Chapter 2: Returning to nexus
With a thoughtful look on my scarred face I responded to her outburst with a sense of calm barely masking my panic.
"Yes, sophie I know that them finding my...collection is less than ideal. However those items are all necessary to resolve this.."problem" I have." Following up on my previous sentence I added, "we have nine days starting now to retrieve them before i inevitably die again, or things are about to become a pain in the ass."
The amount of times I've died is unfathomable now, thanks to the curse placed on me by that...bitch of a goddess. The worst part? Is that no matter what method i try or precautionsi take i always without fail die. However, it's at timed intervals. Every ten days, I die in some obvious manner sometimes its downright horrific..other times utterly ridiculous. This time was one of the more ridiculous ones.
It's persisted for over three thousand years now relentlessly, and I'm hitting a breaking point at first it was managable if anything i looked at it as gift not a curse in the beginning. Knowing exactly the day you will die can certainly be convient for battling and duels if timed correctly. However after a few thousand years it has become dreadful. If something doesn't change soon, I may just take my anger and frustrations out on the goddesses' precious and most loved creation, humanity.
Sophie spoke without even glancing in my direction. "Ranika, I know, who else on this god forsaken planet knows the situation better than me?! So i have a plan. Our next step is to get you cleaned up. While you do that, I'll find out if they removed the items, and if so, where they took them, sound good?" She kept a somber look on her face which had thrown me off, as if this most recent death had hurt her deeply. That wouldn't make sense however she knows I'll always return...right?
"Ok, let's get moving then...thank you sophie." My voice sounded hollow strained by this new feeling of agitation, but I did mean my words. If not for sophie keeping me company all this time, I would've fallen apart ages ago.
Leaving the graveyard, the dark of night slowly gave way to a bright artificial light that continued to grow brighter and brighter as we approached the city. This was nexus, one of the bastions of humanity, and one of the few remaining military pillars against the creatures of the abyss beasts that rose from out of nowhere.
It's also the place that sophie and I have been calling home for the last five years, hopefully it would remain that way a little longer. The tall tungsten walls reached heights that would make the previous skyscrapers of old look like twigs on the bottom of a pine tree. These gargantuan walls were truly a thing to bewilder every time I laid my eyes on them.
At the top, you could see with a surprising amount of clarity the massive lights that passed the ground back and forth in an attempt to mimic the sun's rays, and next to those lights...were the ascended. Humans that had long shaven off the weakness that bound humanity by using the devastation that the abyss creatures brought down to their advantage.These people were the real wall between the nightmares of the dark and the rest of the mundane human population, with powers and strength that could rival the weaker parts of my kind, they could be considered respected and true heros by their kin. They are also a huge pain in my fucking ass.
As we approached the main gates of the wall four men of roughly equal height appeared in the headlights of sophie's makeshift motorcycle, less a real vehicle and more a massive safety hazard. Coming to a slow stop at the gate I could clearly see the looks of the guards. Their faces contorting into a look of absolute resentment and loathing, nothing me and sophie aren't used to, but it still stings to be looked at this way. Especially considering all we've done for these bastards.
The captain of this small squad walked up to us, his steps and voice resounded with false authority as he addressed sophie while ignoring my existence. "What brings not one but two of your disgusting race to my city, speak quickly or turn around id prefer you take the second option demoness." His voice sounded deep but you could tell the poor man was just putting on a front for the newcomers on his squad.
Sophie being the ever calm, collected, and mature person that she is, turned to face the man with a friendly smile that didnt quiet reach her lovely eyes and responded in a way I honestly should've expected feom her....
"Why, kind guard, we are simply here for the same reason as everyone else. To you know, eat,fuck and fight like the rest of your pathetic species. Now will you step aside or should i make you? Id prefer you take the second option." Her friendly smile quickly turned to a crazed grin and her ember eyes stared daggers into the pompus man.
It wasn't her response or body language that made the poor old man flinch back, it was her domineering aura, it felt akin to having a flame lick your skin as if only a breath away from burning you to cinders. This was an innate trait to my species, an invisible influence of the natural elements that used to be abundant on the planet.
"You think a demon-kin can intimidate me girl? I fight beasts far more frightening and fear inducing than that little aura you creatures posses." The man sneered, he tried his best to sound composed but it was almost impossible not to hear the shaking in his voice, not to mention his legs trembling.
After seeing this pathetic display I finally decided it was time I speak up and put an end to this farce. 'Can't even come back to life in peace. ' I thought while shaking my head.
"Look at you dumbass, not scared? Then what's with the piss that's about to run down your leg?" I laughed out, not caring for the stares his subordinates gave me due to my rude outburst. My voice still sounded alien to me considering I hadn't heard it in two days considering the time restraint placed by the curse. So the familiar baritone was nothing short of foriegn to my already exhausted mind.
"Alright, alright, enough of this charade. My name is ranika, division commander of the scout forces stationed in nexus. Now move aside I've been away for awhile and could really use a shower and a well deserved rest."
"Fuck, I'll say, I'm just happy I'm not riding behind you." Sophie commented with a snicker.
Switching his attitude immediately the man paled before almost yelling out,"Oh, oh shit! I'm so sorry sir! I'll have the gate opened immediately. Provided of course you have the correct bio signature sir."
Holding out my right palm a small device lit up just below the surface of my skin, this was another genuis piece of technology that the humans had cooked up. Though small and imperceptible to a person's eyes, upon being scanned by a handheld device known only as "the key" almost everything about said person is transferred to the small screen.
Detailing their rank, position and social status as well as their threat level to society within the massive city of nexus and could be read as such.
Name: Ranika
Social status: upper echelon
Rank:Scout division commander
Threat level: unknown
Status: M.I.A
Before the portly man rushed away to hit the necessary switches for the large gate in order for it to open he looked at me with confusion before asking,"Uh...sir this says you are missing.."
"Yes, I was missing on a scout mission it's nothing to be concerned about." I said matter of factly.
After my response he diligently rushed his movements and continued the procedure of opening the gate, albeit with a slight tremble making something clear to a discerning eye. Sophie may have scared him but hearing my name and position and then confirming my information downright terrified the poor man.
The large gate made a loud bang that echoed into the darkness behind us as its massive weight was pulled backward by massive machinery that burst to life upon activation. As the gate slowly opened a large artificially lit metropolis that could've swiftly taken the words out of just about anyone's mouth was revealed showing the true ingenuity of what humans can accomplish in dire times.
However sophie wasn't impressed, "wow, yay, back in this putrid shithole, I swear if it wasn't for the fact that you feed me and are cute somewhat I would've left your ass behind centuries ago. Seriously why did you chose nexus out of all the fortified cities out there to call home?"
I don't know what happened in my absence to make her feel this much animosity to the city but whatever it was, it obviously played a huge part in her current mood.
"We will move along soon enough from nexus sophie, I promise. Now let's get me a shower and clean clothes." I said with a light chuckle.
Sophie's apartment was far different from mine. The swirling colors painted on the walls were both eye-catching and headache inducing. The small yet spacious home was decorated modestly with synthetic wood furniture and a small government issue tv placed on the wall, that was meant for important news and notifications to the citizens. The synthetic wood furniture was a cheap commodity compared to the real deal but they had their own i dont know...charm?
I mean compared to my place her apartment might as well have been a home of luxury and comfort. Hell she even had two bedrooms something almost unheard of in the lower echelons of nexus. Which goes to show the state of society in today's war torn times.
It shouldn't be too surprising however, after all every penny I earn basically goes to supporting her in any way I can while providingme the bare minimum. Sophie is strong almost terrifyingly so, there is no doubt about that but..her power comes at a price one I'd rather her not exploit for the sake of just living. So that is my responsibility.
Stepping in to the spacious bathroom I began to undress, looking at myself in the mirror the man I saw looking back looked frozen in time. The only apparent changes in appearance being his long raven black hair with streaks of vibrant blue flowing through it giving it an otherwordly looking visage that most people couldnt help but admire. He stood at a tall five foot eleven his body though not muscular, had a very athletic build, showcasing that he had refined it through years of training and fighting.
Then there were the scars...so many scars mangled his body as if he'd been thrown into a pit of swords and hammers in an attempt to temper his body. His muscular features shadowed by these long and gruesome marks received from a millenia of battle after battle, the worst one marked his face making even his striking golden eyes seem mundane in comparison.
It passed from the top of his right temple through the bottom of his left cheek, it had faded over time but was never truly gone. A mark he bares from the time when his family constantly held duels to decided on the leaders of the clan, duels he had lost so many times before.
Stepping away from the visage of a young war torn man with a broken smile, I hopped in the shower my thoughts in a constant race as I thought about what today would bring. After forcefully slowing my mind and my anxiety, I decided to just let the warm water trickle around my body taking the smell and aches along with it down the drain.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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