Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"A Vore Demon!"

The soldiers all looked at her with shock, recognizing her race in an instant. That was with the exception of Ming Yue, who knew little of the various races. But it didn't take much to understand that Qing Chai was a dangerous one. 

Apart from the horns and skin, Ming Yue was wary of that mask, having heard the hissing sound. It was weak but it left an impression on her. 

"She's like a snake, only hungrier", she thought. 

Ya Lang quickly took out a map and marked their position before turning back. 

"We should leave quickly before we are noticed. I've already marked the location of this place, we just have to return and inform the two commanders!" he explained. 

Everyone nodded and moved away as quietly as possible. 

Unfortunately, with so many people dressed in armor, some noise could not be avoided. For a moment, armor clinked and twigs snapped, causing Qing Chai to straighten up and look around. 

Putting her arms out, a pair of claws flew from within her sleeves and onto her hands. They had five blades with jagged tips, an injury from that would be more than nasty. With them she cut off the ropes to three of the lizards, before hopping onto one of them. 

"Hunt them down."

As she whispered into their ears, the beasts revealed themselves and raised their heads, swimming through the swamp before reaching the ground in seconds.

Snapping their jaws, they began to search, crushing through anything in their path. Compared to the ones they faced earlier, these were much larger, comparable to that of a small ship. Suffice to say, just one could swallow ten men whole. 

But Ya Lang and the others weren't going to stay and find out. 

"Shit, go!"

The captain shouted to the others, who ran as quickly as they could. 

But everyone had their weapons drawn, cutting at any brush or grass in their way. Ming Yue looked behind her, feeling the tremors on the ground as their pursuers came. She then looked to Hei Yue, calling out to the fox.

"Block their view!"

The Mistral Fox yipped as thick, black fog emerged from his body, spreading behind him. It grew and grew, encapsulating everyone and covering their escape. But there was far too little time and there wasn't enough to cover the giant lizards. All it could do was obscure their sight. 

Qing Chai stood on top of one of the giant lizards, scanning the area around her. Her mouth curled into a playful smile as she laughed. 

"Don't think you can escape me for much longer! Come out and play!"

Her voice echoed out in a sweet, honey-like voice, alluring and teasing to the ears.

But none of the soldiers were going to do it, they've fought enough to know it was a bad idea. Even more so, now that they knew what sort of demon she was.

One of them took out a talisman and tied it to his arrow. Loading it onto his crossbow, he quickly turned and aimed at the beast Qing Chai rode on. 

"Here's a bit of fun!"

Pullin the trigger, the arrow flew out at a blinding speed towards the Red Empress. She smirked and broke the arrow into pieces, dropping them onto the lizard's head.

But the talisman was undamaged. 

"Is that it? Stop struggling and come to me, I'd be more than happy to receive some guests. Or do you want to be treated like toys?"

She laughed out loud but she was not the last to do so.

"Sun Flare!"

The soldier chanted as he made several hand signs. The talisman trembled and unfurled before releasing a flash of light and a burst of explosive flames. Qing Chai noticed it too late as she tried to flee only to be blown back by the blast and the lizards were knocked away. 

She shrieked in pain as she fell into the waters. 

"Quick, let's get out of here!"

Having created an opportunity, Ming Yue and the others hastened their pace, vanishing into the marshes. 

And the beasts no longer chased them, rather, they stayed to guard their master. The so-called "Red Empress" stood climbed out of the swamps, revealing her unkempt appearance. Her clothes were singed and wet while her hair was messy, giving her a crazed look. 

More than that, her mask suddenly cracked in half and fell in front of her. 

Catching it in her hand, she gripped it tightly before crushing it into pieces and threw it onto the ground. With her face uncovered, she looked up into the sky and released a hissing shriek, one of rage and frustration. Her eyes were wide open and bulging as veins seemed to grow around them. 

"Those miserable little insects think they can get away?! I'm going to play with them until they can't ever leave me!"

She looked at the lizards, who were all looking back at her. 

"Hmph, take me back."

The beasts lowered their heads for her to step on and promptly took her back. 

"I won't forget this humiliation!"

She gnashed her teeth as she returned to her abode. 

Meanwhile, the group ran as far as they could until they could no longer keep their speed. By now, the moon had risen and night had come, the stars were bright as the sky was clear of clouds. It was a beautiful night. 

Coming to a stop, they all dropped down to catch their breath and recover. Everyone was drenched in sweat or breathing heavily even Ming Yue, who felt exhausted from this encounter. After a few minutes, Ya Lang stood up and took a deep breath, calming himself and his heart. 

"Now that we know what is waiting for us, we must be aptly prepared for this. When we return, we must inform the two commanders. You've all seen it, a Vore Demon, one of the more dangerous ones. There may be more of them."

"Not to mention those lizards, we don't know their weaknesses or anything about", one of the soldiers pointed out. 

"Yes, but we did just catch a few of their spawn. If we hand it over to Commander Zi Jing, I'm sure they can find out."

The soldiers began to discuss their next actions as Ming Yue listened in. She was no soldier nor was she part of their group. That wasn't to say that her opinion did not matter but she certainly wasn't going to take charge.

"What does Ming Yue think?" 

The men and women turned to her, waiting for a response. She straightened up a bit before thinking of what to say.

"I just want to know, what is a Vore Demon?"

Everyone looked at each other before Ya Lang explained. 

"A Vore Demon is one of the stronger races. Apart from their appearance which you've seen, their mouths are special and it is also connected to their bloodline. They could eat a man in two bites along with their armor and weapons. Their teeth are incredibly strong and there are rows and rows of them. That hissing sound is the sound they make before feasting."

"Then if they were to activate their bloodline?" 

Everyone showed a slight hint of fear as Ya Lang continued to explain.

"Their mouths deform and elongate as their teeth grow and become jagged. According to what Commander Gao Ri has told us, Vore Demons are capable of swallowing over fifty lives in one gulp. The horror of it is that same hissing sound, like a hunter making their mark. We've encountered a few, sacrificing well over several hundred men to each one."

Ming Yue listened, comparing his descriptions to what she saw of Qing Chai. 

"In that case, I do have a suggestion but it will be dangerous.. If we were to succeed, however, we may not need to sacrifice anyone."