SPECIAL WARNING - VIOLENCE AND STRONG LANGUAGE ^^
38- The Zenoath
There was a violent jolt, then suddenly the dizziness stopped. The light disappeared and she felt herself tipping over. There was a sharp pain in her arm and knee as her body fell to the ground, unable to support her any longer.
For several seconds she couldn't move. The contact of the ground was strangely warm underneath her, unlike the cold of the hard stone she had expected. She felt herself sinking and sliding into it softly.
Sand
A continuous thud, like that of a huge fan echoed around her, but she was unable to define where it was coming from exactly. She could feel a strong wind pushing at her. Strange vibrations ran through her body. She finally opened her eyes slowly, and blinked several times. She turned her head to one side, then the other. But she could see almost nothing, except those huge walls of sand wherever she looked. She suddenly realised they were no longer inside the pyramid, they were back in the open air, outside the sanctuary.
Her fingers slipped and dug into the sand as she braced herself on her hands. She managed to get onto her knees, then slowly onto her two feet, pushed by the swirling wind. The sandstorm was raging. She was surprised by its violence, and by the speed with which it had come upon them. She covered her mouth and nose to protect herself from the sand flying through the air, turning from side to side to try to figure out which direction she should go.
Suddenly she was startled. Something had grabbed her by the arm. As she turned and drew her weapons, she found herself face to face with Kurtis. His hair was flying in all directions, and his crinkled eyes were a thin slit in the sandy haze. He too was trying to protect himself as best he could by covering his mouth with his arm.
You all right?
The adventuress nodded.
Where are we? Did we make it to the other side?
The mercenary shook his head in turn, but more out of spite. There was a sudden gust of hot wind which whipped them violently, they turned away in one movement to protect themselves.
Dunno but we gotta find a place to take shelter if you ask me!
Yes, but which way to go?, the young woman mentally retorted.
The mercenary waved his hand. When she looked up in the direction he was pointing, she seemed to make out something through the sand, something like a faint glow though. But it was hard to tell because the storm was really thick and powerful. Without waiting, they both set off, moving with difficulty and slow steps. Their boots sank deep into the ground but their tracks disappeared as quickly as they had been made, swept away by the storm. The sound of the wind was deafening, the air became less and less breathable. At this rate, they would not last long exposed like this.
Lara followed Kurtis' shadow, who was leading the way one hand raised in front of his eyes to try to protect himself. The chirugai was twirling in the air, also trying to resist the onslaught of sand and wind. But it seemed to be leading them towards this strange glow that was taking shape through the opaque ripples of the storm.
The metal disc's golden halo suddenly faded, before disappearing completely. Then, just as he was walking in front of her a few seconds before, Kurtis' figure suddenly faded away. Lara quickened her pace to try to catch up with him, but she couldn't see him anywhere. She felt a slight pang of stress rise in her chest.
"Kurtis?", she cried.
But the sound of the storm was far too loud and completely covered her voice. The young woman turned around, turning from one side to the other. But once again, she saw nothing but the walls of sand surrounding her. She turned around, trying to keep her composure. The most logical thing to do was to continue walking in the same direction the chirugai had indicated so far, the American couldn't be far away anyway.
She resumed her walk, one hand still raised in front of her to try to discern something, but the storm gave her no respite. After a few steps however and as she had hoped, she finally made out something in the sand. A shape, perhaps even a silhouette. She imagined that Kurtis must have stopped to wait for her. But as she got closer, and from what she could make out in the fog, she didn't recognise the demon hunter's clothes or his build. It was also a little shorter and smaller silhouette than the mercenary's. To her surprise, it was most likely a woman, with long dark clothes. She could see long braided hair under the hood that covered her head. Jewels shining around her wrists. And even as the connection was being made in the adventuress' head, the woman turned to her, revealing this face she knew so well.
At first she remained motionless, her eyes focused right on the adventuress. The sand didn't seem to bother her more than that, as if flying around her without ever touching her. The wind whipped against the wooden stick she held firmly in her hands. Lara took another step, then stopped short, suddenly on edge.
"I was waiting for you."
Lara shivered, and felt her heart clench at the words. It wasn't the first time this had happened, it wasn't the first time she had seen her image, of course. But it always had the same effect on her. She knew it wasn't possible, that she couldn't be there with her. And yet, her voice had sounded more clearly than ever. It was exactly the same image, the one she had kept in her memories.
Yet a doubt came over her. The young woman discreetly slid her hands towards her pistols. If they had indeed passed through the nephilim portal, and if the Zenoath was anywhere around here, then it was not impossible they would find traps on their way. And this could be one.
"I don't think my time has come yet," she muttered suddenly, feeling her fingers wrap around the handle of her 9mm.
The woman, or the mirage, or whatever it was, lowered her hand and rested it on the stick. Against all odds, a smile came to her lips. Something sparkled in her eyes.
Then it all happened very quickly. At the very moment Lara drew her weapons, the thing literally leapt in her direction at great speed. She saw its face twist with rage and its now red eyes focused on her, no doubt with the aim of not letting her go. The first shot rang out, but the thing dodged nimbly, disappearing for a moment into the sand and wind.
Lara turned in all directions, but she could see absolutely nothing. Everything around her was too blurry. She spun around several times, her weapons pointed in front of her, her fingers ready to pull the trigger. Her face tightened. She would have expected this. After all, what could you expect from a place forged by the most powerful beings in terms of mental manipulation?
She heard a kind of resonating sound to her right, and the thing suddenly burst out of the fog, mouth wide open like a wild beast. Lara had time to turn to it, but not to shoot. She was hit head-on and fell to the ground with a thud. She clutched her 9mm, protecting herself as best she could with her arms. The thing clawed at her, hitting her several times and in several places. She could smell its putrid breath, the breath of death, and its drool dripping on her. Its shrill screams pierced her ears. She tried to aim and fire, but the woman swept the weapon away with a wave of his hand. It flew through the air and landed further away. The adventuress struggled as best she could, striking with all her might. But she was crushed under its weight.
The beast bent down and tried to bite her in the throat. She kicked its legs and kneed it. She grunted, but did not give in. She elbowed her hard, causing her to retreat slightly, and took advantage of this opportunity. With a cry of both rage and incomprehension, she elbowed her once more, grabbed her remaining 9mm and pointed it at her face. Her finger pulled the trigger without hesitation. The hood slid from off her head as the top of her skull flew apart. But instead of collapsing to the ground as a normal body would have done, the thing just stopped moving before its contours became blurred. It then gradually disappeared, the last of its particles carried away by the storm.
Lara lay there on her back for a short while, wheezing. Then the sandstorm brought her back to reality. She got to her feet as quickly as she could, fearing that another such beast would appear. She rushed to pick up the 9mm she had lost during the fight before it was completely buried in the sand. As she stood up, she felt a presence at her back.
—
The light of the chirugai was barely visible through all the sand, but the object seemed to know where to go. The mercenary followed it for a long time without taking his eyes off it, hoping to find something other than sand and dust at some point.
Then the object came to a sudden stop in the air. Stunned, the mercenary stopped in his turn, turning from side to side, looked down at the ground. But there was absolutely nothing here. If the wind hadn't been so strong, he would undoubtedly have frowned a little more.
He was about to turn back to Lara, when he realised that the young woman was no longer behind him. He found himself facing the void and the swirling storm. The adventuress had simply disappeared without a trace.
"Lara?!"
He tried to keep his composure, though his heartbeat suddenly quickened. Knowing her, he found it hard to believe that she could be just lost in the storm. If one of them could have gotten lost, it was him. And in any case, they were walking much too close to each other for her to get lost so easily.
Perhaps something had happened to her.
It was then that the mercenary's eyes were drawn to something. A shape appeared somewhere to his right, through the swirling dust. The young man reacted immediately, drawing his Boran X. He did not immediately understand what it was as he first thought it was just an optical effect. But after a few seconds he realised there was something in the sand. Or rather, someone.
Unlikely as it may seem, he saw a human being emerge from the storm, a man to be exact. A little stocky, square-shouldered, with a hard and soft, piercing look. He walked quietly towards the mercenary, almost smiling. He was exactly as he had last seen him, in Iznik's villa. The Russian stopped, and looked the young man straight in the eye. Then the image of Roman's father became blurred, so blurred that he disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, giving way to a new mirage. That of a young woman with blond bobbed hair and an equally piercing gaze.
"Who knew I'd die trying to save your cute little butt?", she said sarcastically while crossing her arms against her chest.
Kurtis felt completely unnerved by this appearance, but more importantly, by the resemblance to the real Sasha. The one who had died so that he and Lara could escape from the villa under siege by Gunderson's men. But it couldn't be her. She couldn't technically be here with them. Neither could Mikhaïl. He clung to the idea with all his might, gripping his gun a little tighter. If he had to shoot, he wouldn't hesitate.
There was another movement, this time to his left. The image of Sasha disappeared just as suddenly, swept away by the gusts of wind. But already Kurtis was no longer paying attention and was concentrating on the man who was coming towards him. His tall figure emerged through the sand, moving with a confident step. He then stopped tight in front of the young man. His image appeared imprecise at first, but Kurtis did not need to see his face in detail to recognise him. Even with his blurred, time-worn memories, he had recognised him. He knew full well that Eckhardt and the Nephili before him would use it against him at some point. It was inevitable.
"Aren't you going to say hello to me after all this time?", the man said in his hoarse voice.
Kurtis couldn't help but shudder at hearing that voice, also so distant in his memories and reasoning in him like that. He remained completely silent, his finger gripping the trigger of his gun, poised on his feet. He was ready to fight back, whatever it took. A grimace of disgust appeared on his hitherto impassive face.
"Nice try," the mercenary replied in a voice as neutral as possible.
An evil sneer appeared on the man's thin lips. Then suddenly his entire face changed in anger, in a most inhuman way. His ocean-blue eyes became inky black, exaggeratedly enlarged by ferocity.
Kurtis seemed to hear the sound of a gunshot as the thing charged at him, but couldn't make out if the bullets had reached their target or not. He saw his huge shadow coming over him and felt the power of its fist strike his cheek. Pain shot up to the top of his skull, the mercenary felt himself wobble and fall backwards. He didn't realise he was on the ground until the monster fell on top of him and hit him again. The American pushed him back with a powerful kick. The man staggered backwards, but he didn't seem to be affected in the least by this retaliation.
Kurtis then saw something glowing in his hand, something he hadn't noticed until now. The man, or at least the monster pretending to be this man, was holding some kind of dagger with a deep black blade. The demon hunter saw the object rise and fall towards him at full speed. He rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the blow. He took advantage of this movement, which destabilized his opponent, to strike him with new kicks: a first one in the arm, which made him drop the periapt shard he was holding, then a second one, in the torso. The man gasped for breath for a very brief moment and grunted, but with a grunt that sounded like a beast.
Taking advantage of this moment of confusion, Kurtis rolled over once more and reached out to catch the shard that had fallen a little further. When he turned around, the monster was already leaning over him. He did not think, and raised the weapon in front of him. The black blade pierced the man's throat just as he was about to bite the mercenary. He hiccupped in surprise, and looked at him uncomprehendingly, almost surprised. But he did not try to struggle. His large ocean-blue eyes met those of the young man, and for a very brief moment the American felt a terrible sense of dread at this image, so real, yet impossible.
They both held each other's gaze, before the mirage faded completely, finally blown away by the wind and sand. Within seconds, everything was gone. Kurtis found himself with both hands still clutching the shard suspended in the storm's void and chaos.
He quickly got to his feet, panting. His thoughts were confused. But when he saw the shape a few feet away, he walked towards it without hesitation.
—
The touch of the hand on her shoulder was warm and comforting. She knew immediately when she turned around that Kurtis had found her. They exchanged a concerned look, and she saw in his eyes that something had happened to him too. But they had no time to talk about it right now. First of all, they had to find a way out of the storm, that was the priority. Until they were safe and out of this hellhole, there was nothing more they could do. Moreover, they risked exposing themselves to other traps of the same kind. Not to mention that they did not know what else awaited them in this sandy fog. They had to find a way out, and quickly.
The mercenary waved his hand. Again he seemed to be pointing at something, Lara thought she could make out the glow she had seen earlier, a kind of bright light, but it was hard to tell if it was close or not.
Aware that they might not find another way out, they started to walk side by side in that direction. They kept their weapons loaded, ready to fire at the slightest suspicious movement even though they both knew that they would only see the enemies coming at them at the last moment in such a mess. Far ahead, the coloured glow grew brighter and bigger. It was getting closer, and in their hearts they wanted to believe it could be real and that it would lead them somewhere.
They kept going like this for some time - they could not say exactly how long - guided by this column of light whose origin and purpose they did not know. Until finally something loomed before them. Between the sand and dust, they thought they saw a gap in the thick cloak of the storm, a sort of crack in the fog. Daylight, undetectable here, seemed to shine through and brighten a little further on. Kurtis turned to Lara, his face buried in his sleeve. With a nod of agreement, they both moved forward.
And suddenly everything stopped. The incessant chatter of the wind suddenly died away. The air fell back suddenly, as if they had finally reached the open air after a long breath. The confined, dusty sand was replaced by a spacious and airy space around them. Both weapons in hand and ready to fire, they discovered with amazement the immense plain of sand and dunes that had just appeared before them. At first glance, it looked like a gigantic arena, nestled in the very heart of the storm. The place seemed almost impenetrable, lost in the eye of the huge tornado. Far away on the horizon, perhaps several miles away, the shape of three enormous buildings could be seen: the pyramids of Giza.
How is this possible?, asked the young man.
The aventuress herself had to admit she didn't know exactly what it was all about. Parallel world, illusion or another nephilim trap? It was hard to say. For everything resembled the archaeological area of Giza, right down to the chain of dark rocks that spread at the feet of the three buildings.
Lara pouted. The light had guided them here, and the first thought that came to her mind was that something had been released from the pyramid. And for a very brief second, she panicked that it might be Seth. But on closer inspection, there was no evil god on the horizon, just this huge empty space and this strange bright light streaming from the tip of the tallest pyramid, and which seemed to pierce the sky and blend in it.
"What do you think it is?", the young woman finally said after a long moment of silence.
But Kurtis remained unmoved beside her, trying to understand too. He watched the empty surroundings around them. They had probably left the sanctuary in the pyramid and were now outside.
Suddenly they heard something. A voice. When they turned, they saw that someone was waving at them a little further on. The man walking towards them was literally struggling against the sand he was sinking into, his face covered in dust and sweat lit up when he saw the two adventurers who were unable to contain their astonishment.
"What the...?!", Kurtis choked.
"My God... I thought I was never going to find you! I almost got lost in the storm!", exclaimed Mark, who took a moment to finally catch his breath as he bent in two, his hands resting on his knees.
He pushed his glasses back on his nose and sat up, still out of breath. Kurtis couldn't believe how relieved the man could be to see him.
"What are you doing here? Where are the others?", Lara asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't know," he replied with real honesty. "We saw you put your hand on the wall, and then nothing... I woke up in this storm... Aren't Jean and Roman with you?", the archaeologist wondered as he didn't seem to understand what was happening either.
Lara turned to Kurtis.
"Did you see what had happened? Did you see anything?"
The mercenary shook his head in denial. It had all happened very quickly, he was unable to tell what exactly had happened between the time he had put his hand on that wall and waking up in the middle of a storm.
"Maybe they got stuck in the sanctuary," he finally replied.
"Maybe we're the ones who are stuck here," Mark corrected him gently. "Do you know where we are? Did you find the source?"
"I guess it can't be far away," Lara replied in a firm voice, "For where we are, it's hard to say though..."
"In any case, we'll have to keep our guard up," Kurtis replied in a mysterious voice, keeping an eye on the surroundings. "I don't trust this fuckin' place."
"Do you think there are traps like in the sanctuary?", asked Mark as he turned around worriedly.
"It's to be expected, yes. The storm is a good example," Lara replied. "That was just an appetizer."
A rather heavy and understated silence fell between them. The adventuress felt Kurtis' inquisitory and piercing gaze on her. She responded to the question he was silently asking by a look and pointedly looked at him in return. The expression on his face remained impassive, but what she saw in his eyes spoke volumes. He shrugged a shoulder in an imprecise movement, halfway between nervousness and annoyance.
Things I'd rather see remain in the past
Understanding that the young man did not wish to dwell on the subject, Lara did not insist further. She looked down at her weapons, and checked her magazines for the umpteenth time. Mark ran a hand through his tousled hair to get rid of the sand.
"What do we do then? Where do we go? Do you think there's anything down there, towards the pyramids?"
"I think there's only one way to find out," Lara said as she turned her large brown eyes to the mercenary's azure pupils.
Turning to the three pyramids that awaited them in the distance, they took a moment to check their belongings and equipment before finally setting off. The chirugai followed in its usual quiet whistle. They soon found themselves lost in the middle of the dunes, progressing at a steady and sure pace. They walked in silence, the three of them concentrating on their steps and on what was happening around them.
The silence of the desert gradually took over. Everything was quiet, almost heavy. There was not a sound except for their own footsteps sliding through the thick sand. Even the storm behind them seemed to have died down.
They walked for several hours, although again it was difficult to know how long it took them to reach the pyramids. Before they could reach them, they passed more dunes, then quickly climbed a pile of rocks that blocked their way. When they reached the top of the mound, which was certainly not very high, they were overlooking a whole field of huge stones and rocks, which stretched out in front of them like a dark and threatening sea.
They were now very close to the three enormous stone buildings. Beside them, the archaeologist, still panting, could not hold back a sigh of wonder, his eyes amazed. The strange blue light - not unlike that in the Temple of Horus - enveloped the largest of the pyramids. Like the sandstorm, the blue wave in continuous movement twisted around the stone like a gigantic, overpowering tornado and slid over it as it rose to the top. It then disappeared into the thick grey sky, blending in with it. Electric blue flashes of lightning shone in places, as if the energy was diffusing into the heavens.
Looks like we've woken up the chaos, Kurtis wryly said.
The stones scattered before them did not inspire confidence indeed. They were steep and craggy in places, sometimes several feet high. Lara imagined any kind of creature or trap could be hidden among them. She couldn't help thinking these rocks could very well swallow them up in a few seconds, as the Golems had done in Cappadocia. But if the monsters were to emerge from this chaos, they would know how to get rid of them this time.
Knowing that they had no choice but to go forward from now on, the three companions began to cross the ruins. The two adventurers kept one weapon in their hand and the other free in order to pass the rocky obstacles more easily. They soon realised that the landscape was much more hostile than they had thought at first: the rocks were very slippery, not very stable and some of the edges were extremely sharp. They experienced this in turn. Mark slipped several times and almost impaled himself on a sharp edge, only to be caught by the mercenary. Lara scraped her leg after taking a wrong turn, while Kurtis tried to catch himself on a ledge as he slid sideways. Despite Lara's help in pulling him up, the palm of his hand, already cut by the ritual in the shrine, had started to bleed profusely again. They had to stop for a few moments to dress the wound.
What a hell of a nephilim world, Lara heard him mutter inwardly as she worked on his injured hand.
I guess we're not really welcome here, the young woman retorted with a more than ironic smirk.
Despite the circumstances, the mercenary smiled back, amused by her reaction. But they didn't have time to linger any longer though. Without another word, Lara quickly put the first aid kit back into her bag, and they resumed their progress. They continued on for several hundred feet in the still strangely silent environment. The blue glow and the pyramids were finally getting closer. They could now make out the rocks that made up the three large buildings, and the different shades of colour, from blue to silver of the light that waved gracefully and wrapped itself around the great pyramid like a veil of smoke.
Kurtis, who was leading the way, slid down a rock and then climbed the one that was in the continuity. Lara followed, while Mark stopped to catch his breath for a moment, hands on his hips and his gaze raised towards the top of the pyramids. But when the young woman reached the mercenary, she realised they could go no further. A huge, dark chasm separated them from the base of the nearest pyramid, several dozen feet away. There was nothing but emptiness in front of them.
They both bent down, but they saw absolutely nothing but darkness. It was impossible to make out the bottom. The blue light, however, seemed to originate here and they felt its powerful breath coming up from the depths of the earth. It was a whole energy, a whole power they felt was here. A power like they had never seen before, which awakened every inch of their bodies.
Driven by curiosity, Lara reached out to put her hand into the rays of light. At first with her fingertips, she then plunged her hand completely into it when she realised that it was not a danger. The light, or rather the energy, vibrated slightly at her touch, sizzled around her hand. There was a soft, pleasant warmth. The energy rippled over her skin and gently moved up her hand, then wrapped around her wrist, slowly sliding down her arm, as if trying to become one with the young woman. It was kind of hard to explain, but the adventuress suddenly felt kind of stronger. Lara then felt a sudden, violent tingling in the palm of her hand, then in her leg. She turned her palm over, and discovered that the wound left by the ritual in the shrine shortly before had almost completely disappeared. There was now only a superficial trace left among the other natural lines on her skin. The Englishwoman also realised that the scratch on her leg had also stopped bleeding, and had closed up on its own.
She turned her head abruptly towards Kurtis, who, although silent, had difficulty hiding his astonishment and a certain fascination for this mysterious energy source. He in turn gently reached out his hand towards it, and was overcome by a powerful feeling of well-being as his fingers made contact with it.
The original nephilim source
Suddenly, they heard Mark let out a cry behind them. But they soon realised it was in fact a cry of pain. Then there was a resounding noise, which sounded like a sharp snap. Before he could react, the American saw Lara lose her balance and topple over, grabbing her arm. She let out a cry of surprise and he rushed to catch her. He let himself fall flat on his stomach against the hard stone and managed to grab the young woman by the forearm just as she was going to fall backwards into the void. She broke her fall as best she could, and let out another grunt as she hit the wall of the chasm. When she looked down at her arm, she saw the huge red mark that ran up and down it. The pain of the burn suddenly came to life, sharp and piercing. She winced. Her eyes, still round with surprise, looked up at the mercenary, who was also looking at her without understanding what had just happened.
The strange, yet strangely familiar sound echoed behind them again. Kurtis felt something brush against him, and then a sensation of intense heat. Just beside his shoulder, the stone shattered. He saw smoke, the pieces ricocheted around him, he turned his head to protect himself. Beneath him he felt the pressure of Lara's hand closing on his arm. He hurriedly grabbed her by her other hand and began to pull her up. The young woman, a little stunned, managed to stabilise herself by leaning against the uneven wall. She pushed on her legs, Kurtis helped her up, but they remained head down, their backs bent, instinctively trying to protect themselves from this sudden danger they could not see.
But just as they were about to dive forward to take cover, they both felt their blood run cold in their veins. They stood petrified at the silhouettes looming a few feet away. There was a group of armed men, but they recognised above all the Argentinian with his blindfold, and then the woman with the clear, piercing eyes who was waiting for them perched on one of the shaky rocks. A wicked yet clearly satisfied smile spread across her pale face.
"Surprise," she hissed through clenched teeth.
At that very moment, Lara and Kurtis weren't sure what caught them off guard more: being confronted by Saija and her men, who literally came out of nowhere, or the completely frightened expression of Mark, whom the assistant held captive with a firm hand around his neck. His panicked gaze sought out the adventuress', then the mercenary's to call for help. He had a rather large wound on his forehead, blood was running into his eye and down his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Lara...", he said with difficulty.
The adventuress frowned, not understanding. The young assistant's fingers tightened around his neck, he groaned.
"They had Joanne... They found her, they were going to... They threatened me too... I couldn't do anything else...", the archaeologist said hastily between jerky breaths.
Saija's smile widened even more when she caught the discomfited expression on the two adventurers' faces. On her arm, Eckhardt's glove glowed brightly than ever, just like a blazing fire. Kurtis looked at it, then stared straight at the wounded man, he felt a wave of anger wash over him.
"You fucking piece of shit," he growled, out of his mind.
But just as he was about to lunge forward, he was held back by the adventuress, who grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the ground with her, just as Saija launched a powerful jet of energy towards them. Everything went extremely fast. They had just enough time to duck and take cover behind a rock to dodge. Before they could retaliate, the assistant, beside herself too silenced Mark for good. The man let out a terrible howl that tore the air as the young woman's fingers dug into his skin and throat, crushing it to a pulp. His dishevelled shirt was suddenly covered in blood as the carotid vein burst. The man opened his mouth and closed it compulsively, as if trying to catch his breath. Then, in a matter of seconds, his eyes went blank, and his arms fell limply to his sides. Saija had not quite finished decapitating him when she finally let go. Mark's corpse slumped on one of the rocks like a rag doll, his glasses slipped off and shattered on a rock below.
The two adventurers retreated and took refuge behind some steep rocks. But they knew their respite would be short-lived. Shots rang out in their direction. Kurtis straightened up slightly to try to locate their enemies. But immediately he was targeted by another burst of energy. No sooner had he lowered his head to protect himself than the rock above him exploded into pieces.
The Argentinian shouted something, and they heard his men start to move. The two adventurers realised that they were undoubtedly going to try to surround them, to draw them out of their hiding place and trap them. Kurtis straightened up once more. Out of the corner of his eye he noted two men coming up on their left and three on their right. Before he ducked and took cover, he saw Mark's lifeless body lying on a rock a little further away.
And now you understand why I couldn't bare him!, the demon hunter said bitterly, drawing his pistol to counterattack.
The chirugai whistled over their heads and disappeared from their field of vision. The object sped towards the henchmen who were trying to fight their way through the dangerous rocks. They heard more gunshots, then some shouting but they did not know if the metal disc had hit its targets.
The question is, how did she get here?!, Lara retorted, her 9mm in hand.
Above them, more pieces of stone flew into the air. They pressed themselves further against the rock to protect themselves.
Lara suddenly stood up, two weapons in hand, and fired without aiming. The bullets mowed down the nearest men, who, taken by surprise, lost their balance and fell heavily on the rocks. One of them let out a cry of pain as his shoulder was dislocated. A second rolled behind another irregularly shaped rock to find shelter. Lara took aim at him before he could reload and aim at her. But the other group of men was already in position to attack, Javier and his blindfold in the lead. She saw the man clutching his assault rifle, but as he pulled the trigger, the weapon suddenly deviated from its trajectory, as if pushed by an invisible force. Kurtis, who had risen to his feet, overpowered him with one hand, exerting his mental strength on him. The Argentinian could not contain his surprise when his assault rifle bent in two and when it suddenly flew off and disappeared forever into the abyss.
The mercenary then gave a push to push him back, and pushed back the men coming from the other side. Their bullets stopped in mid-air and vibrated against the invisible wall the American had erected to protect them. Farther away, a little behind the battlefield, Saija watched the scene in an almost unreal calm. For a brief moment, her large almond-shaped eyes met those of the demon hunter, and for a brief moment, Kurtis saw something strangely familiar. Something in her face, in her pale skin, in her animal-like cheeks, evoked something in his memory, but at the time he was unable to remember exactly what.
He had no time to dwell on his reflection. The men he was pushing away suddenly lowered their weapons, out of ammunition. The young man lowered his hand and deactivated the invisible shield, allowing Lara to take over and fire on them. One of them went down, hit in the shoulder and torso. The others, more reactive, ducked and took refuge behind a rock.
There was silence for a brief second, during which no one moved. The two adventurers heard the men reload, but none fired. Time stood still for a moment as Lara and Kurtis stood facing Saija, who also stood still on her rock. Lara held her clear, sharp gaze, and silently challenged her to come and face her.
"Enough of your bullshit, Miss Brat-My-Ass."
The corner of the girl's mouth twisted into an ironic smirk, which was quickly replaced by a grimace of anger. She suddenly raised her arm in front of her, just as Lara raised her weapons to fire. The shots went off, but Kurtis rushed to tackle the adventuress to the ground. A huge flame shot out of the glove and swept around, the henchmen also took cover as it passed over them, before hitting the rocks where Lara had been standing seconds earlier.
Both of them rolled on the sandy ground, dodging the fiery cloud and the flakes of ash that evaporated in the air. But no sooner had they caught their breath than Lara was ready to counterattack. Kurtis grabbed her by the arms to prevent her from getting up though.
"We gotta outsmart her!", he shouted to her.
"We need to find a solution, and fast!"
But they were interrupted. One of Saija's men appeared right above them, on the edge of the rock. Without thinking, Lara pushed Kurtis to the side and immediately pointed to fire. She fired at the same time as the man, who suddenly fell backwards, hit in the face by the young woman's bullet. But she did not have time to dodge his, which grazed her shoulder before hitting the gournd right at her feet. She let out a cry of pain. She didn't have time to check her wound as something else was already approaching. When Kurtis turned around, another man had appeared. The Argentine. Javier, automatic weapon in hand, aimed directly at him. Despite the pain, Lara swung around to try to counter him, but the two men were far too close to each other, she had no room to manoeuvre.
Kurtis stood up and used his mental strength to push his enemy's weapon away, trying to make him let go. The Argentinian resisted with all his might, his face twisted into a grimace of anger and pain. His muscles suddenly tensed under the invisible force that the mercenary was exerting against him. He struggled a little harder. But the power on his gun was far too strong. He held on until the last moment, refusing to let go of his weapon, until his wrist twisted. Then his arm gave way. Kurtis then suddenly released the pressure and took advantage of the moment of confusion to grab the man and knock him to the ground. The henchman collapsed on himself with a hiccup of surprise, the weapon ricocheted and disappeared further away. He tried to get to his feet, but Kurtis immediately rushed in to block him face down.
But Lara didn't have time to stop him before another figure appeared right above her. But she was the quickest to react. The man didn't have time to understand what was happening before the adventuress had already aimed and fired. The bullets passed through his throat and into his chest. He made a hoarse, glutinous sound and fell face first. Lara rolled to the side to avoid the lifeless body, which fell heavily beside her. She got to her feet. Behind her, Kurtis was still struggling with the Argentine. But the way was clear on the other side.
Without thinking further, the Englishwoman took a little momentum and climbed the rock in front of her in a few strides. She found herself in the open, but did not let the assistant out of her sight, even when the other henchmen suddenly came out of their hiding place to take up their positions. Saija did not move. Lara had understood that the young woman was only waiting for one thing: to confront them. And that's exactly what she was going to give her.
Here we go
She moved as Saija cocked the glove and aimed at her. She dodged the energy blast with a nimble and precise sideways jump. The henchmen took their position around her like common bulls ready to charge her into the arena. Instinctively, Lara's fingers pulled the trigger and the bursts of bullets went off in all directions. First on one side, to counter the men coming from the right, then on the other, to push back those coming from the left and from the front. The chirugai suddenly appeared from behind her and went to plant itself between the two eyes of one of the soldiers, who collapsed to the ground immediately. The weapon then came off the skull with a soft noise and went back into the air, spinning towards another target. The henchman not far away tried to protect himself, but he could only resist the blades of the flying disc for a few seconds. A huge spurt of blood flew through the air as the object cut him deep at the junction of his neck and shoulder. Another collapsed, hit in the heart by one of the adventuress' bullets. She was finally closing in on Saija, who showed no sign of backing down as her men were decimated one after the other.
Shots rang out. Lara ran and gave a powerful impulse, and jumped to dodge them. From there she was able to shoot the last man standing in front of Saija, trying - ironically enough - to block her attack. She stopped him with a bullet in the head, before landing on a slippery rock. She let herself slide on it and rolled to take cover behind a nearby rock. She took the opportunity to reload and catch her breath for a moment.
Against all expectations, silence suddenly fell around her. No one moved. She heard Kurtis continuing to struggle a few feet away, but Saija's men had frozen. When Lara tilted her head slightly to take a look, she saw that the assistant was still waiting for her, her eternal satisfied smile glued to her lips. Even if only she and a few of her henchmen were left, she and Kurtis had to come up with a plan of attack without delay. And buy them some time.
Lara straightened up and got to her feet, her hands gripping her two 9mm guns. She wasn't sure exactly what she was doing, or what she was going to do. The blood was pounding against her temples, and she could feel her heart pulsing against her ribs. She controlled her breathing.
Her determined gaze landed squarely on Saija: the young woman returned a look of defiance despite her strangely calm appearance. With a movement of her hand, she stopped the two men who had taken up an attack position, and who were ready to fire on the Englishwoman. Lara glanced at them suspiciously, before finally returning her attention to the young woman who was facing her a few feet away.
"You've really exasperated me till the very end, you bitch," Saija finally said in her unpleasant, wheezing voice. "But I must say that leaving you alive will have served me well in the end."
"Too bad for you we're still here to kick your ass, indeed," the adventuress retorted dryly. "And for good this time," she finished, raising her weapons to aim at the young woman.
Saija took a look at the barrels of both guns, and let out a cynical laugh.
"Do you really think this will stop me?"
"Shall we try and see?", she hissed through clenched teeth.
"I thought Kutna Hora taught you a lesson."
The assistant took a step forward. Her fingers closed into a tight fist, the glove vibrated a little harder. Lara felt an ache in her forehead, exacerbated by the strange glint in the assistant's eyes. She knew what she was trying to do, she tightened her grip around her weapons, her jaw clenched.
"You know, I'm a pretty stubborn person. What's more, I don't like people hanging around me. I've got better things to do than babysit for some power-hungry brat."
"Again, you sound like a broken record, Miss Pain-In-The-Ass."
Saija made a wide gesture with her arm, which released a powerful energy source. The flash of light blinded the Englishwoman for a short moment, but she was able to jump to dodge. At the same time, the henchmen seemed to come back to their senses and started shooting at her. The adventuress managed to kill one of them, but the second one remained standing, only slightly wounded. She broke her fall quite heavily and threw herself forward to take cover behind a rock.
"Don't forget that I have the upper hand in this world!", the assistant shouted, clearly irritated at having missed her target like that.
"Well, and who decreed that?"
Lara leapt forward, dodging a new jet of energy that was coming at her. She felt its power and strength, which seemed to be ten times greater than in the real world. The glove's powers were developing, no doubt from being in its original environment. Time was running out. But as long as she kept the assistant away from the source and the energy, she and Kurtis might have a chance to defeat it. Or at least, they would have some time to find a way to get rid of her.
Saija let out another angry snort, and went back to attacking. Lara got to her feet and suddenly ran in the direction of the young woman, pulling the triggers of her firearms. Some of the bullets hit the young woman before she had time to protect herself. Black blood ran down her skin where she had been hit. But soon the powers of the glove took over, and the bullets ricocheted off an invisible shield.
"We're not playing in the same league!", the half-nephilim said in a wry voice.
But Lara had anticipated this time. She continued her run without stopping, and went straight for Saija. Even though she knew it was useless, she fired another burst of bullets as a diversion. Then she quickly sheathed one of her pistols so that she could grab the shard from her backpack.
Lara picked up speed, and charged at the assistant without hesitation. She saw the adventuress coming at her without being able to counter the attack. As she had foreseen, she easily passed through the protective shield, which was only effective against weapons. She saw the surprised expression of the Norwegian when she raised the periapt shard to strike her with it. Saija recoiled and reflexively raised her arm to protect herself. However, she could do nothing as the black blade sank into her shoulder. She screamed, and both women fell to the ground. Lara steadied her fall with another roll. She was the first to stand up, Saija was on the ground, her shoulder bleeding and once again unable to remove the shard from which only the handle was visible.
"Indeed," the adventuress hissed through clenched teeth.
Lara!
She turned around quickly. Not far away, she saw Kurtis waving at her. He was brandishing his periapt shard, the blade of which glowed with a piercing gleam. Trying to get the best aim he could, he threw the dagger at her. The weapon bounced off a rock and landed a few feet away from Lara. The young woman dived forward to retrieve it.
Behind her, the semi Nephilim howl of pain suddenly turned into a howl of rage. But just as Lara was about to dodge the wave of energy coming at her, she was taken by surprise by the injured henchman, who suddenly appeared in front of her. He pulled the trigger of his assault rifle, and the shot went off. The bullets grazed her arm badly, as well as her leg. The adventuress reacted as quickly as she could and fired back. The man collapsed, but she did not have time to avoid the glove's spray, which hit her full force. She felt her feet lift off the ground, and the burning blast of the explosion pushed her with force. She felt as if her head would explode, the pain was so strong and unbearable.
At the same moment, Kurtis heard the resounding sound of the explosion. But he had no time to react. Underneath him, the Argentine struggled harder to get out of his reach, nearly toppling him too. The whistle of the chirugai was heard above them. The weapon flew straight towards them. But as the disc plunged towards the Argentinian, one of Saija's man hidden a little further away fired, and the metal disc deviated from its trajectory. Javier suddenly redoubled his efforts to free himself. He threw his elbow backwards, hitting the mercenary's torso and ribs at random. Kurtis tightened his arms around him to block his movements, but soon he felt him slip away. And he didn't see the back of Javier's head hit his face. He grunted in pain, stunned by the pain that radiated up his nose. His Boran X flew out of his hands and bounced on the ground with a metallic noise. The Argentinian took advantage of this to give him another elbow, which allowed him to get out of the way completely.
He then threw himself forward to try and catch the mercenary's firearm. Kurtis came to his senses as the man's fingers closed on it and as he turned to fire. The American rolled into a ball behind a piece of rock, trying at the same time to counter the bullets by pushing them away with his mental strength. The Argentine fired, the bullets ricocheted all over the rocks. Then suddenly the magazine made a loud click, it was empty. The henchman grimaced with rage and discarded the weapon in frustration. The mercenary then had the idea of using his mental strength to raise a thick cloud of sand and dust. He pushed it towards the other man, who was suddenly surrounded and blinded. Kurtis then leapt out of his hiding place and charged at him. Even though the Argentine had understood the diversionary effect, he only saw the American emerge from the cloak of dust at the last moment as he threw himself at him.
Kurtis, however, had not foreseen the knife the henchman kept hidden in one of his pockets - he cursed himself for his inattention, he should have known that they were all trained in the same fighting techniques by the mercenary agencies. It was only at the last moment that he saw the blade his enemy held firmly in his hand. But it was already too late. Carried away by his momentum, the American ran straight at him and hit him head on. He felt the fire of the knife burning him as the metal pierced his flesh just under his arm. Soon he felt the blood flowing and soaking his shirt. The pain was piercing, he suppressed a scream, but tried not to let it overwhelm him. The two men toppled to the side and hit the ground hard. The Argentinian grabbed the knife still stuck in Kurtis' back, and pulled for it. The mercenary felt an electric shock run through him and screamed in pain, unable to hold back this time. His whole body shook with the pain. But he knew he had no time to linger, his enemy would strike back at any moment.
He saw Javier rise to his knees and raise the bloody knife above his head again. Kurtis rolled onto his back and protected himself by kicking his assailant several times. A first one in the wrist made him drop the knife, then he hit him in the face. The Argentine stepped back, slightly stunned.
The cloud of dust had now completely fallen away, they were once again in the open. But just as Kurtis was about to rush at Javier to finish him off, a soldier stood before him, assault rifle pointed at him. He saw Javier take advantage of this to retreat and disappear behind one of the rocks. The American had no time to philosophise about the man's obvious cowardice. He hurriedly grabbed the knife that had fallen to the ground and rolled to the side to avoid the first shot. He got to his feet as quickly as he could. A second shot rang out, narrowly missing him in the arm. He advanced straight at his new assailant and kicked him sideways before he had time to fire a third shot. The man toppled to the side, destabilised. The mercenary hit him again, this time with his fist. The soldier collapsed on himself. As he fell, Kurtis caught him; he slipped his arm around his neck and blocked him. Before the man could react, he raised the knife and jabbed it into his throat. He tried to struggle for a short time, before the whole weight of his body was released at once, with no more resistance.
Kurtis finally let go of him and let his corpse collapse at his feet. His arm was covered in warm blood, which continued to spill in a great pool between the sand and the stones. He sat up, his heart beating a thousand times a minute. That's when he saw Lara being thrown into the air and land several feet away, before rolling around like a disjointed doll.
Saija moved to get closer to the adventuress, and reached out with the arm that held the glove. An invisible hand seemed to grab Lara, and the young woman suddenly twisted in all directions, screaming in pain. She grabbed her head and seemed to struggle with an invisible force that kept her pinned to the ground and at the same time pierced her skull without her being able to do anything.
Kurtis came out of hiding and rushed to try to help her. He used his own mental strength against Saija to try and throw her off balance. The young woman wobbled slightly, taken by surprise. Lara's screaming stopped for a moment. But as soon as the nephilim realised where the attack was coming from, she retaliated. The glove's hand remained focused on the adventuress, who began to writhe in pain on the ground, while her other hand tried to counter the mercenary's attacks. Kurtis concentrated with all his might. He could feel the two forces colliding and pressing against each other, like two magnets attracting and repelling each other at the same time. His hands were vibrating, his concentration was at its highest. Saija remained as if impassive in front of him. The force within her was powerful, and was slowly taking over. Little by little, Kurtis felt his own strength turning against him. He resisted, pushing back the invisible wall that the assistant was pushing towards him. But his powers were beginning to run out.
Saija sensed this weakness and immediately took advantage of it to take over. Her fingers tightened, she concentrated to fully grasp the invisible force and pushed it against the mercenary. He only let go at the last moment, but he was hit full force and could not avoid the wave of energy. He fell and rolled several times on himself, before finally stabilizing himself with a loud grunt. He struggled to his feet, panting. His whole body was in pain. The chirugai attempted an attack, but was stopped with disconcerting ease by the assistant, who paid it absolutely no attention. She dismissed him with a wave of her hand, as if he had been a mere fly that had come to bother her.
Through his hair he saw Lara, still lying on the ground, her eyes completely revolted. From the blood that was beginning to flow from her nose, she was undoubtedly in agony. Kurtis gave her a desperate look.
Saija suddenly turned her head towards him, piercing him with her almost transparent gaze. A terrible, unpleasant sensation passed through him at that moment.
"Don't worry honey, I'll take care of her. We'll soon be in peace," she said with a smile distorted by the transformation that continued its effect on her.
Slowly he got to his feet. The wound in his back gave off an unreal heat, which pierced his muscles to the depths of his abdomen. But he stood. He watched the scene unfold before his eyes, butforced himself not to intervene and not to look at Lara who seemed to move less and less. He understood in turn that he had to gain time, it was the only option open to him at the moment.
"So Tobias and Miranda were just pawns, from the very beginning? You already knew everything about me before I came to meet them in Oslo?"
The young man's technique seemed to work. The assistant's attention focused on him, and for a few seconds, the force she exerted on the adventuress seemed to drop.
"That's right, cowboy. I hope you'll forgive me for being a little abrupt and direct with you, but please understand that I couldn't let you go like that."
"So what, what's your plan? To have us rule the world as the two most powerful beings?"
"Don't you understand that I really don't give a damn about this world full of idiots? All this," she said, pointing to the glove and then to the spring that came out of the depths of the earth, "is just a detail. My destiny is simply to live and endure. A new race of exceptional beings will be born thanks to me, thanks to us. You and I have a common history and destiny. We are linked in more ways than you know."
She fell silent abruptly, and the mercenary suddenly saw again the strange light he had seen in her eyes earlier. That evil, yet strangely monstrous glow. The shape of her clear eyes, of her face reminded him once again of the features of a person he had met before.
"You are one of their creations, aren't you?"
For all answer, the girl remained silent, her gaze still on him.
"She was lost anyway, the disease would have taken her eventually. It was the only solution left to her. She gambled, and lost. But who wouldn't have tried to do the same after all?"
Kurtis cocked his head, listening carefully. A terrifying idea was now working its way through his mind. In front of him, Saija's smile faded somewhat as he slowly understood.
"She really thought she was in control. She truly believed that the two of us would make a difference. A new world was opening up for us. All we wanted to do was stay and live. She wasn't such a monster."
Kurtis' blood ran cold through his veins, spreading like an icy wave through his skull and into his chest. Images of the Strahov arena suddenly came back to his mind, and for a split second he was face to face with the foul creature that had overpowered him. He felt the scar on his abdomen awaken and tingle unpleasantly. He swallowed with difficulty.
"And you really think I'mma be a part of this? That's insane..."
The icy, emotionless smile on Saija's emaciated face returned.
"I know. But I guess it's in my blood."
She suddenly turned away from him, and refocused on the adventuress, who was seized by a violent spasm.
"But we'll see about that later. First, I have to deal with this problem," she said in a low voice as she watched the young woman arch her back on the floor.
"In your fucking dreams, you crazy bitch," the demon hunter snapped, unable to keep his cool any longer.
He was overcome by an uncontrollable wave of anger. But just as he took a step forward to try to counter the assistant, he felt a violent shock in his chest and ribs that made him wobble. He lost his balance, hit at full speed by Javier, who had suddenly reappeared. Dragged along by the henchman, they collided violently with one of the nearby rocks, before falling in a cloud of dust. Kurtis braced himself on his arms and pushed with all his might with his legs to push the man backwards. The mercenary then got back on his feet, just as the Argentinian was getting back up.
They stared at one another for a moment, their fists raised in front of them and their backs bent, ready to attack. Javier was the first to lunge: after a punch that Kurtis managed to parry with his arm, the man kicked him in the leg. He felt the pain, but was far too concentrated. He retaliated with a kick in his opponent's knee, then in his torso. The Argentinian let out a cry of pain and staggered backwards slightly.
Kurtis lunged forward, fist outstretched in front of him. But the henchman stopped him in his tracks, grabbing his wrist and twisting it. But he had no time to protect himself against the second fist that Kurtis had just thrown at his chin. Javier's head tilted back and he hiccupped in surprise. The American kicked him again in the chest to push him back, the man fell backwards against a nearby rock. The American moved towards him, fist already ready to strike. But the henchman was prepared this time. He blocked the oncoming fist once more, and immediately retaliated with his second hand, which struck the American's side.
Kurtis defended himself with a well placed punch in the face that made his enemy stop moving for some seconds. Then he grabbed the Argentinean's throat with both hands. He saw an expression of surprise pass into his only remaining good eye, followed by a gleam of fear. His pirate's bandage had slipped off, revealing the badly healed and blistering hole in the eye he had lost in Antarctica. Feeling the American's fingers press hard against his neck, the Argentine tried to get him to let go by slapping his arms. His breaths became more limited and wheezy as Kurtis tightened his grip. He could feel the powerful pulses running through the veins trapped under his palms. Javier shook his head, trying to free himself. The mercenary pushed him back, pushing with his arms even harder and pressed him further against the stone. He held him down with one hand around the throat and one knee against the chest. The henchman then saw him move his free hand to his still valid eye.
Understanding what the American had in mind, and feeling the young man's finger make contact with his eye, the henchman struggled harder, trying once again to escape. He screamed as the mercenary's finger pressed forcefully against his eyeball, which he felt suddenly swell. He shook his head in all directions, resisting the spikes of pain that spread through his skull. The pressure on his eye was becoming unbearable. In a last instinctive effort, he opened his mouth wide and managed to grab a piece of Kurtis' wrist. His teeth sank into the flesh, he clenched his jaw to the maximum. The American tried to resist, but the Argentinian managed to bite him until he bled, and he finally let go.
Javier had a brief respite to catch his breath. His throat was constricted, the air was hardly getting through his lungs. But he had managed to make his enemy let go. Taking advantage of this moment of confusion, he suddenly threw himself at Kurtis. With a howl of rage, he wrapped his arms around the mercenary's waist and pushed them over. They fell backwards. The Lux Veritatis' head hit the ground hard, and he felt a sharp pain in his skull. He winced. But he had no time to linger, the enemy was crawling towards him, his hands clutching his trousers and his bloody shirt.
Kurtis tried to push him away with a kick. It hit first Javier's shoulder, then his arm, then finally the side of his face. He threw his leg again, this time hitting him in the face. The American felt something crack under his foot, no doubt the nose, maybe even the mouth and part of the jaw. But he didn't care as long as this bastard let go.
He felt the henchman's hands release their pressure on him for a brief moment. The demon-hunter rolled over to try to get to his feet, but Javier counterattacked quickly. He grabbed the American by the shirt and threw him hard against one of the rocks. The mercenary hit it with a thud, his breathing stopped. He fell to his knees, scraping his elbows on the rocks and sand. The wound under his arm hurt like hell and had started to bleed profusely again, not to mention the blow to his head.
Javier grabbed him by the collar of his clothing and punched him hard. The mercenary collapsed, his head hitting the hard rock again and leaving him dazed for several seconds. He let out a grunt.
"And so, that's all you have you fucking knight bastard?", the henchman spat as he came to stand beside him.
The man, panting, wiped his swollen and bloody face with a backhand in a theatrical gesture. He touched his nose, then one of his cheeks, a grimace appeared on his face. He recoiled and squinted his remaining bloodshot eye.
"Hijo de puta…"
Kurtis suddenly threw one of his legs into the Argentine's. The man's shin cracked loudly and he collapsed on himself with a howl that tore the air. As soon as he was within reach, the American threw all his weight on him. A series of violent punches followed, each one more violent than the previous. Without respite, they hit each other, sometimes aiming randomly into the dust that had risen around them.
Kurtis managed to sit on Javier and pinned him to the ground, this time again placing his hands on the Argentine's throat. The man struggled briskly, his punches pounded the mercenary's ribs, before finally reaching the wound under his arm.
The first time was painful, but the demon hunter managed to hold on. With the second blow, however, the pain took over and made him bend. He suddenly relaxed his grip around Javier's throat. The latter then sent his fist into his chin, Kurtis went backwards. The Argentinian got rid of the weight of his enemy. He got up as best he could and caught the American by the shirt to hit him again. But Kurtis stopped his fist with one hand. They resisted for a moment, pushing each other back with all their strength and slipping in the sand that was sliding under them. Their eyes met for a very brief moment. Kurtis saw all the hatred his enemy felt for him, his teeth clenched.
Then an idea came to the mercenary. Rather than continuing to exhaust himself pushing his assailant away, he abruptly released the pressure he was exerting on his fist. The Argentinian, caught in his momentum, toppled over head first and fell to the ground in a heap. Without waiting Kurtis got back on his back to block him face down. Before the henchman could stand up, he placed his hands flat on the back of his head, and pressed down with all his might. The henchman's face sank into the soft ground, into the sand. Unsurprisingly, he struggled violently underneath him, flailing his legs and arms in all directions. He tried to raise his head several times, but this time the demon hunter had the upper hand. He heard the man growl louder and louder, squirming underneath him with sudden movements. He shouted once, then a second time, and kicked with his shoulders.
For endless seconds Kurtis lay like that, slumped over the Argentinian with all his weight, waiting for the moment when he would finally stop moving. He was seized by a hiccup that was terribly unpleasant to hear. And then his movements finally became less abrupt. His arms gradually relaxed, and the tension in the rest of his body disappeared. His head stopped resisting too, and became soft under his fingers.
Kurtis stood there for a moment, his arms and muscles tense, unable to let go of the stillness of the body beneath him. He exhaled loudly, as if he had been underwater, before finally withdrawing his hands.
He leaned on the rock to get to his feet. The pain in his side was unbearable, his head was buzzing. Every breath he took burned his lungs. His hair stuck unpleasantly to his forehead, where dust and sweat mingled. Slowly he reached behind him for something in his pocket. Saija watched him do so, and without much surprise discovered the black blade the young man had just grabbed.
She glanced at the body of her henchman that lay at his feet, but what had happened to him did not seem to affect her much. She then looked up at the Lux Veritatis.
"Are you sure about what you're doing?"
Kurtis replied by gripping the dagger a little tighter. To his surprise, Saija suddenly released the pressure on Lara, who fell limply back to the dusty floor. The mercenary saw her move slowly and suffocate, gasping for air with deep breaths. She coughed loudly and rolled onto her side. Her lungs hissed as she breathed in again, her glassy eyes searching for something to hold on to. She finally sat up on her hands, her back bent. Tears of exhaustion had rolled down her soggy cheeks, her hair was a mess. With the back of her hand she awkwardly wiped away the blood that had accumulated under her nose and over her mouth. Her confused gaze finally landed on the demon hunter.
Saija took a few steps back and slowly moved away from the adventuress. Her evil gaze did not let go of the mercenary.
"Fine. Let's have some fun, then," she said with a grimace.