Chapter 1: Death
< Cordelia Spindlewood >
I have worked with the Seekers faction of the Darkthorn for at least 20 years. You'd think that would mean I'm around 40 years old, right? Well, no. I'm 27. I was seven when my parents and sister were killed and I was found by the Seekers of Darkthorn afterwards, who then raised me to be a fighter. They forged me into a weapon, a living blade who was willing to kill for them.
Now, as I stand on the docks, beside Kaito Mizu, the two of us are preparing for battle. Kaito has always been a bit of a flirt, at least around me. His blue eyes sparkle as he turns to face me, sheathing his sword at his hip.
“You ready, Cordelia?”
“As I'll ever be,” I say.
Tomino, Kaito's sister, also one of us, walks up, her pale, freckled face blushing a bit as she walks by Dimitri Wolfe, one of the most experienced of us Seekers. Dimitri pays her no mind, but Tomino just walks past him, tying her long black hair up into a bun.
“Ready for battle,” Tomino says, smiling at me and Kaito.
Kaito turns to her. “You have the seeking sage ready, right?”
Tomino rolls her eyes. “I'm not an idiot, Kaito.”
“Didn't say you were, asked a simple question, Tom.”
“Tomi,” she growls. Then she turns to me. “Yes, I have the seeking sage. What are we after today, then?”
Dimitri finally turns around and pipes up. His pale face is cold and vacant of expression, much like his blue eyes. His long black hair is tied back in a tight ponytail, and his scars on his arms stick out a bit as he waves a dismissive hand. “We are after a Feral-Hearted.”
“A Feral? Why not send a Feral from our group after them?” Kaito asks.
“It isn't your place to ask questions, Mizu,” snaps Dimitri. “We have a job to do. We must do it. So, Tomino, Kaito, and Cordelia… get ready for departure in five minutes.”
Dimitri leaves the docks, approaching the boat that will be taking us across Infinity Bay.
Kaito scowls after him. “He's such a stickler for rules.”
“Yeah, well, he's a senior member of the Seekers,” I reply. “So why not be a stick-in-the-mud?”
Kaito laughs. I'll be honest when I say that his laughter makes my stomach fill up with butterflies and my chest feel all warm. I think I might have a crush on Kaito. And yes, I know he's got one for me. But … I don't know.
“We'd best be on our way, then,” says Tomino.
Once we are all armed and ready, we walk down the dock and into the boat. It's disguised as a regular fishing boat, but it's full of high-tech weapons and armors and such. All made for killing monsters.
Monsters like the Ferals.
Dimitri drives the boat across the somewhat choppy waters of Infinity Bay, and I hold onto the railing on the deck of the boat. Kaito and Tomino are down in the galley, and I'm alone on deck here. I don't mind, though.
My long, blonde hair whips around my face, which is paler than usual in the moonlight that shines through the thick clouds above. My green eyes, which remind me of my birthstone, emeralds, scan the choppy waters. In this light, the water seems gray.
A cold breeze blasts across the water, and I tighten my jacket around my thin body. Then, as per the rules, I tie my long hair up into a braid. Better to tie up long hair, rather than let it be used against you in a fight.
“We are approaching the warehouse flats,” Dimitri calls out. “This is our destination. There are a dozen of these things in there, and we are to kill them all. Before they can come to the city and start feeding off the people”
“Fun mental image, thanks,” says Kaito sarcastically.
Tomino chuckles. Dimitri rolls his eyes, but says nothing.
“Cordi, got your bow ready?” Kaito asks.
“I'll go grab it. I was gonna go with my specialty pistol.”
“Hope you've got daggers, too,” says Dimitri.
“Of course I do,” I reply. Then, I head down below deck, grabbing my bow and a couple different quivers of arrows. Then, I head back up.
We dock, then Dimitri turns to us. “Be careful. These monsters are not to be underestimated.”
“This ain't our first rodeo, partner,” Kaito says with a twangy accent.
“Try and take this seriously, Kaito,” snarls Dimitri.
Kaito grins and salutes him. Dimitri just shakes his head and lets out a long-suffering sigh, then he signals for us to follow him.
The four of us slip through the shadows on the dock, then Tomino picks the lock to the warehouse Dimitri indicated was our target.
We slip into the warehouse then.
A hissing sound echoes off the metal walls of the warehouse. Dimitri glances at us. This is odd. It's too quiet, without that hissing noise. And Ferals are nothing if not loud. There's the sharp tang of coppery blood in the air, and Dimitri draws his crossbow out, loading it.
He signals for us to split up.
Tomino goes with him, and I go with Kaito.
The two of us climb some stairs, and I peer over the edge of the railing, watching as Dimitri shoots one of the seemingly asleep Ferals in the back with a bolt. The creature growls, hissing and snarling, before turning to ash.
But Kaito taps my shoulder. I turn to him, and he points ahead.
At least four of them are standing up ahead, clustered together. If we take out one, the others will know. It's not time to alert them yet, either. We can't shoot yet. I glance at Kaito, who points above us. I see another staircase.
Seekers are taught sign language, and so, Kaito signs, “Climb those stairs, then snipe from above.”
I nod and do as he suggested. I take my position on the next level up, my arrow nocked and ready, aiming it at the Feral who's closest to Kaito. Then, on his signal, I fire.
The arrow strikes the Feral in the back of the neck. A gurgle escapes the monster as it turns to ash. The others turn, snarling and shrieking. I put another arrow in the eye of a second one. Kaito throws a knife, which strikes the third in the chest. It shrieks loud enough to echo across the warehouse.
“Shit,” I breathe. They know we're here now.
I stand up, but a hand clamps down on my shoulder and when I turn, expecting it to be Dimitri, I gasp. It isn't him.
This is a Feral.
His orange eyes are narrowed, his tan skin lined with deep blue veins beneath it, his scarred face betraying his rage. I stare at him, his long, auburn hair, his set jaw, and his torn up hoodie and jeans.
“You call us monsters,” he growls. “From my perspective, you are the monster.”
“You … can't talk. Ferals don't talk!”
He laughs. “Not all of us can, that's true. But I can. And I am continuing to do so.”
He then throws me down onto my back. The impact is hard enough to jar my head, and I yelp as pain spears through my body. The Feral leaps forward, straddling my chest with his legs as he practically sits atop me.
“You and your ilk are monsters,” he growls. “And all of you deserve to die!”
“Cordi!”
I know that Kaito's yelling for me, but then, the Feral latches his hands around my throat. I gag, struggling to breathe. The Feral's eyes narrow as he pushes his fingers into my windpipe.
“Cordelia!” Kaito screams, and then, I hear a loud bang.
The force of the bullet knocks the Feral off me. He slides across the metal floor, and I cough hard, trying to breathe. Kaito holds his smoking pistol in his shaking hands and he runs toward me.
“Kaito,” I say, my breathing finally evening out.
But then, a terrible, piercing pain rips through my back and stomach. I scream when I realize what's happened. The Feral stabbed me, impaling me.
“CORDI!” Kaito screams.
The pain overwhelms me, and I feel like I am drifting on a sea of agony. A sea of flames.
My eyes close. And I know no more.
I have worked with the Seekers faction of the Darkthorn for at least 20 years. You'd think that would mean I'm around 40 years old, right? Well, no. I'm 27. I was seven when my parents and sister were killed and I was found by the Seekers of Darkthorn afterwards, who then raised me to be a fighter. They forged me into a weapon, a living blade who was willing to kill for them.
Now, as I stand on the docks, beside Kaito Mizu, the two of us are preparing for battle. Kaito has always been a bit of a flirt, at least around me. His blue eyes sparkle as he turns to face me, sheathing his sword at his hip.
“You ready, Cordelia?”
“As I'll ever be,” I say.
Tomino, Kaito's sister, also one of us, walks up, her pale, freckled face blushing a bit as she walks by Dimitri Wolfe, one of the most experienced of us Seekers. Dimitri pays her no mind, but Tomino just walks past him, tying her long black hair up into a bun.
“Ready for battle,” Tomino says, smiling at me and Kaito.
Kaito turns to her. “You have the seeking sage ready, right?”
Tomino rolls her eyes. “I'm not an idiot, Kaito.”
“Didn't say you were, asked a simple question, Tom.”
“Tomi,” she growls. Then she turns to me. “Yes, I have the seeking sage. What are we after today, then?”
Dimitri finally turns around and pipes up. His pale face is cold and vacant of expression, much like his blue eyes. His long black hair is tied back in a tight ponytail, and his scars on his arms stick out a bit as he waves a dismissive hand. “We are after a Feral-Hearted.”
“A Feral? Why not send a Feral from our group after them?” Kaito asks.
“It isn't your place to ask questions, Mizu,” snaps Dimitri. “We have a job to do. We must do it. So, Tomino, Kaito, and Cordelia… get ready for departure in five minutes.”
Dimitri leaves the docks, approaching the boat that will be taking us across Infinity Bay.
Kaito scowls after him. “He's such a stickler for rules.”
“Yeah, well, he's a senior member of the Seekers,” I reply. “So why not be a stick-in-the-mud?”
Kaito laughs. I'll be honest when I say that his laughter makes my stomach fill up with butterflies and my chest feel all warm. I think I might have a crush on Kaito. And yes, I know he's got one for me. But … I don't know.
“We'd best be on our way, then,” says Tomino.
Once we are all armed and ready, we walk down the dock and into the boat. It's disguised as a regular fishing boat, but it's full of high-tech weapons and armors and such. All made for killing monsters.
Monsters like the Ferals.
Dimitri drives the boat across the somewhat choppy waters of Infinity Bay, and I hold onto the railing on the deck of the boat. Kaito and Tomino are down in the galley, and I'm alone on deck here. I don't mind, though.
My long, blonde hair whips around my face, which is paler than usual in the moonlight that shines through the thick clouds above. My green eyes, which remind me of my birthstone, emeralds, scan the choppy waters. In this light, the water seems gray.
A cold breeze blasts across the water, and I tighten my jacket around my thin body. Then, as per the rules, I tie my long hair up into a braid. Better to tie up long hair, rather than let it be used against you in a fight.
“We are approaching the warehouse flats,” Dimitri calls out. “This is our destination. There are a dozen of these things in there, and we are to kill them all. Before they can come to the city and start feeding off the people”
“Fun mental image, thanks,” says Kaito sarcastically.
Tomino chuckles. Dimitri rolls his eyes, but says nothing.
“Cordi, got your bow ready?” Kaito asks.
“I'll go grab it. I was gonna go with my specialty pistol.”
“Hope you've got daggers, too,” says Dimitri.
“Of course I do,” I reply. Then, I head down below deck, grabbing my bow and a couple different quivers of arrows. Then, I head back up.
We dock, then Dimitri turns to us. “Be careful. These monsters are not to be underestimated.”
“This ain't our first rodeo, partner,” Kaito says with a twangy accent.
“Try and take this seriously, Kaito,” snarls Dimitri.
Kaito grins and salutes him. Dimitri just shakes his head and lets out a long-suffering sigh, then he signals for us to follow him.
The four of us slip through the shadows on the dock, then Tomino picks the lock to the warehouse Dimitri indicated was our target.
We slip into the warehouse then.
A hissing sound echoes off the metal walls of the warehouse. Dimitri glances at us. This is odd. It's too quiet, without that hissing noise. And Ferals are nothing if not loud. There's the sharp tang of coppery blood in the air, and Dimitri draws his crossbow out, loading it.
He signals for us to split up.
Tomino goes with him, and I go with Kaito.
The two of us climb some stairs, and I peer over the edge of the railing, watching as Dimitri shoots one of the seemingly asleep Ferals in the back with a bolt. The creature growls, hissing and snarling, before turning to ash.
But Kaito taps my shoulder. I turn to him, and he points ahead.
At least four of them are standing up ahead, clustered together. If we take out one, the others will know. It's not time to alert them yet, either. We can't shoot yet. I glance at Kaito, who points above us. I see another staircase.
Seekers are taught sign language, and so, Kaito signs, “Climb those stairs, then snipe from above.”
I nod and do as he suggested. I take my position on the next level up, my arrow nocked and ready, aiming it at the Feral who's closest to Kaito. Then, on his signal, I fire.
The arrow strikes the Feral in the back of the neck. A gurgle escapes the monster as it turns to ash. The others turn, snarling and shrieking. I put another arrow in the eye of a second one. Kaito throws a knife, which strikes the third in the chest. It shrieks loud enough to echo across the warehouse.
“Shit,” I breathe. They know we're here now.
I stand up, but a hand clamps down on my shoulder and when I turn, expecting it to be Dimitri, I gasp. It isn't him.
This is a Feral.
His orange eyes are narrowed, his tan skin lined with deep blue veins beneath it, his scarred face betraying his rage. I stare at him, his long, auburn hair, his set jaw, and his torn up hoodie and jeans.
“You call us monsters,” he growls. “From my perspective, you are the monster.”
“You … can't talk. Ferals don't talk!”
He laughs. “Not all of us can, that's true. But I can. And I am continuing to do so.”
He then throws me down onto my back. The impact is hard enough to jar my head, and I yelp as pain spears through my body. The Feral leaps forward, straddling my chest with his legs as he practically sits atop me.
“You and your ilk are monsters,” he growls. “And all of you deserve to die!”
“Cordi!”
I know that Kaito's yelling for me, but then, the Feral latches his hands around my throat. I gag, struggling to breathe. The Feral's eyes narrow as he pushes his fingers into my windpipe.
“Cordelia!” Kaito screams, and then, I hear a loud bang.
The force of the bullet knocks the Feral off me. He slides across the metal floor, and I cough hard, trying to breathe. Kaito holds his smoking pistol in his shaking hands and he runs toward me.
“Kaito,” I say, my breathing finally evening out.
But then, a terrible, piercing pain rips through my back and stomach. I scream when I realize what's happened. The Feral stabbed me, impaling me.
“CORDI!” Kaito screams.
The pain overwhelms me, and I feel like I am drifting on a sea of agony. A sea of flames.
My eyes close. And I know no more.
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