Gem continued struggling with her bonds, until she finally resorted to chewing herself free. It was slow work, and hard on her as dust filled her mouth and pecks of twine caught between her feet, but still she continued, recognizing actual progress in freeing herself. She had managed to free one hand but, finding herself unable to tie the knots of the other rope, resorted to her teeth once more.
She stopped suddenly and sat up as her captor entered,putting her free hand to the side and praying he did not notice.
Aven walked over, brow furrowed in anger. She cringed, thinking that he had realized her escape attempt. But instead, he kneeled, picking up the shards of plate.
She sighed in relief, grateful for the unintentional distraction.
Gem had attempted to bring it closer with her feet, but only managed to flip it to the ground.
Aven stood, holding some of the meager food, a bread crust caked with dirt and filth from the ground."Eat." He ordered.
She glared at him defiantly.
He narrowed his eyes."I'm angry enough right now, so do not try my patience."
She hesitated, then bit into it. She found it easier to eat when she compared it to the rope. He made sure she finished, then walked out, and she continued her work on the rope.
Her earlier fighting, as well as the lack of proper food, had drained most of her strength, so much that even this attempt to free herself sapped her strength. Her eyes began to slowly close, fluttering as she tried to stay awake.
She was startled awake completely as she heard the rasping of a sword from its sheathe, and looked back quickly. She narrowly avoided the blade, which sliced through the weakened ropes as though they were mere string. She hissed and turned, blinking, startled as she recognized the attacker.
The odd robes, the brown hair with streaks of gray draped across his shoulders, the hard eyes that pierced through her, as though she were simply another obstacle, another minuscule, insignificant thing in his way.
He reached his hand back, sheathing his blade and scoffing."So, you're here. Only natural, I suppose. A fledgeling Griffin such as yourself would be inclined to join the larger flock." The Swordsman crossed his arms."Even so, your presence here does complicate things. I'd not planned for any rematch yet. But...well, if we come to blows, so be it. I'll write it off at the simple and inevitable path of fate."
Gem glared, reaching for her side before she remembered her blade was no longer with her. She narrowed her eyes, making her signs quick and passing, to show her anger."What are you doing here? Last time I saw you-"
"You had that secretary woman give me quite the blow, and I can't say I appreciate it." He replied, placing a hand over where he had been wounded.
Gem glared."After you nearly killed me with those blades of yours. Excuse me if I don't go weeping over your little scratch. Hardly counts as an honor wound, wouldn't have even slowed you down if not for the poison."
The Swordsman glared."Feh. I have my own ways of measuring honor, and only a coward uses poison in battle." He shook his head."I did not come here looking for a fight, Silent Sword. You may slip away unscathed. Or, if you have thoughts of attacking me, need I remind you to do not have your own blade? It would not end well, I promise you."
She narrowed her eyes, raising her hands to reply, but froze. She heard the door creaking open, heard another rasp as a blade was drawn from its scabbard.
Aven walked in cautiously at first, but froze upon seeing The Swordsman. He growled and ran forward, slashing at him. "Get out of my mothers house, you bastard!"
The Swordsman the case that held his blades, and the Deena blade bounced off with a slight metallic ring. He quickly drew his longest blade from the case and parried the next blow, letting the case fall back to its place at his side. He looked at him disdainfully."I've officially lost all patience for pig-headed fools such as you."
Gem truly wished she could speak, to order them to stop before anyone was seriously injured. There would be no love lost for The Swordsman, but...Aven had his mother to worry about. As she was, all she could manage a few dry, rough grunts aimed at them, but it sounded more life she was goading them on than pleading for them to stop. They seemed more than satisfied to oblige the seeming taunts and clashed once again.
Aven glared."You dare to bring arms here! To free a member of Black Griffin!?"
The Swordsman scoffed, parrying another blow."She just happened to be here. I'd rather see her dead, to be honest. Quite the troublemaker."
He glared."She's a traitor!" He snapped, swinging forward. His opponent blocked, but Aven pressed on, leaning forward and pushing him against the wall."You cannot deny us our prisoner!" He exclaimed."How dare you even try it! She's with them! What kind of traitor would join that group after they-"
It happened almost too quick for her to follow.
The Swordsman reached into his case with his free hand, drawing the shortest blade.
Aven looked down with a mix of rage and helplessness, recognizing the threat but unable to do anything to prevent it.
The Swordsman raised the blade, snarling triumphantly at the despair on his foes face.
As a last ditch effort, Aven gave her a look of...remorse? Pleading? Desperation? It was hard to say exactly what thought were crossing his mind."Please....help m-"
Before he could finish, The Swordsman brought down his blade, goring Aven through one of his startling brown eyes. The blow had great force behind it, slicing the eye, bone, and tissue apart and piercing through to the back of his skull. There was silence, apart from an odd gurgling sound, and then The Swordsman pulled his blade free, and Aven fell to the ground lifelessly.
Gem ran to his side, shaking him desperately, with the same desperation that had filled his final moments, for they both had wanted him to live. But, the remaining eye in his head glazed over in death, and he showed no response to the shaking. He was dead.
Gem turned to The Swordsman, about to unleash every rude sign she knew, but stopped as she heard a voice."Aven? Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard something falling."
Paxrilla looked in, her teeth clacking.
Katto began to draw his blade again, but then noticed her blindness and refrained. Apparently, even he had his limits to who he would kill.
She smiled."Ah, I see, the human from that warband escaped, did she?"
Gem blinked, realizing for the first time that Paxrilla had no clue what she was. That she had no idea that a member of her own race was right there before her, after so long, and felt a wave of pity wash over her. Pity for her new loss, pity for her blindness...pity for emotions she could not describe.
She smiled and walked over to The Swordsman, narrowly avoiding stepping on Aven's corpse, and hugged him."Good work keeping her here. You do your mother proud."
The Swordsman stood there silently, giving a brief nod.
Paxrilla turned to Gem and wagged a finger at her."No good of you to try things like that. You'll be free in good time, once all this unpleasantness is over with."
She walked out the way she came, and Gem changed her mind. At that moment in time, walking in with blindness was more of a blessing than a curse.
The Swordsman looked down."...I believe that is your blade." He said.
Gem snapped out of her trance and looked down, seeing the long, slender blade she had wielded her whole life, hooked to the belt of Aven. She kneeled down to retrieve it, barely containing the wave of nausea that overcame her. She pulled it free and stood, looking down at the still-warm corpse again.
The Swordsman turned."I have spread among chaos amongst the bronze-skins, and shall now take my leave. The Sai have no chance, with how the battle has turned, and I shall not waste my own life here.
" He climbed out the window, looking back at Gem."So, girl...Now do you know true guilt?"
Gem glared, a look of hatred in her eyes."I've killed enough people and still have a clear conscience." Said her hands."Why would I feel guilt over the death you've caused?"
The Swordsman gave a wistful smile."True guilt is not over those you have killed. It is only over those you have failed to save. The taint of this day belongs to both of us." He vanished from sight, and Gem climbed out, a tear streaming down her face. Both for the fallen man she left behind, and because she knew that The Swordsman was right.