6 Swan Song

Vibrations.

They intensify. The rubble I lay in jumps up and swiftly down as the colossal, muscle-bound legs of the beast shakes the ground with its every step. Guttural huffs announce its advance. Cold sweats run down my back; every hair stands to attention.

'This isn't fear, it's excitement.' The words are barely a whisper, but that's okay. They're for me, and me alone. Gritted teeth morph into demented smile. The relentless violence of my shattered arm threatens my consciousness, but I won't let it take my smile. I won't let it carry me into hopelessness.

Plunging the tip of the rapier into the soft, grass-covered mud, I lift myself from the debris. My body cries out in protest, detailing to mind every patch of bruised and broken flesh. The lacerations from my impact with the pillar pulse its damage to the front of my mind, only to be outdone by the inferno of suffering ravishing my bone torn limb. Panting heavily, I pull the sword from the dirt, turn, and face my opponent.

I scream. Not the scream of the helpless. Nor the scream of the agonised, though my mind struggles to remember the feeling of being without pain. My scream is declarative. My scream is a proclamation. A wordless statement, informing the monster inching its way towards me that If it wants my life, I'll make it work for every drop of blood.

The heat from the creature's body suppress my senses. With every exhalation, plumes of steam leak from its ring pierced nostrils and stern grimace. Its eyes, like stone, watch me with unwavering focus. I return its stare and lift my sword.

'Come on then!' I shout, more to myself than to the approaching beast. Circulating Tension, my body reinforces itself. The pain in my left arm turns from unbearable to merely overwhelming. The pain from my cuts and bruises retreats into a corner of my mind. Focusing the Tension into my legs and undecimated arm, my limbs swell with power.

I can't win if I can't keep up. To maximise my speed and strength is to minimise my defence. A deadly gambit, the only move I have left. Soil gives way as my feet dig into ground. Flexing my legs, I spring towards my target with all the strength I have.

Moving faster than my eyes can follow, the scenery blurs from focus. In a flash, I'm beneath the extended arm of the monster. The pressure created from the force of its explosive thrust, batters back the wind of my advance. Braced against the colliding pressure with all of my enhanced strength, I stab the tip of my blade into boulder-like abdominal of the beast. A thunderous roar engulfs the surroundings. I draw the bloodied sword from the beast's wound. Crouched low, I pivot from beneath the creature's retracting arm and move behind it. With two swift motions of my arm, I draw an "X" in blood on the back of my adversary before leaping backwards to avoid the reach of the creature's retaliation.

I never could have imagined moving with such speed and power. I never could have believed that any exchange with such a monster could end in anything other than my lifeless corpse submerged in the soil of the fields of the nameless. The battle is far from over, but for the first time since locking eyes with the beast, I can see myself surviving this ordeal. The embers of hope spark in my chest, igniting my will to survive. Fanning the flames inside I let the desire for victory wash over me.

'Again!' I shout, launching myself at my foe. As I approach, I push myself off from my right foot, dodging the titan fist set to greet me. Toes land on ground and in one motion, I spin on the tips of my toes and sweep the side of the beast with my sword, carving diagonally across its arm as I imagine one could cut through butter. With its blood drawn, I again leap backwards in retreat, marginally escaping the open hand of the monster, poised to grip me where I stood.

The beast lets out a roar of frustration. It lowers itself on all fours and charges forward. Its speed, terrifying. The ground quakes with its approach. I steady trembling knees and bring my fear into submission. Every instinct commands me to run, I supress them. The beast careens towards me, intent on goring me on its long and terrible horns. I make my own advance towards the predator. Just before the moment of impact, I bend my knees and leap into the air. Rotating above the monster, I open a fresh wound on the creature's back, carving a vertical line in-between the "X" I had drawn prior. Landing behind the beast, I turn, stoop low, and slash the back of its thighs.

Forcefully, I extend my legs. Propelled backwards, I distance myself from the risk of immediate retribution. Exhausted, I resist the urge to fall to my knees. If I were able to use even a single art, this battle would be significantly less risky. With Tension spears or Tension bullets, I'd be able to attack from a distance. I wouldn't have to wager my existence in every exchange with my adversary.

The monster stands on its feet. With its threat renewed, the pain of my injuries and the fatigue from the strain of my heavy use of Tension, I don't have time for the envy building inside me. I can lament my lowly origins later. Better yet, I can resolve to overcome them.

Taking the initiative once more, I run towards the beast. Feet crunching the soft metallic-like blackgrass beneath me, I confront the beast. Almighty fist hurls towards me; I step to the side. The beast twists itself and lunges to grab me. I tuck and roll between the furnace of its parted legs. Turning my body facing the demon's back, I slash the monster's achilles tendon and retreat as far as my legs will carry me.

Thump.

My heart rebels in my chest. Its beat echoes throughout the environment. Vicious agony pierces my core. It spreads to every inch of my body with every savage thump of my heart. Coughing violently, I stain the obsidian grass with droplets of blood.

'Not now, Ember's mercy, not now!' The pain in my chest, the blood ejected from my mouth, they're familiar symptoms to anyone trained in the use of Tension. They're irrefutable signs that one has reached their limit. They're irrefutable signs that I have reached my limit. Tension flees my body, resisting my attempts at restraining it. The full force of my injuries reasserts itself. Stumbling, I stab my sword into the ground. Its purchase, the only thing between me and collapse.

Disembodied laughter taunts me. Its callous cruelty adds to the psychic torment of this moment.

'Done already? You really are nameless trash.' The voice spits the words with enough contempt to shame a king. 'I have to admit, you had me going for a moment. For a second there, I thought, maybe she can do it? Of course, I should have known better. The nameless are no more than filth.' A globule of phlegm materialises from the air, smacking my cheek. My hand clenches around the grip of my sword. The phlegm streaks down my cheek. It rests suspended on my chin before falling to the ground. The laugher resumes.

'Why are you doing this?' I cry. 'What did I ever do to you?'

'Why, you ask?' The girl's laughter distorts with deranged fervour. 'Isn't it your own fault for going where you have no right to be? Your kind needs to learn their place.' Following the voice to its location, I gather all the determination left inside me and swing my blade at my tormenting spirit. The laughter intensifies. 'I hope that once the minotaur is finished playing with you, they let me keep your head. It would make a fitting ornament hanged inside my lavatory. There you can spend your eternal end with the rest of the shit and the piss. Wouldn't that be nice, Amy? To spend eternity with your own kind?'

'You hateful bitch!'

'Now, now, Amy. Don't you think your time would be better spent running for your miserable life?' Limping, the minotaur drags itself towards me. Its previously steeled eyes, wide and burning with fury.

'You best start running, mongrel. Try and make this at least entertaining for me. To die serving your betters, it's far more than you deserve.'

She's right. In this state, I can't hope to survive a direct confrontation with the minotaur. The only hope I have is to escape long enough to regain the use of Tension. Once I'm strong enough, I'll have no choice but to risk one decisive strike. I won't have another opportunity if I fail.

The sound of the beast behind me urges me forward. Every step, excruciating. The pain of my unsuppressed injuries mingles with the strain of exhaustion. Still, I press forward. Putting distance between myself and the slowed beast is no easy feat. My lungs and heart strain in resistance. From staggered walk to brisk pace, I retreat behind a pillar. The grunts and snorts of the beast follow my retreat, cutting short my rest upon my leaning place. I push off and retreat further. Heading towards a further column. From behind, I hear the blast of my previous safe harbour demolished by furious monster. I feel the quakes of ground disturbed by savage levelling.

I continue my escape. Not daring to look back, the heat from the beast, the commotion of its destruction, and the turbulence of its breathing tell me, it's not far behind.

A shadow eclipses my path. Daring to look up, the carcass of a newly demolished pillar falls to crush me. I leap out of the way. It crashes to the ground, exploding into lethal debris. Crawling on my arm and knees, the sound of a falling projectile grabs my conciseness. I roll from my location, barely avoiding being crushed from above. The torment of my limb, exacerbated by the need to roll over it distorts my vision. I refuse to pass out.

The scene continues. Crashing pillars and narrow escapes. The rubble of the demolition, peppering my skin with new cuts and bruises. I can't say when, but mixed into the clamour of violence, shrill and wicked laughter began to defile my ears.

'Run, you bitch. Run like the dog you are.' Laughter unrelenting, I do my best to shut it out. I fail.

'Shut…up.' The breath I spent on my defiance… wasted. My words are met with more spiteful laughter.

'Careful, Amy, it's right behind you.' The laughter continues. The scorching heat from my predator ignites my back. I dive out of the way of certain, bloody end. Teeth crushing teeth, I roll away from fists bashing ground. Backwards roll brings me back to my feet to face the monster before me. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. My thoughts travel boundless distances in an instant.

This is it. Fight here or die here. If this is to be my swan song… Ember's mercy, I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Tears well in my eyes. There was so much I wanted to do. To see the towers with my own eyes. To fight by the side of my friends one more time. To change the fate of Tanker village. To prove to all Aspire, that anyone, even a nameless girl, looked down on by everyone, can change this world. To prove to myself the same…

'I want to live!' The world hears my cry. Tension floods my being, restoring my vigour. The minotaur's fist barrels towards to. Instinctively, for all I'm worth, I couldn't say how, I cast a translucent shield around my outstretched arm. The beast's fist recoils from the plane of energy. The rebound so harsh that its bones shatter to pierce its flesh. It roars in pain. Taking advantage of its distraction, I ready my sword. Tension gathered to my legs and arm; I leap. Like a spear from below, I drive the tip of the rapier through the centre of the minotaur.

The creature gargles its last breath as its eyes redden and its mouth fills with blood. Dead, it falls to the ground, and I with it. Rested on the chest of the fiend, I disentangle myself from my hunter. I stand. Panting heavily, I stand.

Tears roll from my eyes. I'm alive. The wonderful pain of being confirms as much. I laugh. Frantic laughter bursts from my chest. I'm alive.

'Did you really think I'd let you walk out of here?' I look down. A disembodied hand holds a dagger to my stomach. Like fire, the pain spreads as I feel the blade twist inside me.

The dagger ravishes my insides, sliding out of my stomach as I fall backwards.

The sights and sounds of the world dim to irrelevance as my consciousness begins to flee. I feel the gentle downpour of my own tears trail the side of my face.

'Tarik… Ne..ro…'

' I'm sorr-'