❝how do you kill a monster without becoming one?❞
In the last city ruled by man, fish soar in the skies above and monsters lurk in the alleys below. Ten years ago, Jase lost both his legs and his mother to one such monster. However, tragedy couldn't...
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Huraira watched as Kova's fingers curled around the arachnid, eyes closed and head lowered. Huraira knew that Kova could speak to Sabiya, but she had no idea how far that power extended to other creatures.
The lights flickered. Bright light shone from in between Kova's fingers as he opened his hand. The spider contorted, inflating and stretching all wrong. It kept getting bigger and bigger and looking wronger and wrong until Huraira realized it was no longer a spider but a girl.
"What the-" Jase cried as the girl's form solidified.
Before anyone could respond, the girl spoke. "What have you done?"
"You are mine," Kova hissed in a soft way that sent a coldness running through Huraira. "Where is Red?"
"Red is my mistress, I shan't ever betray her!" the girl snapped.
The girl collapsed, screaming and clutching her head. Kova bent over, grabbing her throat and lifting her off the ground with startling ease.
"Kova..." Huraira took a nervous step forward.
She was met with a glare that reminded her who Kova was. "I do not care," he said. "I want Red dead so you tell me where she is or I eat you."
The girl squeaked as Huraira rested her hand on Kova's. "Stop it," she said. "I know you're mad, but we can find another way."
"Huraira," Kova said, "we don't have time to find another way." His grip tightened around the girl's neck. "I have killed before. We all have."
Jase took a timid step forward, touching Kova's shoulder. "Put her down, Kova," he said. "We need her alive."
But unlike Huraira, Jase was listened to. Kova dropped the girl.
"Where's Red Riding Hood?" he asked again.
The girl touched her throat, tears in her eyes. "Sl... slums," she squeaked. "It's a big building blocked off by fences. You can find her there." She lowered her body in terror. "But you gotta hurry. She's planning to leave right after the Storm."
"Storm?" Kova asked. "What is that?"
Huraira frowned. He... he couldn't be serious, right? "You know, Storms," Jase said. Kova looked at him blankly. "When blue shit blows over the mountains? They're super scary since there's only a few hours warning before they hit? Storms?"
"A Storm is when a collection of pure magic rolls over the mountaintops. It only happens once every seven or eight years," Huraira said. Kova continued to stare. "It's a blue fog that drains life and kills hundreds of people every time it comes?"
"Ah. The gntzīmenōn."
"What?" Jase asked.
Kova glanced away. "The passing of the fog," he mumbled. "Happens every couple of months in Cyn-Rae."
