Curse of The Blood Moon

I was a Tough Lady Killer Mobster, But Now I am a Klutzy Maid Girl, That will take Down a Demon Lord!

Chapter 16 – Curse of The Blood Moon

The moment the smack of the ax across the wood caused the door on the worn-down shack to cause shivers down the bones of the members of the party hiding away from the already glints of moonlight shining through the ruined old home. But that didn’t stop Gil from holding his crossbow steady from its placement aimed at the door. Kawa followed through with throwing knives at the ready. Eve was the only one holding back partly of fear and partly out of knowing her magic likely would only worsen their situation. But still, as the slaps of each ax hit the door the trio jump slightly in fear.

“Eve stay back. Kawa makes sure you stick to the walls. If the door does go, we are less likely to be hit by the light.”

“Then you should follow your own advice!” Kawa shouts back at Gil. “We can’t have the hero set to defeat the Demon Lord, to be changing into a monstrous minion of his.”

Gil started to retort back but the snaping of wood choose the moment to be far tenser. Gil quickly unleashes his bolt but it smacks hard into the mostly still intact door. The crack however not only lets in a fraction of new light but a small glimpse at the creature wielding the ax. Skeletal looing but skin still attaching creature was once a human girl. But now the once light-filled eyes of love and youth now glowed an eerie green glow of one that likely had died long ago but their body has yet to halt its movements.

The creature strikes the door again and a larger chunk opens up, letting Kawa enough room to send a knife through the hole and into the shoulder of the undead creature. “Got it!“ Kawa smiles and celebrates.

“Don’t be so foolish Kawa! That one hit won’t be enough!” Eve says.

“At least it's something!”

Gil doesn’t add words but spends the time to reload his crossbow and just finishes just in time to fire it after the next blow of the ax. This time the bolt meets its mark and the creature is knocked back by the force of the hit from the mechanical blow. The creature temporarily let go of the ax and now with almost half the door smashed in. The fear of the light hitting one another really sets in.

“Noir! Use your shadow to project Ms. Eve!” Gil orders the black slime and the darkness grows around her in response. “Everyone, push back and more towards the stairs.” This was a troubling means of escape that Gil had planned out while it was still day. The second floor had not escaped and the roof had several large holes making the light a bigger problem. But if it was meant to be a way to flee if we have to. And sadly, this moment is looking to have to be such an action.

Kawa throws two more knives at the monster before it regains the ax. “I told you to back up to the stairs!” Gil shouts.

“Kawa and I said we can’t have you become a monster!” Kawa retorts back. “Zel alone will never forgive me if I let you be the only hero here!”

Kawa’s words struck the prince deep and he unknowingly stepped back a bit to leave Kawa's room to run if either of the would-be heroes of the day were called to protect the lady mage. The prince’s grip on his weapon however grew tighter and barely moved from where it once was aimed as a new strike of the ax fell upon the door, leaving much of the upper half torn from its frame. And all too easily despite the glow of the green moon the pale sickly blue mummified skin that thinly veiled the creature's form, etched it's every crease and crevasse in the minds of the frightened trio. Despite the damage it took. The bolts and a few knives still puncturing its near skeletal form, none of it phased the creature one small bit. The goblins the night before was nothing to bring terror in the hearts of the two would-be heroes. This was truly a monster. One that the trio surely felt must be a higher member in the ranks of the Demon Lord’s army. For Kawa and Gil, they recall the frightening form of the one that claimed to be the Queen and in some ways, her form was less frightening than the glowing green eyes staring in them as they watched the creature reach once again to swing its ax.

The creature form however prevented this task from being as graceful as a skilled lumberjack… or even a small child is given the task to chop wood. And soon the panic and fright in the hearts of the trio turn to puzzlement and annoyance as the creature nearly topples over from the sheer weight of the ax being lifted above its head. So much so that the creature’s momentum caused it to bend in a way that the spine clearly was greatly poorly designed at handling and yet somehow this creature is determined to ignore the normal warnings of such trivial things as, the snapping of one's bones and several ribs bursting out of one's chest.

But again, such things did not deter the creature. It had a mission. One that the general herself requested of all the creatures touched by Lord Plague’s curse. To bring more to their side. More monsters. To corrupt the weak human forms into creatures that will serve the Demon Lords' army. And the wind held a smell that helped draw the creature here. The smell of an unfortunate curse one of the victims held in their flesh and bones.

The creature began to swing its nearly snapped in half form around to cause the ax they held to swing about in its twig-like arms. “Aim your attacks at its center bend!” Shouts Gil launching a bolt and hitting the target dead on.

Kawa followed through as well with a strike of two blades marking almost perfectly to the sides of the bolt. “If we snap it in half, it won’t be able to attack us anymore!”

Eve felt a bit of confidence and shame in not helping cast aside her fear of her magic going out of hand and unleashing a spell. “Strike my target, true and brutally, Lightning!” And for all purposes, this looked like a great idea. Hitting the poor undead being with electricity. But sadly, her magic and curse that play well hand and hand told itself, one target … Nah I think I will hit all. Her curse Haywire activated with the spell and bolts of blue light burst from her hand striking the creature, the prince, the ninja, and worst of all the building itself…. Setting it slightly ablaze. “My Prince, Kawa!” She shouts in panic at the now collapsing two allies that her magic struck in misfortune.

While the lightning did indeed hurt the creature… as did the blows of the weapons before. It was hard to tell if it showed any pain. This was due to the fact that much like the front of the ruined building, the monster was becoming engulfed in fire. But this did not deter the creature. It continued to try and chop at the shattered and now flaming remains. This task, however, was difficult however as the creature’s hands remained on the handle of the ax, the rest of the creature however lifted nothing but smoldering stubs.

Panic struck the mage’s heart and mind. She wanted to rush to aid the two allies but the pressing matter of the flames made her doubt her moves and instead focus on them first. “Save yourself! Grab Noir and use his shadow to escape free from the light of the moon!” Groans Gil struggling to keep from face planting the rotting wooden floor.

“I can’t.” Panics the mage girl. “I… I ….”

“Noir! You understand I know it. Take Lady Eve and get her to safety. When Day hits find Azulle and her group. Together find a cure!” The darkness of the room moves to the mage and reaches out grabbing the girl who is fighting back.

“No, I won’t abandon you two to die here!” Eve shouted.

Gil smiles and then turns his face and begins to rise back on his feet. “This is not up for debate Eve, I am counting on you to aid Azulle to break this curse. Because we will need it broken so we can return to the party.” Gil in the same moment as he rises from the ground pulls his sword from its home at his side. “Kawa, are you still alive! Don’t tell me you are willing to die here!”

A ripping sound is heard. As the husk of the form that was Kawa tears apart into a beastly form. Eve begins to fear the light had hit the ninja. But it didn’t even cause Gil to glance back at his ally. Now a strange beautiful woman with massive ape-like arms and hands that matched the full size of the chest of the creature. “I guess if I am going to be a monster. I might as well choose a form I prefer. I wouldn’t want to look like that thing.” Kawa’s new form smiles with a grin that even a crocodile would be envious of.

Eve takes a step forward but finds her movements halted by the slime wrapping her legs. And she watches as the two figures dash forward leaping towards the burning wall and facing the unyielding burning monster. “NO! Stop! You can’t” The mage cries out but her word doesn’t halt the two’s movements. And soon despite her trying to move forward to help the slime that claimed her lower half began to ooze back towards a crack in the wall at a fast pace.

The slime knew that the girl wouldn’t fit through the crack. But it knew it had no better choice, with the windows boarded up. This was the weakest point of the room that it had scouted out earlier. It had been using its shadow to hide the light of the moon from coming through. And now it would have to break through with the mage fighting him to do just that. Luckily for him the shadow would by now mostly obscure the mage from watching the further movements of the battle. In his past life, the creature knew all too well there were times for a man to take charge and protect a young lady. It was something he respected in Gil, despite the fact he was ordered to help Azulle and that she actually understood him. Noir respected a change he saw come from the prince from when he first met him. So he would follow the orders of the man he respected and burst forth at full speed at the decayed wall.

Eve felt a strong hit despite not being able to see what hit her… or possibly what she hit. But she could feel the building heat of the ruins fade. Clearly, she knew somehow, she was outside and moving fast. The sounds of the two allies fade in the darkness. She was safe as Gil ordered. But at what cost.

The rush of new air from the new opening caused the flames of the ruins to grow stronger. The heat grew powerful. Gil felt it hold him back but for a change he watched Kawa leap forward grasping tight on the flaming creature with their new hands and pushing the burning beast back. While Gil hesitated only for a brief moment, he quickly leaped in driving his blade at the creature's almost charred skull-like face. Then it hit him. the two of them were outside… deep in the light of the moon. But he felt … nothing. No change no curse. Could his sisters’ warnings have been wrong? Or was something else that had gnawed at him brought further fear upon him. That the false queen. One year ago pretending to be his own mother… that she wasn’t pretending. That he was indeed the child of such a creature and he too was one just like her.

He snapped out of his thoughts for a moment seeing Kawa’s new form arms burn and melt away. But he noted that the ninja too wasn’t changing. He tried to push the sword in deeper to the point his own flesh started to burn and boil. Such matters must be debated in his mind when lives weren’t at risk. But even driving his sword in deep the monster didn’t way or cry in pain. Its former stumps now turned to burn bony spears that stabbed at the two. Kawa leaped back tearing to the next form below and grabbing the prince to pull away from the monster.

Despite the townsfolk staying indoors somehow, the two heroes could tell deep within their hiding spots they were watching the two fights on. Kawa tore away at the destroyed form they had last taken. To a new one, this time looking very much like Azulle but sporting a full set of armor. “Damn it's not stopping it will fight us till it's nothing more than ash!” Kawa shouts. But the building forms the two glanced at seemed far more dangerous as they stepped back. While its hands were removed their former place on the ax had burned to the bone, but now flame, bone, and ash whirled up to replace the lost appendages.

“No… Even as ash it will keep fighting. It refuses to die.” Gil shouts going to step forward again but held back by Kawa’s grip. The prince was right. Fear grasped both their hearts and neither knew what to do. This creature was determined to win and refused defeat. This was nothing like their days of training. Neither of the two had ever killed someone before. And now when they had to this damn thing refused to do just that!

The creature turned its whole body taking on the form of a flaming red and black skeleton. With the exception of its eyes. Its eyes still glowed a flaming green light. It found new strength and power in its now flaming form and went to throw a flaming burst of itself at the two. Both dodged but not without part of Kawa’s latest form to be signed. The creature then began to strike again but this time not at the heroes. But an adjacent building. The fire pushed out and panic hit Gil’s eyes as he would be unable to stop this creature from burning this whole town and the people in it… But the flame quickly fizzled out before it reached its goal. Frustrated the creature tried again. This time Gil ran and jumped in the path of the flame taking the hit and being burned badly across his side. He wanted to scream out but he knew if Kawa didn’t catch on to the creature's next attack, then again, the lives of the town would be at risk. The creature again launched an attack again in fury. But as Gil Feared Kawa was not anywhere near where the strike was headed. Gil looked to the building at risk and in the light of the flames of the attack, he saw the face of a woman and several children in fear. The fire had struck the building.

And just as quickly as it was hit. It sizzled out in a hiss once again. Gil was puzzled. Kawa was puzzled. And most of all the creature was puzzled. Till they saw it. A strange form appeared in the distance, wielding what one of this world would only think of as a strange pipe across its arms. But strange still was the form of the creature wielding it. There in the distance, the light of the moon highlighted a strange woman in a long coat, high-heeled boots, scantly clothing that made all three blush, and cat ears? “Don’t you even think of trying it monster!” the woman said brandishing the strange pipe that made a clicking noise. The monster still puzzled but equally pissed refused to heed the strange woman’s warning and lashed two more attacks this time both aimed at the woman. But quickly the pipe rings out and a burst of water dowses the flame of one of the strikes. While the other hits the woman and hisses as it too is dowsed out.

“I don’t know who you are but clearly you’re here to help! Can you….” Before the prince can finish the woman replies back rudely.

“Shut the fuck up, prince! You don’t know half of it!” The woman clicks the rifle again and blasts the creature dead on. Causing it to hiss and fall apart from its shoulder. “Don’t you God Damn have a fucking clue! Stupid fucking noobs. Undead are weak to water! So do something right for Fucking change!” Gil was dumbstruck. Both by the way this woman acted and by how much she didn’t care for his previous attempts to fight the monster. “Damn guess I will have to do it Fucking self. God’s Damn shitty world!”

The woman dashes forward at the monster and lets loose another blast hitting the creature this time in a leg and sending it falling to the ground. For the first time in the night, Gil saw the creature show signs of panic and fear as the strange scantily clad woman that had a strange glow from the moon on her skin leaped tossing her rifle, and began beating the creature with her bare hands. Sounds of hissing coming from her strikes but she seems unfazed aside from the constant shouts of both classic and sometimes original profane words. Soon the light of the fire from the creature faded and the woman turned and faced the two heroes. “Are you fucking cowards just going to stand there and leave a woman to do all your work! Damn fucking Eito! The things I do for you. Mother Fucker.”

“Umm. We would but I think you took care of that for us.” Kawa stands puzzled.

“Well at least change Ninja freak! I can’t stand you looking like that damn fucking Eito! I swear when I see that guy again, I will make him give me triple my mayo intake! For all the hell he put me through tonight!”

“Mayo?” Gil replies in puzzled confusion.

The strange woman calms down and looks down at herself. “Oh yeah I guess this is the first time, you shitty piss poor fantasy folks have heard me… or seen me like this, I guess. Fuck. Fine, I am Francoise.”

“Your Francoise!” Both the heroes look in shock.

“But Francoise is a white slime pet of…”

“I am no one fucking pet okay! Get whatever fucking perverted thoughts you have out of your shit for brains, head Prince!” The foul-mouthed Fran states. “Fucking, Eito. Gets kidnapped by the furry con reject and leaves me all alone in the woods. And when the god damn stupid moon showed. I got turned to this! But I do guess it’s got its perks. I can form weapons and even clothes. Shit guess for this world I don’t look half fucking bad like this.” Fran states grabbing her chest which causes Gil to burst blood from his nose passing out. “Fuck… Guess I better take care of this shit too. Stupid shitty prince.” Fran kicks the prince and a small glow encircles her foot and the burn wound that the prince received begins to heal.

“Wait…. Did you just heal him with your foot?” Kawa asked puzzled.

“Hmm, I guess I fucking did. Shit, can’t even escape my former life in this world either. Guess I am a healer then. But If you guys think I am not going into battle without firepower you're fucking insane!” Fran retorts, kicking the prince again to heal his wounds more.

Meanwhile, in a barn, nearby Eve finally falls out of the shadow that Noir created. “Noir I have to go back for them!” Noir halts the mage and blocks her path forward.

“Pluuu!” Noir states in the strongest and sternest way one could from a cutesy voice.

The mage tries to find a way around the slime but finds the creature to be quite agile in blocking her forward movement. The two go at it for several minutes. But eventually, Eve gets frustrated and kicks a beam walking back to the darkness of the barn.

But the hit to the beam does far more damage. Soon a chunk of the rotting roof collapses and the light of the moon gleams in hitting the two unexpectedly. At first, nothing seems to happen.

Eve stands there questioning if the curse didn’t affect her… but soon enough she felt a sharp pain come from where the light first struck. And a quick glimpse at the slime who also began to shift about in form told her. That in all the effort and success of avoiding such a fate. The two were in fact cursed. And the light in their eyes of the green glow of the distant moon turned red to their vision.

Chapter End