"Almost there, just a little bit more walking, then I can reach it," Ada said as he walked a clear trail through the forest. It was a path that led directly to the city of Das-Ahid. He had been traveling for the better part of 5 days already, all on foot, and only today, on the start of the 6th day, did he manage to reach the trail that led directly to it.
He would have reached here sooner, at least a day or two saved if he had enhanced his speed and used his abilities, but decided to lean on the side of caution and save his strength for when he truly needed it.
He'd expected this world to be unpredictable, and it was important to be prepared.
Ada wandered through the forest, the early morning rays peering and piercing through the leaves, gleaming a comforting warmth on the earth. Ada breathed the fresh air, the scent more potent as it was early in the morning, the sun taking its place in the sky.
"It's a good day, isn't it?"
He turned his head upward and stared at the blue light. He looked at it, as if waiting for a response, or even a reaction, but all it did was hover.
That's what I expected. I can't believe I'm even trying to talk to it.
He stared at it, the little, mysterious light that had been with him for all his life.
"Looks like I have gotten used to you, huh?"
Just as Ada strode, suddenly, the spritely light stopped moving. Ada tilted his head in confusion.
Heeelllp!!!.....
Suddenly, he heard a scream.
Somebody!!! Help!!
"What... was that?"
It was faint, quiet. He could tell it was far away, but his trained senses keenly picked up the sound. Ada stepped closer to the forest, wanting to hear more of what that was.
Someone!!! I need help!
Oy, shut her up, will you, you twat!
Ada heard it again, and this time there was another voice, a more angry, vicious voice.
The sounds came from deep in the woods, a far distance away. He turned to the light to see it sparkling and writhing in the direction of where the screams came.
STOP IT, NOO-
SHUT UP!
A loud thump, like something was being struck, came from the direction, and the voice that was asking for help became silent.
The blue light shone brighter, and Ada didn't hesitate any further. He glared at the dense forest. It was far, but he was confident he could make it there quickly.
In swift motions, Ada positioned himself and began strengthening his legs with aura, further amplified by the spells he cast along with it.
He leaped into the air, high enough that he almost reached the tops of the trees, until he dropped, landing on a branch and speeding to where he heard the screams. Ada jumped from branch to branch, moving like an arrow through the wind, maneuvering with precision on the vast array of trees and building up his speed as he used his enhancements to propel himself.
Ada hopped on one more branch and finally reached where the voices came. He hopped over to another branch, making sure to be silent and hidden under the cover of darkness.
There, in a small clearing of the forest, he could see a girl.
She was peculiar-looking, possessing white hair with highlights of red and black, two small horns on her forehead, and strange markings on her face that resembled tattoos. Spread through her skin were feathers, and her arms were winged.
She's a beast person.
She was thin, small-statured, and her clothes were worn and torn like a useless rug. She was bound on the ground, her feet tied together and her arms tied to her back. She had a piece of cloth placed on her mouth and a massive bruise on the side of her face, and her body was covered in injuries. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she looked up in terror of her captors.
"Hold her tight! Don't let her fly off! The boss will be mad if we lose even one of them!"
A man rattled out.
"Okay! Okay! Ya don't need to yell!"
Another yelled out
"Oy, I give the orders here! Not you! Now, get over there and pick her up. We need to get moving!"
Ada watched as 5 men in total encircled the girl. Terror filled her expression as they inched closer, tears streaming down, and a look of horror on her face. One man knelt and tried to get his hands on her.
He was a large one, built with toned muscle but with a massive belly overtaking his entire body. He was bald and cruel-looking, menacing and hideous, overall unpleasant to look at.
She violently thrashed her body around like a fish out of water, all in an effort to prevent him from getting closer. She writhed against her shackles, desperately exerting all her strength, but to no avail. Her breath quickened, and her eyes were filled with despair.
"Tough little runt won't stop movin'!!"
The man then kicked the girl in the stomach.
The girl croaked from the strike, and her body went limp.
"That'll do you in," the fat man said with a grin.
A weak cough escaped her mouth, with tiny droplets of blood spewing out. She lay there in the ground, unmoving, tired, and overwhelmed with exhaustion. Her breath was weak and faltering; she whimpered softly, strained from the pain, as a single tear streamed down the grass floor.
"Let's get this over with."
As the bald man was about to grab her, his hand suddenly flew out of the way and dropped to the ground, separated from the rest of his arm.
"Ah... AHHHHHHH!"
The bald man yelled out as his stump shot out a geyser of blood.
"MYYY ARRRMMMM!!! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!!??"
He fell to the floor, kneeling as he tried to stop the blood from shooting out. All the other men stood, shocked by what had happened, their expressions filled with surprise and bafflement as they stared at the man, whose hand was mysteriously severed.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL JUST STARING!?? DO SOMETHING YOU TWATS!!!"
All the men looked at each other with the faces of dullards, dumbly confused and lost on what to do.
"STOP STANDING THERE, HELP ME!!!"
As the bald man writhed in pain, his stump bleeding pools of blood, he yelled in torment, gritting his teeth as his skin began to go pale.
The man widened his eyes as a new sensation of pain came in his body. He tried to scream, but no sound came; only a waterfall of red that flowed from his mouth.
His throat was cut, sliced neatly across his thick neck.
The man collapsed, left to be bleeding like a gutted pig as his body fell forward, still producing even more blood that gathered to create a puddle on the grass.
This prompted the men to stay on guard and take action, pulling out their weapons in a panic and looking around their surroundings. Frantic, they huddled together, eyes wide open and alert, their brows sweating profusely, their arms shaking their weapons like rattles with worry.
Suddenly, a figure appeared.
As if a veil were slowly being uncovered, a being emerged out of reality and into their view.
The being turned his face to them; his was masked, with a cross in the face of it, and the remaining men all shuddered at his slight movement.
A black blade was in his hand, coated in an energy that seemed to move like oil along the blade.
The figure raised his hand and pointed a finger at the trembling group of men.
"Attack." He said, and a shadowy, menacing figure appeared beside him. It was a beast-like entity, dark and stark black, almost as if it were born of darkness itself. It was clad with cruel armor, its helmet's design resembling a wolf's as it growled, showing its canines. It moved on all fours on the ground, its claws carving on the earth as it walked with its long forearms and animalistic hind legs.
The beast raised his hand, and in it, a blade manifested.
The men all screamed in terror and stumbled on their feet, dropping their weapons to the ground and scrambling in a panic. A couple attempted to run away, but the beast sprinted toward them.
It cleaved at their bodies with its blade, sending limbs flying through the air. It tore away flesh with its claws and clamped down with its maw, feasting on their bodies.
It was quick, fast, and efficient as the beast took them all down with veracity.
Ada sheathed his sword and walked over the field of fresh bodies, the ground painted in red as the blood splattered on the grass. He reached the girl, unconscious, whose breath was weak and fainting. Her body was covered in injuries, bruises, cuts, and scratches, some of which were inflicted before he interfered.
She's in a bad state; unfortunately, I don't have can't cast any healing spells at all. At this rate, she's going to die.
He knelt down and laid his hand on the girl, and his hand began to be covered with sigils that rotated around his arm.
Let's try this out...
The girl's body slowly glowed with light, bathing her entire body with a glowing white hue. The girls' ailments slowly faded, her skin healing the minor injuries but leaving the more severe ones in a manageable state, but not fully healed.
As Ada finished applying healing to the girl, he stopped, pulling his hand to look at it. He watched as the sigils swirled in his hand and faded to nothingness.
I was worried they weren't going to work, but it did; that's a relief. This feels exactly the same; it almost feels nostalgic.
My abilities are not what they used to be, but with this, I can keep you breathing.
Ada had just used his deity abilities, in other words, the abilities he was born with, to provide simple healing to the girl.
When he first got here, having been basically reborn, he had discovered that he could still use his natural abilities. They were the abilities that could create anything, abilities that shaped the cosmos, the tools that created worlds, the abilities of a deity, but currently, they were quite weak, so vastly far from what they once were. He did attempt to train them, but so far, they haven't improved even a bit.
"Sleep, I'll tend to your more grievous wounds soon, rest and gather your strength," he said, patting the girl on the head and standing up.
He then walked over to his black soldier, who was sitting like a dog, with its mouth latched onto a torso with the head and arms intact, but its lower half missing.
It bowed to him, panting heavily with its tongue out.
"Put it down," Ada said, pointing his finger to the ground.
It opened its mouth, letting the body plop.
"Good, now, onto the next task."
He scanned the surroundings, to all the dead bodies in the ground.
He raised his hand, a dark energy manifesting as a cloud of black that swirled around his entire arm.
All the bodies on the ground began emitting the same black cloud, responding to Ada's power. The smoke gathered atop the five bodies that were strewn on the ground, almost steaming out of their bodies, the black energy swirling and condensing into a humanoid shape.
"Awaken, my nephilim," he uttered.
Five beings were born from the bodies of the men, solidifying and molded into warriors, clad to the fullest in cruel black armor. They were regal, far removed from the indignity of their former selves as they were born into new forms.
They strode toward Ada, kneeling and lowering their heads in reverence.
"There, this is a much better use for all of you. Beings who hurt others and dare to try to take their freedom away are the most despicable type, but with this, you can't hurt anything anymore. Now, go get some wood."
The black warriors rose, bowing their heads, and began marching deep into the forest.
Ada then went to the girl, rustling in his bag and bringing out bandages, before carefully applying them to the girl's more severe injuries. Next, he carried her, moving her to a place far from the mess, setting in the ground a sleeping bag and laying her in it, covering her with a blanket.
Ada looked at the girl, whose face was calm, and her breathing normal.
"What am I going to do with you?" He sighed, making sure she was tucked in. This day has certainly not come as planned.
A few moments later, the five armored soldiers came back, carrying a massive amount of logs in their arms, far more than Ada needed.
He sighed again and palmed his face, then began making an unnecessarily large campfire and setting the woods ablaze. He then plopped on the grass, placing his large backpack on his head and resting his head in it. He commanded the black soldiers to stand guard during the night, placing them in a perimeter around his camp.
He stared at the starry sky, its plethora of white glowing speckles glittering in the veil of night. He then turned to the crackling fire, the warm glow reaching his face before turning toward the girl.
Tomorrow is certainly going to be interesting....