There were two reasons why Vicious didn't have a habit of procuring a horse when she needed to leave the city. Firstly, it was because getting a horse wasn't cheap. And the horse would then become a dead weight should she run into anything unsavory on the road.
Secondly...she didn't know how to work the reins. Like, really had absolutely no idea on how to work the goddamned reins at all. Horses seemed to freak out whenever she tried going near one.
Which was why Vicious made the executive decision to ride out on her own Private Vehicle Number 11---aka her own pair of legs. She stared at her own map, finger hovering over the general location where the flare should have been launched.
I'd much rather take the little guy out for a spin if I could, even if it means I'll reach there slower...what happened to it, I wonder? Is it still sitting in the garage, tucked under a tarp and...forget it.
Thinking about it too much made her sad, so she stopped and shook her head to clear it. There was still a task that needed to be done, after all.
Should I turn...? No, I'll just settle on this for now. It'll be slower but it can't be helped.
Thinking thus, Vicious steadied herself, then took off sprinting, kicking up a small cloud of dust behind her.
*****
By the time she had reached the outskirts of the site where the flare should have been launched, it was...
Still quite early in the day. She'd roughly timed herself on the way, and the whole journey took an hour, give or take a few minutes. Even as she slowed to a jog, there was no trace of sweat or visible effort on her face.
Good to know that my body is still as good as before. Now, what happened here?
For a place that sent out a distress call, it was quite silent. As Vicious started down the slope that led into the small encampment, she even double-checked on the map to confirm if she was in the right location; then she spotted the discarded parts of a flare lying on the ground a few paces from where she stood, confirming that yes, this was indeed the site where the flare was launched.
But where's everyone? This place is undamaged, and as far as I can smell there's no spilled blood, so...what exactly happened?
Looking at the shelters made from animal skin gave her a funny feeling. Something about it was off, but not the same kind of wrong that usually meant demon. The oddity in this situation was not the work of a demon...at least that's what her gut was telling her.
But it was still insistent that there was danger, and a lot of it...
"Psst! Lass!"
Hearing the hushed whisper made Vicious turn her head immediately, seeking the source. Then she spotted the old man who was halfway in and out of the entrance of one of the shelters. He beckoned at her.
"Hurry! It's not safe to be outside."
Raising an eyebrow, Vicious took a few more steps towards the old man, who once again beckoned her closer.
"Come in! He could get here any second!"
"He, who?"
Instead of answering, the old man beckoned for a third time. Then---
"Hurry! It's not safe to be outside!"
He's...repeating himself?
Distracted, she didn't realise that something was moving behind her; her senses kicked in way too slowly, and the girl gasped in pain as she rolled away and got to a kneeling position. There was a deep cut running across her side.
"Hehehe..."
Behind her was a hooded man, and from his neck hung the same emblem that made her want to throw up. In his hand was a knife, and the blood dripping from the edge was her own. Vicious risked a look behind, and saw that the old man had disappeared; in fact, the once standing shelters were now in various stages of ruin, and a burnt smell was very clearly in the air.
This...illusion magic?
"You---"
"Now now, there's no need to get angry. You've been quite a thorn in our side for a while now, so you should have expected something like this, no?"
"So, the request was a trap to get me to come here."
"Well, not really. The request was genuine, actually. I just waited until they pulled the flare before...removing them."
"So you're the reason why the flare was pulled."
"Right. But that's not the point here, is it? That weapon on your back...it's quite a fearsome one, did you know that? A pity you didn't bring it with you. Now you have nothing to use against me."
It was true. Since the shotgun was empty, she had left it behind in the city. The girl pressed at the cut, tossing out a question.
"Still, you took a gamble. There was a chance that some other adventurer might have come here instead of me. What then?"
"What indeed? Well, a few more bodies in the garden wouldn't make much of a difference, would it now?"
"You---bodies in the garden?"
"What, you haven't noticed? You came to help the people living here, right? Well, say hello to them."
Something gripped her by the ankle and the girl tugged herself free, stumbling backwards. She watched in horror as skeletons started pulling themselves out of the ground, in various states of decomposition. Ten, twenty, thirty...recently dead people.
"How---tch!"
As the girl turned and ran, the cultist arched his head back and laughed.
*****
She came to a stop at the edge of the site, holding her side with one hand. The laughter came from behind her.
"Well done, girl. You've surprised me, making it this far. Unfortunately, I'm not a fool. The entire encampment is sealed off with a one-way barrier, and you were trapped in here as soon as you entered. There's nowhere else to run."
"...Heh."
It was the girl's turn to chuckle.
"Why do you laugh at your impending death, girl? Has fear made you take leave of your reason?"
Vicious spared a few moments between bouts of laughter to turn around and give a straight answer.
"True, my shotgun is empty and I've ran out of bullets...but who said I needed a shotgun to be able to fire bullets? And now I've got you in your true form, standing exactly where I want you..."
As the implications settled in, the cultist roared and started running towards her, screaming death threats. The walking corpses also surged towards her.
"You---Grrrrrrr! I'll murder you, and then stitch your innards into a garland! I'll strangle you with your own intestines!"
"That's fascinating, but I believe I'll pass."
And the blood rushed to her eyes, causing her sclera to take on a dark crimson hue. Tears of blood started dripping from the corners of her eyes. Then a pain that could only be compared to having a hot poker pressed against her belly made the girl double over in agony. She didn't bother looking to know that small black crystals were forming on her abdomen area.
"Hnnnnngh! Sorry, Doctor! There's no other alternatives!"
And that a bullet of the same crystalline material was taking shape at the end of her outstretched hand.
As the increased weight informed her that the bullet was ready, Vicious stared at the cultist who was still trying to close the distance, pointed her index finger right at him, and fired.
*BOOM!*
The resulting shot erased the entire upper half of the cultist, starting from the waist, before beating a new furrow through the dirt behind it. For a few moments it wobbled on it's feet, until gravity finally did it's work, causing the corpse to crash down to the floor. The girl stooped, both hands on her knees to support herself as she took several deep breaths, observing the walking corpses as they fell and sank back within the soil.
"I...need to...get back to the city...haaah..."