It took Nyx no time at all to lead some vitiate beasts to the corpses of those she’d killed. Each infected animal forgot about her in an instant. The free meals before them were much more appetising than the small human that flew outside their range.

  Now that she’d set her mind on it, she wanted to rush down into the depths and punish the Fleshsmiths for coming after her. Despite that, she still felt reluctant to actually ignite another Dark Star. The things were deadly, but wouldn’t be able to kill Solan, the Fleshsmith leader. Because of that, no matter how many Dark Stars she created, she could never fully eliminate the cults. It was those unassociated that would suffer.

  The Fleshsmith’s main forge was deep in the depths of Coral, yet it would be naive to believe only the cult would be effected. Corruption would multiply, and significantly endanger the lives of those who relied on areas of lesser density. Where people who couldn’t survive sudden manifestations or the breaking of reality lived. Another disaster in the heart of Coral was bound to spread disease and death.

  But it was the only option she had to save herself from the cult’s investigations. The only way to add days to the endlessly ticking timer.

  Nyx wasn’t happy that it could affect people like Dan and Ari, but she couldn’t make compromises for her own fate and the eventual downfall of the cults. At least by igniting the Dark Star at the core of the Fleshsmiths’ territory, she would place them right in the crosshairs of the other cults’ wrath. By triggering a conflict between them, the cults wouldn’t have the time to focus on a young woman that kept to herself. They would have no reason to point the cause on her.

  As she turned to leave, her eyes found a rather young vitiate deer chewing on the femur of the woman she’d decapitated. Its teeth slid along bone, searching for any remaining morsel of meat it could find. And it just so happened to be about the right size.

  Glancing down at herself, Nyx realised that she’d torn her robe. Again. And, well, if she was going into Fleshsmith territory, she needed some way to defend herself that others could see. She needed that weapon. She needed a robe that would actually repair itself.

  Her impatience was great, but a little bit of funds acquisition was unavoidable.

  ???

  Nyx dumped the two vitiate beasts down on Archei’s counter with a thump that had both the creatures screech in indignation, and lash out at her, only the makeshift muzzle locks and bindings made their efforts meaningless.

  It would have been impossible if not for the recent sacrifice. Having to drag around two bodies that fought her at every moment through miles of forest had taken forever. With a combined weight of more than her own, the infected creatures would have been impossible for her to carry so far, even with her recent muscular enrichment.

  Her body felt healthier, but it was still tiny. Emaciation at the hands of her curses for so many years could not be reversed with a few dead men, it seemed. Nor the sickly tone of her skin.

  But despite the lack of change to her appearance, there was no doubt that she’d grown stronger. She’d pushed through the pain of broken ribs to bring this pair of ferals back for the cash she needed. They were still broken. Unfortunately, the improved ritual of wellness given to low creed Fleshsmiths didn’t have the capability to seal bone back together, even empowered by her blood.

  “You couldn’t have brought them back in cages?” Archei asked from as far from the counter as he could within the small stall. “Treatment for vitiate is expensive.”

  “Don’t get bit then,” Nyx said dismissively as she glanced around the plaza.

  It was starting to get late, and harbinger teams were becoming more frequent. She did her best to remain inconspicuous. It was hard, considering she was trying to sell a pair of vitiate beasts, and each movement made her want to clutch her ribs in pain, but she was pretty sure she didn’t stand out amongst the summoned or bound monstrosities that followed some cultists.

  Compared to the blob of what looked like pus that followed one, her wings might even look tame.

  Of course, both of her beauties were tucked away. She’d torn her robe in the battle earlier, so she had to bind them with the other half of her skulk shroud. If someone saw through the tattered remains of the lower half of her top, they would see that rather than her mutations.

  Not that it was all that safe to be seen with the cloth. They were expensive. Enough so that people might kill for it.

  She turned back to Archei only to find he hadn’t taken a step towards the vicious former animals that coiled on his counter.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “It took me hours to drag them back, and not once did they break free of their muzzles. I doubt they will in the next few minutes.” It may have been only today that she’d been given the opportunity, but she was impatient to move on. “If you could pay now, I’d like to be on my way.”

  Archei, hesitantly, grabs a pair of hard plastic bags before tossing them at Nyx. “Tie them around their heads.”

  Nyx stared at the bags with runic words scribbled across their white surface before snapping her eyes back to the trader. “So much for a former harbinger.”

  “Prospective!” he protested. “There was a reason I never actually committed to the path.”

  Groaning, she moved to slide the bags over her already perfectly good rope-muzzles. “You remember how much we agreed on, don’t you?”

  “Yes, yes. Two hundred blood drops for each carcass.” Apparently feeling calmer now that the beasts were focused on Nyx, Archei bent down near the counter to pull out some cash notes.

  The money should be enough — added to her previous savings — for Nyx to get her weapon and robe. Though, she doubted there’s be much left over. As she finished sealing the bag around the neck of the feral deer that bucked beneath her arms, she became aware of a man approaching from her left. She was still alert of her surroundings.

  “Four hundred BD for those specimens?” his voice was gravelly and hoarse; typical of those who chanted hymns all day for years without ever allocating resources to the improvement of their own flesh. “My girl, the man is fleecing you. I’ll offer you five.”

  Nyx turned, and at the sight of a dozen mechanical spiders skittering over the man’s shoulders, she almost recoiled. Not because of the spiders. She didn’t mind the critters. It was because the man was a Worshipper of the Machine God. Countless scars and burns textured his face, and his clothes were shabby, but the machines he let climb all over him were pristine.

  She glanced behind him, and found another, larger machine spider waiting patiently a few metres away. It only reached her waist, but the polished mechanisms of its form were some of the most sleek and well-machined she’d seen.

  The eight long legs were armoured, yet slender, with joints that had no obvious separation in the metal. Its torso was much the same. All arachnomachines held their greatest arsenal within that thick, well armoured body, but Nyx couldn’t see where any weapons or equipment might sprout from.

  It wasn’t the most complex she’d seen, but its build quality was far beyond any normal automaton.

  Her eyes returned to the man the machine served… or whom served it — the position of power was never truly clear with the Machine God Worshippers — and inspected him.

  His hood was tattered much like the rest of his appearance, and there was no sign of his creed. Was that intentional? Without reaching out and touching his name, Nyx couldn’t tell if he was some low-creed that was working with a higher-creed’s machines, or if he was a higher-creed himself. She didn’t. Last time she’d been lucky to have gotten away without the Bodytwister questioning her. Nyx couldn’t risk his attention.

  At least any more than he’d already given her.

  “What? Don’t butt into others’ business,” Archei exclaimed, suddenly no longer terrified to get close to the duo of vitiate beasts. He hovered his arms over them defensively. “Now, Nix, we agreed on-”

  The trader trailed off upon seeing Nyx’s intense stare. Even from her peripheral, it was clear he mistook her wariness of the Machine God Worshipper for temptation at his offer.

  “I’ll give you five hu-”

  “We agreed on four hundred, yes?” Nyx turned back to Archei.

  It wasn’t honour that made her want to keep to their agreed price. Nyx just didn’t want to let a member of one of the pinnacle four cults win. Not even in this small bid.

  Of course, Archei’s mouth hung, obviously not expecting such an outcome, but when Nyx crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, he rushed to hand over the money before she could change her mind. “Y-yes, as we agreed.”

  Nyx took the notes and fled. She noted the cultist’s raised brow, but he was thankfully not about to start anything.

  “Ah, well I guess I know what the market rate is, then.” The Worshipper turned back to Archei. “I’ll take these off your hands for four hundred.”

  Nyx heard the trader scoff, and his words made her pause. “I think a thousand is much fairer.” He’d tried to lower his voice, but not enough.

  Huh… Looks like we’ll need to have a chat about fair value next time we meet.

  “Ah, is that so…” A pair of his small spiders leapt from his shoulder and bit into the vitiate beasts. Faster than Nyx had seen even when inflicting bisecting wounds upon the creatures, their hearts began to shine. That purple glow pierced through their skin and soon their circulatory systems overlaid the feral animals’ bodies. “Such a shame.”

  “What are you doing?” Archei shouts, attracting dozens of nearby eyes. “You’ll kill us both!”

  “I cannot control the will of our angels.” The Worshipper declared as the pulsing purple glow reached critical levels. “They fulfil the will of Coral; to say otherwise would be blasphemy. Heresy.”

  Nyx, along with everyone else nearby backed away from the stall holding the pair of vitiate bombs ready to explode. Nobody dared step forward.

  “Fine!” Archei caved. “Fine. Fine. Fine, I’ll give them to you. Four hundred.”

  In one smooth motion, the larger arachnomachine stepped forward and slipped the two thrashing vitiate beasts over its back. Metal link straps snapped out from its side and tied them down in an instant.

  “The Machine God thanks you for your service.” He bowed his head slightly before walking off. The dozen spiders continued to scuttle over his shoulders and back as the large one followed.

  Archei glared after him, before turning his frustration on those watching. It was clear he wanted someone to interfere. A wish that would not be fulfilled. Higher creed cultists had a certain level of immunity to their actions, and only the presence of an equivalent power — more likely from an opposing cult — would hold them accountable.

  Nyx turned away. She didn’t have time to waste, and after learning how much he was trying to undercut her, she wasn’t all that concerned. He didn’t end at a loss, after all.

  Now with full pockets, Nyx could finally choose a weapon for herself. She couldn’t deny the excitement she felt; as much as she loved the feel of her claws, they were weapons forced upon her. An actual harbinger blade would be something she chose for herself.

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