《Story: Forever After - Short stories compilation》 Memory from fragment Knight Spoiler: Memory 1 A group of people in full body armor were walking down the paved road along with multiple wagons that were carrying several men and various supplies. Every step they took was heavy and some wore such bulky armor that it was a wonder how they could move. They reached a city surrounded by tall walls and were granted passage through the gates without delay. The citizens who saw them all stopped and gazed at them with respect. The kids were excited and pointed at them while jumping up and down as their eyes sparkled. The ones in the spotlight were used to it and walked proudly with their heads held high. After all, they were the knights who were given magical armors, the ultimate weapons humanity had ever created. It was normal for young boys everywhere to aspire to become knights. A girl excitedly said that she wanted to be a knight too, but with troubled expressions, her parents told her that she couldn¡¯t since women weren¡¯t allowed to join the army. Everyone cleared a path for them and the group made their way to their headquarters near the royal castle unhindered. Once there, they directly went to the workshop to take off their protective shell. Blacksmiths rushed about to tend to each knight as they used specialized tools and magic diagrams to separate the man from the armor. Compressed air and steam was released as each piece of metal was taken off one by one. The knights, now free, talked about relaxing in their lounge for a while until their next mission. They were about to call out to the last one that hadn¡¯t remove his armor yet, but stopped. The knight in white armor was a powerful, but weird one that never talked and didn¡¯t socialize much. The men left the workshop except for the blacksmiths who were doing maintenance work on the complex armors and one weird knight. He went to a separated compartment where an old blacksmith waited for him. Then, he stood still and raised his arms to his side as the old man began to take the armor off. With each piece, the knight¡¯s real figure could be seen. He had a slim waist, well-rounded buttocks and a bulging chest. When the helmet came off, the face of a woman with black hair and a right white eye was revealed. Spoiler: Memory 2 The steel sword stabbed downward, penetrating the giant insect¡¯s head and stitching it to the ground. The owner let go of the handle and deeply exhaled. Monsters. It wasn¡¯t rare for them to attack. When they did, it was the knights¡¯ duty to repel them. Sometimes, they were sent out to cull their numbers or even harvest them for some could be used as materials. In the aftermath of their battle, a huge number of large, black insects resembling horned beetles with spiky shells littered the plain. The corpses of knights with their destroyed armor were among them. The brave men that survived celebrated their victory and mourned their deceased comrades. Standing a bit apart from the joyful group was a knight in white armor, the only woman among them. The blue cape that covered the back and reached the ankles was in tatters. Black blood painted the white, metallic surface. A part on top of the two large shoulder plates moved upward. Then, a silver tube came out from the small holes and released hot steam behind the white knight. It was a system to discharge the heat generated by the armor during a fight. It was a way to prevent it from overheating. Once the tubes retracted, the only woman among the knights raised her head. She wasn¡¯t celebrating, but silently watching the sky. A comrade approached her, congratulated her great performance and the fact that she survived. She acknowledged his good will, simply and bluntly, by nodding her head. He smiled bitterly, seeing how she kept her distance as usual and acted mysterious. Even now, no one had ever seen who was inside that armor. All they knew was that she was one of the strongest and most reliable knights they could have asked for. She was a queer one that never took off the armor, but her allegiance was undoubtable. Many times, they had been saved by her prowess. However, if they ever did find out that she was a woman, she would be arrested in a heartbeat. Spoiler: Memory 3 A man with a robust build and in the prime of his life knocked on the door of a small house. After a few seconds, a woman barely in her twenties opened it. The man that stood at the entrance greeted her politely with a friendly smile. These two weren¡¯t total strangers. He had met her a few times before. The young woman wasn¡¯t an exceedingly beautiful lady, but she wasn¡¯t bad on the eyes either. Basically, she was the type that people wouldn¡¯t notice in a crowd, but wouldn¡¯t mind going out with. However, as far as charm went, she was poorly lacking. Ignoring her figure that was hidden by her simple beige dress, her long black hair was a mess, she always looked like she just woke up and her demeanor wasn¡¯t feminine. Moreover, although she should have dark brown eyes, her right eye was white which creeped some people out. Although she would be considered a failure as a woman, someone actually married her and he was who the visitor came for. After exchanging a few greetings, he told her of the reason for his visit and tapped on the pentagonal badge on his chest. It was proof that he was a knight. It was something that he proudly wore for all to see. He had been summoned to the castle for a mission and so was his colleague which was the woman¡¯s husband and who he came to get personally. He was a weird man that never took off his armor, so no one knew what he looked like. Seeing his young wife, the knight impolitely thought that his tastes were eccentric as well. The woman nodded and scratched the back of her head. She told him her husband wasn¡¯t home, that she didn¡¯t know where he wandered off to and that she would pass on his message. He thanked her, turned around and left. It was the usual exchange. Strangely, her husband was never home whenever someone came to visit him. After closing the door, the woman went to her bedroom and tossed her dress on her bed. Underneath it, she was wearing a shirt and pants that were easy to move in. She hated wearing dresses, but that was what everyone of her gender wore, so she had to or she would stick out like a sore thumb.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Sticking her hand under the bed, she picked up the pentagonal badge that she had hidden there. She was summoned to the castle to fulfill her duties as a knight. Spoiler: Memory 4 The white knight swung her sword left. The white knight swung her sword right. The opponent she was fighting dodged her strikes nimbly and threw in his own attacks. Raising her shield, she blocked and diverted the blows that could pulverize any man. Luckily, their full body armor protected and strengthened them beyond human limits. Her opponent delivered a brutal kick to her stomach. Even with her heavy armor, she was knocked back and her feet slid on the ground from the impact. She examined the knight before her once again after gaining some distance. His grey armor was bulkier and thicker than hers, especially the feet that had small wheels at the soles. Three pipes came out from both sides of his torso and expelled hot steam. Afterwards, they slid back under the steel plates and the metal knight readied his sword. The spectators around them were cheering and shouting in joy. The two knights were in a huge arena that could hold a thousand spectators. The sky was blue, the sun was warm and the cheers were deafening. Those who came to watch were excited to witness knights fighting from so close. It was an event that was held to show off their strength and it always attracted a lot of attention every year. Even the royal family was watching the matches from their special seats. The woman in white armor found it annoying, but she needed to participate because it was part of her duty. Also, it wasn¡¯t a waste of time since the results would affect the rankings amongst the knights. The winner of these matches would have their strength recognize and surely climb up the ladder. That was what she aimed for. Her mission was to be the greatest knight in the country. It was her sole goal in her current life. After looking up at the sky where an aircraft resembling an armored blimp was floating over her head, the white knight readied her sword, raised her shield and resumed the match. Spoiler: Memory 5 Putting on the highly expensive knight armor was rather complicated. All of the men wore body tight uniforms as they stood in the large workshop. Once preparations were complete, the blacksmiths brought them to where their armors were and helped them suit up. They first wore the inner armor before attaching tubes to their backs as well as their necks. Then, as the ¡°fuel¡± was being injected, the external armor was put on piece by piece using specialized tools and magic diagrams. It was the same for the mysterious knight that always hid his face. Even now, while everyone was suiting up, he arrived fully clad in steel armor. It wasn¡¯t like the ones that the knights received. It was just made of plain steel, but it served its purpose. No one could see his figure under that bulky frame. Making his way to his station that was separated by walls and curtains, the knight took off his helmet to reveal the face of a black-haired woman underneath. After shedding the steel shell, the old blacksmith helped her put on her specially-made knight armor. The internal, light armor that seemed to be made of leather and patterns of steel lines covered her whole body except her head. Three big tubes like firehoses were attached to her back, along her spine. As various fluids from three containers were being injected into the suit, the old blacksmith began putting on her white armor over the internal one. With each piece, more of these fueling liquids were injected and bonded to the armor as if they had a mind of their own. Afterwards, he disconnected the three tubes, attached the back plates and carefully connected another tube at the back of her neck. The woman first wore a mask that covered her nose and mouth and gave the old man a thumbs-up. Then, the contents of the fourth container flowed through her suit and filled every nook and cranny of her armor. She took a deep breath while her eyelids twitched. Multiple purple strands like worms could be seen crawling over her sclera. After closing her eyes that were unfocused and opening them, they faded away. With the process complete, the old blacksmith disconnected the tube, covered the back of her neck in white armor and put on her helmet. While at it, he complained about her long hair that was tied up, but she sarcastically said that it couldn¡¯t be helped. Women were expected to look pretty, take care of the house and support their husband, not go into battle while lying about their gender. Spoiler: Memory 6 Staying cooped up in her house all the time was impossible, so she had to go out and walk around the street every now and then. Greeting people and showing her face was an important job to keep her current lifestyle. So long as her neighbors believed that she was a slightly eccentric, but normal person, then it would be easier for her to move around as she liked. That was why she was currently exchanging small talk with other housewives. They chatted about their day, complained about their mischievous kids and gossiped about someone¡¯s unconfirmed romance. The woman with sleepy-looking eyes nodded along to everything they said. When one of them commented about the lack of care for her black hair, she only gave a vague response. Then, everyone jumped on the topic and told her to be more mindful of her appearance or her husband would run away from her. After all, her beige dress was getting discolored and the white apron she wore on top looked worn out. From there, they talked about her husband¡¯s work and how proud she must be that he was a knight. Then, the talk derailed as they went from asking how powerful he was on the battlefield to how strong he was in bed. Again, she only gave them a vague response. Luckily, before things got more awkward, the attention of the housewives and every other citizen was caught by one of the aircrafts in the sky that resembled a blimp. Seeing them fly around wasn¡¯t rare. However, its horribly damaged appearance told everyone that its expedition might not have been successful. The citizens all worried about the brave men that were part of that group. The woman with eyes of different color watched the aircraft that was barely flying straight while wondering if the company of knights she was a part of was going to be sent out on a mission soon. If it were, then she might have to face whatever did that. It was a great way to climb up the ranks. Spoiler: Memory 7 Being married was useful. Simply by wearing a cheap ring on her left ring finger, everyone thought that she was someone¡¯s wife. That social status gave her a certain degree of protection. People believed that she was the woman of a powerful and mysterious knight who accomplished many valorous deeds. As such, no one really wanted to mess with her. Thanks to her fake marriage, she could avoid most problems. Most of them, anyway. The female knight stared at the troublesome man with half-closed eyes. He kept rambling on about how she should accompany him for a bit since it was a woman¡¯s duty to support a man. In exchange, he would treat her to a meal because he had some money on hand. Perhaps, because of such a social worldview, that was why he didn¡¯t back off despite the wedding ring on her finger. He believed he could talk it out with her husband later and explain that he only spent a few hours going shopping with her. One could say he was a brazen and courageous man, or an extremely shameless idiot. Truth be told, he was just an extremely shameless idiot. Most of his explaining to her husband would involve intimidating by way of showing off his big biceps and thick chest. Knights were only great because of that special armor that only they had access to. So, once they took it off, they were ordinary men. And he was a man amongst men. There was no way he would lose to an unarmored knight. That was how his mind reasoned it, at the very least. He completely didn¡¯t think it possible that he would get arrested. Or that the woman standing in front of him could break his spine in two. Memory from fragment School Spoiler: Memory 1 A boy and girl of the same age made a promise as they stood in a park. The seven year old girl smiled at the boy while grasping his pinky with her own. Although he wore tattered clothes and looked like a stray dog, which was the complete opposite of her immaculate self, she really liked him. She happily told him to remember their promise, though pouted when it seemed like he wasn¡¯t listening. She ruffled up her friend¡¯s messy black hair and peered into his eyes of different color. The white one was really striking. Don¡¯t forget the promise. That was what she said. The next day, her family moved to another city. Panic and fear spread through the public as they watched the soldiers of the Knight Corps fall one by one. Sirens yelled as loud as they could, cars were abandoned and large TV screens on the buildings displayed the current battle situation. The monsters were too strong. They tore space apart and invaded through a rift in the sky in such large numbers that they bloated the sun. Those that fought to protect mankind from them, humans with supernatural powers, tried to hold the line, but failed. It was the biggest invasion in decades and it couldn¡¯t be stopped. They weren¡¯t prepared for it. As the monsters broke through their defenses and reached the city, they began to unleash destruction. Buildings were crushed, set ablaze or razed to the ground. The tremors reached the underground bunkers that the civilians evacuated to. They screamed, fearing for their lives. Among them, the little girl and her parents were hugging each other. The thought that she might die here popped into her mind. Suddenly, the earth violently shook as a large hole was torn in the ceiling. The refugees looked up reflexively. A monster, similar to a purple giant lizard with insect wings, was watching them with its six eyes. More screams came as people scrambled to get away from the hole, pushing and shoving each other. The lizard opened its mouth as fire leaked from it. The weeping girl watched it all in the arms of her mother while her father stood in front of them. She was going to die here. Yet, the breath of flames never came for in the next moment, the lizard¡¯s head was blown away by a blue beam. A second of tense silence fell upon the panic masses because of the too unexpected outcome. They looked up and peered through the hole. Entering their views was a man floating high in the sky. Clad in black clothes and a long overcoat that was seemingly made of smoke, he was surrounded by floating guns that shot down every monster in the vicinity. He was human, yet didn¡¯t look like one. His hair was replaced by white feathers and a black horn grew on the right side of his head. Everyone who saw him unanimously believed that he was one of their protectors: a Knight. They cheered or sighed in relief. Some limply fell to their knees because of the near-death experience. The young girl stared at him, still shivering in fright. The man, by coincidence or not, matched his gaze with hers. His dark brown and golden eyes made her lose her breath. Admiration, respect and awe budded in her chest, like all those present. On this day, when her city avoided total annihilation, the legend of the Dark Knight was born. It inspired children like her to become proud Knights and defeat the invading monsters. Spoiler: Memory 2 They were scared. It was quite normal. They didn¡¯t finish their training nor were they officially part of the army. Yet, they were sent to the frontlines. The high school students gritted their clattering teeth and held their ground. Out in the deserted, devastated field, they could see them coming from the horizon. The monsters that appeared from a hole in the sky were about to besiege them. These things numbered in the hundreds and were headed straight for the city, for the students standing before it. Someone gulped loudly. Another accidentally leaked out a small, pathetic scream. But, when a man¡¯s booming voice scolded them over their earpiece, they reflexively straightened their backs. They couldn¡¯t run. These young men and women knew what they were getting themselves into when they enrolled in the Owl Cadet High School. It was a place where future Knights were brought up. They would have had to fight eventually and right now, there was no one but them who could. The army protecting the city was lured away, battling a huge force of monsters. They were too far away and wouldn¡¯t make it back in time no matter how fast they rushed. A signal was given by the man¡¯s booming voice. The three hundred students activated their powers. Their appearance changed one by one, each varied in shapes and sizes. One guy was set ablaze while a girl suddenly wore armor. With their supernatural abilities now active, the crystal injected in their necks awoke, relaying everything they saw and heard to others. Each student became mobile cameras and their battle would be broadcasted to both headquarters and the hiding civilians. It was no longer time to tremble in fright. The monsters closed the distance and those capable of long range attacks began their assault. The Cadets retaliated. The two forces clashed in the open field as monsters and aspiring Knights-to-be fell one by one. Standing by inside the city, Ryner watched the battle on his terminal along with the other second years. The third years were deployed while the sophomores were the backup. The first years were in charge of protecting the civilians which meant that they wouldn¡¯t be sent out. The other students of his age were all scared and nervous. Among them was a prominent couple. The top male and female students acted as the leaders and tried to calm and motivate them. They were pretty brave, he thought as he carefreely watched them give a rousing speech which was followed by the students¡¯ deafening roar. However, just as everyone got fired up, orders from above were relayed to them. It was time to move out and join the third years. Everyone¡¯s courage fizzled out in a moment. Ignoring the scared and panicking crowd, Ryner inspected his left prosthetic arm and rubbed the nape of his neck. He only needed to win the game, and keep his promise. Spoiler: Memory 3 A new instructor was called in to train the students of Owl Cadet High School. He was a Knight that fought on the frontlines. However, his personality was horrible. If not for his strength, he would have been dismissed. Under his watch, the students went through his abuse-like training. He unreasonably pushed them beyond their limits and if they complained, he would mercilessly strike them. Those that defied him were made an example of as he beat them down in a one-on-one match to show his dominance. Someone else questioned his methods. It was a girl, the best and the most popular Cadet in their year among the female students. He yelled at her, told her not to talk back to her superior and ordered her to step forward. She would be made an example as well. Her boyfriend, who was equally capable and popular, also went against him, fearing for her safety. The instructor ignored him for now. First, he would deal with the girl. That was why he told her to attack him and tossed her a knife while pulling out his own. Just like with everyone else, he would disarm her, beat her down and leave a scar on her body. It was an effective way to make them remember who was in charge. However, the sharp weapon was caught mid-air by some other student. It was a guy with black hair and dark brown eyes. No, his right eye was white as if it was blinded. The instructor glared at his sleepy-looking face, yelling loudly not to interfere. The student simply tilted his head at his angry outburst and asked him if he was afraid. There was a moment of silence, followed by murmurs and finally a loud roar. That was how an experienced Knight ended up fighting a Cadet in a one-on-one duel to teach him a painful lesson. Afterwards, a different instructor was called in since the old one nearly died from multiple stab wounds. Spoiler: Memory 4 They were watching.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Thanks to the small crystal injected in their neck, they could see and hear whatever they did. That was how they kept track of those that were born with powers that regular humans didn¡¯t possess. Moreover, in the case of the Knights, it was broadcasted to the public for everyone to see. Those hiding in their home could, from the television in their lounge, follow the course of their many battles. They watched from the point of view of the Knights fighting off the monsters, preventing them from reaching their city. To raise morale, the administration made sure to switch the broadcast to those who were doing well in battle. If a Knight fell, his last moments wouldn¡¯t be sent to every television. Only the viewpoint of the strong was shown. However, sometimes, they had to show the desperate situation of others, even their last moments. The people wanted to know. And that was exactly what was happening as everyone watched the screen of their televisions while holding their breath. Unlucky Cadets who were called in to help were now stuck behind enemy lines. They were surrounded by monsters with no one to come save them. Their last moments would be shown to their friends, their family and to the world. At least, that was what would have happened if an unknown Cadet with a white eye didn¡¯t burst into the scene. Spoiler: Memory 5 Ryner wondered why they were doing this. The world was in a war against extradimensional creatures and yet, they had time to hold tournaments between schools. Lying on the grass-covered ground, he stared at the clear blue sky while cheers filled the air. The spectators in the stands were making a racket after the hair-raising battle. It was a simple game of Capture the flag with two teams of three students. The boys and girls played separately. The girls finished their game and Ryner¡¯s team was the only one left. Needless to say, they were losing. His two teammates were unconscious and he himself was down, battered. Their opponents were from the Lion Cadet School, the best school in the rankings. It was known for churning out strong students that would later on become powerful Knights. Their best man, who was known as the strongest, was leading his team and currently basking in cheers. Ryner stared at the sky for a second before slowly getting up. The crystal in his neck was monitoring his condition and sending whatever he saw and heard to the tournament¡¯s huge screens. Everyone knew he was still conscious, so he couldn¡¯t play dead. The opposing team, though confident in their victory, still cautiously approached him even though it was three against one. They didn¡¯t go for the flag and chose to defeat their opponents in a head-on battle. They were an annoying bunch to deal with. Spoiler: Memory 6 Inside the infirmary that rivalled any hospital with high-tech medical facilities, students were waiting for their turn in several lines. They were about thirty or so, all in their second year of high school. They talked to their friends, giggled and laughed. The medical checkup wasn¡¯t anything serious. It was just to see if they were healthy, if their powers were working properly and if the crystal in their neck didn¡¯t have any problems. It was a medical checkup that only humans born with supernatural powers would receive. The strongest sophomores simply went through the motion. Among them was Ryner who was sitting on a chair with his left prosthetic arm missing. It was lying on the table and plugged to a computer. The person in charge of his medical checkup was fiddling with his prosthetic arm, poking it with various tools and checking the data on the computer¡¯s screen. Once the maintenance was done, Ryner got it back and raised his left stump. His flesh above his elbow had become mechanical. He hooked his arm back in place and flexed his fingers to confirm that nothing was wrong. The person asked him if he wanted to order the newest model of prosthetic, one that was sturdier, harder and stronger. Although the price was great enough to drop anyone¡¯s jaw, they would readily outfit him with one for free. After all, he was a Cadet that would one day become a Knight. Weapons, gears and support would be given to him so long as he fought for humanity. Ryner accepted the offer and thought internally that he would have to make some modifications later on. After all, his current mechanical arm was his strongest weapon. Spoiler: Memory 7 The drugs were running through Ryner¡¯s system, muddying his thoughts. He didn¡¯t know what they injected him with, but one thing was for sure, he wasn¡¯t immune to them. A small, crooked smile hung on his lips as he walked while swaying from side to side. The huge room he was trapped in was dim. It was a manmade labyrinth with walls placed here and there to make corridors that one was forced to follow. Cameras were installed at every corner. He didn¡¯t know why someone built this place or why he was wearing goggles. They were like sunglasses that had an adjustable strap. In the lower right corner of his vision, the words ¡°Live Broadcast¡± were displayed in red. In the lower left corner were the numbers of hunters and rabbits left. Seeing these words in white reminded him that a voice on the speaker did tell him that they were in the middle of playing a game. A game of tag where the hunters were the man¡¯s friends while the rabbits were those who had supernatural powers. It wasn¡¯t really fair. Ryner leisurely thought since, in his hazy memories, he remembered that the hunters all possessed guns, knives, night vision and other fun toys. On the other hand, the rabbits were given plenty of bitter medicine to swallow, scary injections in their bloodstream and a thick metallic collar that was attached to some weird backpack strapped to them. The gear they were forcefully gifted couldn¡¯t be removed, was bulky, heavy and out of fashion. Ryner really wanted to remove it, but he needed a keycard to do so. In all honesty, instead of a rabbit, he looked like a turtle with a fancy shell made of steel, wires and blinking lights. As he stalked through the corridors that were barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side, he heard footsteps coming from further ahead. A man in a flak jacket showed up at the corner and noticed him in a second. It wasn¡¯t hard considering that he had night vision goggles. Grinning smugly, he aimed his submachine gun at his head and pulled the trigger. A deluge of bullets flew at Ryner, but none hit him. He was dangerously dodging them by tilting, swaying and tripping over his feet, all the while looking like an idiot. Smiling, giggling, mumbling, he made his way to the armed man as if he was drunk and collided with his body. The attacker, wide-eyed, managed to push him away and point his weapon at him a second time. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t notice that the grinning and dazed high schooler he was trying to kill had stolen his handgun from the holster on his belt. Spoiler: Memory 8 The whole class stood in front of their respective desks with a large, opened case on top. Neatly stored inside were various parts of body armor. The instructor at the front spoke in a loud voice and told them that they shouldn¡¯t be sitting while studying the standard protective armor of the army. Armor that they would be wearing very soon. He spent some time telling them about its defensive capabilities, the exoskeleton that supported the wearer¡¯s movements and the boosters that gave their jumps an extra reach. He explained how to wear it, how to power it up, where the battery cell was and what they shouldn¡¯t do to avoid a stupid death. Of course, since they all had different powers that manifested differently, their gear and equipment would be tailored to them. In Ryner¡¯s case, he couldn¡¯t have any boosters on the back because of his power. The instructor warned the high schoolers that although their armor was state of the art and that it could stop bullets and knives, it often wouldn¡¯t do much good against their monstrous enemies. Some had teeth harder than steel and jaws strong enough to crunch through armored vehicles. Others were as big as mammoths and could easily trample them to death. The nastier ones spit acid or possessed tentacles that could tear people to pieces. The creatures that came from another dimension were powerful. Their assault was relentless and their numbers unending. Science couldn¡¯t beat them. But, that was why kids born with supernatural powers were sent to schools specialized for them. So that they could be taught to fight at an early age and enroll in the army right after high school. Human weapon. It was another name that some called them by. Otherwise, they were also known as freaks. Spoiler: Memory 9 They were basically VIPs. They were brought to the school to boost the students¡¯ morale and help them better themselves. The strategy was to spur the students to become the best soldiers that they could be by having them meet ¡°celebrities¡±. The plan came from someone in the higher ups, so the VIPs couldn¡¯t complain and had to do what they were told. Frankly, it was frustrating to some. They were the best of the Knight Corps, yet they had to do something akin to babysitting. Others smiled and waved, enjoying the attention and popularity they were getting. Those who weren¡¯t in either camps just followed their orders and watched over the students in the training field. The Knights would give these Cadets some pointers and even spar with them. Needless to say, all of the matches always ended in their overwhelming victory. Mere Cadets didn¡¯t stand a chance against them. Things were going as expected. The guys stared at the strongest Knights with glittering eyes while the girls sighed in admiration. When they could, they would bombard the veterans with various questions about their battles or about their personal lives. The most popular thing that was asked though was the infamous battle ten years ago. Were you there when it happened? What was the swarm of monsters like? Although it was an old event, nobody had forgotten about it. However, the reason wasn¡¯t because of the tragedies that it produced, but the tragedies that were avoided. Tragedies avoided thanks to an individual, still unknown ten years later. That was why that question was asked over and over again. Do you know who the Dark Knight is? Memory from fragment Demon Spoiler: Memory 1 A black demon covered in an armor of scales that looked like the shells of insects walked through the dark forest. He could hear the sounds of fighting, coming closer and closer. Just as he hid behind a tree, demons of various shapes and sizes appeared. They were battling a single human woman. Despite their superior numbers, she fought back fearlessly and eliminated them one by one. In the end, the last demon, who tried to escape, was taken out and she emerged victorious, but with a body covered in wounds. Exhausted, she fell to the ground and lost consciousness, never having noticed the black demon who witnessed her fight. Spoiler: Memory 2 A horde of demons assaulted the walled city. However, they couldn¡¯t get very close as canons set on top of the walls blew them to pieces. The weak ones such as man-headed dogs died upon being hit. Chunks of meat flew around as explosions rang through the air and smoking craters were dug up. The bigger, stronger and sturdier demons took some damage upon being hit by the heavy cannonballs, but continued their advanced. Still, waiting for them near the city walls were humans specialized in hunting them. Wielding weapons made of demon parts as material, they fought off the bloodthirsty creatures that desired the cursed treasure they were protecting. Among them was a woman with red hair that battled with ferocity. She cut down one demon after another using her large sword and was soon covered in their blood. When the attack was repelled, she observed her surroundings. No other demons came out of the forest. As she gazed at the dark sea of trees, she caught sight of a shadow figure. The strange creature was covered in a sturdy black shell like armor. Its eyes were shining like two crimson and white orbs from the shade of the trees. It turned around and left while dragging its wings and tail on the ground. She took off. Ignoring the shouts of her comrades, she chased after its back without thinking. Spoiler: Memory 3 Ryner looked at the little girl that was shaking in front of him. Her eyes were full of tears and she was understandably scared since he was a menacing-looking demon covered in a black scale-like shell. Whimpers escaped her lips and she called for her mother. Although she appeared pitiful, he didn¡¯t have the time to soothe her. That was why, ignoring her pleas and cries, he wrapped his long tail around her waist and lifted her up. Walking through the sea of trees, he took her with him as he made his way towards the city. The forest was crawling with demons. Already, a couple of them were peeking from a distance. If he didn¡¯t get to her before they did, she would have turned into their snack. Caught by his tail, the wailing little girl was considered his prey and none of them tried to snatch her from him. However, one of the demons, a bipedal with a tall stature and wide frame, hesitatedbefore launching itself towards the child in Ryner''s tail with it jaws wide open. Perhaps it did not fear Ryner, or it was merely driven to desperation by hunger. The girl''s eyes went wide before she closed them and covered her head with her small arms. But, the blow never arrived. Instead, what she heard was ashort sharp cry of pain or alarm. Opening her eyes in confusion, she noticed that now she was held by the back of her shirt like a cat. As she dared to peek at her surroundings, she noticed that most of the demons around her were now much further away, trembling as they distanced themselves from Ryner. She did not notice the black mess of flesh behind her that was the unrecognizable corpse of the demon that attacked earlier. After a while of walking, when the girl finally stopped crying, Ryner heard multiple voices coming closer. Then, from behind the trees, several armed humans emerged. They saw him, they saw the girl and they got ready for a fight. Ryner, in response to their hostility, moved the girl in front of him like a hostage. As a result, they hesitated to attack and glared at him in frustration and anger. From among them, a woman with red hair stepped forward. Carrying a sword in her hand, she cautiously approached the black demon. They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence. The tension was palpable. Then, without warning, Ryner slowly passed the hostage over. His tail stretched out towards the woman with the girl wrapped up in it. For a moment, she stared at him with wide eyes. Still, although she was suspicious, she held out her one free hand and grabbed the girl. The moment she was safely passed over, the demon dashed away. Most of the other humans chased after him, leaving behind the red-haired woman who was holding the frightened and whimpering girl. Spoiler: Memory 4 After ripping out a blanket of grass and sticking some leaves and branches on it, Ryner finished making a makeshift disguise. He flung it over his head and crawled on the ground. It worked as camouflaged and hid his dark figure. He slowly crawled towards the walled city, making sure that he wouldn¡¯t be noticed. But, an arrow flew towards him and pierced one of the branches on his back. He stopped in place. No other attack came. After a moment, Ryner turned around and went back into the forest. He tried it again from a different direction, but another arrow was stuck into his disguise, which resulted in him retreating under the cover of the trees. He attempted a third time, but the result was the same. In fact, three arrows were shot and buried themselves in the grass blanket. Fed up, Ryner crawled back to the forest with his tail sloppily sticking out behind him. He didn¡¯t bother curling it up to hide it anymore. Those standing up top of the wall watched the retreating mound that had a black tail following it. They wondered what sort of demon it was. In all their years of fighting off demons, this was the first time they had to deal with something like that. Normally, their attackers would charge aggressively while roaring and oozing bone-chilling bloodlust, so the weird stealth approach was rather peaceful, even refreshing and comedic. There was no bloodshed. No violent confrontation. The demon left after someone tried shooting him with arrows a few times. As the demon retreated into the forest, he left everyone with question marks over their head and a few smiling wryly. Spoiler: Memory 5 Shackled within a cell was Ryner in his demon form. His massive physique bound by multiple thick chains. With arms dangling on each side of his head, he couldn¡¯t raise his knees from the ground. The tail and tendrils were tightly strapped to the concrete interior surrounding him, denying them the slightest movement. Far from the solitary cell that housed him was a group of people arguing. Some firmly demanded that they should kill it without further hesitation, while others reasoned that they should study it due to its eccentric behavior. Eventually, since they couldn¡¯t come to a decision, they left to discuss the dilemma in further detail.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. However, after they had departed, footsteps echoed along the corridor as a lone figure approached the steel bars. In the dimly lit dungeon, Ryner could clearly make out her long red hair, simply because his eyes were well suited for the dark. Her silver pupils, illuminated by a ray of moonlight that shone through the bars above the oubliette, stared silently at the prisoner that they had captured. The familiar and distinct urge to kill that she harbored towards his kind wasn¡¯t there. He wasn¡¯t just another demon. Somewhere in her heart, that was how things had become. Complicated. She saw him as more than just a creature to hate, to fight and to kill. Why? That one word, that one question, escaped her lips. It was something that she wanted to ask from the moment she first saw him. Why did you save me? Her question, unfortunately, was offered silence. Ryner could only stare at her and clicked his mandibles. After all, he had no idea what she was saying. Spoiler: Memory 6 As the bird flew towards the tree, it noticed two figures sitting on the soft grass and next to one another beneath the shade of the tree. The one sitting next to the tree trunk on the left was a human while the other was a pitch-black demon. The human, who was a red-haired woman, kept her distance and warily watched the demon, clenching her sword that rested on her left hand. The demon on the right, who was a lazy Ryner, fixedly stared at the blue sky without sparing so much as a glance towards the human. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to keep an eye on the grim-looking woman in case she decided to attack him. But, frankly, he was beginning to wonder why she hadn¡¯t left him yet. For some reason, she stayed seated, hugging her leg with her right hand, wordlessly glaring at him like an angry cat. As their silent battle continued, the bird atop the tree branch flew down and landed on Ryner¡¯s left horn. Before he could react, it began pecking curiously with its beak and chirped while the other birds in the tree observed them. Surprised, Ryner shook his head to shoo it away, but the frightened bird only flew to the tree branch momentarily before placing itself on his horn once he stopped moving. He repeated the same pattern several times until his shoulders slumped down in surrender, and soon a handful of birds were on his horns and head. Seeing this, the woman¡¯s grim expression changed to one of bemusement. She slowly approached him while holding her sword. But as she stretched her hand out, the birds hastily flew off as if scared of her. Ryner slightly raised his head up and looked towards her, which put her on guard. But, before the blink of an eye, he looked away and continued to stare at the sky. For some reason, his attitude annoyed her and without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his horn. With a jerk, the red-haired woman forced him to turn his head and look at her. Afterwards, she opened her mouth and got ready to speak to the demon once again. Spoiler: memory 7 When the merchant glanced back, his eyes widened as he saw several black minuscular figures closing in, leaving sand clouds in their wake.Kucanis, man-faced dogs, a common species of carnivorous demons infamous for hunting in packs. They relentlessly chased after him, their sunken glowing red demon eyes fixed upon his being. Hastily, the merchant once again whipped the Nghe¡¯fleis pulling his wagon for more speed. However, in his panic, he had failed to notice a large boulder in his path. With a cry, the six-legged horses neighed loudly as the left wheels of the wagon collided against the boulder, jolting the left portion of the vehicle airborne from the impact¡¯s recoil. With an overturning twist, the entire wagon fell off balance, crashing heavily unto the dry, hard ground. The merchant, now bruised with his ears ringing, staggered into his fortified wooden wagon, shutting the metal edged doors firmly behind him. Clutching his shield and spear with trembling fingers, he hugged his weapons tightly, seeking a sense a security as the howls finally reached his wagon in five heartbeats. He could hear the pitiful struggles of his mounts as the Nghe¡¯fleis neighed helplessly. But the cries soon died, accompanied by the sound of flesh tearing and the pungent smell of spilled hot blood. The wagon shook in the next moment when they started clawing and smashing against his reinforced walls. As one head broke through, the merchant clumsily thrust his spear and pierced the human headed demon. But, in fiery retaliation, it bit down on the spear tip hard and ripped the steel free from the wood with great force. Now weaponless, the merchant gave up all resistance, hugging his knees and whispering prayers to his gods for deliverance. Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable yelps of Kucanis being attacked. As the sounds of dying demons struggling increased, the merchant¡¯s heart hammered against his chest as he contemplated if his plea to the gods rang true, that he was going to be saved. But, even that slither of hope was robbed from him when he peeked through the hole of his wagon. He sawit. A large humanoid demon, covered in glossy pitch-black scales and easily twice the height of a man. It swiftly killed the remaining demons as it swung the carcass ofa kucanis around like a club, effortlessly crushing the skull of another beneath its right heel while swatting away others with its massive left fist. As the clouds of dusts settled, the merchant¡¯s heart was in his mouth as large footsteps drew closer. Like a cargo box, his wagon was turned upwards and the merchant¡¯s wet eyes were greeted with the sight of the demon¡¯s face. Its glowing left red eye and right white eye stared back at him. As it reached its blood-stained claws towards him, he shut his eyes while begging for mercy. Strangely, the touch never came. It merely took two boxes of his goods that were behind him and departed, leaving the confused but unharmed merchant with an unbelievable tale to tell at the city tavern. A tale about a demon that saved him from Kucanis, all for fruit. Elsewhere, Ryner and Frey were enjoying a meal of exotic fresh Topango fruit. Spoiler: memory 8 Standing motionlessly atop a stone cliff under the cover of vegetation, a lone hooded figure silently observed an uncommon pair of travellers a far distant away under the hot sun. Lying below to his knees, two large wolves with mismatching eyes followed his line of sight. Even now, the appearance of a large humanoid demon traveling peacefully with a human huntress is impossible to fathom. The tall demon, Ryner, was covered from horn-to-claw in mismatching rags stitched together to cover any aspects that might give himself away as a demon instead of a demi-human freak. He was bickering endlessly with Frey as she was saddled atop a Ngheflei while he had to travel to their destination on foot. After observing a few moments longer, the hooded figure then turned away and slipped into the cliffs, with the wolves immediately following suit. With each step, his drab cloak swiftly blends into the surrounding vegetation, becoming unseen. Half a day¡¯s journey ahead of Ryner and Frey¡¯s location was a small but lively settlement, centred on its largest building, the local saloon. Within its wooden walls was a rowdy atmosphere as the crowd talked, drank, shout, sang, gambled and fought amongst themselves. However, the liveliness abruptly died as the screech of the broken door turned. It wasn¡¯t the familiar sound that had caught everyone¡¯s attention, it was the one that opened it. A hooded figure, covered completely in drab tattered robes, his arms wrapped every inch in bandages yellow from time and face covered by a discoloured scarf. Judging from the wear-and-tear of his garb and boots heavily caked with soil, one could only assume him for a wandering nomad. Nevertheless, that knowledge failed to sate the suspicion as to why his appearance was still concealed. Although the establishment tolerated those of his ilk to a certain degree, others might not. As such, tension and unease steadily brew and filled the air as many eyes trailed the stranger, measuring him. The stranger, almost nonchalant, completely ignored the scrutiny and hostile gazes directed towards him as he walked boldly to the eye-patched bartender. As the stranger stood face-to-face towards him, the calm steward merely paused his cleaning and raised his good eye, arching his brow in a questioning manner. In a husky voice, the stranger bartered for a refill of alcohol and water in exchange for several demon hide and trinkets as he placed two empty bottles upon the counter. Faced with such a mundane sight, the atmosphere slowly subsided and most of the crowd lost interest. But one group seated just across the right side of the counter continued to eye the stranger. One of them had caught a brief glimpse of a cylindrical object with the shine that hinted of precious metal beneath the stranger¡¯s robe. Just as he reached out to reclaim his refilled containers from the bartender, the stranger¡¯s hand suddenly paused in mid-air as he overheard members of the crowd discussing recent local rumours spreading among the neighbouring settlements regarding an odd pair of travellers, namely the red-haired high-ranking huntress with her huge companion the ¡°Dark Wanderer¡±. Shrugging off his hesitation, the stranger firmly clasps his bottles and exited the saloon with hasty steps. On cue, the ill-intent gang immediately followed suit and exited the saloon to tail him, but the hooded figure was nowhere to be found, as though he vanished into the wind. Memory from fragment Zombie Spoiler: Memory 1 Inside a dark, abandoned building, a group of five people were running as fast as they could, trying to escape with their lives. Carrying backpacks stuffed with food, water and various supplies they gathered, they put as much distance as they could between them and their undead pursuers. When they lost them, the survivors breathed easier, but didn¡¯t slow down as they quickly searched for a way out of the creepy building. As they ran while closing any doors they could behind them, they reached a glass wall that allowed them to see the floor below them. It was crawling with zombies that were aimlessly walking about. If they fell down there, they would be torn to shreds in an instant. One of the survivors looked up and saw the floor on the opposite side that also had a glass wall. Right after, it shattered and a body was thrown out to the lower floor, causing him to stop in his track. His group, who noticed that he wasn¡¯t following them, ceased running as well. They turned towards him with puzzled and impatient looks. They didn¡¯t have time. Although they were carrying handguns, rifles and shotguns, ammunition was sparse and the noise attracted the undead mob. Moreover, night was coming which was when the most dangerous infected group ventured out. The survivor pointed at the glass wall and everyone took a look. Watching them from the opposite side was a hooded man in a black jacket. They could see that he was wearing goggles and a gas mask that covered his nose and mouth. From the backpack he was carrying, they guessed that he also came to scavenge for supplies. After several seconds of silently staring at the other, the unknown survivor bolted off out of sight. The group that watched on hurriedly did the same when they heard a loud roar that sounded neither like a human¡¯s or an animal¡¯s. The sun was setting. The sky was darkening. Night was going to dominate the day. They were coming out to hunt. Spoiler: Memory 2 Ryner ran through the desolate streets of the city. There wasn¡¯t a single living soul in sight. The only things present were abandoned cars, scavenged houses and the rotting undead that shambled around. Moreover, a horde was chasing him, running while dragging their feet and stumbling about. He turned into an alley to lose them, but it was a dead end. The wall was too tall to climb over and there were four idle zombies present. Their heads snapped to attention when they saw him and they stared at him with their foggy eyes. Since he couldn¡¯t escape without a fight, Ryner pulled out from his back a FN Five Seven handgun that he stuffed inside his pants. He shot the four zombies and turned towards the pack that followed him. While slowly walking backward, he accurately shot them in the head in quick succession. One bullet for one undead. Thirty infected were eliminated in less than thirty seconds. Two remained, but his extended magazine was empty. He switched the Five Seven to his left hand and his right hand went for the holster tied to his right thigh. From it, he pulled out a magnum, fired twice, and killed the last two. Once he was done, he made sure the area was clear before putting the magnum back in the holster. Then, he reached for his last remaining magazine hanging on his belt behind him and reloaded his Five Seven. Checking that the coast was clear, Ryner escaped from the area before more infected showed up, attracted by the gunfire. He blundered. The trip was a waste of ammo. Spoiler: Memory 3 It was raining. The dark clouds covered the sky and hid the sun. It was great weather for the survivors since they could collect water. Ryner was in the middle of the street, scavenging for usable parts and supplies. Abandoned cars were everywhere. Luckily, there was no undead shambling about. Some parts of the city were almost devoid of them. They were relatively safe zones during the day. Other parts were more dangerous, even impossible to come back from. Ryner was operating in one of these more or less safe zones. He used a rubber hose to retrieve the gas in a car and filled the gas tank he had with him. Next, he unlocked the door of the driver¡¯s seat, entered and closed the door. As he looked around, he saw a shadow walking down the middle of the street in the rearview mirror. Instantly, he jumped in the back seat and crouched in the corner. He knew what it was. Sometimes, mutations occurred among the infected. Each variation were stranger, creepier and deadlier than a regular undead. A while later, the grotesque shadow appeared next to his car. It was the moving corpse of a man with rotten, grey skin. Its arms were shriveled up like dead fruits and limply hung on both sides. From his shoulders, two huge arms were growing out like bat wings. The forearms and the hands were big like those of a gorilla, yet appeared to have only skin and bones. The skinny fingers were long, crooked and sharp. The creature¡¯s head was hairless and only a huge mouth filled with rows of fangs could be seen on its face. It had no face. Ryner let it pass as it carefully moved around, relying on its sense of touch and hearing. Its arms that could reach the ground were being used like legs and supported its body. It felt the area around it while growling and screeching. One of its giant hands that could easily wrap around a grown man¡¯s head was placed on the window of the car¡¯s door. The glass cracked and the vehicle shook. Even so, Ryner remained perfectly still in the corner and waited. Spoiler: Memory 4 The house was empty, abandoned. Anything of value was already taken, either by those that had lived there before, or by those who came after to scavenge for supplies. Ryner was one of them. It was the middle of the day, but the interior was dim and gloomy. The place looked as if a hurricane passed by and turned everything upside down. The broken television was on the ground, drawers were pulled out, the fridge was wide open and most importantly, there was nothing useful to take. Ryner looked through the kitchen, but he didn¡¯t find anything like conserved food, knives or spoons. He went to one of the bedrooms that were on the first floor. The place was cleared out as well, but a few dusty clothes for a ten year old child were discarded on the floor as well as toys that wouldn¡¯t have been of use. He crouched down, picked up a shirt and examined it. He took off his backpack to put it inside since it might be useful later. Suddenly, he heard the floorboard creak. Slow, rhythmic footsteps were drawing closer. Leaving the backpack and shirt on the floor, he swiftly and silently went next to the opened door, used it as cover and glued his back to the wall. A man smelling of rot entered the room and stopped at where Ryner dropped his backpack. He was weakly moaning and groaning in a hoarse voice. Ryner could barely feel his presence even though he was so close. It was because he was already dead. The man was infected with the virus that created moving corpses, grotesque monstrosities and creatures of the night. But, he was a normal undead, the type that was easy to deal with when they were alone. Damage to the head was enough to kill them and that was what Ryner did. He pulled out the butterfly knife from the sheath strapped to his left forearm under his jacket¡¯s sleeve and sneaked up behind him. Before the rotting infected could notice anything, the knife¡¯s blade was embedded in the back of his head. Ryner pulled out his weapon and didn¡¯t spare a glance at the corpse that fell down. Spoiler: Memory 5 The roofs were not safe, but they were the safest means of travel. Most of the undead couldn¡¯t climb up there and were too dumb to look up. So, Ryner would often use them when he wanted to get around the city. Of course, this was only during the day. When night came, the roofs, and the city, belonged to the worst of the flesh eaters. However, besides the infected population, there were others that also hung out on top of the buildings. Ryner, looking down on the streets while sitting on the edge of the roof, saw a couple of survivors. It had been a while since he last saw any living humans. Carrying large backpacks, they were moving swiftly and cautiously, hoping to avoid any infected. However, they were suddenly gunned down and fell limply on the ground.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The next moment, Ryner felt a chill go up his spine and reflexively leaned back. A bullet flew passed his face. From its trajectory and the sound of the gunshot, he determined the position of the shooter. More shots came, but none hit him since he stayed down and hidden from view. He crawled to the adjacent edge of the roof and took out his revolver. Getting to his attacker would be too difficult when he needed to hop from one roof to another. Getting down on street level would be a bad idea since every infected in the area heard the gunshots and were probably converging on the gunner¡¯s position. That was why Ryner stayed in cover and checked the bullets in his firearm. After confirming six shots were in the chambers, he spun the cylinder and patiently waited. He wasn¡¯t the friendliest survivor, but he wasn¡¯t the worst either. They were some that killed people to steal their supplies while others did it for the thrill. Today, he would be the former. Spoiler: Memory 6 Ryner was negotiating with the leader of a group of survivors. They were an all-female group that took refuge in a hotel and didn¡¯t exactly like men. Still, they allowed him to enter their hideout and were offering him a reward for helping them out. Although the hotel was barricaded to keep unwanted guests out, human and infected alike, it wasn¡¯t completely safe. Undead roamed several floors and all they could do was blocked the passages. The noises they made at night, coupled with the monsters that hunted in the dark, terrified the children and the adults. Their leader asked Ryner to clear out those areas for them in exchange for supplies. He accepted, but asked not for supplies, but for her to sleep with him. She snapped, pulled out a gun and threatened to kill him. The other women in the room glared daggers at him and were also ready to shoot him dead. Ryner shrugged his shoulders, aloof even with several guns pointed at him. He told them that he didn¡¯t mean it, that it was a test. Then, he picked up his bag and headed for the door. The leader asked him if he would accept their request for supplies, but he refused. He didn¡¯t want to work with people that would kill him in a heartbeat because of his gender, regardless of their circumstances. The leader clicked her tongue and apologized. So, Ryner accepted to help them, but said that she really had to sleep with him now. His demand stirred up a commotion, but she grudgingly accepted in the end. Afterwards, they gave him a smartwatch and an earpiece before he went off to kill all of their undead vermin. Spoiler: Memory 7 Ryner carefully walked through an alley, making sure that nothing noticed him. Turning a corner, he saw the street which caused him to stop, crouch down and slowly back away. It was crawling with infected. He was currently inside a mid-danger zone. In this area, the undead were greater in numbers compared to a low-danger zone. But, that also meant that the chances humans had time to plunder every supplies was lower. As such, Ryner had come to these more dangerous parts of the city to scavenge for food, clothes and anything that could keep him alive. Still, seeing the street packed with rotten and groaning bodies that were slowly shuffling about made him wonder if it was such a good idea. He looked around to find a way to get on a building¡¯s roof. At that moment, a mutated monster passed by in the crowded street. Ryner hurriedly shifted back a bit more while carefully peeking from the corner. It was a man that was crawling on all fours while spewing red gunk from its mouth. The reason it couldn¡¯t walk straight was because of the giant zit filled with white pus on its back. That dome was actually bigger than it and caused it to clumsily move at a slow pace. When Ryner saw the infected, he found it a shame that it was surrounded by so many undead. Killing it and harvesting its pus would make for a good biohazardous weapon. He had seen that substance melt people down like acid. Moreover, these types of mutations were easy to deal with. So long as he kept his distance, they could be taken down in one hit. After all, they were basically moving bombs. He just had to pop its zit. Spoiler: Memory 8 Scavenging. Every day, Ryner would scavenge the ruined city and bring back whatever he found useful to his hideout. It was an apartment in a building complex that was located in a rather safe zone with few infected. His place was on the higher floors and off the ground where the undead roamed. Moreover, it was big enough for him to store all of the supplies he secured during his trips through the city¡¯s streets. This time, along with food, water and other items, he took out from his backpack several books. The first one was some girl¡¯s diary. Skipping to the end, he found that she recorded the first few days when the dead started walking. The second one was about mechanical engineering. The world¡¯s technology was familiar to him, but there might be some finer points that he didn¡¯t know of. That was why he grabbed the tome. Finally, the last one was about cooking. It was useless to him. So, using a box cutter, he cut a rectangular hole through the several hundred pages. Once he was done, he placed a semi-automatic handgun along with a magazine clip inside and closed the book. Then, he placed it on the shelf of his bookcase in the living room, which was where he kept his other books. Afterwards, Ryner organized and went over what he had stocked up. The canned food, the water bottles, the medicine, the clothes, the tools, the miscellaneous items and the weapons were all there, placed in various places around his apartment. And now that he had more supplies, he decided to increase and maintain his arsenal. He made gunpowder. He made Molotov cocktails. He made smoke bombs. He made explosive grenades. He sharpened his blades. He cleaned his guns. He counted the bullets left. Eventually, he had to turn in for the night. The sun was about to set. So, Ryner made sure that the windows were barricaded and blocked, the door was securely locked and his escape route was cleared. Then, he just needed to wait for dawn without being found. It was going to be another sleepless night. Spoiler: Memory 9 A woman¡¯s voice coming from the earpiece asked Ryner his current situation. He stopped, crouched down and looked at his watch. The black screen lit up and showed not the time, but a numerical value as well as a red arrow that pointed straight ahead. Using this function that showed the way and distance, Ryner told her that he was almost there. The application that the woman on the phone programmed made finding his way through the city a bit easier. It would have been better if he had gotten some weapons as well, but the group of female survivors didn¡¯t like him enough to share their precious guns with him. The two sides were cooperating, but they weren¡¯t exactly comrades. Putting it bluntly, they were making use of each other. That was why Ryner was out shopping for them and in return, the survivors would give him what he asked. Still, the woman on the phone was rather friendly, despite how her group distrusted men. Although, Ryner wished that she would stop reminding him to get her some good booze every ten minutes. Besides daily necessities, his shopping list also included things like makeup, skincare products and children¡¯s toys. There was a lot to grab to keep a group of individuals alive. To get all of these items, he had to go to a certain location that was pretty much infested with zombies. The mall. Spoiler: Memory 10 Surrounded and outgunned, Ryner had no choice but to obediently raise his hands in surrender. The bunch that he was dealing with had short temper and not the friendliest welcoming. If he made the wrong move, a firefight would ensue, which was not what he wanted. One of the men that were aiming his gun at his head asked him a few questions. During the tense interrogation, the others kept their eyes on him, mostly on his gear. Ryner had quite a few items that they could take. There was a revolver in his leg holster, his clothes were of good quality and his backpack actually had a shotgun in a remodeled side pouch. Moreover, although it was a bit on the thin side, they got themselves some fresh meat. It was a good catch, one that these survivors hadn¡¯t had in a while. As the interrogation continued, some impatient voices kept asking why they couldn¡¯t just kill the stranger. People seemed just about ready to pull their trigger. Those who didn¡¯t have guns were stroking their machetes in anticipation. They all eyed the object that they wanted to take. Some wanted the shotgun, others the backpack. There was also someone whose stomach growled. In this volatile atmosphere, Ryner calmly repeated that they shouldn¡¯t fight and that they didn¡¯t have time for this. Yet, no one paid attention to his warnings. As a result, they couldn¡¯t react properly when a pack of infected suddenly attacked them. During the chaos, Ryner quickly escaped, shooting down any human and undead in his path. Making contact with this group of survivors turned out to be a bad idea. Then again, in the wasted city, there were some that could be reasoned with, and some that couldn¡¯t. Still, Ryner couldn¡¯t just leave empty-handed. So, he took a car that they managed to modify and reinforce. Besides, it didn¡¯t look like they were going to need it anymore. Spoiler: Memory 11 Having managed to escape from his pursuers, Ryner looked at the room that he ended up at. Various antiques were carefully stored around the tidy and well-lit place. It was just like a museum. The person who owned the building was probably a fan of history and possessed a varied collection. Besides clocks and paintings, a few firearms were stored behind glass cases. There were blunderbusses, muskets and pistols. Furthermore, every gun was a well-maintained replica capable of firing. Moreover, primer, bullets, gunpowder and other supplies were also on display. The museum looked more like an armory to Ryner, which was rather useful considering he lost his weapons before his escape. He needed to get out of enemy territory and it didn¡¯t look like he could sneak past detection. So, for the moment, Ryner helped himself to what was in front of him. Turning into an antique thief, he broke multiple glass cases and took whatever caught his eye. He picked a few pistols, a musket with a bayonet attached and some supplies to reload his firearms. For some reason, only one pistol was a breech-loading weapon and the rest all used either the flintlock or the percussion cap mechanism. As such, reloading was going to take time. There was also a black powder revolver that was capable of firing buckshot which was put on a pedestal. The gun practically glowed because of the strong light from the ceiling that was shining down on it. The way it was displayed was as if it was the centerpiece of the room. A short explanation was inscribed on a plate next to it which stated that the revolver once belonged to a famous general. It was in working condition and it looked useful, so Ryner took it. After he was done borrowing various items, he began arming himself. Luckily, gun belts, pouches and bags were graciously stored around the room. With these weapons, Ryner was no longer unarmed. Still, he¡¯d probably die in a straight up gunfight. That was why they were mostly for the horde of infected that flooded the place when the gate was breached. Demon Memory 7 When the merchant glanced back, his eyes widened as he saw several black minuscular figures closing in, leaving sand clouds in their wake. Kucanis, man-faced dogs, a common species of carnivorous demons infamous for hunting in packs. They relentlessly chased after him, their sunken glowing red demon eyes fixed upon his being. Hastily, the merchant once again whipped the Nghe¡¯fleis pulling his wagon for more speed. However, in his panic, he had failed to notice a large boulder in his path. With a cry, the six-legged horses neighed loudly as the left wheels of the wagon collided against the boulder, jolting the left portion of the vehicle airborne from the impact¡¯s recoil. With an overturning twist, the entire wagon fell off balance, crashing heavily unto the dry, hard ground. The merchant, now bruised with his ears ringing, staggered into his fortified wooden wagon, shutting the metal edged doors firmly behind him. Clutching his shield and spear with trembling fingers, he hugged his weapons tightly, seeking a sense a security as the howls finally reached his wagon in five heartbeats. He could hear the pitiful struggles of his mounts as the Nghe¡¯fleis neighed helplessly. But the cries soon died, accompanied by the sound of flesh tearing and the pungent smell of spilled hot blood. The wagon shook in the next moment when they started clawing and smashing against his reinforced walls. As one head broke through, the merchant clumsily thrust his spear and pierced the human headed demon. But, in fiery retaliation, it bit down on the spear tip hard and ripped the steel free from the wood with great force. Now weaponless, the merchant gave up all resistance, hugging his knees and whispering prayers to his gods for deliverance.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable yelps of Kucanis being attacked. As the sounds of dying demons struggling increased, the merchant¡¯s heart hammered against his chest as he contemplated if his plea to the gods rang true, that he was going to be saved. But, even that slither of hope was robbed from him when he peeked through the hole of his wagon. He saw it. A large humanoid demon, covered in glossy pitch-black scales and easily twice the height of a man. It swiftly killed the remaining demons as it swung the carcass of a kucanis around like a club, effortlessly crushing the skull of another beneath its right heel while swatting away others with its massive left fist. As the clouds of dusts settled, the merchant¡¯s heart was in his mouth as large footsteps drew closer. Like a cargo box, his wagon was turned upwards and the merchant¡¯s wet eyes were greeted with the sight of the demon¡¯s face. Its glowing left red eye and right white eye stared back at him. As it reached its blood-stained claws towards him, he shut his eyes while begging for mercy. Strangely, the touch never came. It merely took two boxes of his goods that were behind him and departed, leaving the confused but unharmed merchant with an unbelievable tale to tell at the city tavern. A tale about a demon that saved him from Kucanis, all for fruit. Elsewhere, Ryner and Frey were enjoying a meal of exotic fresh Topango fruit. Demon Memory 8 Standing motionlessly atop a stone cliff under the cover of vegetation, a lone hooded figure silently observed an uncommon pair of travellers a far distant away under the hot sun. Lying below to his knees, two large wolves with mismatching eyes followed his line of sight. Even now, the appearance of a large humanoid demon traveling peacefully with a human huntress is impossible to fathom. The tall demon, Ryner, was covered from horn-to-claw in mismatching rags stitched together to cover any aspects that might give himself away as a demon instead of a demi-human freak. He was bickering endlessly with Frey as she was saddled atop a Ngheflei while he had to travel to their destination on foot. After observing a few moments longer, the hooded figure then turned away and slipped into the cliffs, with the wolves immediately following suit. With each step, his drab cloak swiftly blends into the surrounding vegetation, becoming unseen. Half a day¡¯s journey ahead of Ryner and Frey¡¯s location was a small but lively settlement, centred on its largest building, the local saloon. Within its wooden walls was a rowdy atmosphere as the crowd talked, drank, shout, sang, gambled and fought amongst themselves. However, the liveliness abruptly died as the screech of the broken door turned. It wasn¡¯t the familiar sound that had caught everyone¡¯s attention, it was the one that opened it. A hooded figure, covered completely in drab tattered robes, his arms wrapped every inch in bandages yellow from time and face covered by a discoloured scarf. Judging from the wear-and-tear of his garb and boots heavily caked with soil, one could only assume him for a wandering nomad. Nevertheless, that knowledge failed to sate the suspicion as to why his appearance was still concealed. Although the establishment tolerated those of his ilk to a certain degree, others might not. As such, tension and unease steadily brew and filled the air as many eyes trailed the stranger, measuring him.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The stranger, almost nonchalant, completely ignored the scrutiny and hostile gazes directed towards him as he walked boldly to the eye-patched bartender. As the stranger stood face-to-face towards him, the calm steward merely paused his cleaning and raised his good eye, arching his brow in a questioning manner. In a husky voice, the stranger bartered for a refill of alcohol and water in exchange for several demon hide and trinkets as he placed two empty bottles upon the counter. Faced with such a mundane sight, the atmosphere slowly subsided and most of the crowd lost interest. But one group seated just across the right side of the counter continued to eye the stranger. One of them had caught a brief glimpse of a cylindrical object with the shine that hinted of precious metal beneath the stranger¡¯s robe. Just as he reached out to reclaim his refilled containers from the bartender, the stranger¡¯s hand suddenly paused in mid-air as he overheard members of the crowd discussing recent local rumours spreading among the neighbouring settlements regarding an odd pair of travellers, namely the red-haired high-ranking huntress with her huge companion the ¡°Dark Wanderer¡±. Shrugging off his hesitation, the stranger firmly clasps his bottles and exited the saloon with hasty steps. On cue, the ill-intent gang immediately followed suit and exited the saloon to tail him, but the hooded figure was nowhere to be found, as though he vanished into the wind.