Septifiria; The Becoming

Chapter 6

   Septi knelt beside Dr. Hamilton, next to Guin, who was shaking with silent sobs. The world seemed to stop for a couple of minutes as the two women sat side by side beside the corpse of a great man, the teacher of the both of them. Septi gently closed his eyes and kissed his wrinkled cheek.

   “Dr. H, you will not have died in vain,” Septi whispered, standing up and carefully stepping away from him. “Guinavere, I can’t say anything that doesn’t sound completely vide. Just know that he was a great friend and help to me, always willing to heal my cuts and wounds, and be the father I never had.”

   “He was, too,” Guin said, raising her tear stained face to look at Septi. “Always a kind friend. Though I never knew him as a father, I don’t begrudge you that.” Septi smiled slightly, and fought tears herself. Glancing around, she saw that several of the combatants who were still fighting were down the hall, and were approaching quickly.

   “Guin, you may wish to go,” Septi said, her voice quiet and urgent. “Go before you are killed as well.” Guin looked down at the body that was formerly Dr. Philip Hamilton, and sighed, then looked back up at Septi.

   “Not without my father and my brother,” she said, her voice filled with a determination that Septi knew wouldn’t be changed. However, someone screamed at that moment, and some scuffling noises distracted Septi. Turning, she saw Mes wrestling with a large, rough looking man who was attempting to choke her, from the looks of things.

   Septi flicked her wrist instinctively, and threw her dagger fluidly. It embedded itself up to its handle in his back, and he dropped. Mes fell with him, his arm still wrapped around her neck. Septi ran up to retrieve her dagger, and pried his dead hand from its grip on Mes.

   “Where have you been?” Mes gasped, standing up and staring at his maroon colored blood, which was still oozing from the wound. “The battle’s going on and you’re nowhere to be seen.”

   “Well excuse me for killing Steppe,” Septi snapped, giving vent to her emotions and kicking the body hard. “And Pat. And witnessing Dr. H’s death.”

   “Steppe’s dead? You killed him?” Mes asked incredulously. “Septi, you killed Steppe?”

   “Yes, I killed Steppe,” Septi said, slightly impatiently. Then, glancing around and spotting a couple of unfamiliar mutants running towards them, she added, “Mes, two problems, heading this way.” Mes nodded and spun. An aura of sheer hypnotic power pulsed around her, and Mes looked  like one might expect an ancient goddess of war to look like, with her long black hair flying loose and her eyes alight with anger and a mysterious strength, a shimmering light surrounding her. Though the pjs kind of ruin the effect, Septi thought, amused by this in her highly emotional state.

   “You will take your dead and go,” Mes said imperiously, the power filling the hall. “Go!” she repeated. Septi felt the power pulse with Mes’s heartbeat, and watched as the intruders stopped dead in their tracks. One of them seemed to be trying to fight it, his face working furiously, but the other, as well as all of the other invaders still in range turned and left, picking up corpses and their wounded on the way out of the hideout. Mes was sweating as she fought to maintain control. Then she dropped suddenly, a knife in her shoulder, and her power taking too much strength out of her for her to continue standing. Septi spun, daggers back in her hands and quickly knifed Mes’s attacker. The bloodlust was back as Septi withdrew her dagger from the fatal wound spot.

   Septi spun on her heel and ran off, through the hideout, listening for sounds of any remaining battle. She quickly located the last of it and started fighting like a machine. She had no idea how long she had been fighting, nor did she care. All she knew was that this had to end once and for all.