Girl Who Killed a God Remake - Chapter Nine

The well in the center of Lowtown was a designated safe place. Everyone used it free from fear. Once, long before Grace had come to the city, it supposedly had been fought over by many of the rival gangs. The number of people who died to hold the rights to the well had been so high that all of the leaders finally agreed that no one would own it.

It would be shared, and no fighting was allowed anywhere near the courtyard where it was located. Those who broke that rule served as a vicious reminder to everyone else why the peace was kept. Each leader would cut off pieces of those involved, taking them back to their section of town and displaying them as a reminder.

Since that decision, it was the one of the few truly safe places in the hell hole that was Toran’s Lowtown. Parents and children came, people traded, and because it was in the garden of an old estate, life for just a moment was a little better for everyone.

People gladly cut flowers, trimmed weeds, and watered without being ordered or asked. Amid burnt-down homes, abandoned buildings, and destroyed lives, a small oasis replenished the souls of all who came.

It was nothing but a lie, but it was a comforting one.

It was why Grace didn’t stop Levi as he ran ahead of her when they drew close.

Smiling to herself, feeling full both in her stomach and in her heart for a moment after seeing her brother and how he was acting, Grace let the sunshine warm her face as she closed her eyes and took a few more steps toward the walls that surrounded the garden and the well.

Levi’s scream swiftly shattered that moment.

Grace sprinted the last half dozen yards to the wall, barreling through the opening and turning, almost running into a guard who was holding Levi’s arm and was shaking him.

“I said quiet!” the man snapped, yanking her brother forward as he tried to drag him towards a group of other people from the city who were herded against one of the stone walls.

The soldier's eyes snapped up as Grace came toward him, trying to stop, and he reached for his sword.

She couldn’t kill him without getting a lot of innocent people here killed as well. Though even then, she nearly considered it anyway. The only thing that stopped her from tearing the guards throat out with her teeth was that Levi was here with her.

Alone, she’d have easily slaughtered them. But she couldn’t risk her brother’s safety.

So instead, she put a temporary cage on her murderous instinct and played the part of innocent bystander.

“Wait!” Grace exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “He’s my brother! I heard him scream and came running!”

The guard gripped his sword, but made no further move to draw it as he stared her down. With a glance at Levi and back at her, he snorted and wrenched his hand free from Levi’s arm, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. “Get your asses to the wall, and I swear to Grimdon if he doesn’t stop screaming, I’ll cut you both down in a heartbeat.”

Grace didn’t say a word, nodding and moving to where Levi was, scooping him up in her arms and moving quickly to where everyone else stood.

There were well over thirty people lined up against the wall with them, all from different sections of towns, and each obviously scared out of their minds.

“What’s going on?” Grace whispered to an older man next to them.

The grey-haired man bent his neck up at her, a permanent hunch what decades of manual labor seemed to be preventing him from standing up straight. Leaning against his cane, he glowered at the guards and spat on the ground. “Someone killed five of Toran’s men the other night, and now they are trying to figure out who. For some reason, they think we would know that.”

The man turned his head as several of the guards walked into the courtyard with several more people in tow. Six of them talked for a moment, ignoring the cries and questions coming from the crowd.

“Who could kill five guardsmen? And why in the gods would they tell us if they did?!”

Murmurs and agreement came from most of the people there.

But this wasn’t about uncovering the truth—it was a show of force to remind the city who was still in charge. People were going to get hurt because of what she did. Some would liekly even die for her actions.

Maybe even some here.

Yet Grace couldn’t muster up any feelings of regret. Remorse, perhaps, as she didn’t want anyone here to die, but if she had the chance to do it over again, knowing what she did now, she would make the same choice all over again.

The temptation of power Azaroth offered her was too much for her to resist.

Even if it cost innocents their lives.

Even if an entire city burned for choice, she couldn’t say she’d choose any different. So long as Levi was safe, the whole world could burn for all she cared.

Yet, some dark voice in the back of her mind warned her that it was emotions just like that that led to Malkin’s destruction. She was only here because someone just like her had made the same choice she had—A choice that cost her almost everything and everyone she ever loved.

 By her very actions, she was causing others the same heartbreak she and Levi had gone through.

And Grace didn’t care.

Because now she had the power where before she was powerless.

If that made her a hypocrite, then so be it. It was the least of the appellations they would pin to her before this was all over.

So, she bided her time, searching for the perfect moment to strike if it presented itself.

And as if Azaroth was watching her and knew her thoughts, a quest notification appeared in her vision.

[Divine Revelation Received!]

Dual quest pending!

Dual Quest: Protect Those Around You and Cleanse the Filth

First Condition: You must protect everyone around you. If no innocents die and all escape, you succeed.

Second Condition: The filth that calls themselves honorable needs to be cleansed from this world. Kill the guards who worship the God Grimdon and send them to an early grave.

At least one of these conditions must be met to complete the quest. Higher rewards available for completing both conditions.

Reward: Rank Advancement/Agent Ability Gained

Failure: Crippled Core—Permanent 50% Essence Reduction

Standing barely above five feet, her size worked in her favor this time. Because Grace didn’t look like a threat, she had the element of surprise on her side. She would only get one chance to use to her utmost advantage, so she couldn’t let it go to waste.

The only complication to her plan was that Azaroth had just put her on guard duty. She could likely slaughter the guards, even outnumbered as she was, but killing them and protecting the others—and Levi—at the same time was more than she thought she could handle with outright brutality.

With her increased mental abilities, she could easily recall every single face lined up against the wall. There were seven children and a dozen of Lowtown’s elderly, all the same age as the man she had first talked to.

They wouldn’t be able to flee quickly if this turned into a bloodbath.

Levi was quiet as she worked through her thoughts. They had often practiced how he would behave if something like this happened. He stayed behind her, knowing that if she told him to run, he would not hesitate and race back toward their home.

“It’s okay,” Grace whispered to him. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Though she didn’t know if she believed her words. She would be okay—and she would kill anyone who dared look at Levi sideways—but she wanted to complete the quest. She wanted the rewards it offered.

Azaroth was feeding in her temptations, obviously testing to see how far she was willing to go for a reward, and what royally pissed her off was that it was working. Grace wasn’t about to leave power on the table.

It was offered to her, and she was going to claim it.

The guards were getting anxious now. The more people they gathered, the more tensions rose. It wouldn’t be long before the gangs arrived. The guards here was a direct challenge, and they couldn’t let it go unanswered.

And with only two squads present, they likely didn’t want to deal with those odds.

Even if the six guardsmen before her were highly skilled. Each of them wore full plate, which made them one of Count Toran’s elites. They weren’t quite to the level of the Justiciars, but they were also loyal to Toran himself—rather than the Church of the Cycle. They had come loaded for a fight, and Grace struggled to consider how she and the other people around her would escape here alive.

If one person dies, then I can only beat this quest if I kill them… so I’m going to have to separate the guards from the others first and foremost. If I don’t have to worry about protecting the people, I can let loose.

After all, nobody will notice, if there’s nobody to notice.

Her plan formed in her mind in a few moments, her increased intelligence fine tuning the steps even as she was working on the next. In under a minute, she’d solidified her idea and was preparing to execute it.

When she was ready, she knelt and put a hand on Levi’s shoulder. Looking him in the eye, Grace spoke, “Listen to me. No matter what, you go back to the boarding house. I’ll get them away from here, but I need you to promise me that you’ll head straight back to the house. Tell Max what happened and he’ll make sure you’re alright.”

Levi’s eyes widened and he dropped his voice as he leaned closer to her. “What are you planning? Let me help! I’m fast, almost as fast as you. I can help.”

Grace shook her head. “You know the rules. Trust me. I’ll be fine, but I need you to be safe. Always you first, remember that.”

His nose scrunched, forming that line of wrinkles on his face, flaring his nostrils when he was upset. He was angry, and Grace knew it, but she also knew he would obey.

“Good. Now stay near everyone and let me handle this.”

Grace began shifting her way through the crowd, getting a few comments about her actions, but when it was evident she was moving toward the guards, the others quickly got out of her way.

One of the men looked up at her approach and scowled at her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, you filthy grumbered. Get back with the others unless you want a beating!”

Grace swallowed her rage at the insult and dropped her voice. “I can help you,” she hissed. “I beg for scraps where I can. People glance right over me forgetting I’m there. I hear things. I know things.” She glanced up at the guard and put a little hunger and greed into her expression. “Maybe I can help you find who you’re looking for.”

At her words, the rest of the men turned and faced her. Four of them chuckled and muttered about wasting their time, while the one in the middle stared at her. He was decently handsome for a paleskin and had close cropped brown hair and eyes the color of the ocean. He held up a hand, and everyone quieted down, shifting on their feet a little as the man took a few steps forward.

“I’m Seargent Miles. Tell me what you know.”

Grace nodded and gave a slight bow.

“I’ve been over nearly every inch of this city. And I’m decently gifted at finding things that have been… lost.”

Miles snorted. “You’re a thief.”

“Scavenger,” Grace corrected. “it’s not stealing if it’s been abandoned. But my point is I’ve found all the little nooks and crannies in this city. You wouldn’t believe what people left behind during the Blight. Whole safes untouched and unclaimed. I’m good at seeing what other people don’t want found, and if you can take me to wherever your men died, I should be able to give you at least a clue about who killed them.”

The man’s blue eyes watched her closely as she spoke, and Grace made sure to add an air of certainty behind her voice.

One of his men sneered down at her. “Come on, Sergeant, that’s a load of–”

Miles held up his hand and cut the man off. “I’ll warn you now, if you’re playing any games with me, I will make the Justiciars look merciful by comparison, do you understand me?”

Grace nodded. “I promise. I wouldn’t risk my life unless I was certain I could help.” She took a risk and added. “I help you, and you help me?”

The sergeant drummed his fingers against the handle of his sword, never taking his eyes off her. Eventually, he nodded. “Very well. If you can assist us, you’ll be well rewarded…” his eyes turned cold. “But if you’re wasting my time…”

Laughter came from behind the Sergeant as the men all smiled.

Grace fought back the tremor she felt, wanting to race up her spine, knowing what failure would lead to.

The people had all scattered as the guards surrounded Grace, and they began walking in the direction of where she’d slaughtered their comrades.

After a few tense moments of silence broken only by the jostle of armor, Sergeant Miles spoke up. “Tell me, girl, what’s your name?”

Grace glanced at the captain and smiled. “It’s Jehdda, sir.”

The man nodded, seemingly buying her lie, and taking his eyes off her. Like the rest of his men, he constantly scanned the street for threats. Another few minutes later and the patrol slowed to a stop as the group came to a halt in the middle where two streets connected.

“Something wrong?” Grace asked.

Miles glanced down at her once more and asked. “Which way?”

Grace glanced at the captain and shook her head. “Which way what?”

“Which way to where the men got murdered?”

The rest of the guards had turned to face her their hands on their weapons. 

Shaking his head, the Sergeant took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We stopped leading you over a mile ago. You didn’t seem to notice, but none of us told you how to go, yet you have taken us almost directly to the scene.” His hand moved to his sword, resting on top of it again. Those blue eyes of his were emotionless as he stared at her. “I don’t believe in chance. So why don’t you start telling us the truth before my patience runs out and I look the other way as my men take their time with you.”

She realized he was right. She had been so caught up in going over her plan that she’d automatically started walking toward the area where she had killed the guards. Her mind raced as she tried to consider her options.

A few people were further away on the streets, watching the group from a distance. No one would save her, but if she fought and killed them all, word would spread, and she would have to flee with her brother.

Hanging her head, Grace nodded and sighed. A new plan forming in an instant. It was risky, but so was everything else she’d done so far.

“I stumbled upon it the other day when I was scavenging for stuff to sell… worse yet, it's not the only horrible thing I’ve seen in this city… I found another murder just like that one.”

Grace looked up at the guards with false fear in her eyes and dropped her voice to a hushed whisper as she spoke the utter truth.

“There’s a monster in this city.”