ECHO [Rewritten - NaNoWriMo '16]

Chapter 26: Viper

Viper snarled, "Says the pathetic human."

Echo pulled two knives from her boots. She flipped them, the edges catching the light. She dropped into a crouch and smiled. So beautiful, and full of so much anger. Viper dropped into a crouch, snakes curling up her legs to slide into the palm of her hands. As they slid, they transformed into green bladed swords. Viper mirrored Echo's position. For a moment, no one dared move or breathe. Echo chuckled, "Come on, Miss Goddess. Let's see what you can do."

26 March 2016

Between New Forest and Canterbury, England

Echo

Echo knew that more than likely, she was going to get her ass handed to her. But the reactions that flickered across Viper's face were too priceless to miss. Echo swallowed her laughter, knowing full well that her taunting would come back to haunt her. And as Viper smiled, her snake swords hissing, Echo took a deep breath. In the next instant, she disappeared from in front of her, and was behind her. She barely managed to duck, and kick her away from herself. Never-less one of her sharpened blades caught Echo's cheek. She flinched, the skin burning around the wound.

Viper laughed, "What was that again?"

"Is that it?" Echo called.

Viper's eyes flashed, even though Echo was looking at the woman's lower cheek, she could see the hideous shine. Viper launched again, swinging the sword. Echo ducked, and drove her elbow into the woman's thigh. Viper snarled, spinning on her foot to drive her knee up. Echo leaped into the air, flipping through to land several feet away. And as soon as she landed, Echo threw one of her knives at Viper. The woman knocked the small blade out of the way. As that was happening, Echo launched forward. Viper snapped her teeth and swung a sword towards the young assassin's neck. Echo arched her back, bending backwards just as the blade passed by her skin. Echo straightened and threw a punch, but Viper dodged it, casually knocking aside the blow.

But Echo was expecting this and used the distraction to grab her wrists. She twisted, using all of her strength. Viper hissed as the bones cracked, her grip on the swords failing. Instead of clattering to the floor, they thumped as the swords transformed into snakes. Echo brought up her knee into Viper's gut, and then released the one wrist to use both hands for the one. And then she yanked it behind her, it snapped as the joint was yanked out of place. Viper snarled, throwing up the elbow of her other arm. It connected with the side of Echo's head. She lost her balance but didn't fall. It was enough though that Viper was able to free her arm. She took a step back and then kicked Echo's side. It knocked the assassin to the floor.

She took the blow, landing lightly, and using the momentum and knocking Viper's legs out from under her. She hit the ground with a thud. Echo launched, straddling her and wrapping her hands around the woman's throat. But just as her fingers curled around her neck, Viper grabbed Echo's face. Her nails digging into the assassin's scalp. Echo shut her eyes, but she could feel the energy escaping from Viper's hands into her own skin. It was like a poison being injected into her very bones. It felt as though her insides were melting. Echo gasped, trying to find a way to breathe.

"My brothers were too delicate and soft for their own good. Developing feelings for mere humans, having that loyalty was pathetic and in the end was what got them killed," Viper said.

"It was their loyalty to you," Echo snapped. "They were your brothers."

"Once perhaps, but such simple ties are idiotic to focus and risk your life for," Viper chuckled. "Just like you loyalty to R, or Wren's to his sister."