Chapter 20.2
There wasn't time to notice his face had faded from yellow to a bluish white, to see his pupils fill his eyes to the point that nothing else was left, or to see that the room shivered with the threat of fading reality. I
knew it happened, I felt it happen, but I was thrown away to a different place before I could witness it.
I had hit a wall. Literally. One moment I had been charging towards the Boss, then the next I slammed into something very solid. After taking a step back to reorinentate myself and thank about what the hell just happened it didn't take long to realize where I was: back in the Boss's vault.
"Damn it," I muttered to myself as I quickly surveyed the musty room. there was nothing here, just a dusty floor and brick walls. There were no windows, no sounds, no glimpses of the outside world. In frustration I slammed a fist into the door.
"Lemme out! You can't—"my raving was cut short when I saw the door ripple. It was as if I had dropped a pebble in a pond. Circles spread from my fist until they eventually faded away. I pulled my hand back, hesitating for a moment, then with all the force I could muster I slammed the door again with both hands. The room quivered.
"What's wrong?" I asked the walls. "Having trouble maintaining this place? Surely I'm not that difficult." My fists slammed into the wall again. I could feel the room sway. "What's making you weak, Boss? Why is it you can't even keep a prison cell together?" The question was more for me than him.
I stepped away from the wall, slumping to the ground. The Boss was weak for the time being, I understood that, but I also understood that hitting a wall wouldn't solve my problems. I had to do that some other way. I had to take out the Boss, and this dimension he created for himself. They were connected, obviously, so killing the Boss would destroy this place, and maybe, perhaps, destroying the place would kill him.
Butterflies attacked my stomach when I considered that idea. If it were possible... but how would I even begin to cause damage? The world belonged to the Boss, I knew nothing about it. I didn't have a clue as to how I had made things happen before.
But I had made things happen.
Slowly I looked up at the wall, considering possibilities. I sat statue still as I examined every inch of the smooth, changeless surface. I could feel my powers waning, the Boss felling faint. How long had I been like this? How long did it take for me to return to a stable state? Back to the was I was? Soon, I think, I would simply be me. No extra power to save myself with.
Struggling I pushed myself back up to my feet. I felt weak, tired, completely used up. The power sustaining me had been working hard to keep me together, and now it didn't want to do it anymore.
I staggered over to where the door should have been, leaning against a too solid wall. I kicked it in frustration, ignoring the light ripples bouncing off my foot, rolling under me as they spread. I didn't want to be here. I needed not to be here. This whole world felt wrong, bad, evil. I didn't want to be a part of it.
The room flinched. Well, it looked like it flinched. I could be sure, but from the corner of my eye I saw the room squeeze together for an instant, as if someone gripped it's shoulder hard, startling it. But I hadn't felt anything move, no ripples or vibrations. Maybe this place was driving me mad, just like everyone else in this hellhole.
Sighing I slumped, putting as much wait on the wall as I could without sliding back down to the ground. "Damnit, I just want out of here!" I all but groaned.
This time I saw more clearly. The walls started to move in sync with my eyelids, seeming to close at the same time I blinked. I didn't see much, the walls weren't much slower than my eyes, and I had been blinking, but in the fraction of a second I saw clearly enough that I knew I wasn't imagining things. I had seen the walls squeeze together, and leave an opening behind them that led back out to the Boss's thrown room. All but the wall I leaned against had jumped to my command.
I want out.
The thought triggered the walls. I jumped towards the nearest corner, trying to squeeze through the gap before it disappeared. I wasn't even close. The walls had shut before I even started to move.
"Lemme out!" I commanded. The corner I was in wasn't phased, but the other three were. They snapped together, letting me glimpse the world outside, and I managed to catch sight of the Boss's empty throne. Then the walls silently slammed shut. There should have been a thud, I should have felt something shudder. Every sense but my eyes told me nothing had happened.
"Do you enjoy mocking me?" I asked the walls, not sure if someone was controlling them, or if they were doing it themselves. "You're not listening to me. You act like you'll do what I tell you, then you slam shut in my face!" I kicked the wall hard and the ripples shot out, spreading from where I kicked to the walls beside it an even into the ceiling and floor. I felt myself roll with it, but I didn't care. "If you're going to let me out, then let me out. Id not then stop playing these damn games!" I ended shouting, feeling out of breath, even if I couldn't be.
But the walls opened.
I stared at the gap where walls should have been, looking out through it at the bleak nothingness of the thrown room. There was nothing to see but the throne, which had captured light from somewhere in the room, adding a yellow tint to the obsidian stone. I couldn't see where the light came from, but the shadows danced about the room, shifting occasionally. I didn't know if this was dangerous. I didn't know if the light was real. I didn't know if I was about to walk into another trap, but I walked in anyway. As I stepped past what was left of the wall I watched it carefully, as if it would slam shut on me if I didn't. When it didn't squish me my eyes shifted to the thrown, watching it curiously with a bit of apprehension.
My heals clicked on the floor, sounding too loud against the audible silence. I took a step further into the room, uneasy with the noise I was making and feeling out of place. I felt a gentle breeze against my back, longing to hear some hint of where it came from. Instead I heard my shoes turn and my clothes ruffle as I glanced behind me, searching for the source of the wind.
There was nothing but fading light that didn't reach too far from where I stood. I stared at the floor that disappeared into darkness, wondering what happened to the room I had been in. It had vanished. Everything that had been here, what little that had been, was gone, leaving in it's wake an empty thrown that held the only source of light.
I didn't move my feet as I turned back to look at the thrown. Silence remained as I studied it. That one chair was the only flaw in the vast nothingness surrounding it. Well, the chair and me. Two flaws that were stuck here in this room. I wondered if the thrown ever wanted to leave.
I began walking around the room, slowly circling it so I could examine it from every side. While it was the center of light in the room, it wasn't the source. As I spiraled closer I noticed that it didn't shine everywhere, the shadows cast looked as if the light was sitting on the chair itself. I was left in shadows as I walked behind it, and my pace quickened slightly so that I could leave them and end in front of the chair, staring at it.
It was only when I stopped walking that I knew I shouldn't have come so close. Unease filled my stomach, creeping under my skin. Absently I rubbed my arms, feeling cold. There was nothing intimidating, nothing foreboding; I just really didn't want to be there. But where else was there to go? Into the darkness? As much as I wanted to escape this feeling backing away was impossible. I wasn't going to leave the one source of light here, no matter where it came from.
"Listen." I said softly staring at the ground as I thought. "I know someone can hear me. Are you the Boss? I don't care, really. Quit playing with me. I'm just as trapped here as I was in the vault, and we both know it. I want to leave, will you help me or not?"
There was no response. "I take it that it doesn't matter anymore. Who cares what I want, you're just going to kill me anyway." I sighed, visibly tired. "I don't believe it, you know. I don't believe you can just keep me here." My eyes raised to the chair, to the light that was sitting in it. "I know it's faint, but I'm still partly the Boss. You listen to him, so listen to me.
"Aulcard--Dexion-- I want him here, alive as he can be. I want Zeke, too, awake but not picking fights. Bring me a weapon, something I can use, something I can kill with.
"Bring me the Boss. In this chair. I don't want him to leave here until I kill him." My voice was flat, empty. There was no command in the tone, nothing to scare or startle, but that wasn't needed. Not with this. I was talking to a chair, I doubt it cared whether I yelled or cried at it, but it would listen, and it would obey.
I heard a thump behind me, something landing hard. It brought noise with it. No just the sounds, but the lack of silence. I hadn't realized how hard I was listening until after I could hear, and I heard everything.
Zeke, I knew it was him, pushed himself up to sitting. His pants chaffed against the floor as hr bent his knee, making it easier to lean forward. One hand stayed behind him, keeping him from falling back, the other rested in his lap. He didn't try to stand up, he knew he couldn't. Sore muscles screamed in protest already, wanting only to lay motionless.
He stared at me, wondering why I just stood there, staring at an empty chair, my arms crossed as I waited. He tried to say something, but when he opened his mouth his throat was sore and dry, his breath raspy and unable to produce words. He watched as I shifted from my weight from one foot to another, a movement I hadn't been aware of until I saw it through his eyes.
He blinked. I blinked. Alucard blinked.
I hadn't heard Alucard show up. Zeke must not have been paying attention. Although Zeke wasn't paying attention, Alucard was. Perhaps it was because Alucard had fallen into the room facing Zeke, not me. He had landed to my left, Zeke to my right. He wasn't sure why he was here, or why Zeke was either. He saw Zeke staring and tried to follow his gaze. Catching a glimpse of me he tried to turn quicker, to get a better view. Instead he flinched, wincing in pain. He too was sore, as sore as Zeke perhaps. He hadn't felt like this before. What had happened before? He'd been fighting with Zeke then the Boss... did something and he was unconscious. Now he was here, Zeke was here. Liz was--
"Liz," he gasped. Alucard's throat was just as sore, but he managed to talk. I didn't move or acknowledge him, so he tried again. "Liz!" it was more of a croak than anything. I still didn't move, but I wasn't really in my body so that was understandable, to me at least. Zeke did notice though. He looked at Alucard, than back to me, and once again at Alucard. Alucard barely glanced at him before trying one last time. "Elisabeth!"
Shaking my head I sighed. I didn't look away from the chair as I answered. "I can hear you. You shouldn't move though, at least not until you feel better." I heard Alucard shuffle around, ignoring my suggestion. I sighed again, and the light flickered.
Blinking I took a step back. The chair was sparking, reflecting the unstable light that rested in it. Zeke cursed and managed to get to his feet, with much stumbling and many muttered words. He tried to walk towards me, but he stumbled and I waved him back.
The light flashed again and I half stepped back. Rays jumped off the seat, flying in all directions. One zapped my hand, a small sting. I stepped back again, shaking my hand as if it would help with the pain.
"Any idea what's happening?" Zeke's voice was clear, no rasp to be heard. "Liz?" I shook my head, not to say I didn't know, but to get him to stop talking.
Lights flared, sparks flew. I was hit again in my shoulder and I hissed in pain. Then again, harder, the spark burning a hole in my shirt. I looked down at it for a moment, a stupid mistake, for when I looked back up the last of the sparks had used themselves up, leaving the Boss standing in their place, grinning down on me. Startled I stepped back, fear sneaking onto my face. The Boss grinned at my weakness, his red eyes glaring down on me.
I heard a whistling sound that changed slightly into a loud whoosh, something falling. Again I should have ignored it, the slight distraction left me helpless when I turned back to the Boss and his fist was already swinging. Yelping I ducked, throwing my hands over my face. The Boss missed, but he continued his assault. I had to stumble backwards, causing me to fall. The Boss loomed over me, grinning triumphantly. Again I hear the noise, barely seeing something falling out of the darkness.
I didn't have the time to be surprised so I skipped that, moving on to grin up at the Boss, my eyes shedding all of the previous fear as they twinkled up at him, promising trouble. He faltered, giving me the time I need. Bracing myself against the floor I used my whole body to push up feet first, placing a kick in the Boss's gut. I pushed off of him and he flew backwards into the chair behind him. I flipped, my hands still on the ground pushing myself up a little further so I could flip and land neatly on my feet. The floor shook as I landed, but I think that was from the Boss's impact, not mine. The chair shuddered as the walls in my cell had.
Standing I reached one hand out and caught the falling object. I twirled it a few times, getting a feel for it as I casually strolled up to the Boss, not allowing myself to get distracted by the new arrival. The Boss's eyes were focused on my weapon but I didn't let my guard down as I showed him my weapon.
"Like it?" I asked softly, being as in awe of the scythe as he was. "Buffy pulled it from a stone, you know. It's the Slayers' weapon, made to kill umber vamps and other ghouls." The Boss looked at me, perfectly aware of what other ghouls I was referring to. My hands tightened around the scythe, but my posture stayed relaxed and fluid, ready to move.
He began to stand up, moving with amazing speed, but I could follow him. It wasn't too fast. I swung the scythe in a downward arc, aiming for his head. The Boss raised his hand to grab it, reaching for the handle, blocking any chance of me hitting where I had wanted to. At the last second I twitched the scythe, too fast for the Boss to adjust to. Instead of his head, the scythe thrust into the Boss's outstretched hand. It split to the wrist.
The Boss roared and I jerked the scythe out. The skin on his face stretched tight, giving him the appearance of a fanged skull with red blazing eyes. He hissed at me, like some all too real movie monster, extending claws and fangs as he attacked. I stood my ground, staring back at him, ready for whatever he came at me with, unimpressed.
He backhanded me with his good hand. Quick and painful. My head twisted from the blow, eyes clinching shut as I recovered. I wasn't fast enough. Before I even opened my eyes the Boss shoved his hand against my stomach, not as a fist, but an open palm. My eyes snapped open as I tried to move, but he was quicker again. With a word in Latin and a strong shove I was sent flying, unsure of what power the Boss had called to his aid.
The landing would have been harder if I hadn't hit someone. Alucard had got in my way, jumping out to stop me. Together we hit the floor, sliding backwards another ten feet during the landing though Alucard absorbed the impact leaving my virtually unscathed. I risked glancing at him, my eyes saying thanks, before I climbed to my feet, once again facing the Boss.
He was still standing in front of his thrown, this time not being so mad at me, his anger was directed at Alucard. He was downright livid. I smirked, resting the scythe on my shoulders as I put a hand on my hip.
"Come on, Bossy, you can do better than that," I took a step or two forwards as I taunted him. "I'm looking for a fight and you're just playing around."
Again he hissed, showing us all a clear view of the demon inside him. He was beginning to look more and more like an umber vamp, and there was no trace of humanity left in him. "Fool!" He cried. "You seek to challenge me? I'll rip you to pieces! Tear your limbs apart as I scramble your guts and feed your entrails to my servants!" He was enjoying the ideas too much, his eyes gleamed with excitement as he thought up new tortures to use.
I shrugged at him, waving it off. "I'll grow back."
Everyone has a fatal flaw. The Boss had two. The fist was that I was connected to him. Just as I had with Zeke and Alucard, I could feel him. I could tell how he moved, feel what he though. There weren't anymore surprises, everything that should have created problems... didn't.
The second was simple. He was pissed. All his sheilds that could have kept me out of him mind, all of the strength he could have drawn forth, were non- existant. He was weak. I couldn't help but smile at him. That only made it worse.
There was nothing human in his growl. All allusions of humanity were long gone. I wondered if his anger effected his thoughts or hurt his fighting skills. A look in his eyes told me it didn't. Cold, calculated fury stared back at me. He watched me as carefully as I watched him. I could feel him thinking, planing, waiting... waiting for... Now.
I blinked and he had moved. Still I smiled a cocky grin as I staired at where he had been. Although I couldn't see or hear him approach I was ready. Already I was turning, my scythe swinging as the Boss attacked with clawed fingers. His hand had already healed, leaving only a thin white scar where it had been split in two. The attack that should have racked across my back didn't come close, instead my scythe slice his chest, cutting deep as it sliced through bones.
Blood sprayed and I jumped away from him, creating distance between us. He lookd surprized, but quickly recovered, moving again. He began circling me, moving too fast for me to see, but I always knew where he was. "You think you will destroy me?" his voice was a hiss, a whispere in the darkness that came from every direction, moving with him. "Even if you could, it would kill you. You and your pets." Laughet flowed around me. "I am this world, without me here there'd be nothing."
I nodded slowly. "But you couldn't support this world by yourself," I countered. "You have nothing to feed you, nothing to keep you running." The Boss didn't answer.
"You're right," Zeke said. I'd half forgotten about him being here, but my body didn't react to the reminder, I stayed focused on the Boss. "It's not possible unless someone brought him food, and no one ever did. I never once saw him feed unless it was to turn someone."
"What does that mean?" I wondered.
Alucard answered. "He has a power source here. who knows what?" Alucard had been here the longest. If he didn't know...
I opened my mouth to speak and the Boss took advantage of what he must have thought would have distracted me. Once again his previous cut had been reduced to a scar, but I didn't spend time looking at it as his hands sliced towards me. I twisted away from his fingers and he clawed again. Parrying with my scythe I closed my eyes, feeling my way through his next attack using his own thoughts as my guide. Though he was fast I was waiting for him every time he moved. His frustration only made him move quicker, I could barely keep up, but the extra edge I had kept me one step ahead of him, even if I was slowing down as he just kept getting faster.
He slashed at me, catching my arm. Four thin red lines appeared on my arm. Blood trickled out, being thrown from my arm as I twirled to block another strike. I felt excitement, hunger bordering on bloodlust, but it was distant. It gave me an idea.
Swinging the scythe I made the Boss back up a step. "You don't have enough strength, I can feeling it waning." The Boss hissed at my accusation. "No worries, though, so is mine. But hey, least I got blood." The blood on my arm had pooled at my elbow, dripping slowly to the ground. A drop was filling, growing heavy as it stretched towards the floor, then it stopped, pulling itself back to my elbow as the blood began to recede. I felt the scratches begin to mend, the blood being pulled back inside of me as I healed. But I was healing slow. Not showing how worried that made me I plastered a smirk to my face, the Boss didn't try to see through it.
Then the worse happened.
Zeke and Alucard stepped in. They were actually working together as they tackled the Boss. My eyes widened. What the hell were they thinking? I didn't need their help. I couldn't die, they could!
The Boss started laughing as the two attacked him. He fended them off with ease, and I just stood their gapping at the stupidity of the situation. Every punch and kick Zeke or Alucard made got them no where. It was utterly pointless.
"Stop!" I yelled. No one listened.
Grumbling to myself I sprinted up to them, stealing the Boss's speed so that he didn't see me approach. I grabbed Zeke's shirt, pulling him away from the fight. Startled he wasn't sure of what to do.
"This isn't your fight!" I growled. He looked like he would argue. "Trust me, damn it. No vampires killed me before, I can do this. I know how to do this." He hadn't given up his need to argue, but my stare stopped him. He looked into my too serious eyes, and they said everything I needed to.
Slowly Zeke nodded surrender. "I'll get rid of Alucard. If you don't do this I'll kick your ass." He was serious in his kidding, but I knew I wouldn't fail. Once I let go of Zeke's shirt he was gone, running off to tackle Alucard, pulling him away from the fight and starting their own brawl.
The Boss was about to follow when I yelled "Hey!" he turned to me. "It's my blood you want, so come'n get it." With that said we both let Zeke and Alucard's shouts melt into nothing.
Boss actually paused a moment, as if considering the idea. I grinned a tawnt, twirling the scythe again, trying to keep him from thinking too hard. He watched the scythe carefully, thinking too hard for my liking. I had the feeling he would ruin everything, change everything.
Then he charged and my fears vanished.
I dodged his hands, raising my scythe when needed. Whenever he broke through my defenses I got scratched. The blood confused him, early today—had it been today?—it hadn't phased him. Had I really made him use so much energy that he couldn't think strait? It was possible, he probably didn't have to mess with this world often. I'd guess that it wasn't easy for him. I had also lost a lot of energy, a lot of his energy. Predicting him was getting harder, more and more scratches were slipping through. And I wasn't healing quick enough. Drops of blood dripped off of me, the wounds taking their time. The Boss controlled the magic in this world. He was running out of magic. So was I.
Then he grabbed my arm, the one holding my scythe. I tried to tug free, but his grasp only tightened. I heard bones snap. Screaming I fought not to drop the scythe. I succeeded, but the Boss wasn't letting go. Instead he used his free hand to cut at my stomach, leaving thick gashes behind. I screamed again.
Faintly I heard a voice cry out my name. A second one echoed it. I couldn't focus on them, all my attention was devoted to the skelital grin in front of me. The Boss bent his head, his teeth reaching for my neck.
"No," I gasped, pain gripping at me. He couldn't bite me, not yet.
But my power was fading. I was aware of my connection to the Boss and how it was about to snap. In seconds I'd be back to normal, my version of normal, at least. Panic gripped me, wasting seconds. "Not yet" I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut I calmed myself a little, forcing myself to think. "Not quite yet."
At that moment I made a choice. I plunged my mind into the Boss's, forcing myself into that madness for some key out of this. He wasn't thinking like a human did, he was all impulse. Memories from his life, of his knowledge, were stored elsewhere, leaving only the most recent events available for me to see. I didn't think it would be enough, but then I saw it.
My eyes opened and I felt teeth on my neck, no yet piercing my skin. My hand reached out, puttin my palm flat on the cold lifeless chest. His tounge flickered over my skin, making me shudder. He chuckled.
Gathering my strength I didn't wait to relax, there wasn't time. Instead I grabbed the Boss's power and mimicked it.
"Fly." I whispered, putting all my power into that one word. Energy flared from the Boss, to me, through my body, then out through my hand, concentrating it all on one movement, one power, that sent the Boss soaring. He let go of my wrist with a scream of rage. Before he disappeared into the darkness. I didn't know where he was, didn't hear him land. I couldn't feel anything. I was just me. It felt lonely, empty.
And really, really, good.
I took the moment to switch the scythe to my other hadn't while backing up, keeping an eye open for the Boss. Would I be able to see him? Would I be ready? Against my will I began to shiver.
And then I was the one flying. I hadn't seen the Boss approach me, I hadn't seen him hit me, but I was flying backwards so he came from in front.
My landing hurt. I hit a corner, but I couldn't figure out what it could have been. There was nothing in this room, except for the chair. I must have hit the chair, and now it was digging into my back. Groaning I tried to stand up, but I used the wrong hand to lift myself, resulting in me collapsing back down.
So instead I looked around hooping to catch a glimer of the Boss, to see some warning for what would come next. All I could see was Zeke holding Alucard back, stopping him from running to me. the Boss would kill him if he tried. I as sure of it.
Somethign grabbed my chi, pulling it up. The boss was in front of me again, I hadn't seen him come, he was just there. He continued lifting my chin so that it was pulling all of me with it. Not wanting myself lifted by my nexk I scrambled to my feet as the Boss brought my face close to his.
"You're not inside me, wench," He hissed with glee, "You can no longer stop my, no longer fight me." I clutched the scythe in both hands, meeting his eyes as he pulled my closer to him. "Ready to die, slayer?"
"You can't kill me," I said, my voice not steady enough for my liking.
The Boss sensed my unease. "You have been inside my mind, and I looked inside yours, felt your power. You don't have enough left. You will die."
I froze, my body staying perfectly still. Cold gripped my skin, I was cold as death, and as still as the Boss who held me in place. Was he lying? No, I don't think so. But could he be wrong? My wrist was almost healed, I could pull through.
Two words stole that hope. "Die Now." and he bit me.
My body jerked, I couldn't stop it, Just as a gasp was drawn out of my throat. The bite hurt my entire body, tore into me. Was this how it felt to die? I couldn't remember why I wasn't fighting. There had been a reason why I let him bite me, why I knew he couldn't kill me, couldn't drain my blood.
There was a moment of please, when again I was connected to the Boss, but this time only through blood. He was drinking mine, the sweet taste flowin down his throat. He'd never tasted it this good before.
Or was that because it had been so long? No, there was something different, something speacial about this blood.
I hurt.
The Boss didn't know why I'd stopped bleeding. He didn't understand why it hurt to keep his teeth inside of me. And how was I healing? I was drained, I had nothing left.
"How?" he gasped.
And I remembered. "Because you're not dead yet." He pulled away from my neck, surprised and confused, then I stabbed him.
His mouth opened in a small "O" as he tried to pull away. He looked down at the handle of the scythe, just another weapon, a stake, shoved right into his heart. I smiled softly, waiting for him to burst into dust.
He pushed my back and I fell into his thrown. I sat as he stumbled back, watching me with astonishment as the skin around his hand began to desolve into dust. The side of his mouth twitched up, forming the tiniest of smiles. But the smile grew as his body began to dust. Soon he was laughing, honest, real laughter.
He began to reform, to piece the dust back together as his body returned. My eyes wen wide and I quoted, "How?" my voice trailed off. The Boss laughed harder.
"Are we now equals?" He asked joyously. "Neither of us an die, how will this end?"
I was still stuck gapping. That annoyed me, he had recovered quicker from his shock than I had. "How did... why aren't..." I couldn't finish a question, they just bounced around in my head.
His smile was honest, no grin, no evil, no tricks. Just a good, dare I say pleasant, smile. Granted skeletons never look pleasant, and always are a little twisted. So while he sat there all happy and cheerful, I didn't have to deal with him actually looking it.
"My world exists through e. I exist through my world. When one is here, so is the other." The Boss announced.
I frowned, confused. "But if I kill you... it's gone..." I stumbled through my logic, and it wasn't adding u p. Lucky for me the Boss was healing slowly. Dust isn't easy to put back together. My thoughts worked quicker. "I have to destroy this world, and you. But... this world runs off of you..."
My thoughts drove my mind into a frenzy. Nothing in the world around me worked itself into my brain. Nothing but the Boss's laughter. That ground into my brain, interrupting my thoughts and shattering the silence of the room. I decided to think out loud to counter the noise the strangled every thought I had.
"There's got to be something to destroy this place. Something the world revolves around. There's you... You support it, but what supports you ?" I sighed, not sure. "It has to always be here. It has to be important, probably in the center of everything, the center of your world, this room..." I looked at the Boss as realization sparked, and his laughter cut short as his body finished its regeneration. My grip on the scythe tightened. He knew I knew.
I tried to get quickly to my feet, for some sort of defense. It was pointless. The Boss grabbed my shoulders and lifted me. I tried to stab him again, weaken him, he grabbed the scythe, tried to yank it from my grip, but I held on. I would not give that up, it was my last chance, my only weapon. The Boss chuckled at my struggle, but he let me win, I kept the scythe. He grabbed my right arm, twisting me around so I face the chair instead of him.
Not letting go of my arm he leaned his head to my ear, whispering to me. "You will die this time." I shook my head and again he chuckled. "I was so close to him I felt his body shake with his laughter. "Little girl, how will you stop me?" He asked, half serious. He squeezed my arm and I felt the bones strain as he proved his point. He was stronger than me, could hold me here as long as he needed to.
I star4ed at the chair, considering the question. "I can die," I stated. The Boss nodded against my shoulder. "I think I will." I added. His teeth reached again for my neck. I didn't flinch or shudder this time. I wasn't scared. "But you won't kill me." He didn't pause. No, his teeth sunk into my neck. I still didn't move. "You won't kill me," I said again, softer, as I felt him suck the magic out of me.
Closing my eyes I used my free left hand to grip the scythe, my hand closer to the blade than the end of the handle. My body swayed as it weakened. The pain had come, but the Boss ignored it, sucking harder as he forced the blood out of me. There wasn't enough magic to stop him, there wasn't enough power in this room, in this world. I began moving my arm as my eyes lost their focus and the world turned to fuzz. All the power here went to the Boss, I vaguely was aware of feeling his mind, of the thoughts there. The rage was gone, he had the power to keep the magic from me. Even if he pulled away right now I wouldn't heal, I'd bleed to death. I was going to die. Something sharp touched my chest as I considered the thought. I'd die. How long had I wanted that to happen? How often had I thrown myself in death's way just to see if it would work? When did I grow so confident that it would never touch me? That I'd live forever? Wood broke my skin as I considered. The Boss didn't have to bend to bite me. He was barely taller than me, almost my height. Blood trickled down my body and it hurt worse than what the Boss was doing to me. I summoned the last of my strength to move faster, to lean forward, to pull my arm into me.
I screamed as the stake end of the scythe emerged from the Boss's back and his shout followed mine.
He let go of me and I jerked the scythe out of my heart. Gasping I drew in air, but it did no good. There was no magic left for me, nothing left here at all. I couldn't breath air, even as it filled my lungs it meant nothing. My knees buckled as I gripped the scythe, raising it over my head. The Boss screamed for me to stop, but the scythe swung down, I watched it in slow motion. I felt the Boss grab my shoulder, my hand loosened on the scythe, but it still swung. Clawed finger dug into me but I didn't feel it, I couldn't see it. The world was too hazy, there was only a glimpse of red falling down and landing in ebony, digging deep into the darkness... then unleashing a light so bright that for an instant I could see clearly, for an instant the magic washed through me and I was alive, I could see the room, feel the dust blow against my back and scatter.
Then I was blind, and all turned to darkness.
Mwahahaha! I did it! I came out with another piece! Don't hate me for saying it's actually been written for what, 3 to 4 months? I just haven't typed it. slaps forehead I'm such an ass, sorry.
P.S. is she dead? Read the epilogue!
There wasn't time to notice his face had faded from yellow to a bluish white, to see his pupils fill his eyes to the point that nothing else was left, or to see that the room shivered with the threat of fading reality. I
knew it happened, I felt it happen, but I was thrown away to a different place before I could witness it.
I had hit a wall. Literally. One moment I had been charging towards the Boss, then the next I slammed into something very solid. After taking a step back to reorinentate myself and thank about what the hell just happened it didn't take long to realize where I was: back in the Boss's vault.
"Damn it," I muttered to myself as I quickly surveyed the musty room. there was nothing here, just a dusty floor and brick walls. There were no windows, no sounds, no glimpses of the outside world. In frustration I slammed a fist into the door.
"Lemme out! You can't—"my raving was cut short when I saw the door ripple. It was as if I had dropped a pebble in a pond. Circles spread from my fist until they eventually faded away. I pulled my hand back, hesitating for a moment, then with all the force I could muster I slammed the door again with both hands. The room quivered.
"What's wrong?" I asked the walls. "Having trouble maintaining this place? Surely I'm not that difficult." My fists slammed into the wall again. I could feel the room sway. "What's making you weak, Boss? Why is it you can't even keep a prison cell together?" The question was more for me than him.
I stepped away from the wall, slumping to the ground. The Boss was weak for the time being, I understood that, but I also understood that hitting a wall wouldn't solve my problems. I had to do that some other way. I had to take out the Boss, and this dimension he created for himself. They were connected, obviously, so killing the Boss would destroy this place, and maybe, perhaps, destroying the place would kill him.
Butterflies attacked my stomach when I considered that idea. If it were possible... but how would I even begin to cause damage? The world belonged to the Boss, I knew nothing about it. I didn't have a clue as to how I had made things happen before.
But I had made things happen.
Slowly I looked up at the wall, considering possibilities. I sat statue still as I examined every inch of the smooth, changeless surface. I could feel my powers waning, the Boss felling faint. How long had I been like this? How long did it take for me to return to a stable state? Back to the was I was? Soon, I think, I would simply be me. No extra power to save myself with.
Struggling I pushed myself back up to my feet. I felt weak, tired, completely used up. The power sustaining me had been working hard to keep me together, and now it didn't want to do it anymore.
I staggered over to where the door should have been, leaning against a too solid wall. I kicked it in frustration, ignoring the light ripples bouncing off my foot, rolling under me as they spread. I didn't want to be here. I needed not to be here. This whole world felt wrong, bad, evil. I didn't want to be a part of it.
The room flinched. Well, it looked like it flinched. I could be sure, but from the corner of my eye I saw the room squeeze together for an instant, as if someone gripped it's shoulder hard, startling it. But I hadn't felt anything move, no ripples or vibrations. Maybe this place was driving me mad, just like everyone else in this hellhole.
Sighing I slumped, putting as much wait on the wall as I could without sliding back down to the ground. "Damnit, I just want out of here!" I all but groaned.
This time I saw more clearly. The walls started to move in sync with my eyelids, seeming to close at the same time I blinked. I didn't see much, the walls weren't much slower than my eyes, and I had been blinking, but in the fraction of a second I saw clearly enough that I knew I wasn't imagining things. I had seen the walls squeeze together, and leave an opening behind them that led back out to the Boss's thrown room. All but the wall I leaned against had jumped to my command.
I want out.
The thought triggered the walls. I jumped towards the nearest corner, trying to squeeze through the gap before it disappeared. I wasn't even close. The walls had shut before I even started to move.
"Lemme out!" I commanded. The corner I was in wasn't phased, but the other three were. They snapped together, letting me glimpse the world outside, and I managed to catch sight of the Boss's empty throne. Then the walls silently slammed shut. There should have been a thud, I should have felt something shudder. Every sense but my eyes told me nothing had happened.
"Do you enjoy mocking me?" I asked the walls, not sure if someone was controlling them, or if they were doing it themselves. "You're not listening to me. You act like you'll do what I tell you, then you slam shut in my face!" I kicked the wall hard and the ripples shot out, spreading from where I kicked to the walls beside it an even into the ceiling and floor. I felt myself roll with it, but I didn't care. "If you're going to let me out, then let me out. Id not then stop playing these damn games!" I ended shouting, feeling out of breath, even if I couldn't be.
But the walls opened.
I stared at the gap where walls should have been, looking out through it at the bleak nothingness of the thrown room. There was nothing to see but the throne, which had captured light from somewhere in the room, adding a yellow tint to the obsidian stone. I couldn't see where the light came from, but the shadows danced about the room, shifting occasionally. I didn't know if this was dangerous. I didn't know if the light was real. I didn't know if I was about to walk into another trap, but I walked in anyway. As I stepped past what was left of the wall I watched it carefully, as if it would slam shut on me if I didn't. When it didn't squish me my eyes shifted to the thrown, watching it curiously with a bit of apprehension.
My heals clicked on the floor, sounding too loud against the audible silence. I took a step further into the room, uneasy with the noise I was making and feeling out of place. I felt a gentle breeze against my back, longing to hear some hint of where it came from. Instead I heard my shoes turn and my clothes ruffle as I glanced behind me, searching for the source of the wind.
There was nothing but fading light that didn't reach too far from where I stood. I stared at the floor that disappeared into darkness, wondering what happened to the room I had been in. It had vanished. Everything that had been here, what little that had been, was gone, leaving in it's wake an empty thrown that held the only source of light.
I didn't move my feet as I turned back to look at the thrown. Silence remained as I studied it. That one chair was the only flaw in the vast nothingness surrounding it. Well, the chair and me. Two flaws that were stuck here in this room. I wondered if the thrown ever wanted to leave.
I began walking around the room, slowly circling it so I could examine it from every side. While it was the center of light in the room, it wasn't the source. As I spiraled closer I noticed that it didn't shine everywhere, the shadows cast looked as if the light was sitting on the chair itself. I was left in shadows as I walked behind it, and my pace quickened slightly so that I could leave them and end in front of the chair, staring at it.
It was only when I stopped walking that I knew I shouldn't have come so close. Unease filled my stomach, creeping under my skin. Absently I rubbed my arms, feeling cold. There was nothing intimidating, nothing foreboding; I just really didn't want to be there. But where else was there to go? Into the darkness? As much as I wanted to escape this feeling backing away was impossible. I wasn't going to leave the one source of light here, no matter where it came from.
"Listen." I said softly staring at the ground as I thought. "I know someone can hear me. Are you the Boss? I don't care, really. Quit playing with me. I'm just as trapped here as I was in the vault, and we both know it. I want to leave, will you help me or not?"
There was no response. "I take it that it doesn't matter anymore. Who cares what I want, you're just going to kill me anyway." I sighed, visibly tired. "I don't believe it, you know. I don't believe you can just keep me here." My eyes raised to the chair, to the light that was sitting in it. "I know it's faint, but I'm still partly the Boss. You listen to him, so listen to me.
"Aulcard--Dexion-- I want him here, alive as he can be. I want Zeke, too, awake but not picking fights. Bring me a weapon, something I can use, something I can kill with.
"Bring me the Boss. In this chair. I don't want him to leave here until I kill him." My voice was flat, empty. There was no command in the tone, nothing to scare or startle, but that wasn't needed. Not with this. I was talking to a chair, I doubt it cared whether I yelled or cried at it, but it would listen, and it would obey.
I heard a thump behind me, something landing hard. It brought noise with it. No just the sounds, but the lack of silence. I hadn't realized how hard I was listening until after I could hear, and I heard everything.
Zeke, I knew it was him, pushed himself up to sitting. His pants chaffed against the floor as hr bent his knee, making it easier to lean forward. One hand stayed behind him, keeping him from falling back, the other rested in his lap. He didn't try to stand up, he knew he couldn't. Sore muscles screamed in protest already, wanting only to lay motionless.
He stared at me, wondering why I just stood there, staring at an empty chair, my arms crossed as I waited. He tried to say something, but when he opened his mouth his throat was sore and dry, his breath raspy and unable to produce words. He watched as I shifted from my weight from one foot to another, a movement I hadn't been aware of until I saw it through his eyes.
He blinked. I blinked. Alucard blinked.
I hadn't heard Alucard show up. Zeke must not have been paying attention. Although Zeke wasn't paying attention, Alucard was. Perhaps it was because Alucard had fallen into the room facing Zeke, not me. He had landed to my left, Zeke to my right. He wasn't sure why he was here, or why Zeke was either. He saw Zeke staring and tried to follow his gaze. Catching a glimpse of me he tried to turn quicker, to get a better view. Instead he flinched, wincing in pain. He too was sore, as sore as Zeke perhaps. He hadn't felt like this before. What had happened before? He'd been fighting with Zeke then the Boss... did something and he was unconscious. Now he was here, Zeke was here. Liz was--
"Liz," he gasped. Alucard's throat was just as sore, but he managed to talk. I didn't move or acknowledge him, so he tried again. "Liz!" it was more of a croak than anything. I still didn't move, but I wasn't really in my body so that was understandable, to me at least. Zeke did notice though. He looked at Alucard, than back to me, and once again at Alucard. Alucard barely glanced at him before trying one last time. "Elisabeth!"
Shaking my head I sighed. I didn't look away from the chair as I answered. "I can hear you. You shouldn't move though, at least not until you feel better." I heard Alucard shuffle around, ignoring my suggestion. I sighed again, and the light flickered.
Blinking I took a step back. The chair was sparking, reflecting the unstable light that rested in it. Zeke cursed and managed to get to his feet, with much stumbling and many muttered words. He tried to walk towards me, but he stumbled and I waved him back.
The light flashed again and I half stepped back. Rays jumped off the seat, flying in all directions. One zapped my hand, a small sting. I stepped back again, shaking my hand as if it would help with the pain.
"Any idea what's happening?" Zeke's voice was clear, no rasp to be heard. "Liz?" I shook my head, not to say I didn't know, but to get him to stop talking.
Lights flared, sparks flew. I was hit again in my shoulder and I hissed in pain. Then again, harder, the spark burning a hole in my shirt. I looked down at it for a moment, a stupid mistake, for when I looked back up the last of the sparks had used themselves up, leaving the Boss standing in their place, grinning down on me. Startled I stepped back, fear sneaking onto my face. The Boss grinned at my weakness, his red eyes glaring down on me.
I heard a whistling sound that changed slightly into a loud whoosh, something falling. Again I should have ignored it, the slight distraction left me helpless when I turned back to the Boss and his fist was already swinging. Yelping I ducked, throwing my hands over my face. The Boss missed, but he continued his assault. I had to stumble backwards, causing me to fall. The Boss loomed over me, grinning triumphantly. Again I hear the noise, barely seeing something falling out of the darkness.
I didn't have the time to be surprised so I skipped that, moving on to grin up at the Boss, my eyes shedding all of the previous fear as they twinkled up at him, promising trouble. He faltered, giving me the time I need. Bracing myself against the floor I used my whole body to push up feet first, placing a kick in the Boss's gut. I pushed off of him and he flew backwards into the chair behind him. I flipped, my hands still on the ground pushing myself up a little further so I could flip and land neatly on my feet. The floor shook as I landed, but I think that was from the Boss's impact, not mine. The chair shuddered as the walls in my cell had.
Standing I reached one hand out and caught the falling object. I twirled it a few times, getting a feel for it as I casually strolled up to the Boss, not allowing myself to get distracted by the new arrival. The Boss's eyes were focused on my weapon but I didn't let my guard down as I showed him my weapon.
"Like it?" I asked softly, being as in awe of the scythe as he was. "Buffy pulled it from a stone, you know. It's the Slayers' weapon, made to kill umber vamps and other ghouls." The Boss looked at me, perfectly aware of what other ghouls I was referring to. My hands tightened around the scythe, but my posture stayed relaxed and fluid, ready to move.
He began to stand up, moving with amazing speed, but I could follow him. It wasn't too fast. I swung the scythe in a downward arc, aiming for his head. The Boss raised his hand to grab it, reaching for the handle, blocking any chance of me hitting where I had wanted to. At the last second I twitched the scythe, too fast for the Boss to adjust to. Instead of his head, the scythe thrust into the Boss's outstretched hand. It split to the wrist.
The Boss roared and I jerked the scythe out. The skin on his face stretched tight, giving him the appearance of a fanged skull with red blazing eyes. He hissed at me, like some all too real movie monster, extending claws and fangs as he attacked. I stood my ground, staring back at him, ready for whatever he came at me with, unimpressed.
He backhanded me with his good hand. Quick and painful. My head twisted from the blow, eyes clinching shut as I recovered. I wasn't fast enough. Before I even opened my eyes the Boss shoved his hand against my stomach, not as a fist, but an open palm. My eyes snapped open as I tried to move, but he was quicker again. With a word in Latin and a strong shove I was sent flying, unsure of what power the Boss had called to his aid.
The landing would have been harder if I hadn't hit someone. Alucard had got in my way, jumping out to stop me. Together we hit the floor, sliding backwards another ten feet during the landing though Alucard absorbed the impact leaving my virtually unscathed. I risked glancing at him, my eyes saying thanks, before I climbed to my feet, once again facing the Boss.
He was still standing in front of his thrown, this time not being so mad at me, his anger was directed at Alucard. He was downright livid. I smirked, resting the scythe on my shoulders as I put a hand on my hip.
"Come on, Bossy, you can do better than that," I took a step or two forwards as I taunted him. "I'm looking for a fight and you're just playing around."
Again he hissed, showing us all a clear view of the demon inside him. He was beginning to look more and more like an umber vamp, and there was no trace of humanity left in him. "Fool!" He cried. "You seek to challenge me? I'll rip you to pieces! Tear your limbs apart as I scramble your guts and feed your entrails to my servants!" He was enjoying the ideas too much, his eyes gleamed with excitement as he thought up new tortures to use.
I shrugged at him, waving it off. "I'll grow back."
Everyone has a fatal flaw. The Boss had two. The fist was that I was connected to him. Just as I had with Zeke and Alucard, I could feel him. I could tell how he moved, feel what he though. There weren't anymore surprises, everything that should have created problems... didn't.
The second was simple. He was pissed. All his sheilds that could have kept me out of him mind, all of the strength he could have drawn forth, were non- existant. He was weak. I couldn't help but smile at him. That only made it worse.
There was nothing human in his growl. All allusions of humanity were long gone. I wondered if his anger effected his thoughts or hurt his fighting skills. A look in his eyes told me it didn't. Cold, calculated fury stared back at me. He watched me as carefully as I watched him. I could feel him thinking, planing, waiting... waiting for... Now.
I blinked and he had moved. Still I smiled a cocky grin as I staired at where he had been. Although I couldn't see or hear him approach I was ready. Already I was turning, my scythe swinging as the Boss attacked with clawed fingers. His hand had already healed, leaving only a thin white scar where it had been split in two. The attack that should have racked across my back didn't come close, instead my scythe slice his chest, cutting deep as it sliced through bones.
Blood sprayed and I jumped away from him, creating distance between us. He lookd surprized, but quickly recovered, moving again. He began circling me, moving too fast for me to see, but I always knew where he was. "You think you will destroy me?" his voice was a hiss, a whispere in the darkness that came from every direction, moving with him. "Even if you could, it would kill you. You and your pets." Laughet flowed around me. "I am this world, without me here there'd be nothing."
I nodded slowly. "But you couldn't support this world by yourself," I countered. "You have nothing to feed you, nothing to keep you running." The Boss didn't answer.
"You're right," Zeke said. I'd half forgotten about him being here, but my body didn't react to the reminder, I stayed focused on the Boss. "It's not possible unless someone brought him food, and no one ever did. I never once saw him feed unless it was to turn someone."
"What does that mean?" I wondered.
Alucard answered. "He has a power source here. who knows what?" Alucard had been here the longest. If he didn't know...
I opened my mouth to speak and the Boss took advantage of what he must have thought would have distracted me. Once again his previous cut had been reduced to a scar, but I didn't spend time looking at it as his hands sliced towards me. I twisted away from his fingers and he clawed again. Parrying with my scythe I closed my eyes, feeling my way through his next attack using his own thoughts as my guide. Though he was fast I was waiting for him every time he moved. His frustration only made him move quicker, I could barely keep up, but the extra edge I had kept me one step ahead of him, even if I was slowing down as he just kept getting faster.
He slashed at me, catching my arm. Four thin red lines appeared on my arm. Blood trickled out, being thrown from my arm as I twirled to block another strike. I felt excitement, hunger bordering on bloodlust, but it was distant. It gave me an idea.
Swinging the scythe I made the Boss back up a step. "You don't have enough strength, I can feeling it waning." The Boss hissed at my accusation. "No worries, though, so is mine. But hey, least I got blood." The blood on my arm had pooled at my elbow, dripping slowly to the ground. A drop was filling, growing heavy as it stretched towards the floor, then it stopped, pulling itself back to my elbow as the blood began to recede. I felt the scratches begin to mend, the blood being pulled back inside of me as I healed. But I was healing slow. Not showing how worried that made me I plastered a smirk to my face, the Boss didn't try to see through it.
Then the worse happened.
Zeke and Alucard stepped in. They were actually working together as they tackled the Boss. My eyes widened. What the hell were they thinking? I didn't need their help. I couldn't die, they could!
The Boss started laughing as the two attacked him. He fended them off with ease, and I just stood their gapping at the stupidity of the situation. Every punch and kick Zeke or Alucard made got them no where. It was utterly pointless.
"Stop!" I yelled. No one listened.
Grumbling to myself I sprinted up to them, stealing the Boss's speed so that he didn't see me approach. I grabbed Zeke's shirt, pulling him away from the fight. Startled he wasn't sure of what to do.
"This isn't your fight!" I growled. He looked like he would argue. "Trust me, damn it. No vampires killed me before, I can do this. I know how to do this." He hadn't given up his need to argue, but my stare stopped him. He looked into my too serious eyes, and they said everything I needed to.
Slowly Zeke nodded surrender. "I'll get rid of Alucard. If you don't do this I'll kick your ass." He was serious in his kidding, but I knew I wouldn't fail. Once I let go of Zeke's shirt he was gone, running off to tackle Alucard, pulling him away from the fight and starting their own brawl.
The Boss was about to follow when I yelled "Hey!" he turned to me. "It's my blood you want, so come'n get it." With that said we both let Zeke and Alucard's shouts melt into nothing.
Boss actually paused a moment, as if considering the idea. I grinned a tawnt, twirling the scythe again, trying to keep him from thinking too hard. He watched the scythe carefully, thinking too hard for my liking. I had the feeling he would ruin everything, change everything.
Then he charged and my fears vanished.
I dodged his hands, raising my scythe when needed. Whenever he broke through my defenses I got scratched. The blood confused him, early today—had it been today?—it hadn't phased him. Had I really made him use so much energy that he couldn't think strait? It was possible, he probably didn't have to mess with this world often. I'd guess that it wasn't easy for him. I had also lost a lot of energy, a lot of his energy. Predicting him was getting harder, more and more scratches were slipping through. And I wasn't healing quick enough. Drops of blood dripped off of me, the wounds taking their time. The Boss controlled the magic in this world. He was running out of magic. So was I.
Then he grabbed my arm, the one holding my scythe. I tried to tug free, but his grasp only tightened. I heard bones snap. Screaming I fought not to drop the scythe. I succeeded, but the Boss wasn't letting go. Instead he used his free hand to cut at my stomach, leaving thick gashes behind. I screamed again.
Faintly I heard a voice cry out my name. A second one echoed it. I couldn't focus on them, all my attention was devoted to the skelital grin in front of me. The Boss bent his head, his teeth reaching for my neck.
"No," I gasped, pain gripping at me. He couldn't bite me, not yet.
But my power was fading. I was aware of my connection to the Boss and how it was about to snap. In seconds I'd be back to normal, my version of normal, at least. Panic gripped me, wasting seconds. "Not yet" I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut I calmed myself a little, forcing myself to think. "Not quite yet."
At that moment I made a choice. I plunged my mind into the Boss's, forcing myself into that madness for some key out of this. He wasn't thinking like a human did, he was all impulse. Memories from his life, of his knowledge, were stored elsewhere, leaving only the most recent events available for me to see. I didn't think it would be enough, but then I saw it.
My eyes opened and I felt teeth on my neck, no yet piercing my skin. My hand reached out, puttin my palm flat on the cold lifeless chest. His tounge flickered over my skin, making me shudder. He chuckled.
Gathering my strength I didn't wait to relax, there wasn't time. Instead I grabbed the Boss's power and mimicked it.
"Fly." I whispered, putting all my power into that one word. Energy flared from the Boss, to me, through my body, then out through my hand, concentrating it all on one movement, one power, that sent the Boss soaring. He let go of my wrist with a scream of rage. Before he disappeared into the darkness. I didn't know where he was, didn't hear him land. I couldn't feel anything. I was just me. It felt lonely, empty.
And really, really, good.
I took the moment to switch the scythe to my other hadn't while backing up, keeping an eye open for the Boss. Would I be able to see him? Would I be ready? Against my will I began to shiver.
And then I was the one flying. I hadn't seen the Boss approach me, I hadn't seen him hit me, but I was flying backwards so he came from in front.
My landing hurt. I hit a corner, but I couldn't figure out what it could have been. There was nothing in this room, except for the chair. I must have hit the chair, and now it was digging into my back. Groaning I tried to stand up, but I used the wrong hand to lift myself, resulting in me collapsing back down.
So instead I looked around hooping to catch a glimer of the Boss, to see some warning for what would come next. All I could see was Zeke holding Alucard back, stopping him from running to me. the Boss would kill him if he tried. I as sure of it.
Somethign grabbed my chi, pulling it up. The boss was in front of me again, I hadn't seen him come, he was just there. He continued lifting my chin so that it was pulling all of me with it. Not wanting myself lifted by my nexk I scrambled to my feet as the Boss brought my face close to his.
"You're not inside me, wench," He hissed with glee, "You can no longer stop my, no longer fight me." I clutched the scythe in both hands, meeting his eyes as he pulled my closer to him. "Ready to die, slayer?"
"You can't kill me," I said, my voice not steady enough for my liking.
The Boss sensed my unease. "You have been inside my mind, and I looked inside yours, felt your power. You don't have enough left. You will die."
I froze, my body staying perfectly still. Cold gripped my skin, I was cold as death, and as still as the Boss who held me in place. Was he lying? No, I don't think so. But could he be wrong? My wrist was almost healed, I could pull through.
Two words stole that hope. "Die Now." and he bit me.
My body jerked, I couldn't stop it, Just as a gasp was drawn out of my throat. The bite hurt my entire body, tore into me. Was this how it felt to die? I couldn't remember why I wasn't fighting. There had been a reason why I let him bite me, why I knew he couldn't kill me, couldn't drain my blood.
There was a moment of please, when again I was connected to the Boss, but this time only through blood. He was drinking mine, the sweet taste flowin down his throat. He'd never tasted it this good before.
Or was that because it had been so long? No, there was something different, something speacial about this blood.
I hurt.
The Boss didn't know why I'd stopped bleeding. He didn't understand why it hurt to keep his teeth inside of me. And how was I healing? I was drained, I had nothing left.
"How?" he gasped.
And I remembered. "Because you're not dead yet." He pulled away from my neck, surprised and confused, then I stabbed him.
His mouth opened in a small "O" as he tried to pull away. He looked down at the handle of the scythe, just another weapon, a stake, shoved right into his heart. I smiled softly, waiting for him to burst into dust.
He pushed my back and I fell into his thrown. I sat as he stumbled back, watching me with astonishment as the skin around his hand began to desolve into dust. The side of his mouth twitched up, forming the tiniest of smiles. But the smile grew as his body began to dust. Soon he was laughing, honest, real laughter.
He began to reform, to piece the dust back together as his body returned. My eyes wen wide and I quoted, "How?" my voice trailed off. The Boss laughed harder.
"Are we now equals?" He asked joyously. "Neither of us an die, how will this end?"
I was still stuck gapping. That annoyed me, he had recovered quicker from his shock than I had. "How did... why aren't..." I couldn't finish a question, they just bounced around in my head.
His smile was honest, no grin, no evil, no tricks. Just a good, dare I say pleasant, smile. Granted skeletons never look pleasant, and always are a little twisted. So while he sat there all happy and cheerful, I didn't have to deal with him actually looking it.
"My world exists through e. I exist through my world. When one is here, so is the other." The Boss announced.
I frowned, confused. "But if I kill you... it's gone..." I stumbled through my logic, and it wasn't adding u p. Lucky for me the Boss was healing slowly. Dust isn't easy to put back together. My thoughts worked quicker. "I have to destroy this world, and you. But... this world runs off of you..."
My thoughts drove my mind into a frenzy. Nothing in the world around me worked itself into my brain. Nothing but the Boss's laughter. That ground into my brain, interrupting my thoughts and shattering the silence of the room. I decided to think out loud to counter the noise the strangled every thought I had.
"There's got to be something to destroy this place. Something the world revolves around. There's you... You support it, but what supports you ?" I sighed, not sure. "It has to always be here. It has to be important, probably in the center of everything, the center of your world, this room..." I looked at the Boss as realization sparked, and his laughter cut short as his body finished its regeneration. My grip on the scythe tightened. He knew I knew.
I tried to get quickly to my feet, for some sort of defense. It was pointless. The Boss grabbed my shoulders and lifted me. I tried to stab him again, weaken him, he grabbed the scythe, tried to yank it from my grip, but I held on. I would not give that up, it was my last chance, my only weapon. The Boss chuckled at my struggle, but he let me win, I kept the scythe. He grabbed my right arm, twisting me around so I face the chair instead of him.
Not letting go of my arm he leaned his head to my ear, whispering to me. "You will die this time." I shook my head and again he chuckled. "I was so close to him I felt his body shake with his laughter. "Little girl, how will you stop me?" He asked, half serious. He squeezed my arm and I felt the bones strain as he proved his point. He was stronger than me, could hold me here as long as he needed to.
I star4ed at the chair, considering the question. "I can die," I stated. The Boss nodded against my shoulder. "I think I will." I added. His teeth reached again for my neck. I didn't flinch or shudder this time. I wasn't scared. "But you won't kill me." He didn't pause. No, his teeth sunk into my neck. I still didn't move. "You won't kill me," I said again, softer, as I felt him suck the magic out of me.
Closing my eyes I used my free left hand to grip the scythe, my hand closer to the blade than the end of the handle. My body swayed as it weakened. The pain had come, but the Boss ignored it, sucking harder as he forced the blood out of me. There wasn't enough magic to stop him, there wasn't enough power in this room, in this world. I began moving my arm as my eyes lost their focus and the world turned to fuzz. All the power here went to the Boss, I vaguely was aware of feeling his mind, of the thoughts there. The rage was gone, he had the power to keep the magic from me. Even if he pulled away right now I wouldn't heal, I'd bleed to death. I was going to die. Something sharp touched my chest as I considered the thought. I'd die. How long had I wanted that to happen? How often had I thrown myself in death's way just to see if it would work? When did I grow so confident that it would never touch me? That I'd live forever? Wood broke my skin as I considered. The Boss didn't have to bend to bite me. He was barely taller than me, almost my height. Blood trickled down my body and it hurt worse than what the Boss was doing to me. I summoned the last of my strength to move faster, to lean forward, to pull my arm into me.
I screamed as the stake end of the scythe emerged from the Boss's back and his shout followed mine.
He let go of me and I jerked the scythe out of my heart. Gasping I drew in air, but it did no good. There was no magic left for me, nothing left here at all. I couldn't breath air, even as it filled my lungs it meant nothing. My knees buckled as I gripped the scythe, raising it over my head. The Boss screamed for me to stop, but the scythe swung down, I watched it in slow motion. I felt the Boss grab my shoulder, my hand loosened on the scythe, but it still swung. Clawed finger dug into me but I didn't feel it, I couldn't see it. The world was too hazy, there was only a glimpse of red falling down and landing in ebony, digging deep into the darkness... then unleashing a light so bright that for an instant I could see clearly, for an instant the magic washed through me and I was alive, I could see the room, feel the dust blow against my back and scatter.
Then I was blind, and all turned to darkness.
Mwahahaha! I did it! I came out with another piece! Don't hate me for saying it's actually been written for what, 3 to 4 months? I just haven't typed it. slaps forehead I'm such an ass, sorry.
P.S. is she dead? Read the epilogue!