The Grand Catastrophe

…

As Shizu took out a guard, Neia thought about what the mission required. Right now, as they advanced and silently killed foe upon foe, they got closer and closer to their target. Soon though, they would meet the prince-turned-king.

She had met two rulers, two royals in charge so far. The first was her own queen. She ruled with kindness, morals, and logic. The second was a literal goddess, whom people worshipped. She ruled with a mind set to treating all equally.

They were very different, yet both effective rulers in their own right. Calca was loved by the people. Momonga, her follower base was growing quickly and fervently. It was actually kind of scary.

The time was night, with the full moon out, and hanging in the sky. It was a gorgeous sight, if not for the dead men that they left in their wake. Neia herself was running along after Shizu, her girlfriend quickly and silently killing all the foes that they came across.

From the warehouse-esk area that they had popped out from, they went through a semi-open courtyard. There, they killed two guards, and moved on. Neia killed the far off one near the tower that led up to the wall. Shizu took the one closer.

Then, they moved on. From there, they moved up the ladder in the tower connected to an inner wall in the city, which seemingly used to be an outer wall. The tower was cramped, and they had to quickly get up the ladder.

As Neia climbed, she glanced up at Shizu, and blushed. Just as quickly as she had looked up, she looked down. Ignoring what had just happened, the two of them made their way along the inner wall. There was a single guard topside, and Shizu took the demi-human out with a well placed knife-throw.

They moved on down the wall. The inner walls used to be the outer walls of the castle. Because of this, there were several towers on the edges of the inner walls. The one that they themselves were going to was one such tower. There, the king lay, unknowing of the death of his father.

As they went ahead into the tower itself, Neia knocked an arrow Shizu reloaded her gun. Neia glanced at the strange weapon. She had only really seen crossbows which did something similar. Though, the gun she used apparently had several things wrong with it that she regularly complained about.

The tower simply went up and down. There was no room to go to. There was no ladder. There was simply a spiral staircase going up and down. Neia sighed at the thought of so many steps. Her knees are going to get tired.

She was so caught up in thinking about that, that she nearly missed the sounds of feet stomping on the ground. Her eyes widened a smidge. She had idly wondered why there had been so little guards. Now she knows. She could feel the weight and rumbling of footsteps walking down the corridor.

As Neia stopped along the stairs, and Shizu prepped her gun, they saw it. There, many steps above them, was what seemed to be a demi-human ogre race of some kind. She didn’t really recognize the foe in front of her as any sort of individual. He seemed more of just a member of his own race.

“I am Grok, unmaker of the makers, killer of the water drinkers! Hear me and kneel!” the grey skinned ogre shouted, and slammed his sword in the stairs in front of her.

Neia jumped back, and fired an arrow into the man. Yet, as it reached him, it passed through him like mist. Neia sighed in her mind.

“Of course it isn’t that easy,” she said out loud as her foe cackled, but had to backstep as Shizu ran in with her blade.

A single horn came from his head. His body was covered in patches of iron plate. His skin was a slate grey, with lines of purple all throughout. To a normal person who hadn’t fought an entire army with her girlfriend, this would be daunting.

“Can you just die already?” Shizu asked for her, and slashed at his leg, which split open, and the beast let out a yell of pain.

Neia then fired three arrows in rapid succession. Each one passed through harmlessly. Then, she fired three more. The ogre was getting more nervous now, so Neia assumed that he was near his limit.

“He only has so many times he can be immune to ranged attacks. He’s nervous and afraid,” Shizu pointed out the shaking of his body.

She finally fired the last arrow at his head, assuming that he was on his last legs. The final arrow exploded his head in a shower of gore and gold light as the magically enhanced arrow split his skull open.

Neia sighed in relief, and decided that this was enough for tonight. Shizu seemingly agreed with her, and started running up the stairs, three steps at a time. Neia was running off of barely any sleep. She had barely taken enough time to rest, so she was wanting to get out of here as quick as she could now.

…

“You know what, I don’t really care right now,” Neia said, and knocked on the door like a polite person anyways, then, after a beat or two, she slowly went in.

As they entered the room, lit up only by the full moon, Neia could hear the slithering of a Zern, a Zern that had come to check on them after word got out of an intruder. The demi-human who sent her wasn’t too smart, and didn’t realize where they were sending them.

Neia glanced at her, and realized that this was the Zern that had let them in, in the first place. Neia nodded to her, and entered the space. She looked around the room. As she entered and looked for the prince, Shizu followed her in, gun at the ready.

“Prince Beebeezee? Are you here? We’re here to rescue you from the demoness?” she asked more than stated as she spotted a lumpy bed in the centered of the far wall.

She then walked over to the lumpy space, and peeled back the covers of the bed. There, on the middle of the bed, was a maggot person. That was what he looked like.

“Are you more food?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“No. Though I apologize I woke you up or anything, I’m running on three hours, we’re here to resume you,” she said, and the Zern that followed them in sidled up besides her.

“But my father will be slain if I follow you. I am sorry, but this was all in vain I fear,” he said, and then the Zern spoke.

“I am sorry to say my King, but the king is dead,” she said, and Neia could have sworn she heard him suck in a breath, and let out an angry one.

…