Aeress
Without warning or concern, she flung the handful of stones in every direction. Instead of banging against the nearest walls, they went straight through the surrounding structures like bullets, shooting with boundless speed. Her ears perked up and honed in on the sounds of the pebbles and waited for something irregular, waited for a clue.
For hundreds of feet-what felt like forever-they simply went in a straight shot, until finally colliding with the outer walls of the arena.
Except for one…
Far right corner.
Without wasting time, Aeress booked it, conscious that it was imperative that she remained silent.
Her grace period didn’t last much longer. She heard the swipe of the claws before she saw them. Aeress leaned backward ‘The Matrix’ style, accept she continued to run forward. When she met the dead end wall in front of it, she kicked off it, barreling down on her next opponent.
Diana.
“Forgive me, Godhead.” They were almost silent and Aeress felt she had imagined those words until she saw the evanescent sympathy in her gaze. It was swiftly exchanged for a determined compliance.
She saw the flash of the gun, kicked it away as she pulled the trigger. They went back and forth, mostly Aeress just dodging her attempts. Diana was a swift woman, filled with trickery and intelligence that demanded reverence. She validated her presence almost instantly.
A few quick jabs passed before Diana managed to land a roundhouse kick straight to her chest. Aeress flew back, landing more than twenty feet down one of the many halls.
Her skinned buzzed with some kind of alarm as she looked back at Diana.
Diana didn’t immediately attack but instead stood there, concentrated. Her eyes were darkening, with pupils dilating and mouth widening. Her skin darkened and began to pump with energy.
Aeress looked at her with awe as she realized what she was actually doing: transforming into her beast. It was difficult to do in haste, and the average werewolf risked losing absolute control when giving their body over to the other being within them. That was the reason she hadn’t seen once since the very beginning, because only the most elite are cable of accomplishing such a feet within seconds.
There was a sense of pride blooming in her chest, a sense of motherly love. Her human features faded under the cracking and popping presence of her beast. Black fur sprouted, her mouth stretched painfully into an elongated mouth filled with terrifyingly razor sharp teeth. She let out a howl, leaned against the wall nearest to her as the rest of her body shed the shell of her human physique.
When they made eye contact, Aeress was looking into the eyes of an animal. Her teeth were pulled back in a nasty snarl.
Aeress came to a full stance, looking unafraid even as there was a slightest tense in her muscles, expecting the beast to charge.
Unexpectedly though, Diana was not so quick to engage. She seemed to surprise herself by her own hesitation, but shook her head, as if to rid herself of whatever objection her other side had managed to put up. What child desired to kill their mother, especially when their bond was fresh, even after all of these years? Aeress knew that Diana's beast fought her orders.
But Diana knew she could not defeat Aeress in the other form.
Aeress decided to cut to the chase and ran straight toward her. Diana released a roar that shook the very walls of the maze, and proceeded to do the same. Their hearts pounded with anticipation, in unison. She could taste the fear mixed with excitement in the air.
She felt her own teeth lengthen, along with many parts on her body, bulking up, filling with adrenaline and brawn. Her chest expanded, and she transformed mid-jump, clashing against Diana. It was a blink of an eye and a second of anguish, nothing when compared to the scene of Diana’s shift. It was a perk of being thousands of years old, and the very first, not that it was sunshine and daisies since the beginning.
They ripped each other to shreds, but Diana couldn’t fight Aeress while also trying to keep her animal’s desires to themself-most werewolves would never dream of harming Godhead, most but not all. The taste of blood on her tongue read frustration most of all.
Proving too much, Aeress sunk her teeth into her side and clamped them down until they met each other again. Her fur and flesh caved easily under the pressure, pouring a constant flow of that metallic taste. Diana howled in pain. She released her and roared straight into her face, demanding submission. The beast put its nose down with softer eras, even as she was bleeding out.
When Aeress altered, her instincts became stronger, more controlling. Her actions were more driven by her less humane emotions and desires, not necesarily focused on the most important task at hand in that specific moment.
Aeress licked the blood from her teeth and moved on, knowing Diana would be fine eventually, just as the rest of them.
She kept in the direction toward the exit. While she couldn’t see it, she felt it. Her body thrummed from the many altercations it had just been in and hungered for a final victory.
Aeress transformed back into her regular form, knowing she would be more levelheaded in that state.
There was a change in the air, a whisper of a warning, but Aeress was just too damn slow in reaction time. She felt a blade dip into her flesh just as quickly as it came. She recognized the swiftness of Jia. No one would ever master knives and speed quite like Jia.
Aeress stood still. She hissed when another blade shot through her thigh. The pain was instant but bearable. She caught the blade as it protruded before it could be slid out. Her palm sliced open at her action but she held on.
Jia disappeared before Aeress could attack. Her natural speed was astonishing.
Aeress struggled to remove the blade, but did so after a few heavy tugs and a will she hoped could withstand any further abuse.
This time she swiped at Jia as she passed by, making contact to her side but also taking a slash to her own cheek. The warmth streamed down her face instantly but would soon dry. Her earliest wounds had already stopped bleeding but were still raw. The pain was still fresh. The pound in her head remained deafening.
Jia raced by after a few seconds, but Aeress could smell the blood from her cut and utilized it to track her location. She stretched her arm out, plunging the blade straight into the bone of her leg, she twisted the weapon and heard as bone splintered oh so easily.
She retaliated by striking Aeress with another blade, so quick in jabbing her in the neck, shoulder and side. But she endured these attacks, holding in the cries of pain and harnessing the power behind them. She pulled back her fist and after a few seconds of sparring, she brought down her balled hand, allowing only this part to transform, and slamming it into her chest.
The sound of all of her ribs shattering echoed and made Aeress feel sick. She soared into the nearest wall, and the impact was so powerful that another crunch resonated, but this time it resonated from her spine. Jia’s body was literally imprinted into the wall, hanging there like a lifeless doll.
Aeress went down onto her hands and knees, coughing up crimson from her deep neck wound. She was completely drenched in her own blood, but also the blood of her children. Because that’s what she considered them, even as they tried to kill her. She couldn't find it in her heart to be furious of even vengeful. All she could muster up was pity. Although, the most dominant thought focused on survival.
She got up, and knew her energy was beginning to drain at a faster pace. If she didn't get to the exit soon, she would surely be defeated.
Aeress couldn't help herself and took Jia's body. She was brave and refused to cry. Her body was all kinds of fucked up.
She placed a kiss on her forehead and put a couple drops of her blood on her tongue, hoping it would help her heal the worst of the damage. She wouldn't fully recover until a couple of weeks, Aeress knew this. "You did well."
Aeress began to run this time. Sometimes she came upon a dead end and had to backtrack, but she did so at a supernatural pace.
Her her heart just about stopped when she saw what felt like out of a dream: the exit.
It was a small open archway, backed by nothing but darkness but Aeress had never seen anything more heavenly.
Her hope risen to the sky only for it to come crashing down, plummeting to the very depths of hell.
Idris.
Her eyes widened at the sight of him in his beastly form. He easily reached over eight feet, easily taller than Aeress when she was in what she considered her rawest form.
His form was terrifyingly powerful, packed with endless brawn. Dark grey fur blanketed his muscles, but those unmistakable scars still marred his body. They told a horrifying tale of his past sufferings and anguish. His eyes were a glowing red, reminding her of her own eyes. Saliva dripped from his ferocious canines which were incredibly massive. She could practically feel them ripping through her throat.
She recalled the fact that he was blind, but questioned this conclusion due to the concentrated expression on his face. Perhaps he couldn't see her, but this was of no great importance, because he knew exactly where she was, where she was hurt, and how exactly he would attack these weak spots.
His lips pulled back in a fierce snarl. Now this beast was less loving toward her, and she could sense the rage radiating from his pores.
Aeress willed herself to alter. Her height lengthened and her skin darkened into a more noticable blue. Her claws were a glossy black, sleek and sharpened to a point that even the slightest contact was deadly. This time though, her jaw stung as it adjusted to her new, perilous teeth.
Gleaming blue scales sprouted from her skin, creating armor around her forearms and calves. They shifted and shimmered beautifully. She was ready for battle.
He moved silently and this caught her off guard. Idra was a flash of movement. Behind her. In front of her.
She swept her foot out, just to test his reflexes. As she predicted, he avoided it swiftly. He moved with precision and grace. It was unbelievable.
Instead of toying with her more, he came right at her, no illusions or tricks. He was power and strength. Aeress knew from the moment she laid eyes on this warrior, he would be the person whom she would especially have to watch out for. In a way, she could sense that his capabilities most likely matched that of Warrick, but for some reason has held himself from challenging his position as Viceroy.
They went toe to toe. He was worthy in every way. Even as he was in his beastly form, he somehow managed to fight even better so. It was astonishing, and she felt reverence, even through her own fear that there was a chance she would be killed that day.
She had to remind herself that he was completely blind, because he fought as though he saw everything, as though he could see her moves before she even thought of them.
He was quick, clawing her, slicing her to the bone. She worked hard as he kept trying to snap her neck. His palms slid against her skin, wetting his hands with her blood. Aeress came to the realization that Idris wasn't stabbing her for the purpose of killing her-he knew she could take a stab over and over and still live-but for the purpose of weakening her.
It was working.
He managed to land a jab to her throat with enough brawn that her air was instantly cut off. She gasped for a breath, falling backward against the weight of him. Right as she fell, he reached forward with his claws and slashed straight across her face.
Idris made contact with her right eye. She screamed as blood poured from her face and landed heavily against the wall behind her. Her back was already pulsing, so this contact only worsened the pain. He wasted no time, and lifted her off the ground, the feel of his beastly hand against her neck made her feel a moment of hopelessness.
He lifted her up without an ounce of effort. She cried out, uncaring that she was revealing her location to the rest of the Viceroy.
Everything slowed down as he dug his razors straight into her chest. The bone gave more resistance than the average human or werewolf, but eventually gave out under the strength of him. The crunching made her nauseous. He was gunning straight for her heart, and definitely not in the romantic way, more like the horrifying, I’m-going-to-be-murdered kind of way.
He dug further into her, and what was strange about it was that he hadn’t made a sound. He was silent and gave no sound of satisfaction. It was eery in the purest definition.
“No!” She shouted in denial. She lifted up her legs and wrapped them around his waist. With her waning strength she forced him into a tight embrace, and sunk her teeth right into his shoulder. He didn’t even flinch, but just kept at it. Next she raked her teeth against his neck, causing blood to flow out like a river. Again, he didn’t give. So next she placed her hand flat against his back and dug her nails into his back, searching for his spine.
He flung her away before she could paralyze him.
She got up onto her hands and knees, only to receive a kick straight to the jaw. From the other side, someone buried a knife right into her chest. Aeress tried to wipe the blood from her eyes, but instantly recognized that the Viceroy were all beginning to gather around her, each taking turns in attacking her.
They had no mercy and she knew exactly why. They couldn’t just allow any woman to become Godhead, because in the wrong hands, that kind of power could destroy all of werewolf kind.
Again and again, they made her bleed until she felt there was nothing else. They broke her until nothing was left whole. But still she fought off that last death blow.
Aeress fought back with every ounce in her. She would not die, she could not die. She was Godhead.
“Give up!” One of them roared. It wasn’t a taunt but a plead. They dare feel sorry for her?
What felt like an eternity passed of so many endless and countless limbs and weapons reaching out to batter her to a point of nothingness. There were too many Viceroy to count. They all blurred under the curtain of blood that drenched her face and body. It could have been two of them or all of them, but it all felt the same in that moment, overwhelming her into a savage state of mind.
It was no longer fighting one person at a time like before. They all charged her with everything they had, and she somehow managed to stay breathing, even as her throat was mostly caved in. In fact, many parts of her body were caving in at that moment, but she wouldn't think of that, she couldn’t think of that.
Every piece of pain built within, and she allowed it to gather, to pile on top of each other. Everything would rise and rise within her soul, reaching an apex she feared would destroy her, crush her to a final death.
Then an eternity ended. That was the only way she could describe the next couple seconds.
A dam broke, the gates were unlocked, and she released this mountainous build-up with an earth shattering scream. Heat surged forward, parting from her skin. A wave of dark blue energy burst from her body, throwing every single person many feet away from her kneeling form. She was on fire one moment and deathly cold the next. She collapsed as the last bit of energy evaded her, relating to that of a hollow shell.
Everything went dark momentarily, only to fast forward into the present.
She rolled onto her stomach, waiting to be attacked. Nothing happened for several seconds and Aeress couldn’t wait any longer.
It took everything in her will to crawl toward the exit. She knew that her opponents were quickly recovering from her little stunt, and if even just one of them got to her before she got across the threshold, she would surely perish-this she did not deny.
The blood made it hard for her to crawl, but she never gave up, even as she kept slipping on the crimson floor. Aeress was nearly blind, but sensed she was close. Everything threatened to give in response to the movement of her body, but she pushed herself until there was nothing else. And when there was nothing else, she found more.
“Please, just a little more.” She begged herself as she inched across the harsh stone floor, “please.”
Feet felt like miles, but it didn’t matter. In a way, this last stretch felt the most agonizing. To be so close tortured her. She waited to be dragged away, but it never happened.
Every inch killed her. Every movement was another instant of suffering.
She never felt more alive than when she reached the exit. There was a moment of serenity. Aeress never dared look but thrust herself into the archway. When she hit the other side, it was as though she passed through the pearly gates of heaven. She experienced tranquility like never before.
This did not last long. Her breathing was labored, and even though she felt like she was floating, she knew the injuries were very, very bad.
The voice was as clear as day, with obvious shock. “The third trial has been completed.”