Kita opened her eyes and found herself lying on her back- staring up at the claw-like incisions fluttering in the wind of a fragmented tipi. The blurry beads of the night sky danced beyond the carnage as clouds hurried to obscure them. Wait… What was I doing? She turned her head to see broken belongings scattered across the floor. At the farthest end of the tipi, a candle gently sparkled against the material of the tipi's base. I came here because… Because… Her mind ran blank, and she clenched her fist hoping the tension would ease her barrier of thought, However, this wasn't her primary concern-

  Noticing a weight on her left leg and the blood seeping through the tears in her clothing, she realized that whatever happened to this tipi also happened to her. In an attempt to stand up, she lacked the strength even to raise her head. The slightest twitch of her spine triggered an excruciating pain to shoot down her back. Her body seized up, shocking her for her efforts and protesting every motion she wished to make, leaving her to stare at the room as it began rotating around her. Get up, Kita. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before sitting up. Putting all of her might into raising the upper half of her body in searing agony as her muscles curdled underneath her skin.

  “Gaah!” She screamed as she successfully fixed herself upright, clutching both hands around her head as the beat of her heart pulsated, shaking her entire body with each kick. A tear seeped from her eye as she latched onto her hair and gripped her head even tighter, until the pain subsided and her attention drew to the wetness on the palms of her hands. Kita hesitantly moved her hands away from her head and held them before her. With the obscurity of knowing that she was looking at doubles of her hands, her breath began to stammer as she noticed they were doused in red from the brief moment she’d touched her head. Is all of this… mine?

  Each breath she took grew shorter as the wet sensation atop her head prodded at her like an itch. She looked around the tipi trying to figure something out, but all she noticed was her vision blurring most of what was in her field of view. It was time to leave before she died here by accident- Glancing at the weight on her leg, she saw a support beam pinning her down and she reached out to grab it whilst biting her lips to conceal her anticipated screaming. “Mmm.” She murmured, biting down tighter as a ruby river rushed down her back. Her body slowly rocked from side to side as she struggled to keep balance. The subtle cracks and spits of flames accompanied a crisp warmth that pressed against her skin.

  Am I going to die again? She thought, her weakened body convincing her to embrace the approaching heat. Again? She questioned, looking up to see the ceiling of the tipi that once revealed the stars, was now a blazing glow. What did she mean by ‘die again’? She grabbed the wooden beam with a sudden surge in energy and tried to heave it off her leg. Her grip was stronger than before. After a few hurried breaths, she exerted all of her strength as the fabric of the tipi dissipated among the creeping flames. She pushed harder and harder as the glow got brighter and brighter before the pillar shifted slightly.

  "C'mon!" Kita screamed at the top of her lungs, exerting the remainder of her strength, pushing as hard as she could one last time. Whether it was adrenaline, fear, or both- she was overjoyed by the sound of wood crashing to the ground. She dizzily tried to stand up, but in her hurry, she nearly toppled back to the ground. After taking another deep breath, she tried again, getting onto both knees and trying to lift herself one leg at a time. She heaved herself up to her feet, nearly falling over again before catching herself with a shift of her footing. She looked towards the entrance of the tipi, but the raging flames were all she saw.

  Without the need for a route, Kita decided to create one. Limping as fast as she could towards the nearest side of the tipi before throwing her body at it- Tearing her way through the engulfed fabrics and collapsing onto the grass beyond it, groaning as her whole body squirmed in disapproval. Having tumbled far enough from the flames, she lay idle on the floor, staring at the star-filled sky as the smoky embers wafted overhead. So many different worlds glistening out of view- One of them's got to be less painful than this. Kita heaved herself up to her feet, wobbling as though she could not account for the planet's rotation beneath her. Her eyes squinted to reconnect the double imagery surrounding her.

  She'd picked the right side of the tipi to jump out of- In the distance, from her elevated position, she could make out lights glistening like stars below the horizon. It's far. She knew she wouldn't make it, but something is pushing her to move on. Or rather, the lack of it. She attempted to keep moving by sliding down the side of the hill, but it turned into a rather uncontrolled tumble. Her body plummeted into the bushes and rocks, tossing her down the hill and crashing into a tree trunk at the base of the hill, moaning in muted pain as her breath ejected from her body. All she could do was lay in place and look to the horizon to reorient herself. A chill washed over her as she noticed a shadowed figure ahead of her, with an arm extending out to aid her. It's almost within reach- as she raised her arm to receive the assistance, she couldn't help but feel as though this figure was far more than a blood loss-induced hallucination. It feels… real.

  "Please," The silhouette echoed in Kita's mind, its muffled voice growling as its hand approached her. "Try again,". Their hands met as a flood of memories drowned Kita, flashing before her mind as if she was reliving them all within this moment.

  My soul, she remembered as the shadowy figure dissipated in her hand. He took you from me. This wasn't the first time she'd died failing to retrieve it. Startled by the pit building in her stomach, she realized the essence of her being had been taken from her. Consumed by… By- Her mind draws blank once again, another shadowed figure is all she recalls, reaching a clawing hand to her face with a maniacal grin plastered on its face. How many times have I died? What happened last time? The shadow of her soul and its captor frame within her mind as she feels her body shutting down. She couldn't move her arms, or even lift her head. Her eyes were drooping too, despite how hard she fought it. I need it... She begged as her eyelids encased her in darkness-

  I need my soul.

  °?°?°?°

  Kita found herself lying on her back once again. A lightbulb dangled above her face, barely illuminating the dark brown tent with a semi-comforting glow. Did I die again? She wondered to herself but realized the same blunt pain still surged through her head and down to her back.

  "Skwaaa, she's awake," Called out a strange, creature-like voice as she heard the ring of thin metal sheets colliding. Her body twitched as she sat up on a table in the centre of the room and her spine jittered as she reached for her aching head that was wrapped in a bandage. A glance at her body revealed she was in her underwear, with bandages covering most of her torso, legs and arms.

  "Why the hurry?" Croaks the voice of an old, frail lady seated behind Kita. Kita turned to face the dark-skinned lady with crevassed wrinkles drooping along her freckled face. Her braided, grey hair extended down to her waist as she stood up with the support of a dense stick.

  "How long have I been unconscious?" Kita asked.

  "One or Two rotations," The old lady responded. “You were in a very bad way when you crawled to my tent,”

  “I crawled here?” Kita squinted her eyes, searching for the memory. "Why did you help me?"

  "This is not the first time," The lady added, walking over to a nearby table to then start mixing herbs and powders into a bowl. "I presumed you came here because you remembered,”

  The harder Kita tried to remember the more her head ached. The lights she saw looked like a city, how’d she make it out here with her injuries? She suspiciously glanced around the tent, before looking back at the old lady, unsure of what to say.

  "... Thanks for helping me," Kita shifted her legs over the side of the table.

  “You’ve forgotten everything, huh?” The old lady chuckled. “I’m guessing you failed to kill your foe- What was it you called him again?”

  “I don’t understa-”

  "Your eyes," The old lady responded as she poured water into a bowl and stirred all the ingredients. "You know they're devoid of any real life… Right?"

  Kita glanced into a cracked mirror suspended on the tent's support beam, putting her hand against her tan, brown cheek as she looked into her abyssal, black pupils. She stammered away from the mirror, the lifelessness in her eyes ringing unnaturally. She glanced at the mirror one last time before tying up her dreadlocked hair—what would go through someone's mind if they took a deep look into her eyes?

  “Your soul was taken by him a long time ago. What was that name again?”

  The shadowed image of an outstretched hand crossed Kita’s mind as the words left the lady’s lips. The shadowed figure. Obscure and always out of reach, glaring at her with a demented smile as he summoned the myst into this world. He took her soul. No, he took everything from everyone. This world is the wasteland of a monster, of…

  “The dark one,” Kita remembered his name.

  “Skwaa, filthy soulless,”

  “That’s it,” The old lady snapped her fingers. “The dark one. You still haven’t gotten your soul back huh?”

  “Skwaa, the word you’re looking for is failure,”

  "What’s this weird thing?" Kita grunted, pointing at the metallic animal, flapping its two steel wings as it tilted its head at her.

  "I have a name, skwaa," The creature responded.

  The old lady giggled, "His name is Rayn,"

  "It, is obnoxious," Kita added, scanning all the strange geometric patterns finely sculpted into the steel.

  "Skwaa, Kita's a freeloader," Rayn responded.

  "How does it know my name?” Kita grunted at the lifelike response.

  "We haven’t forgotten the last time you leached our medicines, Skwaa,"

  “Where did she find you huh? A trash heap from the old world?”

  “Skwaa, who are you calling trash?”

  "I found Rayn a long time ago. He was all bent and mangled at the time but I fixed him up good, right Rayn? I was told that there was once a creature of beauty that roamed our world by soaring through the skies, with vibrant colours draped across its body and flaring in the winds,”

  “So she did find you in a trash heap!”

  “Skwaaaaa!” Rayn’s wings flailed.

  “I believe it was called… A bird." The old lady added.

  "A bird?" Kita raised an eyebrow- what a strange word.

  "Somehow, the soul of the last living bird was placed into this steel body- a replica of its true form, made to preserve its essence,"

  "Hmm," Kita scoffed, "Seems like witchcraft," She said, as she poked the creature's cold belly.

  "Skwaa, at least I have a soul," The bird protested her touch, grinding its wings.

  After a few minutes of haggling Rayn, the old lady brought Kita a bowl with thick green juice inside it, the smell was so pungent that Kita gagged before blocking her nose with her fingers.

  "Drink up," The lady said, jiggling the bowl for Kita to take it.

  "Whatever that is can go straight to hell," Kita scoffed as she pushed the bowl away from her.

  The lady put it on the table and shrugged, "If you'd prefer to suffer from pain, be sure to do it quietly,"

  Kita eyed the slime as thick bubbles broke its surface like a boiling porridge, the taste already combating her whenever she breathed through her mouth. Biting down on her lip, she grabbed the bowl with both hands and tilted her head back to pour the juice into her mouth- Its clumpy, warm, powder-like texture crept down her throat as she rapidly swallowed it all. Dry-heaving as she tried to hold it down. The lady handed Kita a glass of water that she chugged in an instant, trying to wash the fowl taste from her mouth. But, her mind was quickly drawn away from the ick as a loud howl screeched from outside, shaking the tent as a gale beat against the fabrics. She watched the support beam in the centre of the room rattle with worry before she looked back at the old lady.

  "The myst?" Kita asked.

  The old lady nodded as she took the bowl. "It grows larger with each rotation,"

  "Really?" Kita asked.

  "Most people don’t know this truth, but I have lived long enough to see it for myself,"

  "You must have been there when the myst started, huh?"

  The old lady tapped Kita on the shoulder with her stick, "I'm not that old,"

  "Skwaa, debatable," Rayn jested, squeezing a chuckle out of Kita.

  "I was told it dissolves the body of any life exposed to it," Kita said, "But I've never seen anything get caught in it before."

  "Then you are fortunate," The old lady responded, "Few witness the myst without being consumed,"

  The old lady walked out of the room, waving at Kita to follow her. "I've prepared a meal. You may join me if you have the strength to reach the dinner table,"

  "And if I can't?" Kita asked.

  "Then you starve," The lady chuckled.

  Kita's feet crashed into the muddy floors of the tent, squishing its way between her toes before she noticed the mess of the room around her- Open books on all the counters alongside pot plants and snipped leaves peppering every surface, a mess of dirty beakers and other utensils lying everywhere except the sink in the corner of there room.

  "How do you work like this?" Kita spewed as she cringed at the sight.

  However, she entered the next room suddenly eating her words to see spotless, neatly organized drawers along the rim of the main tent, with a circular rug wrapping around a fireplace in its centre.

  "Wash your feet," said the old lady, pointing to a bucket of water ahead of the rug.

  "How long have you been here?" Kita asked, wide-eyed.

  "I don't travel with cities," She responded, taking a seat on the carpet and reaching into a pot on the fire. "Rayn and I have been here for a few dozen rotations by now,"

  "Skwaaa, Two hundred and sixty-three,"

  "Two hundred?! Why not travel with others?" Kita asked, confused.

  "Those cities are dangerous. Scouring the globe to avoid the myst? What a waste of time."

  Oh yeah, Kita remembered- Most cities move according to the behaviour of the myst. The timing and location of rotations can be predicted with enough astronomical knowledge, so large groups of people organize around these knowledgeable folk to avoid it. Cities only remained in one location for a few days before the myst changed course. The tents that citizens carry with them have to be ready to move within short notice- so it’s not common to see a tidy living space.

  "So you prefer to embrace the roaming death?" Kita jested.

  The old lady arched her back as she chuckled, "I haven't heard anyone call it that in a looong time,"

  The old lady handed Kita a bowl of crystal clear soup that reflected golden in the light of the fire that centred the tent. She'd never seen soup so clear. It was almost like water, but it smelled better than any soup she could remember having. The lady passed along a few pieces of bread, presumably for dipping into the soup.

  "This looks amazing," Kita grinned.

  "Skwaaa, freeloader," Rayn clanged his wings.

  Kita dipped a chunk of bread into the soup and shoved the whole thing in her mouth. Her eyes immediately opened in shock as she looked at the unfamiliar, wizardly old lady.

  "This-" Kita stuttered her words, unable to finish… She simply dipped another piece.

  This is the best soup I've ever tasted.

  Well, she thought so. Surely she wouldn't react like this to her first meal after every death? She felt the taste surge on her tongue. The crispy, toasted bread coupled with the tasty, vegetable soup seduced her senses. It's… Familiar. Something about this moment rang in her mind as if it was a memory.

  "You said this isn't the first time you've helped me?" Kita asked, recalling the old lady's statement.

  "Only once before. Although, I was much younger then," The old lady chuckled, "You tried to absorb my soul," She took another bite of her bread.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Why would I-?" Kita paused, squinting her brows in confusion.

  "You consume souls,"

  "Consume souls?" Kita asked, instinctively looking at her hand. "Why?"

  "Dirty soul stealer, skwaaa,"

  "You said the more souls you consume, the more powerful you become,"

  "Hmm," Kita mumbled, "Do you know how I take them?

  "Not a clue,"

  "Then, how did you stop me?"

  "After you woke up on my table and threatened to consume mine, I offered to feed you this soup," She smiled, "You're a much better guest the second time around,"

  Kita chuckled, taking her last bite of bread and sipping on the soup. She must have died a few times now that this lady is reaching her expiration date. How many times have I died? She tried to ignore the thought, but an overwhelming sense of failure eclipsed her confidence. She can't even remember her last death, how can she learn from this?

  "You'll need to consume the souls of others if you want the strength to get yours back,"

  For some reason, this doesn't bother Kita. No resistance in her mind to the idea of taking the lives of others. Is it because she's done it before?

  "And you're not opposed to me 'consuming the souls of others’?" Kita asked.

  "I don't care about anyone except Rayn," The old lady grunted, petting the steel bird on the head before finishing her soup. “I’m off to bed. I want you out of here by the morning,”

  “Wow, straight to it, huh?”

  “That’s all the food Rayn and I can share. He doesn't like freeloaders,” She winked.

  Kita chuckled and waved the old lady goodnight as she stepped out of the main tent- tossing a pillow and a thin blanket over to Kita.

  °?°?°?°

  Kita had been trekking for about half a day, with the nearest city being a day's walk from the old lady's tent. Hopefully, the global storm wasn't due to pass through anytime soon- For longer than anyone alive today can remember, the myst has been a never-ending raid of the lands that it crossed, leaving the entire world devoid of any life that couldn't evade it. There was no greenery on the landscape, no living creatures beyond what was cultivated in cities. To Kita's fragmented knowledge, millions of creatures died out after the myst began, but she’s unsure of the source of this knowledge. It’s difficult for her to imagine what a world with more than humans and domesticated creatures would be like. Surely it would be more beautiful than this.

  She walked amongst the desert of dirt, sprinkled with the occasional dead tree trunk and boulder. This world's creator only had a shit-coloured paint when he decided to brush the globe.

  The myst, despite its rampage, intrigued her. Particularly its appearance, and how it consumed. She should learn how to predict it- Maybe she already did? God, how annoying. How much had she forgotten? She would assume this power was muscle memory, yet she knew nothing of absorbing souls. Was there a chant she needed to say? How many souls are enough? Two? Three? A discomfort in her stomach swelled at the thought. How could she do it without being seen?

  The dark one… It felt as though Kita knew who it was. Her memory only drew another silhouetted figure but it was not their appearance she knew. The thought of the dark one brought a shudder to her knees, an internal fear that must have brewed over many deaths. If consuming souls did make her stronger, it made sense that she needed the souls of others to replace her own. So, the first order of business was getting her hands on a few souls. That shouldn't be too tough. She'll enter the city late at night and knock on a few doors- Yeah! Maybe she’ll find a family, a bunch of souls grouped up in one place and… Consume? No, knocking is stupid. Nobody here would answer to that in the dead of night unless they wanted to hand their belongings to raiders. Those sneaky bastards vanish amongst the mass shuffle of city relocations like stars in daylight. Maybe she should take their souls? They're bad people, right? She could be a hero. Yeah, saving the city folk from bandits and raiders. She can be the anti-dark one- The light one!

  "Don't be alarmed," Kita exclaimed with her hero voice to the vast nothingness, imagining a slew of civilians raising their hands towards her as she descended from the sky.

  "I have come to save you from the dark one. My only wish is that you fix me a great feast upon my success,"

  "uuuaaaaa" She mimicked a crowd's excitement, raising her hands to the air to turn and wave in the distance. In her celebration, distant lights caught the corner of her eye- ahead of her was a large, multi-patched tarp extending across the top of a quaking canyon at the base of the mountain ahead. This must be one big city for them to have covered up the entire canyon. How long will it be here? With the mountain behind it, it seemed like quite the spot. Multi-coloured lights flickered from beneath the giant tarp, as the sound of a busy marketplace caught her attention. As she reached the edge of the canyon, she peeked between the gap of the tarp and the cliff to see tents and tipis fill her view.

  Large tents suspended against the walls of the canyon with various makeshift walkways dangling between stores and homes. On the ground, she could see two sections. The first section had much smaller tipis and tents tightly packed together- That's definitely where the poor folk live. The second section is a bustling, multicoloured marketplace, with steel-built stores, street carts, and brothels- each with unique, neon signs outstretched above them. How long have they been here? She wondered as she looked for the nearest path down. The city’s leaders must take good care of their panels to have this much light in the evening. The living district is much darker, but a few warm lights emanate from them. The fancier tents suspended on the canyon walls above the marketplace all have lots of lights within them. Seemingly more than they would need, but whatever- Kita can't be bothered by socio-economic issues. Her focus was her soul, she could think about all of that once she’s gotten her shit together.

  "Oh no!" She exclaimed, "How will I be a hero if I don't care?" She paused for a moment, contemplating the deep ethics of her state of mind. What is the magic's intended use if it is fueled by the souls of others? Is she obligated to aid those from which she takes? Is she expected to create a natural push and pull between evil and good, to ease the suffering within their world?- She stroked her chin before seeing a bridge that leads to the city.

  "Hmph," She chuckled to herself before thinking- I could use something to eat.

  Upon making her way down to the market district of the city, she couldn't help but follow the delicious scents that caught her stomach's attention. Tragically, she's been left wanting as she came to realize these losers wanted coin in exchange for food. Stood at a table in the marketplace, amongst the wafting smells of deliciousness in a state of salivation, she thought up a plan to take some souls… and some coin.

  As she stood pondering, a tall lady with orange hair and a very tight skirt stepped up to Kita’s table. She flipped her white-haired fringe to reveal her bright, pink eyes before she placed a hand to rest on one of Kita's.

  "Hey sweetheart, looking for someone to keep you warm?"

  Kita blushed, awkward and caught off guard, all she could muster out was-

  "I-uhhh,"

  The tall lady chuckled, leaning closer to Kita's face. She could feel the lady's warm breath ease against her lips. "You what, sweetheart?" She responded.

  "I mean, I would love to, b-but…"

  "Buuut?" The lady teased, stroking Kita’s cheek and fluttering her eyes as she gazed into Kita's.

  "Well, I'm kind of on a mission,"

  "Oh," The lady giggled, "What's the mission?"

  "It's kind of hard to descri-" Kita is thrown off guard by the pink-eyed lady suddenly drawing her tongue against Kita's cheek. Slowly, she felt the warm, soft, moisture move from beside her lip, up and passed her cheek before it stopped beside her eyebrow.

  "I could be your mission for tonight," The tall lady whispered into Kita's ear with her soft, seductive voice.

  "Mine?" Kita asked, prompting a shirtless man in latex pants to stand on the other side of her. Is this some rehearsed seduction shit? His body is so well-defined, with a chest that looks like two soft pillows-

  "It'll be a hard one," He whispered to her.

  "Oh, you're- okay," She stammered, unnerved by the sexiness surrounding her.

  "What do you say?" The pink-eyed girl asked.

  "I really would love to. But, I just can't right now," Kita responded nervously, lowering her eye contact. Not because she's shy, but because she’s fucking broke!

  "That's alright," They responded in unison.

  "We'll be here for you once your mission is completed," The pink-eyed lady winked at Kita, gently brushing Kita's arm before stepping away.

  "Good luck, babe," The topless guy said, blowing a kiss before walking away with the pink-eyed lady.

  Another reason to get her hands on some coin. Damnit, soulless and poor. Both of these can't stand. Since her need for coin had risen, she concluded the best tent to rob would be one of the fancy ones suspended against the wall of the canyon. They're larger and well-lit, so presumably they're richer. She looked up to scout the suspended tents, figuring out a way to discern the ones with a family in them. But they're all huge. Capable of fitting much more than just one family. This is becoming very hero-like. It brought a smile to her face. The plan was clear- Take from the greedy rich, and give to the poor… Well, herself. But she was poor so it still counts. She wouldn't donate her chance for a few meals and sex. What if they put up a fight? Her body is still a little tender but after a quick evaluation, she was certain she could get it done. The thought of getting stronger satiated her mind more than the thought of food or sex, so she was perfectly content improvising if things went a bit south. As long as I get those souls.

  She located a large, two-story tent that she marked as her target for no reason in particular. It's the first one she glanced at when she decided to decide.

  "Time to feed," She grinned to herself as she headed toward the tent.

  Kita peeped into the soft plastic window of the tent she'd chosen. They're rich snobs- she saw all five of them sitting around a dinner table. A dinner table! Why even bother being so fancy? Are they too good to eat that delicious food with their hands? The food deserves better. Around the family were a few servants, waiting on the family as they feast. More for me, She smiled. In her excitement, a strange urge overcame her the more she thought about taking souls. Like a predatory instinct, she wanted to consume now and think later. Part of her is concerned about getting caught or even facing resistance, but that urge just doesn't care.

  She pulled out the little pocket knife strapped to her belt and carved an incision into the tent- slowly, weary of making a sound with the slit. Once her blade reached the base of the tent, she crouched her way through the gap. Using the various drawers and seating in the living room as cover. She peeped over the backside of a chair to see the family on the left side of the space, surrounded by the four servants. On the right-hand side of the tent was a staircase that led upstairs, presumably to the sleeping quarters. This is the cleanest Kita's ever seen a tent. This is more than a tent, this is an entire home suspended against a cliff face. Moving this place during relocation must be one hell of a mission for their servants.

  Focus, Kita stopped herself while marvelling at the home. It has tiled floors! How?

  She started to regret not thinking this through first, realizing strategy is an important part of infiltrating. She peeked over the chair again, deciding to prioritize the servants. She crouched her way around the seat, trying her best to stay in the farthest servant's blind spot. Slowly approaching the back of the nearest servant she rose to her feet and weaved her arm around the nearest servant’s neck.

  The three other servants and the family all panicked as they watched Kita grab one of them.

  "How does this work?" She shuffled, trying her best to hold onto the struggling, young servant lady.

  "What do we do?" One of the servants yelled, watching Kita grip their partner.

  "We go to plan B," Said a big man, also one of the servants. His buffness catching her off guard-

  A sudden performance anxiety made her nervous as she saw the other three servants slowly raising makeshift pistols they had hidden away.

  "Ahh fuck, don’t do that," Kita sighed, "How does this shit work?" She questioned, shifting her hand onto the lady's face.

  "Let her go," The big servant demanded as the servants held their guns up. "Or we'll kill the family,"

  "What?" Kita asked, stopping her frantic hand poses to peek over the shoulder of the servant girl that she was now using as a shield.

  "If you don't want us to kill the family, you better let her go," He responded.

  "I don't care about this family," Kita scoffed.

  "What?" The man stammered, confused by Kita's response. "How did you know we were robbing them?"

  Kita rolled her eyes, realizing she walked into some raiders that marked their territory all over this family, pretending to be their servants.

  "I'm robbing them too," Kita chuckled, "This is pretty awkward, huh?"

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" The third bandit piped up. A slender dude, not much older than Kita but way more nervous. "We've been on this job for eighteen rotations,"

  "Eighteen?" Kita whistled in shock, "Yeah, my bad about that,"

  "Fucking kill her," The slender kid barked.

  The mess of the situation was more thrilling than worrying. She was in the thick of it, so why not go all out? It'd be best to figure out this magic shit. She can't die-die anyway, right? Do I need to chant something? She spun the captured servant to face her and re-placed her hand on the girl's face.

  "Hi, uhmm," Kita stammered, looking into the servant girl's foresty eyes before she sheepishly tried the first spell that came to mind…

  "Consume?"

  Her question registered, and a large shadow started ejecting out of the servant girl's mouth and streaming its way through Kita's hand. She felt a satisfying tingle ring throughout her body- The vegetable soup the old lady made for her doesn't even come close, no orgasm or taste could match this.

  It was as though her body was being filled with light… or, energy. But not the type one regains through rest. No, this was different. Every part of her body felt bliss as the warmth of the consumed soul spread throughout every corner of her flesh, resting with a gentle weight in her belly.

  "Aahhh," She moaned with her eyes closed as the servant girl dropped to the floor.

  "Holy shit," The nervous kid mumbled with a look of terror smeared on his confused face.

  The three raiders raised their guns after they shared a moment of shock. Kita licked her lips eyeing the rest of them, and the five family members.

  "So much for being a hero," She shrugged.

  Her words fell on deaf ears, and the raiders fearfully fired their pistols. Without a moment's delay, Kita intuitively rotated the wrist of her right arm to expose its palm and saw a spherical shield surrounding her in her mind's eye. This triggered an energy-like sphere to expand around her instantaneously. Each of the raiders' bullets stopped in their tracks once they collided with the shield, falling to the floor.

  Kita tilted her head when she heard the click of each of the raider's guns.

  "Ncaaw, out of ammo?" Kita asked maniacally. Dropping her shield, she walked over to the nearest servant- The bulky guy. He shuddered and took a step backwards as Kita approached him.

  He'd never been this afraid before, she saw it in his eyes. A burst of confidence struck at the thought of making someone as large as him fear her.

  Still a few steps away, she raised her hand. A certainty lay within her now. She didn't need to say it. Only think. The large man's body tensed up as he froze in place, and a choking sound emanated from his open mouth as the same black fog exited his body and passed through Kita's arm. The satisfaction flushed through her- feeling just as good as the first time!

  She raised both hands this time. Each one aimed at the remaining two raiders. Consume. Her mind confirmed as the abyssal smoke drew from the last two servants' bodies. Each of them choked and squirmed as their essence was removed from them before their bodies thud to the ground.

  "We have coin," The father of the family piped up with a shaken voice, interrupting the pleasure that never ceases.

  "Where is it?" Kita asked politely.

  "It's upstairs, please just let us go and it's all yours,"

  Kita grinned at the man. She had their lives in her hands. He knew it. They all do. Unfortunately for him, he has no real bargaining power.

  Kita didn't say a word, and simply raised her hand at the man. She had no interest in his pleading, or the children cowering towards their mother. All she wanted was the sensation-

  "No, please!" He screamed, too late.

  Each of the family members choked as she drew their souls to her body, two at a time- She shuddered as the vibrations of the souls spread all across her body. Muscle memory. She was right- this all felt so familiar, so effortless, once it began. The bounds of her magic are unending. Limited only by the range of her imagination and the number of souls she’s consumed. She should have had nine but she only felt eight left within her. That shield spell came at the cost of one soul- She'll need to be aware of these costs. Larger, more demanding spells most likely require more souls to achieve. She may have far less than eight available to her depending on the spells she decided to cast. But that's a concern for future Kita to deal with. At present, the power surged within her like an uncapped faucet. She felt stronger than ever before with only eight souls. She left the family slouched in their seats around their dinner table, and made her way up the staircase to retrieve the coin that no longer interested her as much. Normal people value this concept of currency much more than she understood. As she made her way, she couldn't help but have one recurring thought in her mind-

  I need more.

  The main bedroom of the home was a shared space with five beds against each wall and a circular drawer in the centre of the room. It had five sections to it. Presumably, each family member had a cupboard for themselves. These people aren't that rich. Where are the separate bedrooms? What kind of wealth had a family sharing a sleeping area like common folk? Kita opened a large chest from beside the only double bed in the room. Inside are far more pouches of coin than she could carry. Despite their living arrangements, these people have never had to worry about coin. Each pouch had a sum of ten thousand coin inscribed on it- This might be what a million coin looked like. She scoured a few of the other drawers in the bedroom. Finding formal clothes that probably belong to the parents, tiny outfits for the two children of the family, and terribly coloured, granny-esqueclothing. No jewellery or anything else that could be worth Kita’s time. Between the clothes and the layout of this tent, they must have been quite cautious about their wealth.

  "That worked out well," Kita scoffed.

  A backpack lay beside the chest and she decided to throw in the dark brown clothing that seemed most suitable for travel. She also added five pouches- fifty thousand coin should be enough to last her a good while. But she has no bearings on prices beyond the one menu she glanced at.

  She made her way back downstairs to leave before any trouble arrived. All in all, this went flawlessly- Well, not exactly. But it worked out, and she was no longer poor. A victory meal would be perfect right about now. She glanced back at the five bodies around the table, and the four lying around them. Someone's probably going to notice this mess, does she need to cover her tracks? At the moment it looked like the Raiders had a disagreement mid-job.

  "Eh," She shrugged, more concerned about what she'd eat than any of that. She used magic anyway, so who's going to know?

  Making her way out of the hole she'd cut, she looked down to the city from the bridge suspended between the canyon walls. This city never goes to sleep, the marketplace was still bustling with bright lights and slews of people roaming the streets.

  As she made her way along the bridge, a group of thug-looking guys were having a smoke. Most of them had tattoos all along their necks and arms- Pretty crappy ones at that, but she's no tattoo connoisseur. She squeezed passed the pungent scent of burnt pipe chemicals and sweat. Grouping up on a bridge like this is pretty stupid, between the smell and the genuine idiocy. These randoms were already rubbing Kita the wrong way.

  "Did I just see you coming out of that tent there?" One of the dudes really shouldn't be trying to make conversation right now. She just wanted a meal and a place to stay for the night. Taking their souls out here would draw way too much attention, She thought as she glanced at the busy market below.

  She kept her head down and ignored the man. As she passed through the group, the rest of the bridge was suddenly cut off by more bodies. Each with a smoke in their hand still chatting to each other as if Kita wasn't there. The bridge was open a second ago, why would these guys block her path?

  "You hard of hearing?" That same voice piped up, more aggressively than before.

  "What?" Kita sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to face the approaching man. The first thing she noticed was his smug smile- all of his teeth were steel, and he was wearing sunglasses in the dead of night.

  "What were you doing in that tent?" He asked again, towering over her and puffing a gust of smoke into her face.

  The rest of the group was acting completely natural, a few of the goons were giving Kita sideways looks, but the majority indulged in their own conversations.

  "I wasn't in the tent," Kita responded, straight to the point and trying not to get mad.

  "So, she's a liar," He chuckled. "Pretty good one too,"

  "Look, I'm just trying to get to the marketplace,"

  "Marketplace? Can't let you do that,"

  "I wasn't asking," She gritted her teeth.

  He said nothing as he looked at her with a strange, semi-smile. Drawing his lighter to spark his smoke, he slowly peeked over the rim of his glasses. "You see, a few friends of ours are performing a job in that tent there. I need to make sure you didn't see anything you weren't supposed to,"

  "I didn't see shit because I wasn't in there,"

  "Hmmm," He grunted, stroking his chin. "The problem is, I don't believe you,"

  "Maybe you should be more focused on watching your friend's back,"

  "You're right. You see, I feel kind of guilty. We were supposed to be providing overwatch but got a little caught up on the way here,"

  "How's that my problem?"

  "Well, it would mean that we weren't here when a certain little shit decided to sneak her way in there,"

  "Like I said, I'm just headed to the marketplace,"

  "More lies. Good thing I see through 'em,"

  The rest of the group was watching now, all the chatter around her came to a halt and was replaced by an overwhelming number of glares. They knew she was in there. Playing it cool wasn't going to cut it. Do they know she killed them? If they don't, they'll find out pretty soon.

  "Who do you work for? Chevo?"

  "I don't know who that is," She responded, clenching her fist.

  "Oooh she's cool under pressure, huh?" He chuckled to one of his groupies. "She's definitely one of his,"

  Kita tried to think up a spell that could take all of these guys out, consuming their souls two at a time wouldn’t do. Crap, this is much stickier than the situation inside the tent. She has no space, one of these assholes would just grab her if she made a move.

  The douche looked over Kita's shoulder to one of the guys behind her and subtly nodded his head. What does that-? A blunt pain suddenly rose at the back of Kita's head, where her wound was. The subtle patter of fluid trickled down her neck as her vision started blurring. She reached behind her head to feel a warm fluid and when she brought her hand to her face she saw her fingers dipped in red. In a panic, she tried to turn and run but her body slumped to the floor- Erupting laughter out of the slew of raiders that surrounded her.

  Her eyes struggled to stay open, slowly closing as she heard the guy in shades saying, "Get her to Vlad,"