[High Ruler Enor’s Palace]
Judgmental eyes. Eyes full of disgust. Eyes scanning with horrible thoughts, desires, and wishes coursing through minds like flash floods breaking down weak dams made of old, rotting wood.
Scoffs, heinous words, feelings of anger and contempt were all but a few of what the Ethisians in the High Ruler’s Palace felt towards the two pink-fleshed, scaleless, bipedal creatures who were coerced to follow the ruler of the Ethisian race.
Jim and Anya could feel the eyes staring at them. They felt fear, fear for their lives, which could happen at any given second. Was Enor going to make a public spectacle and kill them for entertainment? Or was he going to take them to a discreet location to finish them off once and for all?
’There’s only one way to find out.’ Jim thought while planning his and Anya’s escape plan.
At that moment, it was only he, Anya, and Enor. No one else was following them, so if they could just get to a desolate enough location, they could pin him down long enough, not to kill him, but to escape.
By all means, they needed to escape and return to the Granians. They both knew they were in enemy territory. Their lives and freedom were not guaranteed, which made them even more fearful.
Enor snapped his finger, and from nowhere, six High Grades appeared and surrounded the humans. They were armed to the teeth and came equipped with large, bulky weapons. Orıginal content can be found at 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Cleavers, crushers, and war mauls were some of the weapons they held in their arms, ready to swing at any moment.
"Your kind is a cunning species," Enor faced the two with a grin, "I’ve studied the other two humans and begun to understand your kind a little better. Humans have this thing where they’d rather die than be prisoners to people they loathe. You two are bloodthirsty killing entities that thrive on death. You have the power to take life any time you please. Do you not think I already suspected you were planning to take my life and escape? You already tried with Commander. How predictable!"
The six High Grades, including Commander and his new partner Elenor, marched beside the humans while Enor led the convoy into the wilderness.
With no other choice, the two humans followed the High Ruler, completely unaware of where they were being taken to.
The sun shone aggressively in this particular part of the planet, making the air uncomfortably thin, dry, and hot. The ground was hot and painful to walk on, especially for the humans who were only given garments to cover their bodies and nothing for their feet.
The hard, rocky surface covered with sharp stones pierced their feet, causing them to bleed with each step they took. They didn’t lose too much blood, but it was painful nonetheless.
’Where’s he taking us?’ Jim thought, but then noticed something. The deeper they ventured into the wilderness, the more uneasy the Ethisians became.
Jim sensed paranoia from the High Grades. As they walked, they couldn’t help but look over their shoulders. They were especially alert, too alert for their own comfort.
They also gripped their weapons too tightly, almost as if they were waiting to use them on something. Even Enor grew anxious and became even more cautious. Like his High Grades, he too looked over his shoulder several times and even slowed his walking pace.
Seeing this, Jim began to slowly put the pieces together. If his hunch was right, they were either in dangerous beast territory or even worse...
’He’s taking us to see their Blood Mutants.’
From the time they arrived in Akrina, Jim, Anya, Ace, and Cherry encountered countless Ethisian soldiers, and even some Granians and other species, who glazed the living hell out of the Ethisian Blood Mutants. Every encounter was about how the Ethisian Blood Mutants were far stronger than they were, how more powerful they were, and how difficult it would be for them to match them in strength or even catch up.
Eventually, the four Granian Blood Mutants had that image ingrained in the back of their minds. The constant comparisons got to them, some more than others.
"Anya," he whispered, drawing his counterpart’s attention. The female Blood Mutant sensed the same paranoia Jim sensed earlier and began to understand what was happening... allegedly, of course. "I think I know where they’re taking us..."
A light, snapping sound resounded from a distance. Already on edge, the High Grades and High Ruler Enor jerked and sprang into defensive positions.
Their sudden reaction confirmed Jim’s suspicions, and soon, he became affected by it. However, it did something much worse than he thought.
’How strong must they be for the Ethisians to fear them this much?’
Commander doubted the two humans and even scoffed at their several exhibitions of "strength". Enor didn’t fear them one bit, and the other High Grades showed no signs of worry, concern, or fear at the sight of the two humans whose entire being revolved around them being bloodthirsty, killing specimens.
None of that phased them, not one bit. But it was different when it came to these Blood Mutants, the ones countless Ethisian soldiers spoke so highly of. They managed to build a reputation so horrifying that the Ethisians moved in fear. So just how strong were they that the strongest Ethisians shuddered in fear?
"False alarm." Enor breathed a sigh of relief. "Seems we let our paranoia get to us. Assume your positions. We’re almost th..."
In the midst of his speech, Enor felt the ambiance around him shift drastically. It started with the looks his subordinates etched on their faces, a blend of terror and cowardice. Then, two large shadows cast over him, which was something because he, an Ethisian, was a big creature.
Turning around, the High Ruler looked into the personifications of death. They weren’t the very things they feared, but were equally as horrifying.
’Holy sh*t.’ Anya’s body shook in utter fright. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts screaming at her to run.
Looking to her counterpart, he too exhibited the same reaction, and so did everyone else around them.