Part 1 –

 

Around four months ago a slaver band went missing in the foreign lands of the Godless Cryo Region. A total of three airships were lost alongside 300 good men, 20 airship operators and several goods that were hauled within their cargos.

Not a significant loss by any means. The lives of the men, that is. Where there was gold to be made men will flock like birds to crumbs. The bread that these crumbs fell from mattered little to the desperate and to those who simply sought to exploit the Demi-humans for their darkest desires.

What mattered the most were the airships themselves. A slaver empire was lucky to have even 20 at their disposal. The loss of 3 was enough alert the slavers of the Red Rock Enclave; a slaver faction that dwelled along the canyons and mesas just across the forests and mountains that bordered the Cryo and the Endo Region.

The Red Rock Enclave operated underneath the veil and service of Di-First, as well as several dukedoms of the Endo Region. With vast backing and extreme demand for for slaves; they became one of the largest slaver groups known in Eastern Six Point and did not discriminate against only the Demi-humans.

Given their proximity with Vevillen; Elves among other magical races found themselves at the mercy of these slavers, albeit through much more covert methods. Elves were a race that were given equal freedoms in most kingdoms of the Endo Region, and as such, not all were able to condone the slavery of the Elves.

Demi-humans on the other hand were an entirely different story, written in blood and spoken through primal savagery. Currently over 500,000 Demi-humans were in circulation within the Red Rock Enclave alone. How many more remained elsewhere in the Endo Region was unknown, and by no means an insignificant number. The thought of such an atrocity boiled the blood of the Demi-humans of Cryo who sought for nothing more than to simply exist.

But there was no such thing as a strong Demi-human. As half animals they were better off as pets than to be granted the luxury of freedom. This was what the humans of Endo believed in. For an impure, Godless race to even believe that they were on equal footing as humans disgusted the Red Rock Enclave.

That is why the news came to them as a surprise.

3 out of their armada of 50 airships went missing in Cryo of all places. Normally, as standard procedure, they sent one or two at a time; sometimes with specific crew to take out the anomaly that was the ‘invisible’ airship.

But none were ever to be seen again. 3 was the maximum number of airships they could feasibly send out without it biting into their profits but seeing that there was an opposition that risked them losing their valuable assets in Cryo – they had no choice but to remind them of their indomitable superiority.

3 months later following their initial loss, an enemy attack was launched on one of their forward fortresses. It was a mountain base, fortified and built within impenetrable layers of stone. Yet it fell in only a single night, with hundreds found dead and all Demi-human slaves either missing, left injured to varying degrees, or were crushed in the rubble.

The very nature of what power was used remained unknown. A bizarre flurry of purple streaks of light were all that was seen on that night. It was as if a cluster of tiny meteors had wiped them off the face of the world.

That power was dangerous, and they had no doubts that it was the doing of the ‘invisible’ airship that had harassed their forces just prior to the loss of their valued fleet of 3.

As such – a fleet of 10 airships were sent into the Cryo Region, with a similar band of 800 soldiers riding on horseback and carriages far below. Clad by the darkness of midnight; there was no village or town that would be prepared for such a grand assault.

The slaver band was divided into five distinctive groups, with one containing all the carriages, wagons and cages that dragged numerous imprisoned Demi-humans.

This was their revenge, and their showcase of strength that sought to topple the mysterious purple light with their sheer numbers and superior weaponry.

One reason as to why such large-scale invasions were put off in the beginning was because they did not wish to wipe out the Demi-humans or to poach too many. Within Endo, the Demi-human population only dwindled. They were not bred so to say. Mothers that carried children were likely to take their own life or to commit infanticide than to allow them to suffer, and if they didn’t, then the child was unlikely to reach maturity whether through cruel acts by their masters, or by other Demi-humans.

They needed Cryo to remain as a breeding ground, only to be interfered with when they were ripe for the picking.

This was different, however. Their armada was not only armed with slavers and experienced capturers, but also with armed mercenaries and, most notably – Demi-humans. They were stripped bare, with the younger ones tied to shields and others strapped to their horses. They were hostages, expendable, and easily replaceable with the upcoming harvest.

The Demi-humans would not dare to retaliate at the sight of such cruelty. This was certain to strike fear into their heart, and to etch their place in the world as nothing more than livestock for the superior races.

A target was set in sight. A medium-sized town home to roughly around 300 Demi-humans was the perfect place to begin their large-scale assault on the borders of Cryo. Their goal was to capture at least 5,000 Demi-humans to offset the cost of the lost airships, the deaths of the Demi-humans they brought as meat shields and the labour of their men.

The unsuspecting town was silent. Oddly silent. While the observers aboard the airship did see movement within, they passed it off as nothing out of the ordinary. They were presumed to be guards with night-vision abilities, and even if they did see their charging men, it would all be too late.

They were already at their throats with the land forces at only a kilometre away.

“These beasts have no walls. Scorch everything once we’ve dragged every one of them out of their filthy huts.” A man wearing fur-like armour ordered with a cold, estranged voice. Neither passionate nor hesitant – just nonchalant.

This man was named Marlk. He had neither a middle name nor last name. He was a man who only knew how to complete his task, and that was all that mattered. His ridged personality and human-centric ideals made him the perfect candidate to become one of the five regional leaders of the Red Rock Enclave, all under the severance of the sole Slave Commander of the Enclave.

For one to come out and personally meet with the Demi-humans of Cryo was akin to a declaration of war; but to them, no more than an invitation of a genocide.

The men chattered amongst themselves, relaying the order of this man who appeared to be the leader of the slaver band.

The armour Marlk donned was crafted from the hides, ears, and tails of Demi-humans. The slaves that curled into the centres of their moving cages bled through their haphazardly wrapped bandages, missing the organs that defined them as Demi-humans. Children were missing fingers, some tongues, and others – their eyes.

Their situation was hopeless. Coming from Endo and some being even born there; they did not know freedom. All they could do was remain silent through their ordeal, knowing that a single tear shed would only be met with a cruel beating, or used for more sinister desires afterwards.

Rabbit ears, cat ears, dog ears – they were adorned on their pikes and armour, wrapped like ornaments and ribbons. They wore them into their invasion with pride, seeking only to add more into their distasteful collection.

Even worse was that alongside the cages the very ears that Demi-humans were missing dangled before them, swinging in the wind in a cruel, hypnotising manner.

“Don’t kill off too many. We’ll need to scrounge up as many of their settlements as we can. It won’t have a choice but to come out of hiding, and it won’t stand a chance against the Red Rock Enclave’s fleet.” Marlk stated.

“Aye cap’. Yer sure all these airships are necessary?” One asked, looking above at the sight that any warmongering nation would be proud of.

“3 airships went missing. From the start our invisible foe has been inhibiting our airships from entering and leaving Cryo freely. This is necessary. We need to remind these filth where they belong. Hundreds perished nights ago. We’ll take a thousand of theirs in return.”

A series of shouts and cheers washed through them like a plague. The Demi-humans only listened, some only felt the vibrations and saw the taunting laughter for they could no longer hear.

“The airships are here to overwhelm their only hope.” He added and pointed his spear towards the incoming village. “Go at them at your leisure. They won’t dare to fight us back with the same filth smeared on our horses and shields.”

He sliced the Demi-human child that was glued and nailed to the shield, their skin being the only thing keeping them connected. Their tongues were cut, and they gagged on clotted blood to cease their screams. Their eyes instead screamed for them – whilst some were already long dead, mentally absent, or drowned in hopeless despair.

At the approach of the 300 metre mark the slaver bands divided off into differing sections of the town. Approximately 150 each began to brigade straight in, with the final group lagging with their slave cargo.

Marlk’s group was the first to touch ground with the town. The clanking of metal, the muffled sounds of suffering and the clop of hooves made themselves known to the inhabitants who were certainly either dead asleep within their huts or preparing for a futile fight.

One by one the men barged through the homes and began their assault as Marlk continued down through the nonsensical animal path of the town, leading his men deeper into their territory. The sound of despair soon engulfed them, and he could only nod as he knew that it was only a matter of time before the next harvest.

Shattered windows, the sound of beatings, cracked wood and broken bones, and – even the cracks of lightning –

“Lightning?” Marlk looked up and held out a hand, seeing nothing but the clear moon above. “What’s that noise?”

It was not just one, or two cracks. But several all simultaneously, and right after one another. It came from all around them rather than from the sky, so it struck them as bizarre.

“I hear it too… perhaps it’s their homes? The glass?” Another stated, also curious.

“It may be.” Marlk dismounted from his horse and motioned for the rest of his men to continue onwards. “You two – come with me.”

The man who had spoken earlier and another random mercenary joined him on foot as they approached one of the wooden huts of the Demi-humans. He easily kicked down the door in a sight that more so showcased the weakness of the Demi-human’s craftsmanship than it was a feat of his own strength.

Inside, only a single lantern illuminated the home. Amid straw-made beds, cooking wear and other primitive makes – sat a single Demi-human female. It was a rabbit Demi-human, made obvious by her only ear, as the other was bandaged up. She appeared dozy, as if she had just awoken, and her loose clothing which revealed her bountiful flesh only exacerbated this thought.

She sat from across them on a table, seemingly in the middle of a late dinner with a piece of bread in hand. The look on her face when they entered barely shifted, instantly rousing suspicion within captain Marlk as the other two immediately dove straight in to dine on their carnal desires.

“STOP!” He exclaimed with a voice unlike him. “Don’t move… don’t get anywhere near that thing.”

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The men froze immediately, only moments away from claiming their prize. The bunny-eared Demi-human noticed his fear and put on a believable face of shock and surprise, further confusing the two lackeys.

“Aw? What – you want her first? Can’t say I blame you cap’. This one would fetch a high price.” One said, nearly salivating.

“Assumin’ she’s pure or somethin’? Could fetch an even higher price, eh. What a waste.”

“I-idots…” He uttered; his eyes wide in terror.

Even though he did not understand why – he felt death itself had its hands wrapped around his neck. Marlk possessed a magic that functioned in the same vein as [Threat Detection], save his version was far, far more inferior.

It was called [Death’s Compass].

It only activated whenever certain death was upon him. And to see nothing but the frail figure of a beautiful young Demi-human before him struck him as nothing but unnerving.

He didn’t realise it at first, but the bread she held had no bite marks in it yet. Furthermore, he also figured out that it was fake by the way her fingers dug into its crust, forming indents similar to that of compressed foam. The Demi-human girl slowly brought the bread up to her head, feigning a sign of surrender which only entrapped the two in their power trip and boundless lust.

They did not even have to do anything. It appeared as though the Demi-human would do anything for them, given how terrified she appeared. But that could not be further from the truth.

“Cap’?”

“Yer making us look less intimidating here! A touch won’t hurt. Look at her. She’s trembling.”

“… aw. C’mon. We’ll take care of ya.”

“You – you idiots. She’s… she’s laughing.”

“Huh?”

Indeed. The trembling they saw was just her trying to suppress her laughter. They didn’t notice it beforehand, but her other hand was suspiciously hidden underneath the table. It was then when the hands of death began to strangle him.

He yelled. The man who was supposedly as ridged and emotionless as ice broke. At the same time as he ran straight through the door, the sound of a cord being dragged along cloth rung louder than the artificial thunder outside.

The Demi-human plugged her only ear with the ‘bread’.

Three similar cracks erupted behind him, and just as he turned the corner through the door, he watched a man suddenly drop dead with a hole gouged out of his face. His men screamed from within, and he had no courage left to stand and face whatever that Demi-human was.

And so – he did the only thing he could.

He ran.

* * *

“God help me! Ah – ah! I- I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

“You bitch! MY LEG! What did you do to my leg!?”

They screamed as both men fell. Their kneecaps were blown off by a powerful projectile, severing their legs completely from the bone, sinew, and flesh.

Underneath the table that the bunny-eared girl sat stared an Otherworldly artifact that breathed smoke. This was a gun. A mass-produced weapon of unrivalled power, courtesy of Black.

The weapon was slightly larger than her hand and was heavy to wield. A long, retractable cord made from Octanid thread connected it to a belt around her waist, now visible as she stood over the two mercenaries with bloodlust.

“Stay away! STAY AWAY YOU FUCKING–!”

“AAAAAAAAAHHHH –!”

She blew off their hands and only remaining foot, leaving them as writhing stumps as they screamed out their lungs. She watched them bleed out, her eyes never blinking once as she savoured their deaths with a face devoid of emotion.

As quickly as they had entered her home, they had left this world. The light faded from their eyes, and all went silent. The sounds of gunfire continued outside. The battle was still ongoing, but it was not one they would lose.

After all – this town had already evacuated all its inhabitants. Who replaced them and remained were none other than Black’s crew of the deadliest 100 Demi-humans in all of Cryo, which had now expanded to around 150 with the introduction of their additional airships.

Currently, only 50 remained within the town itself. Up above, aboard another two ‘invisible’ airships were the other 100; with 50 of them being trainees.

The bunny-eared girl watched over them for a little longer. Her eyes moved onto the strapped Demi-human children on their shields and bent down to check on their vitals.

She showed no reaction. They were long dead, already evident by the blackening of their flesh. She carefully inspected the lessons on their bodies, and the abuse that had brought them to their end so long ago.

Through the shadow casted by her blue hair, the girl’s expression morphed into one of anguish. She knelt and began to pummel the faces of the mercenaries until they were nothing but an unrecognisable mess.

The deaths they were given was fartoo merciful for their own good. Even after their faces were caved and broken beyond comprehension, she began to use the thin strand that connected the belt to her gun to slice their bodies, right before she stood and stomped until they were as warped as crumpled paper.

Throughout all of this she did not utter a single word. At the end only an exhausted pant left her lips as blood dripped from her clenched fists; and with the deed done, she swiftly moved to the bed. Underneath its straw construct were her clothing and the rest of her equipment.

She undressed the loose wear and put on the black garbs, which were created in the image of Black’s iconic wear. The main difference was that they used golden coloured belts rather than buttons, allowing them to hook various equipment onto themselves when needed.

As part of the uniform; she wore black gloves, each with metal linings along the knuckles and a tiny, curved blade just behind the thumb. Her boots were light yet strong enough to crush the skulls of their enemies if they seized such an opportunity, and finally, the leggings were clad in black of a similar shade to her garbs. They were tight, but not enough to latch onto her skin.

Various pieces of equipment were attached by her waist, and with a final tug of her sleeves, she was ready to leave. As she walked a part of her attention latched onto the dead mercenaries.

Just as she left through the doors she kicked their corpses aside, and then glanced back at the children with regret. She hissed and moved along the dirt paths that staged their one-sided massacre.

The reverberating sound of gunfire was liberating to say the least. Where it brought terror to their enemies it inspired her comrades to move forward, no matter what.

All for their chance to just exist in this world.

As thoughts drowned out the sound of the enemy’s pleads of mercy – for she knew that the others were far less merciful than she was – a pair of Demi-humans armed in similar wear approached her, weapons retracted.

“Bun~!” A tiger-like man saluted, as did the dog-girl beside them.

This man’s name was Cankel. Aside from his strange name he easily towered both Bun and the dog-girl. His muscular physique showed brilliantly through his thick garbs. He wore a friendly face that hardly matched his physique, with short hair that matched the orange and black colour palette of his tail and ears.

Alongside him was the dog-girl named Hoka. She stood slightly taller than Bun and possessed wide, brown eyes and brown hair. Her appearance was nothing spectacular, aside from the hair which she had grown out into a dazzling ponytail.

“As per their request – we’ve captured a few of them.” Cankel added.

He motioned to the four men they had captured, all tied in an intricate bundle. Hoka dragged them along, using their blood as lubricant on the filthy soil to ease her burden.

“Good. Any deaths?”

“Aside from the ones they brought – none. They didn’t seem to bring horse-men either. Just normal horses.” Hoka spoke with edge. “Monsters… and they have the audacity to call us that. Bun – can I receive an order to slit their throats?”

“… fucking filth. Fucking filth. Filth. Filth. Filth. Filthy. Filth.” One of the humans mumbled to themselves, lost in denial to how they could have possibly lost against them.

The dog-girl bared her teeth. As much as she wished she could bite down and end all their miserable lives, she needed to refrain. By the command of Commander – no, of the Exrenity Black – they abode to her every will.

However, Bun – the one-eared bunny-girl – held a special privilege that allowed her to tweak their plans on the fly. So far there was no need.

This power was given to her as part of her training. This was because she was one of the few that were chosen as candidates to adopt the role of a ‘leader’.

They were basically individuals who led a certain group within specific roles. For example – not all Demi-humans were capable of rappelling from airship to airship, and some seldom knew how to operate the main guns even when taught in excruciating detail.

Bun was a candidate to lead an offensive squad; one of ten, with another main group acting as the ‘head’ of all offensive groups. The head leader was the ones responsible for most major decision within their branch, and in Bun’s case – it was the offensive; a lacklustre name for now until all was finalised.

It was pitifully rudimentary as of the moment. Until Black placed every piece of the puzzle only then she could finally realise the structure of her Demi-human legion.

That aside – Bun was the youngest candidate by far, and her lithe body did not inspire much confidence in combat. However – what set her apart was her talent with the weapons Black had bestowed them.

An example would be how she blew off the legs of the mercenaries. Without even looking, and by using pure instinct, she managed to cleanly strike exactly where intended.

Although, she also guessed it may have had something to do with how close she had become with Pale, the Biomech child. But then again, who wasn’t close to the child?

“Leave them be. Let the Commanders handle them.” Bun adamantly stated, causing the dog-girl to make a strange face before accepting Bun’s stance.

“You’re right. As regrettable as it is they’ll only die a merciful death in our hands.” She said, speaking highly of the sadism that Black and White inflicted upon their enemies. “That being said – can we at least take a finger?”

Bun didn’t respond immediately. She didn’t need to either. As she began to make her way past them, she gave Hoka a glancing nod, and without any hesitation, she grabbed the hand of the mumbling man and ripped a finger for herself.

No matter how loud his screams were, they could not even begin to drown out the chatter of gunfire. Bun knew not every shot hit, as this was the first time for many to use this kind of weapon, hence why more gunshots were fired than the actual enemy count.

She counted it all in her head. More than 500 shots were fired against an enemy that numbered only in the 150-ies; in this sector of the town, that is. Her only working ear functioned as her eyes in the darkness of midnight. As half-rabbit, her red eyes were barely functional in minimal-light conditions.

What aided her was the orange glow of fire that began to seep into the skies from the distance. She snuck through huts and houses, which had been recently evacuated prior to the invasion, and followed the ominous glow as the sound of gruelling combat surrounded her.

Humans were weak when they were stripped of their magic and tools. In a test of raw, physical strength a Demi-human will more than likely emerge victorious. But their captors were not the kind to play fair. To use shields that strung their kind on like some sort of bait, and to don the ears and tails on their armours only caused her blood to boil.

So in turn – they needed to also excel in ranged combat. Demi-human magic was, to put it bluntly, pitiful. Not many knew how to cast it, and if they did, it was rarely any higher than [First Tier] magic.

That was where firearms came into play. A weapon that laughed in the face of honour; and bestowed death with only the draw of a finger; also carrying the range that far surpassed even the greatest of bowmen; could only have been designed by a being of Black’s nature.

Not that she meant it in a disrespectful way. It was no secret that Black, and White were infamous for their brutality, which had been taught and mentally beaten down into their minds.

All for the sake of existing.

Bun kept close to the shadows. Even though her safety was but guaranteed, her body moved instinctively amid the fighting. And despite their overwhelming power she deeply understood that they were still weak.

Her eyes moved to the airships above. If it weren’t for the aid of the Exrenity those ships alone would have wiped them out in an instant. They were the reason why they hadn’t made a single move yet.

Suddenly, she kicked something. It was a body. She looked down and saw the dead eyes of a Demi-human staring back at her, also wearing the same gear as her. With closed eyes she felt for their face and sealed their eyelids, putting them to rest.

“Dammit...” Bun whispered, lingering for a moment before she moved on, her speed now slightly sluggish.

Various thoughts came to mind as she moved towards the exit. In time, the vastness of Cryo’s grasslands expanded before her, and so did the orange hue that engulfed the shallow skies like a poisonous haze.

She gazed across to the other end of the abandoned town and stared at a particular point. A band of 150 slavers moved in, and at about 100 meters away from the town, a barrage of light and gunfire erupted from where she looked.

Garrisoned within the huts and homes were only 20 Demi-humans. With all the enemies gathered in one place, it made the slaughter all the easier. Before the enemy had even begun to comprehend what had just happened, all had fallen in the blink of an eye after a series of streaks of orange light penetrated their entire unity.

It was almost as if an invisible force had unceremoniously cut them down. Such was the power of their weapons. As soon as the force was slain, they quickly swarmed in to finish the wounded, capture the untouched, and to rescue…

What remained of the Demi-humans.

Bun didn’t exactly know how to feel when she saw this. Someone within the group – the leader most presumably – must have issued this order. On one hand if she hadn’t been rescued by Black and were strapped to a horse like them, then she would’ve preferred to die in such a manner.

On the other hand, Bun wished those people could have at least felt the warmth of being rescued, as she did when Black found her months ago, feeding off the body of a dead rat, and drinking the waste of her masters.

Bun was one of – if not – the first Demi-human to be rescued by Black and White from her living nightmare.

Her fists curled.

She wondered if it really wasn’t worth at least trying to save them.

Again, she watched a similar event unfold. Except this time, they allowed the invading humans to enter, rather than to attack them primitively as the previous squad did. Obscured by the huts and her unspectacular eyesight, only her ears were able to savour their ambush.

But at that moment, she heard the ground thump. Someone ran in the opposite direction, heading towards the other end of the town far behind. She couldn’t catch a glimpse of who or what it was.

But judging from the sound of metal and the person’s terrified breaths – she easily matched it with the same person who had managed to escape her earlier.

She instantly gave chase.