User blog:Ore-samma/My Beelzebub (swamp) (insects)

Hello Fans, Ore-samma here!

And here is day 5 of the Halloween one-shot release!

Hope you like it!

Ever your Servant-

Ore-samma

“Shut up! Shut up! I can’t hear you if you are all babbling all at the same time!” I cried out. Geez, these back-water assignments were the worst! Why the heck did this village decided to settle at the edge of a festering swamp, I’ll never know!

The ground oozed, smelled bad, and was filled with stinging insects. The water sloughed, smelled bad, and unless you boiled and distilled it; was guaranteed to make you sick! The air was some sort of miasma that just clung with the stench of the bog and filth….and don’t get me started on the villagers themselves!

“You!” I pointed to a healthier-looking old man. “I want only you to talk! What’s been going on!”

The old man coughed and cleared his throat. “You see, ser knight- for the last month we’ve been plagued by a swarm of insect type monster girls.” He gestured to the villagers who seemed to be bereft of women. “It’s always the same; when a person gets too sick, the swarm comes. We do our best to keep them away, but they always come and they take the stricken to be eaten alive!”

I shuddered to think of such a horrible fate. “I see. And do you have any that are that sick now?”

The man nodded and gestured. “Yes, come with me!”

I followed and noticed the activity of the men at the small village, and realized the importance. The men dug up peat moss, cultivated sphagnum moss, and various types of Aloe. The village was what my higher ups in the Order would call “A Producer” Meaning to say, it produced valuable items and service to the Order’s war machine.

But at what cost? I wondered as I noticed many of the men scratching the bug bites on their bodies and everyone had the look of an overall lack of health.

“Here! Right here!”

I looked at a miserable young lad on a cot. He was covered in sores and boils and had a green-stained rag next to him.

“Forgive that I cannot stand, ser knight.” The lad said with a wet cough.

“You rest easy boy.” I said, pressing a small pouch of tea leaves to one of the infirmary’s attendants. “Steep that in hot water and bring me the infusion.” I drew my sword and checked the edge. “I brought some medicine with me to help your ailments, and I will watch over you tonight!”

The lad nodded and gave a grin. “Thank you ser knight! I was afraid that I would be the next feast for all those bug-women!”

“Fear not, young ser.” I said, thumping my gauntleted fist to my plate armor. “I will do what I can!”

I spent the day looking over the operations and penned a request for more medical supplies and a shipment of more men in order to continue the operations here. I was just about to return to the infirmary to check up on the boy when I heard a loud buzzing and an alarm was raised.

I drew my sword and entered the infirmary.

“Here! Here!” I heard a distinct feminine voice cry out at the door. “I can smell him in here!”

The door opened and I let my arrow loose-

“Woah! Careful! You’ll hurt someone with that!”

-just to see the fly-woman dodge it like it was a crumpled up piece of paper.

“Foul beast! You’ll not have him!” I cried out drawing my sword, standing between the boy and the four more fly-mamono who entered the infirmary.

“I beg to differ ser knight.” The beast said motioning behind me with her head.

“Ser knight! HELP ME!” I turned, with a sweeping sword strike, but only hit air and caught a glimpse of the terrified lad being taken by two fly-women from the window.

“Release him! Damn,you Release him!” I cried out and re-armed my bow. They were already tearing his clothes off, and a few started to bite down on his body! I quickly took aim and-

“Didn’t I say that you could hurt someone with that?”

I cursed as the beast cut my string and backhanded her away from me. “You fiend! They are not for you!” I cried out and charged forward with my sword.

The fly woman narrowed her eyes as her wings became a blur, allowing her to dodge each swipe with an effortless flair. “Oh-  You’re a self righteous one- aren’t you? Well- I suppose- I can’t hold it against you-” She finally zipped out of range and wiped a small smear of blood from the corner of her mouth. “We will meet again, ser knight!”

I fell to my knees, exhausted...I could hear the distant screaming of the young lad and cursed myself for being too slow.

(later)

I slammed my fist down from reading the response I got from my headquarters.

 Nolan, 

'' We are well aware of the situation you described of the established producing colony at the edge of the Grim Mire swamp. ''

'' We have long since deemed the expended men to be an acceptable loss of life proportional to the quality supplies that we receive from there. ''

'' Need I remind you, your duty is to ensure status quo production, and not to be a monster hunter. ''

'' The task has been forwarded to our monster hunting department, but the threat level of fly-type and mosquito-type mamono are not a high priority. ''

'' Expect a new shipment of workers however. ''

 The Emperor Protects 

 -Arkon 

Five men were taken in four weeks, and it didn’t look like there was anything anyone could do to stop it. Thankfully though, I was able to place a trace on one of the men who was taken just yesterday. With any luck, I might be able to find their hive and I could then send its location to a few friends I have in the Order who would leap at the chance of glory and a promotion!

“You sure, ser knight?” One of the younger men asked me as I prepared to set off. “No one has ever returned from exploring the swamp!”

I nodded. “I am certain! I cannot get my failure to protect everyone out of my mind! Every time I close my eyes I see them being eaten alive by those swarming beasts!” I shuddered to try to get the last dream out of my head and bullied ahead through the outskirts of the town and deeper into the rotting miasma of water, slough, and fumes.

Strangely enough, the deeper into the swamp I went, the less the choking filth assaulted my senses, the clearer the air became, and even the insects stopped savagely biting me….odd. The ground became more and more firm, and I found myself making excellent time!

“Hey! Look!”

I whirled around and noticed three fly-women sitting in a tree looking down right at me.

“Is that the one who hurt Jane?” One asked the others. The other two nodded. “Yep! Why is he here? Hey! You! Why aren’t you at the village?”

I drew my bow and loosed an arrow, but they dodged. “Pests!” I grumbled, now immensely glad I wore my plate armor into the swamp and continued on.

“Ser knight!” I heard a familiar voice shout.

“Lad? Is that you?” I said, dumbstruck. It was the young boy I first encountered when I arrived. “You were taken! I saw it with my own eyes! You were on your deathbed, sick with the plague!”

The young boy nodded and dropped the firewood he carried and came over and took my hand. “Yes! But you have it all wrong! We all did! The fly and mosquito mamono don’t take the sick to eat them, they take them to save their lives! Come! Let me show you!”

I followed him a ways on a subtle path and gasped when we entered a clearing. “By The Order!” I gasped.

A fully functioning mamono town was before my very eyes! Populated by mosquito and fly mamono, with their human husbands! All of them in perfect health, happy and-

“Hey! Intruder!” A voice screamed.

“No! Don’t! Don’t hurt him!” The young lad cried out, protecting me from several vamp mosquito’s at the same time. “He doesn’t know! Like I did!”

I was pinned along with the young lad. Several men and mamono ripped my armor off and dragged me before the same fly-mamono who I first met.

“Well-met, ser knight! I said we would meet again!”

“You must be Jane!” I spat.

“And you are Nolan.” Jane said, striding over to me. “Now that you discovered our secret...I wonder what we should do with you.”

“Actually, I think an apology is in order.”

Jane’s eyes opened wide. “Oh?”

I looked about the men and mamono and their children looking at me.

“I didn’t realize you were saving the men who fell sick.” I looked up at Jane. “And I now know why you kept it a secret…..you want there to be a steady supply of men for the mamono here.”

Jane smiled and nodded. “You were always a crafty one, ser knight.” She said, nodding. “Right on all counts.”

“Let me join you.” I said, feeling my entire being fill with a certain peace.

“Wha? Why should I believe you are sincere?”

I looked to the male holding my right arm and motioned to my leg pouch. He dug inside it and took the message I got from Arkon and handed it to Jane.

“You care more for the men here than my superiors do.” I shrugged. “You have my respect, and more...if you’ll have me.”

Jane looked up from the letter and gave me a sweet smile. “I do, and I will.” She placed her hand under my chin and kissed my lips. “Thank you.” She whispered.