It was such a strange view, as those creatures didn't look like monsters at all. They were more like models, with perfect bodies, long legs, and everything. They came swinging their hips like on a catwalk. Their breasts were exposed, but their heads were covered by heavy golden tiaras.

Arms covered by multiple bracelets, with fingers tightly wrapped around heavy, precious staffs. I couldn't finish them off, as I had my hands full with the blood mages, and what was left of the crock army.

I had to shadow walk to the hemomancers, and kill them one by one. One swing was not usually enough, which gave the other units more time. I tried to be as fast as possible, but just as I was finishing the last one, I felt like somebody just slapped me in the head. My vision became blurry, and the noise around me got dull.

I knew immediately that whatever those were doing, was messing up with my mind. Without my senses, I couldn't fight properly, so I retreated using shadow walk, but the strange influence in my head didn't go away.

- Fuck - I said to myself, then activated 'Eyes of the Void' hoping it will help me.

It did, although I was now completely blind, and couldn't hear a thing. My balance was also off, but the feeling part of the ability was as clear as ever.

I immediately launched an attack, shadow walking several times to reach the mind controllers, and started swinging. They were unable to defend themselves, although the influence in my head got way more intense. I couldn't really tell what was going on. I couldn't feel my body at all. It was like I was floating in the air. On the other hand, the feeling of my surroundings from the skill remained perfect, so I focused on that desperately.

I was seeing through 'Eyes of the Void' my weapon cutting left and right, but I had no other indication of it. It was kinda like watching a movie. I was deadly focused on fighting, yet my senses, dulled by the skill, were telling me I'm floating in the air. It was so damn strange.

A couple of swings later the influence lessened, and I started barely regaining control. After another few seconds, the mind controllers were wiped out, and I finally could finish this ridiculous fight.

I earned myself a bit of a breather, but the battle was not finished yet. From the other parts of this settlement, more and more monsters were coming. The crocks, regular lizardmen, and even more hemomancers.

Overall it took around an hour or maybe more, to clean it all up. Only then I could make my way to the boss. With what happened during the clash, I was unsure if I should take my chances with whatever was waiting there.

I returned to Ki'rai and my shadows, and we, as a team, went to collect the score. Well, the shadows did most of the work. The two of us mainly sat and ate the food I brought with a quick visit to the city.

- Are you going after the boss? - she asked me eventually.

- I'm not sure.

- Why? Are you scared?

- Yes. In fact, I am scared.

There was something strange with my words, as they made me surprisingly angry. A bunch of images from my past flashed in front of my eyes. It was all about me being a complete loser, afraid of so many things. "Pathetic" - I thought to myself immediately.

- Fear is good. It helps you survive - she said. - But you need to be able to control it.

- I know... Where did you learn that?

- From my masters, when I was in training.

I nodded. There was a bit of silence between us. She didn't ask me again, but she didn't have to.

- I'm going - I said eventually while standing up. - Stay here. I'm sure it will be a very dangerous fight.

- You will win - she said to me.

I nodded again and started walking. It was quite a distance, which led me to think that they were quite an organized group, as they responded to my attack so quickly.

The architecture closer to the canter changed. The huts vanished, as the platforms and bridges meet with the solid ground, and instead, the buildings made out of stone emerged. Those all were rough and simple, grey in the coloration, with a bit of moss and lichen painting them with a bit of green. Here and there some vegetation climbed the structures, mainly ivy, but there were other strange-looking plants as well.historical

In the very middle, I found a large, open structure. Very shallow pit, with stone plates covering the ground, and pillars reaching ten meters high, covered in those fake runes. There was also a pedestal there, with a woman lying on it, looking nonchalantly at me.

She had deeply green, long hair, and was completely naken if not count the golden jewelry, a lot of it.

As I came closer, she picked herself up, and from those large bracelets, covering both of her forearms almost completely, she pulled out two knives. There was a lot of grace in her moves like she was performing some kind of ceremony, but what caught even more of my attention was her body.

She was still a puppet of the alien machinery we called the device, but a damn fine one if you ask me. I never saw anybody before with curves like that. Perfect hourglass body with nice, wide hips, and ripe breasts with those dark green nipples.

Back then I had absolutely zero idea how much those creatures could understand if anything, but she was smiling at me like she was inviting me. Then she even licked her lips, which took me completely off guard.

What happened after brought me back to reality, as she, with a single fluid motion, slashed her hands, and thighs. This was a clear indication that she was a hemomancer, and definitely a more powerful one than those I met before.

The fight began.