Chronicles of Myth Volume One: Twisted Daydreams

Scene Forty-nine

"Avenger, you of all people should know what the term means". I faced Kefira in this masochistic safety bubble, the four of us were placed in a modified pocket dimension to reduce collateral and harm to each other, but right now I hardly think that would matter; all of us have the intent to kill, and nothing is going to satisfy that bloodlust without heads rolling. She drew out her glaive and swung it around like a staff, I saw focus manifest in her eyes; she stared into my soul like a hawk, I looked into her eyes and saw the child I had left behind all those years ago. "I'm not an avenger by any means". I drew my Kusanagi and held it one handed, I looked at the seats around the arena, knowing our partners were on standby was reassuring but that meant there was more risk involved; we approached the middle of the platform, and readied our weapons. "Ladies first". Kefira thrust forward and I glanced off the spear head holding my blade in front of me as I sidestepped to dodge, I felt and heard the metal sing its deadly lullaby; a smile crept on my face, and my heart stopped feeling for a moment; I shut off my emotion and dodged her thrusts, she ducked under and spun the glaive around in 720 cycle, I stepped back and saw Kefira vault forward using the momentum of the swing, utilizing the spearhead as launching fulcrum and the longsword stinger a makeshift projectile; I saw her dive down with the stinger and stepped out of the way, just like her father... how interesting. She stabbed the ground with her stinger and spun around the steel pole into an arced kick, her body flew past mine as I moved out of the way, "Are you even trying, you're going to bore me to death". I taunted her but her movements remained fluid, I watched her rebound off the ground; she turned on the balls of her feet as landed from the missed kick and dashed back to her weapon; she removed the staff and thrust forward, I dodged and watched her leap into the air, she used the glaive as a pogo stick and hopped toward me stabbing the ground at my feet, I dashed back as she landed on the ground, using her feet she slid forward and spun around in a deadly cycle; I played limbo as I bent back my waist to dodge, she leapt up on the pole again and slid down causing a cascade of sparks and dust; I saw her shadow in the dust spin the staff for my legs, I moved my feet in shuffles masking my footsteps, staying out of range I still felt the cool metal lightly brush against my ankles during the swing, with a second leap she slammed the staff down, clearing the dust; I was greeted with a look of surprise as she saw me hold the spearhead above my head with my offhand, I let go and readied my stance again; I glanced off the spearhead tilting my sword to parry her thrust, lowering my sword I moved my head side to side as she alternated thrusts; I caught the staff portion of the glaive after the sixth thrust, blades and all it slid past my chest as I redirected the blade to the ground, impaling itself at the tip. I stepped away as I let Kefira reclaim her weapon and prepared myself, with a vaulting kick she opened up the next string of attacks, she pushed forward and spun around holding the stinger end; landing on both feet she redirected the spear at my feet, she thrust forward scraping off a portion of clear paint covering the metal floor we stood on; I stepped back and like a top she spun forward holding the glaive behind her back, tucked under her arms; the blade almost grazed my ankle, I blocked the spin with a downward thrust and positioned the flat side of my blade; she lunged forward and I raised my sword backhanded to block an overhead, I blocked a coming thrust spinning the sword handle in my hand and tilted my blade at a forty five degree angle, the glaive shot up and into the air; I pulled back my arm and stepped to the left the spear slid past my ear barely missing, I parried the following downward slash and spun around holding the base of the main blade; "You disappoint me". I let go and parried the next driving thrust, I tilted my sword and pointed it straight, I let the spearhead glance off into the ground as I lowered my arm; she stumbled forward barely missing the stinger, she picked up her weapon again threw it like a javelin; I cocked my head to the right and grabbed the spear with my off hand stopping it in its tracks, I tossed her back the spear with the blades pointing away from her body. "Christ your movements are sloppy". I sheathed my sword, and held it at my side: she failed my test... how disappointing, time to end this. "Come at me if you want, my patience is running thin". She thrust forward and I drew my sword; click, my sword briefly flashed as a glint from the stage lights above us, stabbing into my afterimage I sliced her stomach open with horizontal cut, and slashed downward splitting her body in neatly half; I watched the two halves drop to the ground crossed over each other, they faded away like a fine mist, "A mirage". I felt a smile on my lips, I stepped out of the way and raised my sword to protect my back, I turned on the balls of my feet holding the sword two handed, I slashed down and bit into an another fake; I rolled out of the way to dodge a staff slam; she made a small crater as she leapt on her staff. I spun around to my left dodge a thrust aimed toward my head and slashed down as she jumped off her perch landing into a with low thrust, almost slicing her head open I bit into her glaive pole as she shot her arms up, I kicked her stomach and broke her guard; I slashed downward and put her on the defensive, she caught the second blow, I could see the strain on her legs I pressed down on her glaive; giving in she knelt on the ground barely holding back my attack: "You wasted all your energy in trying to hit something that can't be touched". I slashed down again, she let out a scream of pain as the bones in her legs started to feel the strain of her attacks; lowered the staff with each continuous strike exposing her scalp for a clean bisection, again and again sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, "Why do you resist... Just die already"! In frustration my blood boiled to a breaking point, "Ragnarok that's enough"! Nolan's voice was muffled out by my rage, I couldn't hear only feel a bitter anger; I slashed down again, I looked at her and was snapped to my senses, "No"! I screamed as I stopped at an inch from cutting her in half, I could see the tears of joy in her eyes as she realized her life was spared; what I am becoming? My hands trembled as I sheathed my sword, "No... no... no, how I could let that happen". I heard Kefira cry behind me, I sat down with her and wrapped my arms around her head; "I'm sorry". "I'm sorry". I apologized profusely, as we sobbed together; "The monster inside of us, life's a bitch isn't it"? Nolan chuckled, "That feeling makes your stomach turn, but as much as we hate to admit we secretly love it, want more of it... that desire to utterly slaughter our enemies, it breeds by hatred and anger, compassion and love are unknown to this beast... the very thing we are doomed to become, if we even for a moment give in, but you want to know something: I don't care". He placed a hand on my shoulder, "Grow up will you". I felt a hard kick to my stomach as I was sent skidding across the floor; he drew his sword, and placed it at Kefira's throat holding her by her hair; "Just a few seconds, and it'll be game over; unless she can tough it out like the rest of us". Letting go of her hair she was left standing her on her feet, I watched helpless as Nolan impaled her through the back breaking her lower spine, puncturing through her heart; he tore out his sword cutting her vocal cords, slashing an x pattern on her back, he kicked her to the ground and curb stomped her back; "scream for your life", grabbing her head he stabbed her through the back of her skull with a downward thrust; twisting the blade he turned the sword horizontally as he severed the upper half of her head from her body, grabbing her throat he drove the sword down her exposed throat cutting through her heart and digestive system; the blade dripped with blood and excrement as he pierced through her rectum staked into the ground under her, he pulled out the sword and wiped it clean with his hand smelling the fluids; "Like butterflies and rainbows". He chuckled like a madman, I saw Kefira regenerate from the killing blow; she staggered to her feet and puked out her guts before doing a double take; she screamed in agony, I ran over and looked at her condition; she was in shock, her pulse fluctuated wildly as she heaved in and took short gasps of air; her sclera were bloodshot and her pupils dilated, cries of grief echoed through the room; I held her hand and spoke to her steadying my voice, regaining my composure in the process. "Look at me, you'll be fine... you'll be fine, I'm here for you". "Kefira... focus on me... okay". She shook her head, I saw the rest of her body shiver in fear; "The both you", Nolan scowled at us; I blasted him back with a psychowheel as he ran toward us with fury in his eyes, "That's enough"!  "Like the spoiled virgin you are". Nolan spat out with loathing, he ran toward ready for a punch; I knocked him to the ground and beat down on him mashing his face into a bloody pulp, I was thrown to the ground and pinned with a chokehold, "fuck off" He punched my throat and stood up to stomp my chest, he pressed in the hard slipper sole beating down on my sternum. "Such brutality, such bloodlust... its delicious", I heard manic laugh followed by a slow clap in the shadows of this stage; Viktor walked out into the light and greeted us with a smile, it was friendly, just a set of teeth craving for more violence. "You crossed the line, she was still a kid". He cracked his knuckles; I saw the vein in his neck pulse with fury, "Yeah so is Astoria, no one showed her mercy". Nolan shot back, I saw an intense rage in his eyes; the death of a child he so loved, it wasn't that he didn't care anymore, he just wanted to let go of that hate he harbored for the person who harmed Astoria. "Call me a beast, because that's what I am"! "Very well, I'll put you down like the mad dog you are".  A dark mass coated Viktor, he coated himself in a cloud of inky goo; "Let's play"! His voice was sinister, and cut our ears upon hearing it; he drew a wand and fired out a bolt of darkness, I stepped in the way and slashed the bolt in half; Nolan looked at me shaking his head; "Good grief the next time either one of us loses our minds someone is going to die". "We'll cross that bridge when we get there". I sheathed my sword and faced Viktor with Nolan at my side, "Hand to hand only, and keep your mind focused on the target; clear out everything else". Viktor coated Kefira's body with an inky darkness; I saw her body convulse and go into a seizure, as a light broke through her inky shell, "No harm has ever come to her, and no harm will ever come to her"! Her bones contorted into correct places as she stood back up, all of her injuries were gone, her voice was different more calm and mature; as she has lived through countless lifetimes of conflict, her light... now I know why it felt so evil, I saw the warriors spirit inside of her standing right in front of me; it was a latent power triggered by crisis... to give immense wisdom and strength, above all it was to shut off the fear holding her back and now we're going to bear brunt of her wrath.