Nandroid Witchhunt V

	The mechanical maid marched back outside, now a few pounds bulkier with ammunition and armed to the teeth. Her forehead was gently crossed with an oily crucifix of chrism from the father as he blessed her for her tribulations ahead. Holding the compass in front of her, the full moon now fully in the sky as night descended, she watched the needle cease its jiggling as it eked out the direction to her quarry, not a doubt left in her mind. Leaving the clearing and cottage behind as she had before just a day ago she stalked outwards, back into the woods again.
	The pale moonlight shone between the little brambles and branches, barren and gnarled next to their coniferous neighbors. Clattering between the tree trunks, the scabbard at her side tapped out a rhythm to her walking, swinging free before smacking another tree with a dull clap when she would grab and silence it again. The compass needle still pointed defiantly deeper into the wood, the towns of Salem and neighbors now far behind her, and the priest’s home having faded into the dark as well. Every few miles or so, the moon climbing higher and still glowing through the thickening clouds, she would stop and relinquish the wooden key from her apron pocket and wind herself back up, the slackening of her limbs reversed and her steps lighter, stronger and faster.
	After a few more miles she happened upon yet another clearing, a stark cliff face standing before her as the moon struck off of its sickly, yellow face and into the flat ground around it. Staring into the dark stone ahead she made out a great hole devoid of light in the cliff. Checking the compass she watched the needle swing gently to and fro, following the methodical pacing of whatever lay inside, waiting. She was ready to rush in, gallivanting sword and musket in hand as she slayed the beast but stayed her ravenous mind; revenge could wait some. Falling back to the treeline she scouted around for the oldest, sturdiest trees before finding a perfect specimen and, stuffing her pockets and freeing her hands, made her ascent. Perched now in her wooden tower she set herself up, kneeling in the crux of the branches as she prepared her overwatch.
	The moon still hung languidly in the sky but as it made its dip away from the peak of the ecliptic a sinister moaning erupted from the cave. Screams echoed out as cervine jaws snapped and gnashed inside, salivating drops into some unseen pool echoing outwards. Prudence fortified herself to see the beast in clear light, her eyes long ago adjusting to the faint illumination around her. Prudence readied her gun.
	Lurching forward and out of the cave entrance came an imperceptible shadow, black fur clinging to its limbs and chest, a balding, antlered head jabbering in madness as it crawled forward. The last traces of whatever poor human it had been evaporated, bronze skin replaced fully by cloaking fur over sinewy and taut muscles. Prudence primed the pan.
	The creature arched backwards to the sky, its over-long arms bracing the creature and dragging on the ground, clawed fingers digging into the dirt as it howled in agony to the sky above. Prudence steeled herself as it scampered back into the cave mouth and slung an arm inwards, following it back into the darkness as the clatter of bones sounded and spread through the night. The compass was following it dead on as Prudence watched, preparing. It emerged back into the moonlight dragging a cadaver behind, the arm holding it swinging it up and forward onto the ground with a wet slap. It pulled the body to its mouth as it ripped a chunk from the corpse with its jagged teeth, gnashing its jaws in ecstasy as it prepared to hunt in the night ahead. Prudence cocked the hammer.
	The gentle click and prime of the musket's mechanisms stopped the creature in its revelry, shrieking in anger as it was interrupted during its meal. Prudence squeezed the trigger as the creature dashed madly towards her tree, arms flying forward to pull it faster and faster. The hammer flung forward as sparks scraped off the pan, a billowing cloud of smoke and fire flashing in her face and obscuring her quarry as a shot rang out. The momentous explosion rocked her shoulder as she steadied herself on the branches behind her, another scream erupting from beneath the tree. Aiming for the chest she’d hoped for a single knockout blow, piercing the infernal creature’s heart but its screaming, and the scratches at the tree trunk beneath her, made clear her failure.
	Smoke still lingering in the air Prudence began the arduous process of reloading, pulling a cartridge from her apron pocket and ripping it open before dumping the powder and ramming the silver ball and wad home. As she primed the pan the monster swung at the tree’s base with its claws, the trunk shuddering and groaning under each successive blow. She stopped short of priming the musket again as she peered over to catch the beast with her eyes and try to see where she’d hit it. In an instant she saw the glowing, molten hole in its shoulder, the joint pierced cleanly and smouldering with holy fire, the arm limp and useless as the creature swung with its right. Retreating from the edge she produced Donadieu’s powder horn and tried to prime the musket in vain, each slash at the base of the tree shaking the pan clean. She pushed the musket aside and dug in her apron for whatever other aides Father had given her, producing a small vial of white powder. She couldn’t remember its purpose in her growing panic as the tree began to lurch under the repeated blows of the monster, and in a reflex she flung the vial towards the cave mouth.
	An explosion ripped out, a blinding light returning the forest to daytime for an instantaneous moment as a cacophonous booming shocked the woods and rustled branches. Her head spinning she watched the creature lurch backwards from the tree, its own head twitching as it scraped at its ears and spun to face ear-ringing enemies who weren’t there, its rancid spittle flying from its snapping jaws. Prudence didn’t pause, her frazzled state not enough to stop her from priming the pan again and quickly giving fire once more, the ringing in her own head and fuzzied vision not enough to stop her from pouring another shot into the beast’s center of mass.
Another voluminous cloud of smoke filled her vision as a weaker, pained whimper fled the creature. Waving away the ash and soot suspended around her she saw the creature still standing, another gaping hole in the small of its back weeping black ichor and ringed by flame. The creature stood tall, however, its movements no less dangerous, but thankfully slower, sluggish. Her hand rushing to her side she left her musket in the tree before slipping downwards and drawing the saber. The crackle of the leaves crushed beneath her alerted the creature as it swung around, its limp arm smacking against its torso. It sniffed the air, grunting before locking eyes with the robot, another mournful whine escaping its muzzle. It lowered itself down, its twisted, black antlers now perilously directed towards the maidbot. It scraped the ground with its one good arm before charging forward towards Prudence. As it closed the distance she readied the glinting blade and sidestepped the beast before slashing its side and opening a flaming gash in its abdomen as it smashed into the tree, the cracking of stressed wood filling the clearing. Prudence turned to face the creature again but not before it swung a great paw into her side, flinging her across the clearing and away from her sword.
	As she righted herself she buckled underneath her own weight, the grinding halt of some internal gear or spring weakening her considerably. The creature rounded once again, now pacing on all fours, limping along on its right arm as it circled Prudence slowly, waiting for an errant turn or showing of her back to strike. As she fell to her knees she dug into her pocket again, hoping for something to deliver her once again. All she found were the dozens of cartridges she’d stuffed her pockets with, her fingers worming between them for something useful. Finding purchase she removed another vial of narrow wooden sticks, toothpicks really, reddened ends sitting uniform at its bottom. She couldn’t remember what they were but pulled them out anyways, steadying her swaying body.
Holding one in hand she waved it at the bemused monster, its human eyes returning her defiance with morbid mirth, ropes of fetid saliva snapping as it opened its mouth to laugh coarsely. Prudence fumbled with the singular splinter of wood and tried vainly to activate it, opting to throw it onto the ground where it did nothing but sit. She took two more from the vial this time, the beast still circling and waiting her out, and she furiously rubbed them together. A flash of fire singed the articulated wooden plates on her hands as she cast the sticks to the ground, crinkling leaves and brush taking to them quickly. The little glimmer of flame was not enough to dissuade the monster as its sinewy legs coiled once again and finally propelled it, Prudence distracted in her pocket, towards the robot. She failed to dodge in time as it bore its antlers into her and threw her across the clearing, square into her former overwatch. The sharp crack of her own wooden back panel sent another clap through the forest as the bullied oak finally collapsed under the stress.
	The creature reared onto its hind legs and roared in triumph as Prudence flailed on her back, the contents of her pouch spilling out as she tried to get up, her back panel free of its slot and grinding anxiously against her mechanism. Through will she pulled herself up by the trunk of another tree, and searched for the vial as the creature continued its revelry. Producing another match from the bottle she grabbed in the dark for a paper cartridge, her mind racing for distractions so she could escape. Seizing one of the little parcels in her hand she quickly struck the match on its coarse side, strike after strike yielding nothing but the dull slip of each successive attempt. As the creature slowed its jumps it pranced around again, the growing fire in the center of the clearing the least of its concerns as its hellish face began to focus on the still living android.
	Strike after strike against the paper edge of the cartridge relinquished nothing as Prudence frantically scrubbed the match until it was just a nub, the phosphorus long etched away into the paper. Spinning her head in panic she dove backwards into the woods as the monster snarled and pranced in faster circles, too afraid to enter the bramble owing to its size, at least so long as it was in danger. Noticing the brief reprieve from its jeers and attacks she weighed her options, watching the beast gallop around on its hind legs before slapping the ground with its good arm. Each slap sounded closer and closer, however, as she watched the growing fire in the clearing, the beast creating more breadth between itself as it was pushed to the meadow’s edge. Prudence leaped into action and flung the vial into the fire where, after a moment, the shattering of glass and a muffled roar signalled to her the secondary ignition. Running along the circumference of the glade the rounded to the spot her sword had clattered to and, digging though the odd half dozen of cartridges she flung one forward into the inferno.
	The monster twirled on its hooves and lurched forward towards the treeline where his quarry was emerging, not noticing the miniscule paper parcel drifting overhead into the fire. As it rounded the growing blaze towards the robot another crack of gunpowder went off, the errant bullet rocketing out of the fire and into the rear of the creature’s left thigh. Howling again in pain it lurched forward before collapsing to the ground mid-sprint, trying desperately to right itself with its good arm. Prudence took no precautions and, sword thankfully retrieved, rolled another cartridge along the ground straight into the fire. Another rapturous blast and a fourth silver ball was propelled across the breadth of the creature’s torso, its lungs destroyed in the blast as it pulled at the dirt with its arm, inching away from the blaze in futile flight.
	Prudence wearily approached the pitiable, wheezing heap beneath her with the sabre in hand. Swirling in her mind were old sermons of the hellfire awaiting sinners pinned against the immense mercy of God as she stood over the gurgling monster, coughing and choking on its own blood as it slowly drowned. With disgust Prudence looked away before plunging her sword into its back, silencing it utterly. The woods were silent again save for the growing roar of the inferno behind her and, hushed by it, the aching creak of each gear inside of her, fighting for life and purchase on each other after being rocked. She reached her lithe arms into her jacket and pulled out the cleaved plate of wood that made up her back, feeling the coarse cloth brush against her bare machinery as she tossed the lacquered pieces onto the fire. She cleaned her sword on her apron, the frilly white marred by fowl black smudges.