Reborn (24 page)

With the air driven from his lungs, the stunned brute’s eyes rolled up into his head. Never had he been on this end of such a savage attack. With the monster now pinned, the enraged Dronin warrior drove her head down again and again. The hollow cracking of bone on skin rang out like a blacksmith’s hammer, and Zhou’s face quickly became a mask of red.

“I am Athel Thenalra, daughter of Corzon Thenalra,” Athel roared as her forehead came down again and again, Zhou’s blood now masking her face as well. “I have never been defeated on the battlefield, and on my family name, I swear no dog will be the first.”

Her head came down again, but then stopped with a jolt, her chin caught in Zhou’s giant hand. With his face covered in blood, he laughed at her as she struggled to get free from the iron grip. “So that was the best you’ve got, Athel Thenalra, daughter of Corzon Thenalra?” He took his time getting back to his feet, still holding the suddenly helpless warrior by the neck, her feet dangling off the ground like a child. “I must admit, you disappoint me. I hoped that killing a famed warrior such as yourself would prove to be more rewarding.” The deep wounds across his chest began to close before her eyes, the open gashes on his face quickly mending back together. “Oh well, despite the lack of sport, I still think your head will look good on my wall.” He lifted her high into the air, extending the claws on his other hand.

He howled with pain as his knees buckled, the end of a staff appearing between his legs. With a monstrous throw, he sent Athel flying through the air. She crashed into a far-off tree as thick bark and wood slivers bloomed out to each side. Her semi-conscious eyes opened and closed, vision fading in and out. The warrior focused hard to try and stay awake as blackness threatened to take her away. She watched helplessly from a distance as Jacob whirled his staff against the physically superior being.

Move, damn you.
She began to crawl toward them, coughing blood as it sprayed the ground. Her broken body was already beginning to regenerate, but it could take hours to fully heal, when she only had seconds.
He has no chance, I need to move
.

Jacob peppered each limb with blows as each opportunity presented itself. Head…head...hand...knee...knee...knee...head. Each solid shot was a crushing blow that would kill or incapacitate any mortal target, but here, they were only doing just enough to throw the virtually invincible beast off balance.

Zhou roared with frustration, finding difficulty in answering the stinging blows, surprised by the pinpoint accuracy of this pesky human. Having no respect for the mortal’s abilities, he unleashed an all-out offensive barrage. Razor-sharp claws slashed and ripped with impossible speed. Nothing in Jacob’s past training could have prepared him for Zhou’s astonishing speed and power, but his natural instincts took over. Knowing his weapon could never withstand a head-on block, Jacob rolled his staff across the back of Zhou’s hand with each slashing attack, forcing the beast to overcommit time after time. Zhou paid for each slash with a lightning-quick counterstrike hitting him across his jaw.

The dazzling dance went on, with Jacob backing off a step with each cycle. Catch...push...counter. Catch...push...counter. With Zhou’s mouth a bloody mess, and really feeling the effects now, he launched himself at Jacob, both arms out wide in an attempt to crush him in a bear hug. Jacob instinctively dropped down low as massive arms clasped the air above him. Knee...knee...groin; the hard counterstrikes rang out with a
crack crack crack
.

The beast crumpled over with a groan, completely stunned by this mortal’s improbable skill. Jacob roared, launching himself straight upward. All his anger and rage concentrated into one vicious uppercut strike. His staff shattered against Zhou’s face, exploding into a shower of splinters. The beast’s head snapped straight backward, blood spewing into the air like a deep-red geyser. Still holding the sharp, splintered end of the staff, Jacob rushed forward, intent on driving it into the beast’s chest.

Athel was on her feet now, stumbling, but still moving as fast as she could.
How did he ever last this long
? Time moved like a lazy river, yet her wobbly legs did all they could to move her forward. She needed to close the distance now. She needed to intervene. Needed to save...

Jacob rushed forward, roaring with the splintered piece held high. His body stopped with a jolt, eyes glazing over. The puny weapon fell from his hand, bouncing harmlessly off the grass.

Athel screamed out in horror, now at a dead sprint. She watched helplessly as Zhou rose back to his full height, clawed hand buried deep inside Jacob’s stomach. He turned his head, spitting out a glob of blood, then sneered down at his flesh puppet. With a twist and pull, he now held a handful of intestines. Jacob’s limp body crumpled to the ground, eyes wide open and lifeless.

Before he could savor his surprisingly hard-won victory, fire shot through the back of his neck. He screamed out, awkwardly clawing away at his back. Athel’s head wiggled back and forth savagely, sharp teeth buried deep in the monster’s neck. She reached across his neck and ripped with all her strength. Her claws dug in deep as his throat peeled open. Blood flowed like a waterfall, continuously hitting the dry ground with a sickening
splat
.

She dropped down from his back and waited. He gurgled and spit, slowly turning his torn body around. Patiently, she waited. When he finally faced her, hand clasped over his gushing throat, she took a step forward. “Like I told you, dog, you were always expendable. No one will ever know you existed.” She drove her clawed hand deep into his chest, turned then twisted, before ripping out her prize. His heart still beat in her hand as he watched, still alive but far too broken to move.

Her inherited animal instincts took over as she did the unthinkable. She bit into the beating trophy, forcing Zhou to drop to his knees. As she began to devour it, the beast’s life force slipped with each bite. Soon his body lay next to Jacob, eyes wide open...lifeless.

* * *

The twin gateways hung silently in the air, shimmering golden rips in time defying the laws of physics; defying nature herself. In a burst of golden sparks, the killers rushed back into the world of the living. Their swords crossed in a blinding flash, casting a spray of green and white sparks into the air. “So you think the world is your playground, every form of life inferior and disposable?” Eric growled as their blades engaged, crackling against each other with energy. An endless flow of white sparks drifted down, landing around their feet.

“Don’t you see?” his nemesis said, voice straining with effort, pressing back hard with his black blade. “They are inferior, every one of them. They weren’t meant to survive, and neither were you.” They disengaged briefly in a flash of light, then drove forward again, blades clashing about in an extraordinary light show. White ash and black smoke filled the air as their blades crashed over and over. Eric effortlessly flowed from one form to the next, making the advanced transitions look like a simple dance of steel.

Raging Mountain

Quiet Storm

Flowing River

Although wide-eyed at the precise assault, the madman fended off the blades master’s strikes with his own dazzling swordsmanship. The two crossed swords again, breathing hard, each looking the other in the eye.

The killer pushed off, sending Eric stumbling backward, then held out his hand and spread his fingers. A golden pit opened beneath Eric’s feet. In an instant, he fell into the ground as it swallowed him whole, then snapped shut with a
pop
. “If you are so eager to protect them, then feel free to join them,” the madman cackled, waving his sword in a wide loop above his head, leaving a trail of white ash in the air. The large, snowy flakes fluttered down, harmlessly spreading along the ground.

He turned away, a toothy grin splitting his face. “A field mouse would have proved to be a bigger threat. Now nothing can sto—” his smile melted away. “No, it can’t be,” he muttered, slowly turning back.

A shimmering golden line slashed across the air, right in front of him. He backed away as it snapped open. Eric calmly stepped through, his eyes twinkling with golden light as he gripped his flaming sword. “Is that the best you can do?” he whispered, light beaming from his mouth with every word.

“Impossible,” the twisted madman muttered. “I’ll crush you the same as all the others. A god has no equal.”

“Is that how you see the world, madman?” said Eric, stalking forward with murder in his eyes. “You choose to take the lives of the innocent just because you can. Well, some things have nothing to do with choice. I’m not going to kill you just because you deserve it. I’m going to kill you because the world is better off without you. It’s a service to mankind, nothing more.” The mad killer backed away, terror in his eyes. “I never claimed to be a god’s equal,” Eric said softly as golden light shimmered across his black markings, crackling energy riding down his arms and across his chest. “I could never be...because the gods fear me.”

Eric rushed in, his angry blade whirling about with savage intent. The madman was clearly a blades master in his own rights, blocking each strike is a spray of ash. Their swords clashed over and over, the beings throwing all their strength behind each blow. Green and white sparks flared out with each mighty collision. Eric, pressing hard now, was trying to finish with pure savagery.

A shimmering gateway opened between them, separating the warriors for a moment. Eric, not even bothering to use his sword, punched straight through it, shattering it in a burst of golden light. “Do you think this is how they felt?” he boomed, punching through the next when it appeared before him. The twisted killer was now doing anything he could to slow Eric down, forming gateways right in his path. “The sheer panic of knowing these are your final moments in this world?” Eric punched through another, dragging his sword along like a stick. The blades master felt so confident now, so dominant over this being, that the powerful sword meant nothing now. It was just a tool to help speed up the job.

The madman fell to his back, then inched away on his backside. He reached out, forming a doorway to his left, only to watch it shatter right before him. He formed another to his right, then watched it vaporize in a bloom of yellow sparks. “No, no,” he shrieked, covering his head, not daring to look up.

“Tell me, how does it feel?” Eric hissed, throwing his sword to the side as it skidded along the ground. He reached down, lifting the trembling man by a handful of hair. With a sudden twisting thrust, the madman tried to bury his blade in Eric’s gut, but the warrior grabbed it with his bare hand and squeezed. With a sizzling sound, it bent like melting butter, then snapped in half with a blinding red flash. He threw the smoldering piece off to the side, his hand showing no damage at all. “No matter, I don’t care how you feel. I promise you, this won’t be quick,” he said softly, still holding the man by his hair. “I plan to spend days making you pay for what you’ve—”

Two remaining cats leapt at Eric’s back. He dropped the man and turned in one smooth motion, catching each one in mid-flight by the throat. Their snapping and growling quickly turned to whining rasps as he calmly squeezed, blood running down both his arms. He threw their limp bodies, making them smack against the ground like wet towels. He turned back only to see a golden doorway snap shut, his prey now gone to who knows where.

“Coward,” he growled, eyes still glowing a soft golden light. “Crawl back into the hell you came from. Even the darkness won’t be able to protect you from me. Sooner or later...I’ll find you.”

* * *

Athel dropped to her knees next to Jacob’s body. Her shaking hand slid along his chest, stopping at the open wound. His insides lay spread along the ground. She looked to the sky and screamed, a long, sorrowful wail that echoed through the forest.

“Why did you follow me?” she shrieked, beating on his chest as his lifeless face rolled back and forth in the grass. “This is all my fault. I left so this very thing wouldn’t happen. I was willing to live alone for the rest of my life, just to keep you safe. Now look at what’s—”

She fell back across his chest, sobbing and wailing.
The spirits have shown that your powers will directly affect your friend’s life
. She peeked up as the distant memory fluttered through her mind with the exact words Wara had said to her. “My powers will directly affect him,” she muttered out loud, wiping tears from her eyes.

At that moment, a strange instinct began to take hold in an illogical thought she never would have acted on otherwise, but with nothing to lose... She bit deep into her own wrist, causing it to bleed profusely. Tipping up Jacob’s head, she pressed his lips to the wound, forcing the blood down his throat.

She growled, looking over her shoulder, still holding Jacob’s head to her wrist. Even though the beast moved silently, it still couldn’t fool her sensitive ears. Black and grey fur covered the beast’s muscular body. Its head looked like that of a jackal, with large ears that stood straight up. “You again,” she hissed, her eyes darting all around as movement seemed to come from all directions at once. One by one, others crept through the vegetation, slinking out into the open. Some snarled, walking on two legs, while others crept along on all fours, displaying some caution.

I told you before, you don’t belong in the world of men
. The series of cryptic snarls in her head somehow formed a logical thought.
You will never live up to your full potential unless you come with us
. With tears flowing down her cheek, she looked down to Jacob. The flesh was mending itself together right before her eyes.
Make a choice. You know you don’t belong here anymore
.
You know the mortal could never love you
.
He is better off without you
.