Prologue: Weapon
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They called her a weapon. She was an alchemist, brought into this world for the sole purpose of fighting. She had fought through many battlefields and still fights to this day. Her experiences made her unshakable. Even after all her comrades were wiped out, she stood strong.
“Maha, may I suggest retreat?”
Her short silver hair shook as she rejected my suggestion. Her eyes, as red as the blood that stained her, dropped to the alchemy tome I was communicating through.
“It’s a straight shot to the town if they get past here. We need to hold out until reinforcements arrive,” she answered in her cold, intelligent voice. A tepid breeze reeking of blood washed over her as she touched the edge of her glasses to readjust them.
The hour was early afternoon. The plain she stood on was vast and desolate, offering no cover. Several kilometers behind her was a small town that shone faintly in the sunlight. She ran a finger across her alchemy tome and took one of the vials dangling from her hip.
A pack of grotesque figures stood before her—near human but for the sharp horns sprouting from their heads and the bat-like wings on their backs. Humanity called them demons. They regarded Maha warily and slowly closed the distance, one step at a time.
“As reckless as ever, you are. So, what will it be?”
“There are thirteen left, too many to take out all at once. Let’s take out the one in charge first with a Spear of Mercury.”
“And the compensation?”
“My memory of everyone we lost here.”
“How extravagant.”
“Not like I have a choice. This needs to work, or else.”
Maha dexterously took the cork off the vial with her left hand alone, then poured out the silver liquid within—mercury—onto the ground. Light emerged from her alchemy tome and mixed with the mercury. She extended her free hand, palm forward, and closed her eyes.
“That which pierces, spear of beautiful poison. Come forth and tear through my prey.”
An almighty power filled her as she spoke. The chant connected us, opening the doors to a greater force. The shimmering mercury rose from the ground and formed a narrow, glistening spear in front of her palm.
“Spear of Mercury!”
Her eyes shot wide as she invoked the spear and felt the burning, trance-like sensation of something being unmistakably taken from her. The silver spear became a blur of light as it shot forth at the largest of the demons. This was by far the most precise and lethal of the techniques in Maha’s arsenal. The spear struck the demon’s head and bore clean through. The demon twitched for a few moments before dropping to its knees and scattering as ash.
“Well done, Maha.”
“Let’s finish the rest before they can reorganize.” She drew the dagger on her hip and dove alone, save for my intangible presence, into the pack of demons.
“Are you trying to rush to an early death?”
“Nothing of the sort. I’m just following orders.”
Today’s attack was unanticipated. Our main fighting force was lured away by a feint while this detached force attacked. The unit Maha was a part of was ordered to defend this road with their lives. The demons numbered dozens while they only numbered six. There was no hope of survival; they were sacrificial pawns meant to buy time. But they had their orders, and Maha was intent on seeing them through.
She danced around the attacks the demons made with their massive, knife-like claws and butchered them one by one. Her cold visage was showered in a spray of vivid red. Time was forgotten as her melee with the demons stretched long.
After managing to get through several, one of the demons she thought she had killed grabbed her by the legs. Her flowing movements came to a sudden halt, giving two more demons an opening to lunge at her. She wrenched her leg free of the first demon’s grip, but the claws of the approaching adversaries were near.
For a moment, she was sure she was dead. Her automatic defenses, which were registered beforehand with me, were already depleted. With no thought in particular, she accepted her death, even felt relief, as though she were being released from something. But then…
“‘Twas a close one.”
Blocking the claws, only inches from Maha’s head, was a massive blade that resembled a lump of metal more than a sword.
“But you can rest easy now.”
Standing protectively in front of Maha was a woman with the small build of a young child. Despite looking so young, her speech was old-fashioned, and she wielded with ease the crude, massive blade almost twice her size.
“Ney…”
“’Tis all over now that we’ve arrived.” Ney readied her blade and signaled with her gaze for Maha to look back. Maha did just that and saw a dozen or so people running over.
Only then did she realize she was at the limit of her stamina. She had fought alone for over an hour now. It took Ney and the others around another hour to finish off the rest of the demons. After seeing the last one fall, Maha let out a deep sigh of relief.
“I survived again…” she murmured. She sounded almost regretful, but I, and only I, knew better.
Now, I’m sure you’re starting to wonder just who I am, so allow me to introduce myself. I am your humble narrator, the one who records the events of this world, known as…
“…Oh well. Nice work, Metako.”
“And you, Maha.”
Metako is what Maha calls me. Please, feel free to do the same.