Selene sat carelessly on the desert sand with an empty pot beside her, spilling its remaining contents onto the ground. She patted her slightly bulging abdomen with a satisfied smile.
"Damn, that broth was good! I never expected one of those guys to have such good culinary skills!" she exclaimed, wiping her mouth with the back of her gauntlet and not caring about staining her equipment.
She burped loudly but didn't care because there was no one nearby she wanted to impress. She savored the taste in her mouth before spitting on the floor.
"Let's see. I killed the big guy at the beginning. The blond guy got stabbed. I used my left gauntlet on the other guy. I doubt he survived. It remains to be seen if the guy with glasses survived.
Anyway, it never hurts to finish them off. I don't want them coming back for some reason," she muttered before standing up. But before heading to any of her fallen enemies, she walked to the only object in her field of vision that emitted a unique green mist.
"I don't usually see anything beneficial, but it's just a stupid box." Selene bent down to pick up the silver box, which was partially buried in the sand.
Because of this box, she had spent an entire week exploring ruins that had appeared in the desert while she was traveling through it. The box was also responsible for her decision to take revenge on the four men who had tried to rob her because of its possible value.
"I hope it's really something good! If it's another piece of junk, like when I found a wedding ring, I'll melt this metal down into a dildo and shove it up my ass," Selene complained. She waved the object in her hand in annoyance and tried to hear its insides, but there was no sound.
Was it just a metal box? Could it be opened? Was there something valuable inside, or was its value due to the strange metal it was made of? If the latter, she would keep her promise. After all, she had done something similar with a ring she had found in the past.
After playing with the silver box for a while, she approached the pale boy. His body was still unusually rigid, and his eyes remained open. A faint glow covered his skin, but it seemed to be fading.
"I never thought the paralysis of the left fist could last so long. But it's probably because there's no resistance. However, its harmful effect on the internal organs is too powerful, a true killer move.
I need to figure out how to regulate its power. What if I need to capture a live enemy? I can't end up killing them!" Selene muttered, mentally noting the changes she would make to her left gauntlet in the future. After all, it was only the first version.
Even though the man was visually incapacitated, who knew if he had somehow survived? She didn't hesitate, reaching her right hand around the man's neck and squeezing tightly.
She used not only the power her Glyphwork gave her but also her Noeia to control the muscles in her arm and exert even greater force. After ensuring the neck was broken, she turned the corpse over and repeatedly punched its spine, shattering it.
"It's good that they have a vehicle; there are undoubtedly power cells available. They'll be useful for getting rid of their bodies," Selene said aloud as she lifted the man's body. He was still alive, showing subtle movements.
"That's why it's important to finish off your enemies. If I let you go, you'll wake up, have an adventure, and seek revenge. I'll just be another stepping stone on your path to glory. That's how it was in fictional stories before the cataclysm," the woman muttered. She twisted her enemy's head completely around.
After confirming that his heartbeat had stopped, she continued punching his spine, just as she had done with the previous corpse. Then, she dragged the body and piled it on top of the others.
She did the same with the other two bodies, piling them with the rest. She searched their bodies and luggage, finding a good amount of money, communication crystals, and provisions that were of no use to her.
"Pure crap. The only valuable things they have are those Glyphworks, money, and what they took from me. But I never expected the big guy to have something like this." Selene looked at the bottle of pills in her hands, from which a red mist was constantly swirling.
"Stimulants! And the illegal kind, very illegal." The woman's pink eyes sparkled with excitement. She felt that this bottle was the best thing she could get out of this ambush, unless she could figure out what was going on with that silver box.
"With that red color, this stuff must hit hard. Good thing I got rid of that guy at the beginning. Now they're all mine...until I sell them for a good sum of money!" Selene exclaimed excitedly because making money could excite anyone.
Take one of these stimulants? She wasn't stupid! She could see the red fog representing deadly danger, so she wouldn't take any of these pills for anything in the world.
"Okay, now let's build a big, wonderful bonfire." Selene set aside everything she had gathered, rubbed her hands together, and walked toward the car, which was floating several inches above the sand-covered ground.
She skillfully removed two white metal cylinders from the machine. They looked simple, but she was careful not to squeeze them too hard because she didn't want to ruin anything.
When she returned to the group of corpses, she placed the two cylinders on the sand, making sure they wouldn't fall. Then, delicately, she unscrewed the tip of one cylinder before removing a second cylinder made of transparent material.
Inside was a fragment of gray glass called Vetro. Its color could be changed in various ways, but this did not affect its function or use. Because Vetro was so versatile, it was used for many things in the city; even communicators were made entirely of this material.
However, there was something resembling a liquid inside, indicating that the current sample was energetically charged to power machinery of a certain size, such as vehicles. This made it difficult to handle.
Of course, materials like this are well-protected. Even if she squeezed the coating surrounding this piece of Vetro with all her strength, she couldn't break it. As a Glyphworker, however, she was very delicate when it came to technology.
"A standard-quality specimen. Not as good as the one in my gauntlets, but it will do for creating some impressive fireworks," she muttered before continuing to work on the container.
She didn't have to do much; she just had to cause a small imbalance that would result in a big explosion. For others, this would be impossible, but for her, it was relatively easy because she possessed this knowledge.
After performing the procedure for the second time, both pieces of glass started buzzing. The buzzing was initially very low, but it gradually increased and became quite annoying for anyone who wasn't used to it.
By the time the noise was loud enough, Selene was already far away, carrying everything she had obtained. On the way, she collected the small drone she had used to spy on the group of men.
Was she covering her tracks? She was in the desert! The weather was quite changeable, and there were abundant creatures, so any trace of her presence or remains of her enemies would disappear.
At most, they would find the car, indicating that someone had caused trouble, but Selene didn't care. With a big smile on her face, Selene watched from a high dune as the energy crystals reached their critical point.
Then it happened. An explosion of gray energy soon turned into a fire that voraciously consumed the scattered corpses.
The wind stirred the sand and Selene's hair. She partially covered her face with her hand to prevent her eyes from being affected as she continued to watch the spectacle she had created.
"My work here is done. Now, let's see if any creatures are attracted by the commotion I've caused. Depending on what they are, I might have a nice breakfast tomorrow," she muttered before turning around and trotting toward her belongings with a wild smile on her face.
Revenge really was sweet as honey!
☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾☾
Selene lay comfortably on the desert sand with the heat dispenser beside her. She had already stowed everything she had brought with her in her backpack or on her motorcycle, so now she was just relaxed on the ground, watching the shattered moon in the sky.
Her arms and hands were still protected by the cold metal of her deactivated gauntlets, whose LED lights were off.
Sleep had already come, but she didn't feel like sleeping. She was in a strange state where her body wanted to rest, but she remained alert.
"What could have happened to make the moon like this? A weapon? How powerful would a weapon have to be to do something like this?" Selene murmured, then turned her attention to the ring of debris surrounding her world, Cancri.
"Stories from before the cataclysm say that the moon was completely round. Its light was stronger, and it took on different shapes depending on the night.
At present, we only have half of the moon, which makes it impossible to appreciate those 'Lunar phases,' as those stories say," she continued talking to herself, hoping it would help her stay awake, but every couple of sentences, she ended with a yawn due to the immense sleepiness she felt.
When her eyes were half-closed and her mind was scattered, she glimpsed several orange mists in the distance. The sight caused all her sleepiness to vanish.
She stood up, picked up the heater on the floor, turned it off, and approached her motorcycle, where her backpack was. She put the bag on her back and stored what she had in her hand in the compartment of her vehicle. Then, she mounted the motorcycle and channeled her Noeia into the handlebars to activate it.
Usually, machines like this only need to be activated by an object that serves as a switch. However, she had modified this motorcycle to include enchantments, making it a Glyphwork in part.
She also made it much larger and rougher in appearance, unlike the stylized designs seen in the city. This adaptation perfectly suited it to the wild outside world.
Although it had no weapons, it had many compartments to store her supplies and the things she found on her travels that weren't too large. She even installed a small refrigerated storage compartment that she planned to use tonight.
Although the Noeia was sophisticated, its only real function was activation, meaning people unable to use this power could still drive it. But what prevented a Noetarca from stealing it?
The key that she left behind during the activation process! It could only work if activated in a very specific way; otherwise, it would just be an inert machine that could safely store a few pieces of meat.
There were ways to make a Glyphwork accessible to only one person, but it was very hard work that she only did with her gauntlets. After all, they were some of her best works, and she used them as personal weapons, so security was vital.
Once fully started up, the motorcycle rose a meter high, emitting a soft hum as the surrounding sand scattered in continuous circles.
"If there are too many, run away. If there are few, stay and deal with whatever comes," she told herself before leaning forward, accelerating, and causing the flying motorcycle to move.
After making an abrupt U-turn that kicked up a lot of sand, she drove toward the incoming enemies. She didn't know what kind of creatures they were. After all, even though this was a desert, it was teeming with monsters.
"Oh yes! If I get some decent meat, I must see how I can bring a portion to Morgana," Selene thought, remembering one of the few friends she had.
It didn't take her long to see what she was up against: Red-shelled Scorpions! These monsters were three meters long, not including their tails, which rose an additional two meters behind them, even when retracted. They had deadly stingers.
They were as tall as a large dog and had pincers capable of cutting a person in two if they caught them. They got their name from their shiny red shells, which darkened as they grew stronger.
Of course, this didn't mean they were dangerous enough for Selene. In the past, they might have cast a red haze over her vision, but as her strength and resources increased, past threats became more accessible.
Since there were only three of these scorpions and the risk was bearable, she decided to attack. The meat of these creatures was quite good, and their hemolymph served as an excellent repellent for minor desert monsters.
Not to mention their stingers and venom! Both are relatively valuable. Selene stopped her flying motorcycle, leaving it running, and entered a meditative state as she walked toward the monsters.
After taking several steps, the blue LEDs on her gauntlets lit up, indicating that the Glyphworks were activated and ready for action. This caused her to smile confidently, revealing her white teeth.
The scorpions had initially been attracted by the explosion Selene had caused, but they waited some time before deciding to explore what had happened, believing any potential danger had passed.
However, they had already detected the woman before she exited her vehicle. They slowed their movements, acting cautiously and hissing and clicking among themselves as if communicating.
The cataclysm altered the world of Cancri and greatly affected all the species that lived there. This gave rise to the monsters and dangerous entities that now roam the world.
It also led to the appearance of strange, supernatural things. Luckily, Selene only encountered a trio of cunning monstrous scorpions.
When they saw how confidently Selene approached them, they hesitated, stopping completely before separating and attempting to surround her. She didn't care what these creatures were doing because she was confident in herself.
This confidence came from her own strength! She crouched slightly, adopting a fighting stance that allowed her to attack or dodge when necessary. She stood watching the scorpions, which began emitting two types of sounds: clicks and hisses. They even waved their tails threateningly as a warning.
Clearly, the scorpions did not want to fight. However, Selene had waited a long time for prey, driving her motorcycle to them the moment she spotted them. She was not going to let them go so easily.
Perhaps their purpose was to cause trouble! Since Selene had just killed people, a faint, dangerous, bloody atmosphere still lingered around her. This made the scorpions feel overwhelmed when they noticed her unmoved by their threats.
In fact, Selene began to emit her murderous intent, making the already cold night worse. This was the result of all the times she had killed her enemies in battles to the death.
Since Noeia is a power stemming from thought, concepts that others consider illusory, such as bloodlust and impulse, are quite real. In fact, they are tools that a good Noetarch must learn to use properly.
The scorpions could no longer bear the coldness brought on by her murderous intent, so they lunged at Selene, seeking to get rid of her, an entity they had categorized as dangerous.
The woman's eyes narrowed as her Noeia took effect, slowing down her enemies' movements in her vision. She couldn't sustain this state for long, but it was sufficient for her current needs: Dodge!
She moved to the left, dodging a large red claw that closed in on the spot where she had been standing. From her new position, Selene jumped and twisted in the air to dodge a pair of needles thrown at her with the intention of impaling her.
Her body fell to the ground, and she quickly slid backward, dodging green liquid that fell where she had been standing and produced a loud sizzling sound.
What a terrible poison! Even though she hadn't attacked yet and was only dodging, Selene had a big smile on her face as her Noeia spread across her body like a spider web, clinging to her muscles and getting ready.
The entire process took only a few seconds. However, battles between Noetarchs and monsters were carried out in these kinds of circumstances, so it was vital to adapt to this fast pace, regardless of whether you were human.
"You've attacked enough. Now it's my turn, don't you think?" Knowing these creatures would understand, Selene said that before clanging her fists together.
The muscles in her limbs bulged, and her veins became visible and protruded. Her heart began to beat rapidly, and her cheeks took on a soft reddish hue.
A faint impulse began to emerge from her body. However, Selene decided to contain it rather than release it because it was not the time to use it in battle. She let out a sigh before murmuring a few words.
"General muscle activation: 7%. Heart activation: 10%." The woman opened her hands slightly before choosing her target: the smallest of the three scorpions, the one farthest to the left.
She stomped on the ground, propelling herself forward at great speed, and her body became a blur. She slid toward the monster's body, avoiding its pincers, and, when close enough, jumped and landed on its back.
Selene brought her hands together, raised them above her head, and brought them down heavily on the creature's chitinous armor. The sound of metal striking chitin spread along with the small shockwave generated by the impact.
Cracks appeared in the impact zone. She managed to inflict significant damage on the monster beneath her, prompting it to reflexively attack her with its stinger. She stepped aside and grabbed the scorpion's tail.
With a sudden movement, she pulled the deadly weapon from the creature's body. A lot of corrosive fluid shot out, but she had already jumped off the scorpion's body. She avoided being stained by the fluid and responded to the other two enemies.
They had hesitated to attack because they might hurt their companion. However, seeing the human's actions and the pain she had caused the smallest of them convinced them to try to impale her with their stingers.
The wounded beast began to move erratically and jerkily, and its hisses perfectly conveyed its suffering despite its inability to speak. The other two scorpions did not pursue Selene. Instead, they approached the wounded beast, occasionally hissing and clicking as if trying to calm it.
Selene watched all this coldly, feeling no guilt or remorse. Out there, death was an immutable rule, and she would not hesitate to kill her enemies. These creatures hadn't even wanted to attack her in the first place, but that was life. She hadn't done anything to those men, yet they had decided to steal the fruits of her labor. Therefore, Selene had decided to seek revenge.
She didn't stop her actions. Taking advantage of the beast's distraction, she jumped and brought her hands together in midair, using her momentum to crush the monster's shell once more.
She struck the same area she had injured before and activated the ability of her right gauntlet. Along with the deployment of a blue shockwave, the scorpion's hard chitin shell shattered completely.
Green liquid, red pieces, and the monster's white flesh flew everywhere. With one last hiss, the beast staggered and collapsed to the ground. Although it appeared dead, its limbs occasionally moved, but it no longer had the same strength.
The other two scorpions became wilder and more aggressive, constantly attacking Selene with their stingers and pincers to kill her in revenge for their incapacitated companion.
Selene enjoyed the combat and being on the edge of danger. She used her enhanced state for longer fights because she had adapted to this state of overexertion. She constantly dodged enemy attacks but also closed in on them, striking the scorpions' shells with her metal fists and attacking the same points to undermine their defenses.
Due to her high body temperature caused by the strenuous physical effort, a white mist rose from the woman's mouth. Her sweat-covered skin glowed under the starlight, and her short hair fluttered wildly with each sudden movement.
She did not seem to be engaged in arduous combat, but rather in a dance in which she was the protagonist and the scorpions were mere accompaniments. It was just her and her powerful, metal-covered fists striking relentlessly without the sophisticated attacks and strategies of before.
With three enemies, she had to think hard and be more elaborate, even wasting one of her most powerful attacks. But with only two frenzied enemies left, she could simply let herself be carried away by the excitement of combat.
Thus, she gradually released her impulse, an ethereal sensation that condensed a person's mental and spiritual aspects, bringing them to reality. The Noeia had no offensive means of its own, but it could make these kinds of illusory concepts real.
This impulse represented her strength, presence, murderous intent, thirst for blood, and desire for battle. With it, she pressed and urged the monsters, who seemed to have lost the rationality they had previously shown.
"After all, even if they have some intelligence, they are just weak monsters that cannot escape their wildest instincts," Selene said before cutting off one of the scorpion's claws with her left hand.
She did so in the same place she had wounded it several times before, where the shell was full of cracks. This time, her blow was unusually heavy because she had momentarily increased the force with which she attacked.
"Muscle activation: 10%." With this added power, her metal hand shattered the limb holding the scorpion's claw. It was left connected by only a few strands of flesh that resisted the impact.
The largest of them hissed loudly, and suddenly its red shell turned an even deeper shade. Selene's pupils shrank because she did not expect a giant arthropod like this to be able to use an ability characteristic of high-level monsters.
Outrage! This is a state in which a being consumes their entire being to enter a temporary state in which all their characteristics are enhanced by a certain percentage. This percentage depends on various factors, such as potential, health status, and the nutrients available in their body to serve as fuel for their increase in strength.
"Don't tell me the power of love made you stronger? I suspected you were family when I saw the three of you walking through the desert. One of you was smaller than the rest. You were the biggest. Such a cliché!" Selene took several steps back, ignoring the green hemolymph that had recently stained her body.
She was no longer paying attention to her crippled enemy, but rather to the beast whose threatening mist had turned dark orange without a trace of red. This made her purse her lips in a gesture full of disdain.
"Trash like you should end up in my stomach!" the woman declared, before regaining control of her body with Noeia. Her limbs grew slightly larger, and her breath became longer as she absorbed all the oxygen she could.
"General muscle activation: 10%. Cardiac activation: 15%. Respiratory activation: 10%," Selene murmured. It was the most optimal combination she had developed for short, high-intensity battles.
She could endure more individually, but she had to balance things when combined if she wanted to perform adequately. Her face turned completely red, and her heart sounded like a drum, but she simply crouched down again in the same initial pose as before.
This time, when she lunged at the larger monster, it did not respond instinctively as before. Instead, it crossed its claws in front of its body and extended its tail above its head.
The beast clearly didn't want Selene to use her previous tricks again! However, she didn't rely solely on a simple strategy. She had faith in herself and her creations.
Despite everything, she punched it with her left hand and collided with the defense the scorpion had put up. This time, the dark-red shell held up better, even though she had increased her strength beforehand. However, the woman's goal was not simply to crush it as before.
A blue flash blossomed between Selene and the creature. A large amount of energy bypassed the monster's outer defenses and reached its flesh, spreading throughout its body. Selene had used the ability of her left gauntlet!
Perhaps because it had entered a state of temporary enhancement, the scorpion endured the internal devastation and did not die or become paralyzed. However, its movements were severely reduced.
Selene approached first, grabbed the beast's stinger with her right hand, and tore it out, repeating what she had done to the smaller one minutes earlier.
Then, she grabbed its pincers, pulled them apart abruptly, and began to twist its body, dragging the enormous monster with her. After twisting several times, she threw the monster toward the other giant beast, which had approached her in an attempt to hurt her.
The two creatures collided heavily and landed on their backs in the desert sand. At that moment, Selene's breathing became more agitated, and her body gradually returned to normal.
She had calmed the temporary enhancements she had induced, but her usual form was powerful due to constant refinement since she began generating and controlling her Noeia.
Selene saw the largest scorpion begin to cover itself in green liquid because, although it was not paralyzed, the energy deposited in its body had caused internal damage. The other scorpion had broken legs and was shaking them constantly, wanting to rest them on the ground.
"It's time to get some fresh meat." Selene licked her lips as she walked toward the monsters. Although she had eaten recently, the physical exertion had burned many calories, which she wanted to replenish.
She used her hands to remove the scorpion's stinger. Then, she crushed their vulnerable bodies, using the energy of her right gauntlet, which had recovered during this time.
She also made sure to finish off the smallest one, which was still clinging to life. No mercy! She soon got their poison sacs and covered them with a small towel from her backpack to make transporting them safer.
She gathered as much meat as she could carry on her motorcycle and filled the cooling compartment to the brim. Then she took out a metal bowl, a bottle of oil, a small jar of honey, salt, and the heater she had gotten from the men. She began to cook.
Surrounded by a circle of hemolymph to scare away other desert creatures and with the carcasses of giant scorpions cut up beside her, Selene enjoyed cold meat.
Her only complaints were that her body odor had worsened after the fight, and she didn't have a cold beer to accompany her delicious meal. The good news was that her journey was coming to an end, and it was time to go home.
It was time to return to Eclipse City.