The Naga looked like they were ripped out of a nightmare. I had never seen them for myself, but I had heard the tales of them and their kind. I used to wish i'd never encounter one of their kind.
Now I was facing four.
The Naga were covered in dark scales and nothing more, they were a hideous combination of serpentine and male features. They looked as though they'd crawled their way out of hell and had been warped between worlds.
The four Naga paused across the birch clearing. I felt their eyes on me the second i had been spotted no more than fifty feet from them. I stood tall. Not allowing an ounce of the fear i felt to show. I only needed to buy Feyre time, and that is what I'd do.
"The dark mother sent us a gift today, Brothers." one of them smiled, its razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the moonlight and I felt myself shake a little. "And a meal."
"Not much to eat." another chimed in as it eyed me up and down. The grip I had on my sword tightened.
the first of the naga approached me, "What a tasty little treat." it let out a sound that very well could have been a laugh of delight. The sound was too warped to tell.
The Naga and it's brothers began to approach me ever so slowly, as if I was a scared animal that would sprint away at any moment. Yet they wore excited grins.
They enjoyed the hunt, i realized. they wanted me to run so they could give chase and hunt me like a rabbit.
But I decided a long time ago if I was going to go down, I'd go down swinging. Not running.
And so I smirked at the shadowed figures like a feral beast as I raised my sword, "You wanna dance?" I chuckled as I ran my tongue along my teeth. The Naga paused but their expressions soon turned excited at the small challenge. I could tell they thought me a fool, a child that they wanted to you with. And i'd use it to my advantage.
"If you're going to kill me, at least have to decency to allow me a pity blow." I finished, even throwing them a small pout that definitely made me look insane.
"Of course, precious meal, please go ahead."
The smirk I had been playing on my face fell away and the mask I had donned so many times in the past took hold.
The face of a killer.
I pushed my emotions into a deep well inside me. A fight has no place for them.
The naga seemed slightly surprised, but not so much it threw them off off balance and made them question themselves. Good. I wanted them to be confident. Those who let confidence cloud their judgment end up losing. They recovered quickly. The Naga's own smirk falling away.
It seemed to rethink its words to allow me the first blow based on whatever it saw on my face.
And so it lunged for me.
And my work began.
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The Naga lunged, it's sharp claws going straight for my abdomen. I twisted forward to its right, leaving me on the Naga's exposed side. I swung my sword down. The creature screamed as it clutched the wound i had dealt it. I watched as the Naga's severed hand hit the ground and blood splattered along the grass. I spared the creature no mercy as I came to the front of it and plunged my sword straight into its heart, twisting my sword before pulling out the bloodied weapon. Blood sprayed on me. On my face. My clothes. But I didn't care.
I had shut off every good part of myself and all that was left was a ruthless killer. A beast created to kill without question. And so I did what I was taught.
I hummed as I looked at the three remaining Naga, "You bitch," one hissed, "You killed our brother."
I smiled again, "And now I'm going to kill you."
With a fierce scream two of the Naga lunged for me, their hands out, looking as though they were going straight for my throat.
I quickly dropped my sword to the ground and pulled out the two daggers sheathed at both my sides. When they were almost within grabbing range of me, I ducked, and as they ran to grab my neck yet found only air in its wake, they stumbled, giving me the opening at their sides. I took both my daggers and dragged them along the Naga's torsos, creating long gashes.
It wouldn't kill. But with the enchantments on my daggers, it would weaken them to the point where I could take on both of them.
The Nagas screamed, but I was never one to waste time. I sheathed one of my bloody daggers and dug the other deep into the one of the Naga's back, the shadowy figure fell to the ground on its knees before i went behind it and I slit its throat.
I felt an evil presence at my back. The Naga that hadn't attacked me yet, and I'd turned my back to it. A foolish mistake. But it would not reach me. I twirled around, my arm receiving a small cut by its long claws as I did. I brought my dagger up to where I estimated its throat to be and my dagger hit home as I dug it into the side of the Naga's neck. Blood spluttered from the Naga's serpentine mouth. But I was not myself. And I did not care.
I ripped the knife from its throat and kicked its stomach, making the body fall backward.
But I was not done. There was one left. I turned back to the last Naga. It was clutching its side, barely standing.
The Naga looked at me with wide eyes, I scoffed as I leaned closer and whispered, "Pathetic little creature, you are."
The Naga snapped, ignoring its bleeding wound as it lunged for me. But I had been baiting it. And I was ready.
I twisted, rolling on the ground to pick up my sword. The Naga had been blocking my path to it, and I had needed it to move.
I picked up my sword and stood from the ground. The Naga turned around, eyeing the long sword I now held.
I shifted the sword between my two hands. A move I used many times to intimidate, "I am going to give you two options here," I looked at the creature now, "You can either go crawling back to whatever hell you came from and be spared." I drawled, "or, I can gut you right here and rip your head from your body. Your choice."
The Naga looked at me, "What if I kill you?"
I gave the creature a smile as if I was looking at a child, "Oh, sweetie, let's not entertain such impossibilities."
The Naga sneered at me, "You filthy bitch."
I hummed, "One of the finer nicknames I've received."
The Naga screamed as it swung for me, I wasn't expecting the blow to my abdomen and I nearly stumbled. The Naga's long nails creating a long gash across my stomach.
I touched my hand to the bleeding wound, "ow." I looked back up to the creature, "That hurt." I smiled once again at the creature, a smile that promised death. The Naga saw that. I could see by the coat of fear its eyes now wore, "This has certainly been fun. But it's time for me to go now."
I held up my sword as I sprang on the creature plunging it into its abdomen as its claws did me. The Naga fell to its knees and I swung my sword one last time as I severed its horrendous head from its body.
I sighed as the body fell. I breathed in and out allowing bits and pieces of myself back in. I was always taught that to fight with emotions guaranteed death. And so I detach from all senses of self. Maybe it's just some sick sense of self-preservation, but it hasn't gotten me killed yet.
I looked around the once beautiful clearing, now sprayed with blood and piled with the bodies of four Naga. Was I just supposed to leave them here? Do I clean them up?
"What. The. Living. Fuck." A voice sounded from the side of the clearing. And I rolled my eyes. Great. Just the person I wanted to see.
I looked at Lucien as I sheathed my sword on my back and looked at the emissary before asking, "Would you like me to clean this up? Or shall I just leave them here?" I inspected the bodies again.
Lucien looked at me. I don't think he had noticed me until I spoke. He looked back to the Naga and then to me and my bloodied and tattered clothes. 'HowâDid youâ what?"
I sighed but put on a stone face as I walked over to him, "Where is Feyre?"
Lucien's eyes were even wider close-up but I simply passed him, "With Tamlin at the Manor. He sent me to come to see if you were alive after facing Cauldron knows how many Naga."
"Four." I stated as I began walking east to the manor, "Four Naga, Lucien."
"Four." He repeated, "You faced four Naga, and lived?" He practically exclaimed.
I sighed once again, "I'm here aren't I?" I kept walking as I dodged rocks and branches, "Is there a faster way back? I'd like to stitch up my wound before it gets infected."
Lucien sniffed the air searching for the smell of my blood. I supposed the stench of the wretched Naga blood covered my own. Lucien seemed to recover from his initial shock and nodded at me, "I can winnow us back."
Great. Just great. I really wanted to go on a magic roller coaster ride in the fabrics of our world right now, "Fine, just hurry up. I hate winnowing."
Lucien made quick work as he grabbed my arm and winnowed us back to the manor. I had to resist the urge to throw up as we arrived. It felt like my stomach had flipped upside down and then shrunk on itself. I really hated winnowing.
"Thanks." I spoke, "Where's the infirmary?"
Lucien pointed in one direction before walking off, likely to find Tamlin and tell him about tonight's events. I found my way to the medics room on my own and found the suture supplies. I quickly brought them over to a chair on the far side of the room. I cleaned my wound quickly before threading the needle and beginning to stitch the long slash.
It hurt like hell.
But I managed. I always do.
The small cut on my arm would only need cleaning, but it wasn't too deep and wouldn't scar. I had just finished stitching my deeper wound and pulling down my shirt when the door burst open and in came my sister.
I stood from my seat and she rushed over to me, "Thank the mother your okay." she breathed out. I smiled a bit but then she pushed me and I stumbled a bit, "I can't believe you did that! You can't just go off and get yourself killed! It's annoying. And you can't do it again, okay?"
I smiled brightly at my sister, "Okay." I lied.
She smiled at me too, "Now, what happened after I left."
And so I told her of how I faced the Naga, of how I'd killed them, and Lucien and I winnowed back. And when I was done I crawled into the soft bed upstairs and let myself drift to sleep.
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<333 also shout out to thatsjmaasfan
honestly their stories arreeeee soooo gooddddd