outburst, he turned towards the door, took off his hat and said "Adieu my dear good men"
"What is he talking about?"
"What a weirdo." Meanwhile in the dark, lonely alley Sara was walking through, the group was ready to attack. The man with quality amour and a dragon tear sword took his stance ready to pounce. He was a very experienced sword-type traveler, he moved forward with so much speed that one could barely see his figure.
"I would like to give her the most simple and painless death possible" He thought as he felt it was not her fault and swung his sword diagonally towards her back as confident as ever just to hit nothing. Instead, he felt an immerse pain in his stomach as well as a warm thick liquid flowing from his mouth. He looked down to see his upper half slipping down his lower half and looked up to no longer see Sara.
The other three shifted back, looking at Sara's dark dagger dripping with their comrade's blood, wondering how it was even possible to make a clean cut with a dagger. They looked up slowly at her face with its usual expressionless look, fear was instilled into their mind and no one dared move a muscle. She walked towards them, they could only hear their heartbeats and their brains screamed "Run" but their bodies would not listen.
The closer she got to them the louder their heartbeats banged in their eyes and the louder their brains screamed. But their bodies refused to move until she was ahead and passed them. The first one to respond was the boy with the bandaged eye but instead of running, he shouted "What are you guys doing? |She is getting away!"
The second to respond was the one next to him, A man wearing a cloak holding a fairy stone, he was a mage-type traveler
"I need to kill her as soon as possible, for the master's safety"
From his cloak emerged a grimoire floating beside him and a staff with an Elf orb
"I should chant a fast type spell"
He clasped his hands to begin his incantations just to be frozen and shattered into pieces before their eyes seconds after.
"How did she chant a spell so fast?" They both thought
"No" They saw something pass them as he clasped his hands
"She threw something"
They looked at her to see holding tiny bottles between her fingers, each a different colour, they were spells infused into bottles but how?
"You sneaky witch" Shouted the other guy by the side. He was wearing dark clothing, holding two twin daggers and a mask covering his nose down. He was obviously an assassin-type traveler, he rushed forward but as his blade almost touched her, he changed directions and hid in the shadows.
"She is probably something inhuman and I should be careful"
Before shooting towards her, he passed her at frightening speed,
"There is no way she'll be able to keep up with Trent's speed with his Zouwu claws boots" The bandage boy thought smiling confidently.
Trent kept moving around and towards her trying to confuse her as much as possible but she stayed unmoved, her expressionless face starting to look a little bored. He passed her and finally cut her cheek
"Yes I managed to cut her, she is not as invincible as I thought, I might actually have a chance" That seemed to give him courage because his head was currently crashed by Sara's bionic hand. the bandaged boy fell to his knees, looking completely hopeless
"How? How? Why? Is this how my life is going to end?"
She walked towards him and he prayed "Please let her walk pass me, let her have mercy just this once I promise not to make such a mistake again" But she stopped in front him and said
"I believe I was kind enough to spare you thrice and take from you a mere eye but it seems you refuse to accept my pity" She started loosening the bandages on her arm "Here is your treat" and tears went rushing down his single good eye. Meanwhile back at the travelers' guild "If you are free could we.. I mean do you mind going out dinner" the attendant asked but the French man walked away, putting his hat and said "Sorry I have other plans".
— ตอนใหม่กำลังมาในเร็วๆ นี้ — เขียนรีวิว