Bloodlaid Sands (Nyx x Reader)

Chapter 6- Gone With The Night

(In the past..)

"So, this here's the list of your targets- our victims, per se," Your boss tossed you the sheet halfheartedly, holding onto the top and letting the bottom roll down the moldy wooden table eaten away by termites.

You scanned over the list, reading through the names very carefully to make sure your family wasn't on it. All these names sounded so.. regal. Complicated, even. There was no way these sounded like names you'd hear in your kingdom, as common as exotic names were in this generation.

Most of the names were already crossed out hastily, but each marking varied. Some names were scratched out with what looks like would be the sharp end of a branch, some names had a line through them in ink, some were completely censored in ink, and some were crossed out in blood. You assumed that the last people that had been hired didn't care for neatness, and simply needed to get out of their situations quickly or had to use whatever was on hand.

"All these are.."

"Elves." They said, flickering cigarette smoke 'neath your nostrils, clogging up your breathing for a split second.

"Those conniving creatures think they're so special," they went on their spiel bitterly, "with their witchcraft and dragons and their enchanted world, but I think not-"

"The world is cruel, and is no place for those cheating at life as they do, giving us pathetic diamond-in-the-rough humans no role or way into the spotlight, and those who are acknowledged? They too have cheated at life, using elves for their personal gain,"

"Well, I say, if they play unjust, then I will join them. There is no maker pulling our strings and deciding who lives and who dies, so perhaps I shall! I decide who lives and who dies, and those who treat the world as a quizzical frivolity shall suffer mine wrath of justice."

You gulped audibly, nervous at the soliloquy and what may happen if you were ever to defy their orders. This character perfectly fit the criteria of a stranger- strange, unusual, ominous, unsafe. This mortal of your level was playing God like they were above all, but this was not the case. They may have not been what they desired to be, as they weren't meant to be worshiped like a God, but like a God, they were something to be afraid of.

Desperate to change the topic, you went through the list in your head again, stopping on a random name.

"..Naimi Selari Nykantia..?" you muttered awkwardly as if you were a white girl trying to read a sentence in Spanish, picking the name because it stood out to you.

"Also known as Nyx," Their tone drastically changed to a soft and reluctant one, as they discarded their cigarette, watching it huff out its final smoke, "She's nothing more than a peculiar thief, trading stolen goods for items that may be of more use to her- another extraordinary target serving as a nuisance to elves and humans alike."

You traced your finger along the carefully written name on the rough parchment, playing the words in your head like an ear worm. It was pleasant sounding, and made you grin a little whenever you said it. Perhaps it was the vowels forcing your lips to part so, the idea of tormenting, or fantasizing about how she might look, but it merely made you grin.

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(In the present)

"..Crap" you muttered, grabbing the blade as quickly as possible and running to Nyx's aid.

"I don't need you, Y/N" She said, fluttering away from you, reaching for a small dagger along her belt, flipping it open with a little ching, and she flew to the first soulfang, beheading it with ease.

You ran around, dodging and weaving between the soul-sucking demons, slicing at them every now and then. You were quick on your feet thanks to all the rest you got, but they were sure to catch up to you eventually. 

The Skywing, on the other hand, was handling the situation like it was another day on the job, as she soared above them and threw her dagger at them, constantly pulling another blade out from her belt. She attacked from far away, but damn, was it effective. Anyone who had wings like hers would be able to safely attack creatures like Soulfangs with that much skill.

"The barrier's right behind us, why don't you just fly away?" You rasped, defending yourself from the serpentines.

"Well, if I'm gonna die, I'd rather be killed by you than the likes of these demonic creatures," She called out, a bitter undertone laced into her words, "besides, honey, I've had it comin for a looong time."

She chuckled sorrowfully, almost like she was expecting you to pity her. Man, did it work.

Those words made you wince a little, distracting you for a split second from what you were doing. You knew you had a job to do (besides defending yourself), but surely, it couldn't be this hard to kill one person no one would miss. No one but her mount, maybe some thief friends....

And you..

"Y/n, watch out!"