Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

The instant the flames erupted, Nini’s body spun sharply, and those six fire serpents followed her rotation like massive whips, flattening everything around her in an instant.

The sound came slightly after the flash of fire, emerging from the cannon’s muzzle only a moment later. The violent discharge distorted the very air, the compressed currents mixing with scorching jet streams that blasted outward.

The trees were lifted into the air by the shockwave, only to be chased down by crimson light and vanish within the stream; the soldiers, along with their armor, were melted into slag — even their final screams of despair were drowned out.

Lina appeared before Bazel in an instant, raising her right hand to block the blazing flow. Yet the moment her hand touched it, her expression changed drastically. She turned, grabbed Bazel, and the air twisted once before both were swallowed by firelight.

The flames gradually faded.

Nini shook the Dragon’s Breath Cannon in her hand, then slowly and lazily hooked it back onto her armor.

Beneath her serpentine tail lay the only intact patch of ground; beyond that, the entire terrain had changed.

The air was filled with steaming heat. The forest floor had sunken several feet, covered in slowly flowing orange magma that gradually crusted over with a black shell.

The surrounding soldiers, along with their armor, mounts, muskets, and tower shields, had all turned into gray ashes at the bottom of the crater.

The camp wasn’t large to begin with, and since they had gathered together to surround Nini, they had all fallen within the blast radius of the Dragon’s Breath Cannon — Nini had wiped them out in one sweep.

Even if they hadn’t surrounded her, it wouldn’t have taken long. Nini could have just aimed her Gatlings and called names one by one; those thick tree trunks were no better than twigs before heavy machine guns — they couldn’t block even a fraction of her firepower.

Nini raised her head toward the sky. The sunlight, once blocked by the canopy, finally fell upon the ground.

When Feniel and Una arrived, Nini was still standing there, gazing upward in the same pose.

The two held their Dragon’s Breath Cannons and Gatlings tensely, gesturing around for a long while, but nothing stirred.

They looked toward Nini with confusion.

“Why did you open fire just now? Did you see an enemy, or were you just playing around?”

Nini’s eyes widened instantly. “What do you mean, playing around? Am I that kind of person?”

Feniel and Una exchanged a look, then nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

“There were people here just now! At least a hundred of them — a whole crowd!” Nini waved her hands excitedly.

“Really?”

“Really! If I’m lying, may my inspiration run dry, and may I never write another report again!” Nini said angrily.

Only then did Feniel and Una start to believe her. The two circled around to inspect the area.

“This was the Resistance Army’s camp? You actually ran into the enemy?”

Nini sighed, her tone growing heavier. “Yes. When I arrived, there were only Earl Bazel’s men here. The Resistance Army… might already be completely wiped out.”

She briefly explained what had happened.

“Wait, you said there was a red-haired girl — possibly an Extraordinary?” Feniel interrupted. “Is she still alive?”

Nini scratched her head, only to realize she was still wearing her helmet. She removed the armor, then said hesitantly, “I’m not sure… Anyway, the Dragon’s Breath Cannon hit her squarely. It didn’t feel any different from blasting a normal target, right?”

Feniel: “…”

“Forget it, let’s not dwell on that. Let’s see if we can find any survivors — whether Resistance or Bazel’s soldiers, anyone will do. We need to at least understand the current situation.”

Feniel and Una nodded and walked off in opposite directions, while Nini remained motionless, still looking up at the sky.

“…Why are you just standing there?”

Nini’s voice turned sorrowful. “I just had an idea — I wanted to try spinning while firing. But I twisted my waist.”

A twisted waist was only a minor injury — just a tingling numbness at the lower back, hardly enough to trigger the Symbiotic Contract.

  “Slow down, slow down! My tail’s numb! Numb! Ouch, be gentle! You’re pulling off my scales — they’re freshly done!”

Feniel and Una each grabbed one end — one holding Nini’s head, the other her tail — helping her stretch out her stiff waist as she yelped and screeched. Finally, Nini pressed her six hands on the base of her tail and began moving again with difficulty.

“What should we do now? The Resistance Army’s camp has fallen. They’re most likely completely annihilated!”

“There’s nothing I could do. Bazel’s men had already arrived — all I could do was fire a shot at him.”

“Do you think Nora might still be alive?”

“Wait, Nora’s already dead.”

“Only her head died, her body didn’t — no, wait, even her head didn’t really die. So… does that count as being alive separately?”

“Forget whether she’s alive or dead — either way, it’s bad. Maybe Nini’s cannon just blasted her remains to dust.”

“I did not!” Nini snapped, swinging her tail in anger — only to pull her sore waist, gritting her teeth in pain.

“Do you think that counts as killing someone, Nini? Should you atone to Nora?” Feniel teased gleefully, clearly not intending to let her off.

“It shouldn’t count. That’s more like cremating the corpse. Nora should actually pay her for the service.”

“You’d take money from a dead person? Don’t you have a conscience?”

The Banshees were naturally optimistic — perhaps a little too optimistic. They chatted idly as they searched through the forest.

There were indeed no Resistance soldiers left in the camp. Their retreat had been thorough. But they found something else.

“What’s this? A man who’s passed out?”

“Wait, he looks kind of familiar… Isaac?”

Isaac had left Castel too early, so the Banshees didn’t know him well — in fact, they’d barely met. But Hughes had given them a portrait, which was how they recognized him now.

That made them even more pessimistic.

“So the Ashen Alliance is finished too?”

“M-Maybe not entirely?”

“How not? Their leader’s lying right here. I remember Isaac’s a dual-path Extraordinary, a real powerhouse. If he’s down, then the Northlands are probably beyond saving.”

“By the way, Nini — that red-haired Extraordinary from before, how strong was she? Was she the one who defeated Isaac?”

Nini frowned, thinking for a long while before shrugging. “I don’t know. She felt kind of weak. Didn’t use any powers at all. No idea if she’s dead or alive.”

The three Banshees fell silent.

A large part of the camp had been obliterated by the Dragon’s Breath Cannon, and the rest had already been ransacked by Bazel’s men. They found no useful clues whatsoever.

“What should we do next? Go straight back to Castel? The Resistance Army is probably gone, and who knows how many of the Ashen Alliance are even left.”

Nini hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“How about this — Feniel, take Isaac back to Castel first. Una, you and I will search around here for a few more days. Since we’re already here…”