I spent two days and nights hidden inside my space, watching the gates of this city through the window of my hidden space.

Even with the high winds that often drown out sounds, I've learned a lot and nothing at all in that time.

First, the commander isn't the only commander - it must be some kind of military rank, and while he's high up the food chain he's still just another soldier. He reports to someone else, but whoever it is never left the walls so I don't know who. I suspect it's the man that let me out when Simon tried to keep me inside, but I don't know that for sure.

Second, there are no women here - not a single woman at all in the city. However, the city definitely reports to a woman, possibly multiples. Whoever she is, the guards aren't her biggest fans - I guess she's sharp as a tack and her words are just as cutting. She calls in sometimes and when she calls people stop and answer, no matter where they are.

Third, they want to find me and convince me to come back. They talk about my visit constantly. I was only inside for an hour, tops - but my visit somehow made serious waves and tons of people I didn't see that night know about me now. They've encouraged their hunters and scouts to try and locate me, and if they see I'm in trouble they've been ordered to protect me.

Which is really fucking weird, but alright.

My little pocket of space isn't huge, and I don't have infinite supplies - so I can't stay and hide forever - but it's been interesting to observe like a pre-invasion spy to learn more about how humans work these days.

I learned a lot about how we mutated from my family, and a lot about aliens from my time in what is apparently called the outlands now... but humans in general?

Apparently I've missed a lot.

It's been a long time since I took this much time away from hunting, and the rest was nice at first as I observed and learned - but I'm starting to get antsy walking around in my little cabin.

I've decided to slip out later tonight when the stars are bright and go back to the outlands.

I don't understand how people work these days, but I also don't think I want to. I'm not interested in finding company.

I'm interested in spilling black and silver blood to avenge my family.

That's it. Nothing else matters. This whole society they're fighting to save? They don't need me to help them with that.

Especially if they want to throw a bunch of men at me and make me pop out babies like candy.

Are they fucking insane?

I'm not bringing more life into this world.

That's beyond cruel.

Absolutely not. Nope. I've officially been run off, and I'm completely fucking done with all of it. I'm going back to the town where my heart and soul died, and I'll live there until I can join my family in whatever comes after this.

My internal grumbling is interrupted by the sound of shrieks and roars beyond my space, and the thrill that floods me before a battle has me grinning as I emerge from my space without thinking.

I was just itching for a fight.

"Look! It's Grace!"

"Grace! Get inside! A wave is coming!"

"Quick, someone open the gates! Let her in!"

"We can't, the gates are locked! Lockdown was already initiated!"

"Get the General then damnit!"

Their cries and yells mean nothing to me as I stand with my back to the gates.

I don't care for their city or their 'help' - none of them can help me anyway. I'm beyond help.

The trembling ground as the wave nears? The screams of war in the air from the beasts closing in? That's my help. That's all I need.

I leave my blade where it is, knowing this is far larger than something so simple.

No, instead I let my mutation flow from my shoulders and transform my once normal-looking body into the monstrosity that I have become since that alien cut me all those years ago.

My shoulders ripple first, and I feel it deep in my bone, my muscle, my tissue - each fiber peels away and morphs as the feeling travels down to my fingertips.

It takes only moments before the shoulder-to-elbow looks like my arms have been remade as tightly bundled vines, and the vines separate and wave menacingly from the elbow down.

I bundle the vines together into groups and sharpen the points with one intention... to kill.

I think the shouts behind me have stopped. Or perhaps I simply can't hear them anymore.

Dashing forward, I let myself forget they even exist as I meet the first creature and cut its cries off suddenly as one of the sharpened tips of a bundle of vines carves through its neck.

For my father.

Spinning I shove my vines out and plunge it through the skulls of the three beasts standing in a row beside me.

For my brother and sister.

Ducking under the swipe of claws above me, I let the sharpened bundles plow through the center of the creature that dared get close.

For my mother.

Nothing but this exists. Beast after beast that pose no threat and offer no challenge fall at my feet.

For them. For the ones they took.

The wave was too small, and it took no time at all to wipe out these weak creatures without real effort. Standing and spinning in a circle amass the still warm bodies, I can only be disappointed.

I had hoped for stronger enemies, yet despite having destroyed nearly two dozen of them - none posed a real challenge.

Just as I had resigned myself to the feeling, reaching for the closest beast with the intention of smoking its meat later, I felt a ripple.

My head snapped up, and I spun slowly toward it - narrowing in with focus.

A good ripple... the ripple that came from power.

From the promise of a real fight.

I felt the grin before it stretched fully across my face, stepping away from the worthless beings behind me.

They offered me nothing but a warmup, but this? This feeling? This teased with the potential of something far more fulfilling.

I paused - listening and waiting, once again letting my arms transform as I took a defensive stance.

It walked up slowly, aware of its power. Of its strength.

A female.

My grin broadened. I can only imagine what I look like, and I don't care.

Throwing my head back, I roared the call of the challenge - flames erupting from my mouth in a display of power.

A declaration of strength and a threat wrapped in one.

She froze, and the skin of her face split as she exposed her glistening fangs.

When she returned my call in acceptance, I didn't hesitate.

Hesitation gets you killed.

With every ounce of strength I possessed, I lunged forward to close the great distance as fast as I could.

She did the same, rushing toward me in clear urgency to meet me head on.

Good. Come at me bitch.

Once a call is issued, her lackeys - of which I have no doubt she has many, though how many are left nearby I have no idea - will be forced to wait for the outcome.

I know they won't interrupt. They'll come when she's dead.

The moment we clash, the ripple of raw power that pushes out from our collision kicks up dust and rocks the sparse trees nearby.

The silence lasts only for a single second before the chaos ensues.

Raw. Brutal. Fierce.

Her claws tear through my vines, ripping them to shreds as she slashed through them like they weren't even there.

My vines tear through her flesh, burrowing deep and traveling through her veins - shredding her from the inside out.

We heal as we battle, and our bodies fight the intrusions even as we fight each other for ground.

Then, a sickening crunch as my vines erupt through the top of her skull has time freezing for only a moment before her body collapses before me.

Breathing heavily I slowly retract my vines even as I stare down at her. Her silver blood mingles with my red and white blood, soaking into the ground as the energy that surrounded us slowly fades away.

It was a good battle worthy of my time and strength, so as I have learned to do after winning challenges by observing the aliens - I honor her by removing her head and hold it up as I roar in victory.

A declaration that doubles as a warning for anyone else foolish enough to challenge me - for any of those she left behind to see.

None come forward, and I can only guess I must have killed her entourage before she arrived.

"Pfft," I snort dismissively, lowering her head before placing it respectfully on her body.

It's dishonorable to let it touch the ground once victory is declared.

Despite bleeding silver, I will not take her body for meat - she will be left here out of respect.

Instead, I turn around with a heavy exhale allow my arms to transform back then grab one of the other bodies from before. They were an insult to my very presence, and they don't deserve even the pretense of respect.

Hauling the body up onto my shoulder, I begin the trek back home through the night without much thought.

"Grace."

The reaction is instinctive.

I have no idea how he got as close as he did, but it doesn't matter.

Dropping the body, I spin on the spot and crouch even as I pull the sword from its sheath on my back and aim it in the direction of the voice.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he said calmly, walking from the shadows nearby and into the light of the moon, "I'm just here to talk."

I don't recognize the face of the man before me, but I do recognize his voice.

He's the one that let me go

Out of both appreciation for that decision and pure curiosity - how the hell did he get so close without my noticing? - I don't attack.

That doesn't mean I'm an idiot and lower my weapon, but it counts as a gesture of goodwill that he's still breathing.

That said, I have no intention of speaking - the best he gets is my eyes narrowing in attention.

"That was... unlike anything I have ever seen," he admitted, studying me with a serious face, "and I'd like to ask you a lot of questions about it."

"No."

Not because I have anything to hide or I care for him to know, but mostly because I simply cannot be bothered.

"Why?"

His tone is respectful and he hasn't moved closer, so I suppose I don't mind answering that question.

"Your problems are not my problems."

"My problems..." he murmured, his brows furrowing slightly even as his eyes never moved away, "What if we traded then?"

"What are you offering?" I can only raise an eyebrow in curiosity at what he thinks he has to trade.

"What do you want?"

Ah, I see. I can't help smirking slightly - this man isn't the same fool as the other one.

"Silver-bleeder meat," I said, studying him seriously - before my eyes glanced where his did and added, "Not her. She's to be left. She fought well."

His eyebrows met his hairline, but he nodded anyway.

"How much will earn a day of your time?"

I tilted my head then - a day? That's a hell of a lot of questions...

"No. Not a day. Too much," I shook my head slowly, refusing to consider it, "1 silver-bleeder's worth of good meat. Dried or smoked. In exchange, we talk until the sun crests. Here, not in there."

I'm already injured and need to heal for at least a few days after she hacked up my vines. I don't want to have to fight my way out of a city of humans on top of that.

"I'll double what you've asked for if you join me inside the walls," he countered - not hostile, but not acting as a pushover either, "You allow me to scan you and treat any injuries you might have. A bed will be offered, but no expectation for you to take it."

"No."

Absolutely not. Not after last time. Who knows what kinds of tricks these men have and what a 'scan' even really means.

Standing slowly I begin to back away. Fuck the meat - I'll hunt more later. It's better not to even negotiate with these people, especially in this state - they can't be trusted.

Before he can speak, though he's already reached forward as if to stop me, a sound has me spinning and leaping back toward him. I nearly tripped over him in the process.

Tsk, he's going to get in my way.

Sheathing my sword quickly, vines erupt from my waist to wrap around his - pulling him behind me in a single fluid motion.

His presence is a problem, but short of killing him this is the only solution I have to ensure he doesn't create more issues.

Using my vines is overkill for a single beast, yet it's simpler this way - I transform one arm and let the vines shoot out like buckshot toward the sound.

A grunt followed but the eruption of black spray from various spots is the first sign that I've eliminated the threat. The body rippling into view after thumping to the ground is the second.

Apparently there are more around after all, just not hers - clearly hiding and waiting for a chance to strike.

Sneaky, sneaky. They knew she left me weak and wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Extending the vines of my legs to make me taller - since the deadweight on my back is annoyingly taller than I am - I grow until his feet dangle off the ground. With the resistance of his burden removed, I back up toward the gates slowly even as my eyes dart side to side for a single clue of any others hiding nearby.

I nearly tripped when I felt a gentle caress of my waist vines from behind, and I couldn't help blushing slightly instinctively.

"Don't touch that!" I hissed, trying not to give away exactly how sensitive that particular vine is.

Not okay. Definitely not okay! No one should touch the vines that grow from there so gently! What is he thinking?!

"Sorry," he murmured quietly from way too close - though it's not exactly like he can help it since I'm the one that literally tied him to me.

I did notice that while he stopped moving his hand along my vines, it's still resting there.

Too warm. Too soft. It's too much! I need to drop this bastard and get the fuck out of here!

"Grace, the gates are open behind us," he said quietly into my ear, "Come inside to wait for the threat to pass. You know I won't force you to stay. You are free to leave anytime."

He is the one that let me out last time...

Huffing impatiently even as my attention stays focused forward toward where the minions are likely lurking, I eventually back through the gates.

"Don't make me kill you all," I grump, as I pass through the gap left open for us and back into the city I had to escape just days ago.

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