Sweet Venom Ch. 01.5

A faint amber glow poured in through curtains of Oxyi's flat. The evening was already upon them. Their route had been traced several times across the maps in the flat already; they'd start off on the outskirts of the forest and slowly make their way inwards. Oxyi silently slung a backpack over her shoulder, loaded with various supplies and ammo, secured around her chest so that it wouldn't make so much as the slightest noise. A pump-action shotgun was mounted across her torso by a sling, crude but effective should they need to defend themselves. She also had a shoulder-mounted camera, in the hopes of recording anything and everything they came across. Diego remained as he arrived, sword strapped to his back and sparse armoured plating across his body, a faint yellow crackle of energy visible sparked around him as he stretched his arms and shoulders.

The edge of the forest was only a short walk away from Oxyi's apartment, back towards the landing pad Diego had arrived on. The air was fresh, with that lovely mid-autumn feel to it, crisp to breathe in without leaving you gasping from the cold. This nomad planet was luscious and dense with plant life, one of the main reasons for its settlement in the first place. However, it had too few natural resource deposits for one of the bigger corps to get involved with and was too out of the way to be a busy tourist destination, and so it had stayed small, and well within nomad control. It orbited a wonderful star with a purple haze to it; as the sun set, the dense forest ahead was bathed in a beautiful, lilac glow. Although apprehensive about the situation, it was the little moments like these that brought a smile to Diego's face.

The two had moved through the city in silence, mulling over their plans internally until they hit the edge of the city. As they did so, the lampposts across the street came to life, giving them a little extra light.

"We stick together and move slowly; we stay low and quiet. We're here for information, not for a fight... right?" Oxyi took a deep breath and padded towards the treeline, crossing the last field between them and it. She casted a nervous glance back at the lights behind them as the shade of forest began to encroach on her.

"Agreed. C'mon, Oxyi! We got this! I'll keep you safe! Promise!" Diego patted her on the shoulder firmly and pushed forward across the field. There was not a single soul in sight. It was only a few months ago that these fields had had kids playing about in the plants and the growth, and families eating their meals together on the grass. But it was deathly quiet now...

They began by skirting the outside of the tree line, peering into the growing darkness of the woods but there was nothing of note, just the swaying of branches and the occasional chirp of a bird. The evening steadily drew to night. As the sky rolled back into a darker blue and stars blinked into being, the forest showed no signs of revealing its secrets. Nodding to one another, they began on their planned path into the woods. Both were capable navigators, so they weren't too worried about getting lost in the dark, Oxyi left some blotches of glow paint along their trail behind them, just in case.

Both moved through the forest with a surprising grace. Even in her thick work boots, Oxyi tread slowly and silently, her eyes scanning through the tree line. Despite his heavier frame and the metal nature of Diego's armour, he remained nearly as silent as her.

With the last of the daylight now gone, both kept their eyes and ears up for any potential attackers or information. They held their nerve, quietly treading their way through the foliage and deeper into the dark, but the forest remained quiet. There was no movement at all, save the grass waving in the breeze, and the tree's shadows dancing in the moonlight.

Deeper and deeper, the pillar-like trees continued to conceal their secrets, until the pair finally reached a small clearing.

A little way ahead was an abandoned cottage, once a quaint home, but now dull and lifeless. Quietly, the two crept towards the building. Oxyi drew a knife from her belt and followed Diego quickly as the lizard pushed towards the front door, ears pricked and alert, eyes constantly glancing around.

As he approached the front door, he noted that the gardens long since died from a lack of tending. Curiously, the soil looked like it had been trampled by a significant number of people, far more than a small house like this could hold.

His ears twitched as he leaned close to the front door and an acrid smell hit his nose, making his snout wrinkle.

"You smell that?" Oxyi whispered. "Think there was a fire or something?"

He nodded in response and gently pushed on the front door, surprised to feel no resistance.

Their initial sweep of the front of the house yielded nothing, just what used to be a home for someone, or perhaps a small family. But upon reaching the kitchen, the source of the smell was revealed.

Diego saw it first, followed shortly by Oxyi who's eyes bolted open wide.

"The whole wall is gone?!" She shout-whispered, staring in amazement.

The kitchen has been roasted, the walls blackened and scorched by intense heat, but more worryingly, the entire back wall of the kitchen was gone, along with the back door. There appeared to be a smooth, dried red puddle on the floor which the two identified as melted but now cooled brickwork, puddled around where the back wall used to be.

They continued through the house, finding little of value in the night and nothing that explained the disappearances.

"Jeez, look at that!" Oxyi winced as she approached the kitchen again with Diego. "What kitchen fire produces enough heat to destroy brickwork?"

"They don't." Diego whispered back. "This was either weaponized, or psyonic. An out of control kitchen fire wouldn't have caused this level of damage and, if for some reason it did, there is no way it wouldn't have spread to the trees outside. I'm guessing you haven't dealt with any forest fires over the last year?"

Oxyi shook her head, listening closely to Diego.

"I'm leaning towards a psyonic cause. Whoever did this, they knew how to control their flames. If you can melt bricks, you can burn trees, and they didn't."

"Why though? How does this relate to the people disappearing?"

Diego shrugged, mulling the scene over in his head.

"Couldn't say. Argument gone wrong? Show of force? Revenge? Maybe it doesn't relate at all. Too many possibilities. Let's push forward... but we've found something at least."

The lioness couldn't help but feel a distinct sense of unease as they left the ruined home behind them - it had only given her more questions, and nothing in terms of answers.

Their next point of interest was an abandoned barn further into the forest, linked to the cottage by an old dirt road. Diego noted again that the dirt surrounding the barn had been trampled once again, it was difficult to make out a singular footprint as they all overlapped so much.

That many footprints? There must have been hundreds of people here.

They pushed on together and into the barn, its heavy wooden doors creaking loudly. As the wood whined, both of them winced and glanced around quickly, anticipating a reaction from the forest.

But once again, the forest stayed silent.

The barn remained dormant too, but another mystery was lying in wait for them.

Oxyi discovered a thick lash of blue fluid, gently glowing and spread thickly over one of the walls. An oddly sweet aroma hit her as she squinted at the fluid. She grabbed a small torch from her belt and quickly flicked it on to get a better look. As the beam lit the barn up, she suddenly saw deep impressions in the mud below; It looked like someone had been resting on their hands and knees.

Diego appeared behind her quickly after completing his sweep of the barn.

"What the fuck does this mean?" Oxyi whispered again, quickly showing Diego the impressions but flicking the torch off.

"Honestly? No clue. Weirdly pleasant smell for a fluid left here for goodness knows how long. Why hasn't it rotted yet? Smells so sweet, should have been eaten or something by now, you know?"

"This just keeps getting weirder. Ugh. Did you spot anything else?"

"More footprints but no one else-"

Diego paused, something suddenly catching his attention through the window of the barn. He swore, for a second, he saw a flash of something deep in the tree line. Movement. His eyes focused, ears upright and alert.

Oxyi reached for her shotgun and slowly clicked the safety off, watching Diego closely as the lizard focused on the tree line surrounding the barn.

"Hmm. I got nothing. Might have been a bird? We should keep moving, your camera caught the weird slime stuff, right?"

Oxyi nodded and followed the lizard's lead, creeping out of the barn through the same way they had arrived.

Leaving the barn behind, they pushed back into the dense trees and down their planned route.

Soon though, the thoughts of the barn left them as the forest showed absolutely nothing else of interest.

They crept on through the trees and grass. Minutes turned into hours without so much as a peep. They stayed low, to avoid any prying eyes or predators, but none came their way.

After another midnight hour of nothing, Oxyi began to relax in Diego's presence. Perhaps it was the sweet smell of the mysterious blue fluid still lingering in her nose, gently tickling her senses or maybe the way the lizard moved had an air of confidence about him. Somehow, she felt like everything was going to work out okay. But either way, they had been silently patrolling around for hours now, and there hadn't been so much as a wink of activity.

They were on their way back home now, having reached the apex of their journey and had started looping around to some of the glow paint Oxyi had left way back.

The sight of it put Oxyi at ease a little, and suddenly, she felt a burning in her legs and the balls of her feet from walking around most of the night.

"Let's take a break, Diego." Her sudden whisper cut like a scream through the silence, but Diego didn't even flinch. She stopped and sat on a broken log, patting the space next to her for him to sit beside her. She took a swig from her canteen and offered it to him, which he happily shared.

"Thank you again for coming out with me, Diego. I never would have done this by myself... It's a shame but it looks like we're walking away empty handed tonight... Not sure what we can do with a burnt down house and blueberry jam in a barn."

"Hey, there's always tomorrow, right?" He replied sincerely, both of their voices low but no longer whispering. "I'm staying with you until we get this sorted out. Or staying here, rather." He cleared his throat softly.

She giggled at his sudden shyness, shaking her head.

"You can stay at my flat, Diego. Promise you'll stay though?" Oxyi felt for his hand shyly, her fingers slender and small in his tough, scaled hands.

"Promise. We'll sort this out together."

A warm and thankful smile found its way to the girl's face, her eyes softening.

"Of all the people that could have turned up at my stand today, Diego... I'm so glad it was you. It's like someone just, picked the perfect person and dropped them at my door... I don't know what I've done to deserve you."

"You sure you don't want a guy with a gun instead?" He laughed, gesturing at the sword in his back. "And don't sweat it... I'm just trying to make the universe a better place. It's only right after all the damage I've caused..."

"Ohhhh... A tragic backstory as well? A dark and mysterious past, how intriguing!" Oxyi took off her scarf and placed it over his head like a hood, giggling sweetly. "Look at me, Mr Dark and Broody! I must atone for my sins!"

Diego laughed, standing and taking the scarf in his hands, and posing dramatically.

"I must warn you, Oxyi! I am quite the mysterious stranger! I'll steal your heart, your flat and your food!"

"Such an intense stare, Diego! Oh I'm swooning!" They laughed together, Diego returning her scarf and sitting back down on the log. As they continued to joke with one-another, a piercing note punctured the scene, silencing them both instantly.

They froze. It was an eerie and surreal sound, coming from behind them...

They were not alone.

They both slowly rose to their feet. Diego drew his blade with the silence of a skilled swordsman, and Oxyi unstrapped her shotgun, then shouldered it. They remained absolutely still, waiting for another noise. Only moments later, it vibrated out through the trees.

It sounded like a groan.

They cautiously approached its source, Oxyi watching their surroundings and Diego taking the lead. Several tense seconds went by in silence, the two treading carefully.

Another groan rang out.

Diego suddenly spotted the source; there was a silhouette of a figure huddled close to a tree. Unmoving and seemingly unaware. He was just standing there awkwardly, shoulders uncomfortably hunched together, head hanging a little too far off to the side. The figure shuffled around, seemingly pawing at the tree next to it and confirming it was the source of the noise as another low groan escaped its mouth.

Oxyi and Diego waited together, taking cover behind a tree and deciding what to do.

"I-Is he drunk? What's he doing?" Oxyi whispered into Diego's ear.

"I don't know," Diego whispered back. "He doesn't seem armed or dangerous... Do you think he's hurt?"

"Impossible to tell from here... do we approach him?" Oxyi fumbled in her pack for a flash-light and passed it to him.

"Yeah... He seems alone, if he turns nasty, I think we can handle him. You didn't spot anyone else?"

"Nothin'."

They nodded to each-other and Diego moved away from Oxyi before calling out, as not to give away her position.

"Hey dude... you alright there?" Diego gently sheathed his sword and clicked the flashlight on, revealing the figure in greater detail. As Oxyi watched from the shadows, her expression changed sharply, first to recognition, but then to shock.

The figure was a vulpine-morph, or a foxman, average in weight and build, and completely naked. His fur was a dark grey colour and his eyes were a twisted purple with curious green flecks within the iris. His monotone complexion did not match Oxyi's memory of him, the only reason she knew it was him at all was because of a unique piercing he had through one of his ears. He was one of her first clients; he'd had a problem with some lumber thieves that she'd sorted for him several months ago.

"That's Yeoman... what's wrong with him?" Oxyi blurted out, moving away from her position. As she spoke, Yeoman stumbled towards Diego, his groans becoming more aggressive. "Is that... is that an erection?!" She yelled and pointed, completely taken off guard at the naked fox's apparent sexual arousal as he stumbled about. Embarrassed by her own outburst, Oxyi quickly composed herself. "Yeoman, I'm gonna need you to stop and back off." She ordered, raising the shotgun.

He didn't listen. In fact, he sped up, breaking into a clumsy run straight at Diego, but the lizard sidestepped smoothly and kicked his legs out from under him, causing the fox to collapse to the floor. Oxyi pounced on him instantly, pulling a zip tie out of her pack and securing the fox's flailing limbs as he tried to stand again. He thrust towards her with everything he had, despite being thoroughly secured. Oxyi's camera was capturing everything.

"What the hell happened to you, Yeoman? You were a good hard-working guy, why're you stumbling around the forest naked? Did someone drug you?" He didn't seem to hear Oxyi's questions; instead the fox continued his desperate but futile attempt to mate with her. Diego, who had been watching their surroundings closely while Oxyi quizzed her captive, suddenly felt a chill go down his spine.

His drunken flailing suddenly turned into precise movements, and with a ravaged cry he kicked Oxyi in the knee, hard.

"Ow! Fuck! Yeoman! What did you do that for?!" She yelled out, and he tried to kick her again, but she jumped back.

The fox did not respond, and instead growled loudly and flexed on the floor as hard as he could, pulling his arms outwards. To Oxyi's increasing shock, the ties began to cut into his skin as he pulled as hard as he could, blood dribbling over the plastic zip tie.

"D-Diego! What should I do?!" Oxyi raised the butt of her gun. "Don't make me knock you out, Yeoman!"

He strained further, shaking on the floor furiously as the plastic held firm but the flesh around it gave way with a nauseating squish.

A bright golden glow suddenly enveloped Diego and a bolt of crackling energy connected to the frothing fox on the floor with a puncturing clap that echoed through the trees. The bolt connected with a bright flash, briefly illuminating the surroundings as if lightning had stuck. But in that brief moment, Oxyi swore she saw eyes, illuminated by the flash.

Yeoman now laid still, still breathing but paralysed, his resistance quelled but Oxyi's heart pounded in her chest.

"Diego... I think I saw someone..."

The lizard crackled with energy again, forming a small, bright orb in his hands.

"Where?"

She pointed deeper into the forest and he launched the orb into the trees. It bloomed with a piercing silver light in several rhythmic bursts, not so much looking to light the area up as it was to catch reflective surfaces.

With every flash of the orb, hundreds of eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Oh shit..." Diego drew his blade again, backing up towards Oxyi. "We need to get out of here, now."

"W-What about Yeoman?!" She backed off, staring at the glowing eyes, then at Yeoman's body, then back at eyes again.

"Oxyi; we're being ambushed, we need to leave -"

The fox on the floor began to twitch violently, his limbs writhing and twisting against their joints as if he were a puppet being manipulated by strings.

Her eyes flickered away from her prisoner as through the darkness of the forest, hundreds of snarling naked figures emerged from behind the trees, running towards them. All around them, figures from the darkness were advancing. Their feet thumping against the ground, almost sounding like distant thunder encroaching on them.

"We need to move, Oxyi, now!" Diego leapt back, grabbing her by the hand and roaring into the air, ribbons of yellow energy sparking between them as he did so. Oxyi suddenly felt lighter and quicker on her feet, her breath came easy as they pounded towards the glowing paint on the trees. They were able to outpace the crowd gathering behind them, so Oxyi shouldered her shotgun as she ran, blasting a couple of shells into the assailants ahead. Each shot hit its target; the pursuers dropped dead where they stood. Diego charged into another, shoving the figure with his shoulder into a tree, where its body met wood with a painfully loud crack, and ceased moving.

Should I even be opening fire?! Oxyi's thoughts came at her a mile a minute as they ran through the trees. That was Yeoman, what if the others... is that a risk we can take?

They followed the glow paint back to the city as fast as they could, taking out anything that got too close to them. With the heft of his blade Diego sliced another of the things cleanly in half at the waist... when their glow trail came to an abrupt end, with no end to the forest in sight.

Oxyi skidded to a halt. "Th-That's impossible! I marked our trail!" Oxyi stammered, quickly loading some shells into her shotgun.

"I know. Someone's been following us, Oxyi. Do you think you can find us a way out?"

"Y-Yes. I'll need to read the map though, and I can't do it if we're running!"

She pulled another flashlight out of her backpack and Diego planted his legs firmly, preparing himself for the coming assault, confidently bringing his blade to his chest."Then I'll buy you some time."