Author's notes:
Part 2 of 2, towards the final battle between Marco, and Blu. I hope you enjoy and please leave your reviews in the review section.
Chapter 28:
Duel to the Death in Rio
The blast of heat soared down Blu's back pushing him further across the jungle's thick underbrush. Jagged rocks and sharp pointed sticks poked and prodded into his flesh, tearing several long gashes across his body. He couldn't defend himself from the assault which continued to batter him over and over again. He winced as the burning sensation continued to course through the core of his being, causing his body temperature to rise way above his comfortable limits. His closed eyelids couldn't shield his eye as the heat entered through every crevice of his body. He began to roast from the inside out. The world around him seemed to fade, until he stood alone in a familiar empty void surrounded by a smothering black veil.
Blu stood upon his talons and studied the empty blackness. It swirled around him, drawing him into a hypnotic trance. He remembered this place as clear as day from every nightmare he had ever dreamt in his life. Most importantly, he remembered it from the dream which foretold his descent into darkness. He paid close attention to the shifting void, trying to decipher the hidden meaning to why he would be brought here. He could hear a voice whispering from the darkness. It seemed to come from every direction, filling his ears with little time to figure out and understand the language. It sounded like Brazilian Portuguese, with the slightest hint of an American speech impediment, where some of the words became Spanish sounding. He strained his eyes and tried to block out the pain which continued to envelop him from his most recent battle with Marco. He could see a robed figure beginning to form. It appeared as a phantom, emerging from the empty void. It made no noise as it worked its way over to him. From its smaller frame, and slight curvy body, he could tell that she was female. She fluttered closer landing at his talons. With a flick of her wings, she removed her hood, revealing herself to be Jewel's older sister, and a former member of the Dark Robe Society... the one creature who trained him for this one moment - the spix macaw he had come to know as Amber.
"Blu," she said in a rather serious tone. She spread her wings, cupping a hold on his singed flesh. She frowned and forced a confident smile. "Remember what you have learned during the past few months. Don't give up, you can still win this. Use what you have learned... it is the only way to ensure your victory over him."
Amber spread her wings and let the darkness fill with a bright white light. Blu shielded his eyes and tried to keep himself from being blinded. After a couple of moments the light subsided and he found himself once again standing in Limbo, staring at an identical image of himself. The duplicate Blu dropped into his fighting stance, and rolled himself across the ground. Blu could see the blast of heat which he couldn't defend against. His eyes widened as he noticed the air. It seemed to move like a mirage, indicating the location of the attack. He slapped a wing across his beak and shook his head towards his own stupidity. How could he not notice such an obvious effect given off by the heat? The refraction of energy seemed so similar to a hot humid day where the world bent and swayed under the added pressure.
The alternate Blu braced himself and held his wings out, waiting for the blast of heat to reach him. In a single move, he swatted it away from him, like a tennis ball bouncing off a racket. Blu watched the enemy projectile change directions, impacting a spot not too far away. His eyes widened, and jaw dropped at what he saw.
"Nothing is undefeatable." Amber reminded him. "You can use his attacks to your own advantage, but you need to time yourself correctly. Marco will be vulnerable enough for you to strike down if you can master this maneuver."
Blu nodded in understanding. He swallowed a large lump in his throat as he thought about what he needed to do. So many things could go wrong. What if he missed the correct timing? What if the plan didn't work? Would he be able to survive another direct attack from the blasé of heat? He watched the image of himself fade from his sight, and be replaced by the cruel figure of Marco. The hawk stood over him. His cruel smile hung on his face. His eyes burned into his with a great deal of satisfaction towards his handy work.
"Are you dead?" he cackled, kicking the macaw across the chest. "What's the matter? Couldn't you live up to your promises? You know the ones I mean, the ones you made to your precious wife. Oh well, it's not like it matters... she's next on my list anyways."
Enraged and full of hatred towards his tormenter, Blu swung his talon out at the evil hawk. He listened to the sound of bones snapping. The bitter scent of blood filled his nostrils. Blu peered up to see that he had connected with Marco's wing, leaving a large nasty cut across the center of his wing structure. Blood flowed from the wound, staining the ground underneath his talons. Marco growled and hissed in agony as he turned to peer at the serious injury inflicted to him.
"Damn you," he growled. "I'll make sure you live long enough to regret that."
Blu snapped back into reality, finding himself back in the middle of the battleground. Marco stumbled backwards, as the blood flooded from his wing. He couldn't stop the flow of the thick red liquid. His eyes burned furiously as he attempted to nurse the injury. Blu forced a smile and realised what the hawk's reactions meant. He couldn't help but laugh at the evil creature's pain.
"It looks like I got the second mark. I thought your wings were a little stronger than they normally should be... if I remember correctly, I got Roger's mark didn't I?"
Marco's eyes hardened. His growl seemed to grow to a deafening wail. He slammed his good wing into Blu's chest, and cackled to himself. He couldn't deny that Blu guessed correctly on whose mark he had hit. He could feel his strength decrease the smallest amount, but he still stood proud and strong enough to pose a potential threat.
"So what if you did? I'm still strong enough to kill you with my own power, macaw! There's a reason I became the leader of a group. Each one of them respected me for my strength. Don't you dare underestimate my power or I'll tear you to shreds!"
Marco shattered his feet allowing himself to pick up speed. He cackled and forced himself to sprint. Blu's eyes widened in horror as he lost sight of him, he couldn't follow the hawk's movements. Blu instinctively closed his eyes and tried to focus on his other senses. No matter how fast the hawk was, he would still have to make some sort of noise as he approached.
"Behind you..." Marco hissed in Blu's ear. The macaw's eyes widened in horror as he spun around to see Marco standing behind him, he noted the wicked smile on his opponent's face and shuddered. The hawk waved a wing inches from his face, and couldn't help but laugh in a cold cruel manner. He hadn't made a sound during his approach, that realisation filled Blu with a sense of dread.
"What's the matter, spix macaw?" Marco asked, spitting with disgust. "Can't you follow my movements? Too bad, I was hoping for more of a challenge from you but all good things must come to an end."
Blu winced as he felt the familiar blast of heat blow through his body. He cringed as he fell to his knees. His talons and wings dripped with blood as he realised that the blisters were beginning to crack and leave open wounds.
"Come on, Blu. Fight me!" Marco cackled. "Or are you really that weak and pathetic. You're nothing!"
Blu cringed as he felt Marco pick him up from off the ground using his wings. He opened his eyes a crack and saw the cold harsh glare in the murdering bird's eyes. They lacked patience. They lacked any longing for the battle to continue. He didn't need to read the hawk's mind to know what it meant for him. He couldn't provide the challenge the hawk desired, so it meant he would be expendable. He wouldn't survive to see Jewel again.
"Let's see what kind of sound your head makes. Will it go pop, or will it go crack... I bet it will make a lovely sound..."
The hawk pushed his wings together adding as much pressure to Blu's skull as possible. The pain seemed unbearable. The macaw couldn't get away from him this time. Even without the added strength of Roger to his list of physical strength, the hawk still posed a dangerous combination of everything else. It wouldn't be long before Blu's skull became like a melon, crushed by a steam roller. Blu let out a horrified scream as he felt the pain course through his head. The pressure wouldn't let up.
"Stop it!" Blu growled. "Stop it!"
Air escaped Blu's mouth in an exasperated gasp as Marco's talon struck out kicking him in the stomach to silence him. The hawk wouldn't allow his voice to ruin the moment he waited for. He wouldn't let the macaw live a second longer. He applied more pressure to the skull, and continued his attempts to crush the macaw's head like an egg shell. He cackled and licked the edges of his beak.
"You would never understand my world! The world where you need strength to survive... death should only happen to the weak, and those who refuse to put up a descent fight. That is why I live to kill. That is why you must die here right this second-"
Sharp pain flooded through the hawk's body. He peered down and noticed the macaw had stabbed his talons. He could feel his speed slowly beginning to fade away. Jose's mark existed no longer. In a desperate move, the hawk flipped Blu over his back and let him land head first upon the ground.
"Why won't you die?" he growled. "I keep adding injury after injury but you won't die! I'll just have to cut off your head."
Marco stumbled over ignoring the pain shooting through his talons. He grabbed Blu, and raised the metal blades to the macaw's throat. Without a second later he readied himself to strike. There would be no escape for the macaw this time. He won the battle... at long last, he had won.
# # #
Jewel stopped in mid-flight and held a wing over her heart. She couldn't shake a growing sense of urgency deep within her heart. It felt ominous, like her heart breaking into two separate pieces. She turned back towards he jungle, her eyes filling with dread and painful tears as she tried to make some sort of sense towards what this pain meant. Her beak trembled as she fought to control to cry. What did it mean? Could it have something to do with Blu? Had he been hurt? She could feel her wing trembling as her mind raced with several different thoughts at once. Something must have happened to him, there could be no other possibilities on why she would feel this tension within her heart.
"What's wrong?" Jewel heard Rose's voice call out to her. The young female hovered at her side. The sunlight glistened against her cerulean feathers, making them sparkle like diamond dust, but regardless of how beautiful the female looked, there was a sense of sadness about her as she stared at her mother. She could see the conflict shining in her mother's eyes and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it revolved around her father. She nodded her head and followed her gaze towards the jungle. Both females stood staring in silence at the ocean of greenery stretching off for untold miles.
"I'm worried about your father." Jewel admitted with a heartbroken sigh. "I think something happened to him. He might be hurt. I need to go back for him and make sure he is okay."
Rose shook her head and stretched out a wing to stop her mother from making any attempt to advance further. She glared at Jewel with a cross expression. Her eyes narrowed with more seriousness than she had ever given to anyone in her life. She would not allow her mother to return to a battleground where an egotistical, cruel, heartless, and completely psychotic murderer waited for more victims.
"That is out of the question." Rose said. "If something has happened to dad than we need to face facts and realise that Marco is unstoppable. We should run and start a new life somewhere else. Somewhere we can live in peace, just like everyone else did long ago. We have no other choice in this matter."
Jewel swatted her daughter's wing and glared at her with a growing annoyance. She didn't want to hear about any other possibility. She would not abandon Rio until either she died or Marco was the one who suffered that fate. Her eyes spoke volumes to her daughter who realised that the time for negotiations were over. Any chance of convincing the stubborn old macaw would be a useless gesture. Rose lowered her head and felt sorry that she ever told her such a thing, even though she knew that there would be no other option than to run if Marco got his way.
"You don't understand." Jewel sighed. "This began before you were even born. Even if we did run, Marco would only come after us. We'd be placing the lives of everyone else at risk. He wants revenge for his comrades' deaths, and for reasons not known to me, he seems to hold a personal vendetta against our species. He won't just stop. He'll keep coming until the spix macaw race is extinct."
Rose nodded her head. She snapped her talon like a pair of fingers and beckoned her brothers closer. She eyed them for a moment and handed them the unconscious Rico. She took Rafael from her mother and held him tight with her talons. She groaned trying to keep herself falling to the ground. The toucan weighed a lot more than either of her brothers.
"We're going to head to the city. When you're done playing the hero, we'll meet you at the Aviary." Rose explained. "I think your human friends will be able to help assist in Rico and Rafael's recovery... at least that's what I am hoping."
Jewel nodded her head and waited no longer, she twisted her body and flew through the sky. Heading back to the spot where Blu and Marco fought in a battle of mortal combat. She swallowed a lump in her throat and let her eyes narrow. Her combat instincts took over more and more with each passing second.
"Be safe, Blu... I'm coming for you."
# # #
Blu groaned as he felt Marco's wings tighten harder around his face. The hawk grimaced as he continued his relentless assault in an attempt to crush his skull. Blu couldn't breathe, or move portions of his head. He feared that if he did, he would ultimately break his neck. He knew that would lead to an instant death. He wouldn't give Marco that satisfaction. He would not give in and die here. Without a word, he kicked his talons out striking Marco's second facial tattoo. He saw the mark appear and disintegrate, the way the rest did. He recognised it from the one Nigel wore during their second encounter.
The hawk stumbled backwards, releasing Blu from his grasp. The macaw fell to the ground, landing on both talons. He felt a sense of relief, and took in several short breaths. He formed a confident smile and cracked his talons to relieve them of their stiffness and allow the blood to flow throughout his body properly.
"Well, what do you know," Blu grinned. "I've managed to get four of the five marks you are using to power yourself up. If memory serves me right, the last one should be Jollo's. Once I get that one, it's over for you. You won't stand a chance."
Marco cackled and raised both of his wings. Blu could see the aura of the heat blast forming into one giant ball of energy. His eyes widened, and swallowed a large lump in his throat. Now would be the one and only chance to take Marco by surprise. He needed to do this now, or else he might as well hand Marco his own head. He arched his body and braced himself for the attack. He held out both wings and waited.
"I've had enough of you, Blu!" Marco screamed. "I hope you remember this second, it will be your last!"
Blu watched as Marco threw the ball of heat forward, his eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the task at hand. He hoped that the vision he had with the alternate Blu proved to be true. He didn't move, or turn away. He prepared himself to catch the fiery ball meant to kill him.
"You can do this, Blu." He told himself. "You have to do this, remember everyone he has hurt, remember the things he has put your family through. He is trying to kill you, it is time to be a man and stand up for yourself."
He closed his eyes and threw his wings forward. He could feel the heat burn through his feathery coat, his talons shifted backwards across the pavement. He opened his eyes and found himself being pushed back by the assault.
"You've got to do this, Blu." He demanded to himself. "Do it, NOW!"
He threw his wings forward, grunting one final time. He launched the ball of heat back to its source. He swallowed another large lump in his throat.
To Marco, he couldn't see or hear Blu over the roar and distortion coming from the ball of heat. To him it looked like his attack had eaten the macaw. He didn't stand a chance, but no one ever did, he proved himself time and time again that he was the ultimate warrior. He couldn't be defeated. He cackled and raised his wings in victory. That is of course until he saw the ball returning to him.
"NO!" he screamed, raising his wings to defend himself. The ball of heat struck him in the wings, the metal blades on his wings cracked and strained under the sudden pressure of his own attack. The cold metal blades twisted and warped, succumbing to its fate, they shattered and broke, leaving shards of metal upon the ground. Marco's eyes widened as he let loose a horrified scream. He couldn't get away, it pushed him backwards. The tree branch above him creaked, splintering and breaking free. The ball proved to be far too big to stop. He could no longer control it.
"NO!" he screamed again. "This isn't happening. Not to me!"
The blast continued to push him back until he held no where left to move. He swung his wings and watched the energy ball of extreme heat shatter and scatter into several different directions. He smiled and raised his wings in victory. With Blu's attack failing to hit its mark, he could still win.
"You'll pay for that, spix macaw!" Marco growled. Not realising that during the entire event, Blu had shifted his direction behind him.
"NO I WON'T!" Blu shouted, slamming his metal blade in a diagonal fashion, separating the hawk into two different sections. Marco's eyes widened as he felt the sting of the attack. graze through his body. He could no longer move on his own free will. For he held no wings, or legs of his own anymore.
The hawks raised his head and studied Blu. He winced in pain as he could feel every muscle dying off.
"I don't... I don't understand." Marco said weakly as the life began to vanish from his body.
Blu shook his head and wiped tears from his eyes. He didn't want to be a cold blooded killer, but the hawk didn't give him any choice in that matter. He addressed Marco one final time.
"You were too greedy, Marco. You were strong enough on your own. You held strength very few birds ever held. You held the strength of a hawk. You didn't need to be a murderer. You didn't need to create a New World Order. You should have showed your strength in a positive way."
Marco let himself laugh one final time. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate. He didn't make another noise for the rest of the time he remained alive. Before long, Jollo's mark appeared and disintegrated, leaving the hawk to pass on in peace. Blu nodded his head and studied his surroundings. He smiled and collapsed to the ground.
