***NEED WORK

Zeik's POV

It was as if the sound was sucked right out of the air, leaving a dull ringing in my ear.

I heard myself breathe in, and the sudden jolt of my heart beating. I felt the buzz and chill of adrenaline coursing through my veins, drilling into every fiber of my muscles.
And I saw the world before me suddenly slow, every event and movement of a second being drawn out into minutes.

The she-creature dove, her right arm pulling back as her long fingers tensed into claws. Her body arched with almost a cat-like grace as she leaped into the air. Her expression remained lifeless as she reached forward towards me.

I could read her movements…

I was charging at her before I knew it.
Just as her claws came just a foot away from my face, I leaned back and dropped onto my right side. I let the momentum carry me as I slid right under the soaring body of my enemy.

---What was this? Something was missing…off. I was struggling---but fighting her shouldn’t be this easy.

As I passed under her body, my eye caught her upper left sleeve.
There, on the shoulder of her cloak, was a clean rip---as if a dagger had sliced through the dark fabric---

I jammed my heel into the dusty cement ground and popped back onto my feet. I bent my knees just the slightest bit, and sprung back into the air. The wind whistled in my ear as I flipped and twisted in the air before landing backwards. Another quick kick-off and I was in the air again, back-springing.
My hands caught the outer pipe railing at the edge of the rooftop. I let my knees kick forward, swinging my body right over the edge.

My feet securely met the side of the building, my left hand still gripped tightly around the railing. I pulled my right side around and twisted a little to locate my short sword.
It was stuck right below me, just about five yards away.

I heard an angry, bloodcurdling shriek from somewhere on the rooftop.

Move!

I let go of my grip on the railing and let myself fall. I pulled my frame around so I was falling head-first. My right arm shot out and took hold of the hilt of my sword just as I was about to pass. It was very well stuck; it stopped my fall completely with a solid yank.

I heard sharp whistling coming from up above. I didn’t even bother looking.

I switched my grip on my weapon and gave a hard kick against the brick wall. The rusting drain pipe groaned and broke at the force and I was freed into the air just as a group of whipping flesh vines crashed into the wall. The wall crumbled with a great boom on impact, blowing bits of debris and dust outwards in all directions.

I flipped back in the air before landing securely on the ground.
“Come on,” I muttered, swinging my short sword in an offensive hold for the first time.
The blade whistled and cut through the air bitingly in my confident hand.

It all made sense now…The last piece of the puzzle finally presented itself. The rip on her cloak sleeve…it was too much for it to be just a coincidence.
That was the reason why she was already weak.

And that was all the reason I needed.

“This time, I’ll finish you off.” I vowed out loud.

The dust cloud was only starting to settle when a speeding blur shot out from the side.

Timing, Zeik. Wait for your turn.

Sounds dimmed, the colors faded. The air seemed to condense heavily against my skin as the weight of the world settled itself down onto my shoulders.

Watch out…keep your eyes open. Watch…

Through the lifeless black-and-white haze, there was a sudden ripple of sound that shifted through the space, pulsing against my skin in a low thud. The impact came from the front.

A direct, angular attack.

Colors returned and the sounds regained their volume.
I felt my muscles clench tightly as I dove to my right.

Something whistled in the air and crashed heavily into the ground with a solid thud.

My feet touched down on the ground and I was off again.
Thud.
I landed, sank to the ground and rolled out of the way.
Thud.

The dust cleared, and the air was empty once again.
I slammed my hands down to the ground and I came to a skidding halt. I glanced down at the ground behind me---

Embedded deep in the cracked ground, just inches from where I had stood, were three blunt, rigid objects, poking out stiffly from the dirt.
I recognized them immediately.

…Sarvwen…

My attention was back on the she-creature in a snap.

She was hunched over again, shaking. But her face was directly turned to me.
Her expression was completely empty…vacant…lifeless…

“You,” I breathed, my voice spilling out in ragged, angry layers.

The she-creature didn’t even flinch. She just continued to stare.
I felt an unfamiliar sensation of burning rage spreading rapidly through my chest.

“You,” I growled again, shoving myself back on my feet.

A shot of pain coursed through my lower ribs, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Vardavit, that’s right. I’m not healing…

Sarvwen’s face was drained of all color, making him white as a sheet…Darvien’s face was twisted in torment and agony…

I gripped my shortsword’s hilt even tighter.
Who am I to be complaining of pain right now?
…Move!

I ground my footing against the dirt in a stance and brought my blade up in an offensive hold once again.
I didn’t take time to hesitate, or give her room to recover as I dove forward in a charge.

…Sarvwen stumbled, his knees crumbling under him. His body lurched forward in a headlong dive right at me. My arms shot forward instinctively to catch him. I was ready to hold him up and steady him.

Sarvwen fell forward, through my outstretched hands, through my torso and crashed into the ground.

I stared. I didn’t move. I didn’t feel.
I was ready; I was there to break his fall. I wouldn’t miss… I didn’t…

My mind was scattered with images and thoughts of my memory as I shot across the ground at her.
I was just yards away when I felt something was very wrong.

Was this really it? I can really win this battle?
…is it supposed to be this easy?

Despite my nagging gut, I braced myself to take the first swing with my word.
I was just putting my left foot down for my last kick off when the ground below me suddenly gave way.
I felt myself pitch forward, thrown off balance as I lost my secure grounding. I didn’t even have time to catch myself when I heard the sound…the same sound I’ve already heard too many times today.

The sickening wet sound of something tearing through flesh and bone broke through the tense silence, the sound resonating in the open space.

My shortsword fell out of my grip and stabbed stiffly into the ground. It was as if the air was sucked right out of my lungs. My vision started to pulsate, blurring and clearing unstably. My ears were ringing painfully.
What was that sound, that dead-awful sound?

It was then that I realized that I was screaming.

My voice, spilling out at a chilling tone and volume, was a sound too foreign to my own ears.
Pain. So much pain.
I stopped breathing, and fought to keep that dreadful sound from coming out. My eyes wandered aimlessly, searching for the threat, whatever that was putting me in this agony.

Through my blurring vision my eyes caught a jagged dark gap in the dirt ground…and three vines twisting into one as they extended out of my view to my right.

Vines…Vines…

Disoriented, confusion was clouding my mind when I suddenly saw the vines tense, and get yanked back into the hole.
I felt myself get drawn forward forcefully with the vines, and suddenly---

------PSSHHTTT!!!

There was a wet splattering hiss as the pain magnified to a level that knocked the air out of my lungs. I couldn’t breathe, nevermind scream. I felt something warm and slick pour down my right arm and stick my undershirt to my skin. I saw drops and sprays of red on the ground, steadily gathering into a puddle.

And I fell, crumbling heavily in a limp heap on the dusty ground.

Pain, pain, pain.

This one sensation swiped all thoughts and memory from my mind in matter of seconds, stealing away my sense of sight, hearing and any remaining form of strength from my body. It took over me completely, dominating all of my being.

-----Fight it, Zeik! Get back up!

My thoughts fought to keep me conscious and I struggled to lift my head off the ground.

On your feet, now!

Easier thought than done. My body was no longer mine, no longer working under my control.

So you’re gonna give up now? Because something hurts?

I froze, that last thought striking me hard.
Just minute before I had a thought, and it hadn’t changed now.

…Who am I to be complaining of pain right now?

I forced myself to breathe, dragging down a gulp of air.

I have to stop the bleeding.

Somehow, I managed to pull myself up onto my left side. The pulsating pain only backed off a little but allowed just enough room for me to locate exactly where the pain was coming from.
My eyes flickered down to my right shoulder.

I felt a knot twist in my throat at the sight of the big gaping hole size of a fist in my uniform, revealing not skin, but a dark and messy opening of torn flesh. I was clearly still bleeding heavily, the blood flowing steadily down my arm.
I couldn’t see the enire wound, or how bad or deep it was; but one look at the limp, twisted limb it was clear: I had lost my sword arm.

Another shaky breath and I shoved myself back on my feet. Violent pain made a comeback with vengence and I let out a cry through gritted teeth. But somehow, I managed to regain my ground.

Where…where is she?

I turned towards the direction I was going before I was taken down.

The she-creature was still there; perfectly still in that crouched position of hers, staring blankly at me. But I immediately noticed that her jaw was dropped wide open, and cascading from her mouth were a group of vines that dropped all the way into the ground and out of view.

Wait a minute--- why was this tugging at the edge of my mind?---

…thud, tha-thud, tha-thud, tha-thud…
The creature’s teeth snapped together hungrily, as if she could hear the beating inside of me as clear as I could. And then suddenly, I saw her jaw drop open wide and out from her mouth came the vines that had attacked me before, the ends twisted into a fine point. It snapped forward straight towards me with great speed, the pointed end reaching to impale me…
Thud.

I’ve seen this form of offense before; in the plaza, before I saw…

Then I noticed that the vines were moving, slowly being drawn back into the she-creature’s mouth. I heard the sound of rocks shifting and breaking and I saw the sharp end of the flesh vine get pulled out of the ground. At least a foot of the tip was stained crimson.

I felt the cold dread seep in as the bloodied tip reached and slipped past her dark-blue lips.

The she-creature’s mouth snapped shut after the vines and almost immediately he posture straightened. Her bones cracked and groaned as she quickly recovered. Before a minute has passed, she was back to normal.

I spat, gritting my teeth through the trembling pain.
“Vardavit.” I swore.
I straightened my posture as much as I could manage, my left hand gripping my right side by the upper arm. I almost immediately felt something warm seep into my left sleeve.

Vardavit.

I forced myself to breathe and keep a composed face as I scrambled in my mind to find a plan, and to look at the options I had at hand.
I glanced to one side, where the building rubbles were.
Ava…was she okay? Please let her be okay. Let her be okay, and let her get to Darvien and Sarvwen, at least her…

I breathed out tightly, a strange calm settling over me.
I have not a single idea or plan. But I’ve made my resolve.

Kill her and it would be one less of them, right?
Well then, I guess I had the work cut out for me.

Without taking my eyes off of my enemy, I tried to lift my right arm. Whether it twitched or not, I didn’t know. But it was not enough, I knew, to hold a sword in that hand.
Left with no other choice, I released my hold on my right shoulder and reached for the hilt of my shortsword that was stabbed into the ground with my good arm.

I just have to get to her, defend myself with my left…

I felt the cold metal touch my palm, the feeling foreign in my hand. My fingers curled around the hilt, the grip of it all wrong.

But what other choice did I have?

I took one last deep breath…and shot forward.

The moment I moved, I saw vines rush forward at me, this time in a group that was bigger than before.
I shoved my heels into the ground, rocked forward onto the balls of my feet and shot myself into the air. I heard the vines crash into the ground in a dynamic explosion below me.

More blood, more power…

The collection of vines had extended harmlessly past my left side. My feet hit the ground beside, my knees bending slightly on impact. Pain flared angrily from my shoulder with that simple movement.
I clamped my jaw shut and blocked out the sensation, turning my mind to my main target.

Take her down…Take her down…
She deserves pain.

The grip I had on my sword tightened as burning rage exploded within me.

I couldn’t do anything; I just watched helplessly from the side.

My left arm was up, ready to strike.

…She killed Sarvwen.

I swung down.

I felt the sharp edge of my blade bite into the vines, slicing through every single one of them in one slash. The she-creature shrieked her bloodcurdling screams, sounding both angry and in pain.
I’ve had enough of that sound.
Before I even realized it, I was standing just about two feet away from her.

”Shut the fuck up!” I snarled, my voice layering.

---This is redemption---

I shifted my weight to my right leg, tucked my left knee up and snapped my leg around in a power-drilled roundhouse kick.
The kick connected with the right side of her face, sending her flying her left. I dove, following her body. Her flight was ended by another building, the brick withstanding the great impact.
And I was ready, hovering over her thin body with my sword in my left hand.
I shoved my left arm forward in a snappish thrust---

Something whipped and struck my left wrist, knocking the blade out of my hand. Another force hit me behind the knees, swiping my legs out from under me.
My back hit the ground heavily and I gagged, more pain shooting through my body. The air was shoved out of my lungs on the solid landing.
Those damn vines---

I saw the she-creature’s hand tense into claws and she leaned over towards me.

My body reacted on instinct, not pausing for a thought. I pressed my left side down on the ground and kicked with my right leg---right into the protruding end of the steel pipe still in the she-creature’s side.

There was that sick, fleshy wet sound, followed by a harsh grinding sound of metal meeting stone. The she-creature shrieked, arching back to the sky as she screamed. Vines started to thrash and whip, completely out of control. I saw a group of them shoot up and swing down, pounding into my left side.
I yelled out, my ribs groaning and cracking. I pulled my right leg back in and kicked again.

More shrieking.
I kicked again.
And again.
And again.

The thrashing stopped, the vines growing limp. I looked up and stared into the ever blank and lifeless stare of the she-creature. She stopped moving.

I just stared, not moving; almost waiting for her or her vines to attack me again.
All she did was stare.

I breathed out, cold shakes sinking through my skin.
It’s over…it’s finally over.

I squirmed, pushing and kicking the now-limp vines off of my body. The adrenaline burned out, and the pain returned.
I managed to crawl and drag my body a few feet before my last bit of strength left my limbs. I let myself fall limp, breathing hard.

I can’t breathe right; my ribs…

I grunted, and I forced myself to flip onto my back.
I’m done; this is it.
I did it. Darvien, just wait a bit more---

…Oh…Oh…

My heart nearly stopped as that soft, raspy moan echoed in the still air.
I was trying to lift my head up to look when something wrapped itself around my left ankle and my throat.

Oh, oh…

My eyes caught the she-creature’s. Her blue lips were quivering…as if she was cold. Her tapered, long fingers lifted shakily towards me.
Then I saw her jaw drop open.

Something whistled sharply, the sound sharp and crisp.
I knew what was coming, and I shut my eyes tight. I was expecting the worst pain ever.

I wasn’t expecting the vines around my ankle and throat to loosen, or the new sound that came: a loud shrieking and buzzing ripped through the air suddenly at a great volume. I felt my hair stand on its end as a warm current crawled across the surface of my skin.

The buzzing stopped, replaced by a hollow ringing of metal. Something smelt burned, the smell sharply burning my nose.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

First thing I saw was a thin shining blade in front of me, the light reflecting off of it made the blade glisten threateningly. My eyes followed up the sharp blade.
I saw the she-creature then, still pinned against the wall by the pipe. Someone was standing before her body, one hand gripping that steel pipe.

The blade slackened in its wielder’s grip, and the ringing suddenly stopped.

I looked up at the person before me, and a rush of relief washed over me.

Standing before me, looking ever so calm and composed was Ava, gazing down at my rough status.

“Deus, Zeik.” she murmured, eyeing my defeated foe. “Good job.”