Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Dynamite Entertainment, etc.
Guest: Thank you for the compliment, hopefully this one is a good pay off for that one.
The title here is another W.A.S.P. track, also off The Last Command since that album, despite being somewhat overproduced, is awesome. It just has a great vibe and really fits what I was going for with a certain character. The opening is dripping in atmosphere and yeah, I had it in mind when writing a particular section of this chapter.
Once Upon A Time in Hyboria
Chapter 17: Widowmaker
The first rays of morning sun fell on the disheveled hair of Red Sonja, the Hyrkanian reflexively turning her head away from the offending light, a pained groan escaping her dry lips. She forced her eyes to stay open, despite the throbbing pain, and took in her surroundings. Despair filled her heart as foggy memories of the prior night trickled into the forefront of her tired mind.
There had been some foul concoction mixed into the drink she had, one she had not noticed, and it was a mistake she had paid dearly for. When the guardsmen had burst in, there had been little she could do, hampered and disarmed as she was. Walker, she recalled, had faired better before he… before he… before he had left.
Sonja had wound up here, in this stone cell with barely enough space for the bed she had been denied use, not since her hands had been tightly bound and tied to an iron bar embedded deep in the stone wall. A tug on the bar yielded no results, but Sonja wasn't one who was quick to despair, and so she pulled, and tugged, and yanked, trying to see if the bar or the rope would give first. Screaming out, Sonja felt a tear well up in her eye, but she hastily blinked it away before trying to pull herself up to her feet, only to feel the rope around her ankles dig into her skin, clearly fastened to the floor, now that she was looking, preventing her from standing.
With a curse muttered under her breath, Red Sonja remained as she had through the previous night, the chill of the stone floor cooling the hot blood that flowed through her legs and back, relieving some of the ache in her tired muscles. Closing her eyes and allowing her head to gently kiss the wall as a deep breath came from her chest, "Have you chosen to forsaken me at this juncture, Joshua Walker?" she asked quietly, this time unable to control the moisture in her eyes, "Did I misjudge you so? Such that you would reject me so completely that I would be left in the hands of such wicked men?"
When only the silence of her isolation answered her lament, the Hyrkanian's questions left the man she had been prepared to give herself to and towards the goddess to which she already had. "Red Goddess, have I not been faithful and loyal? I remain your humble servant, and should you deliver me from…."
The sound of the lock on the door prompted the Hyrkanian's prayer to die on her lips, with the Swordswoman instead making one last attempt to free herself, to no avail. When the door opened, Red Sonja remained restrained, at the mercy of whomever entered her cell, but whatever the Hyrkanian had expected did not enter the room. This man was not of exceptional height, but thin and gaunt, with hollow cheeks and shallow eyes peering down at her, a few wisps of thinning white hair atop an otherwise bald head bore the wrinkles of age. About his neck was a prominent golden chain, a stylized sun hanging from it, denoting his faith to the Sun God Scinfaxi.
Besides that chain, this man wore only unadorned black robes that went all the way own to his sandal clad feet and all the way down his arms, which were crossed so that his hands were concealed in the loose sleeves of the opposite arm. Sonja's face twisted into a snarl at the sight of the man and she spat at his feet, "Release me," snarled the Hyrkanian.
In response, the elderly priest removed a hand from his robes and struck Sonja's face, the backhanded slap causing her cheek to sting and the redhead to tug on her bindings once again but only for the effort to yield the same result as before. "Be still child, be still," implored the preacher, his hand moving to tenderly caress the redhead's jaw despite her best efforts to distance herself from him. Eyes looking over his exposed hands, Sonja saw that in one was a small stone idol, denoting that he served Kulan Gath, and not just Scinfaxi, no matter his façade. "The time for your struggle is at an end, do not resist, all you must do is repent, and you will be saved."
"Saved? Saved?" snapped Sonja, her throat burning as she rasped out the word. "The only thing I require saving from at this moment, is you."
The bald head shook ever so slightly, "No my child. I am your salvation, there is no hope for you otherwise. Your companion has abandoned you, he escaped in the night, took your horse, and vanished into the wilderness. The guards have yet to find him, but he is nowhere near, he is not coming back. Scinfaxi is the only one who will come to your aid now, my child," said the pastor with a kindly smile, and beady eyes. "Let he who lifts the sun take up your burdens, for what are your struggles compared to the cosmic ones he undertakes each day?"
Nostrils flaring, Sonja stopped resisting, looking the man in the eye as her bloodied lip curled into a snarl. "My burdens are mine alone, I will bear them in life… and I will take them to my grave."
The mouth of the priest pressed into a thin line. "Then so it shall be."
With the first rays of sun rising in the east, Walker made his move, needing to get inside the city walls before daybreak. He had spent most of the night watching the guards, and confident in their patrol patterns, the Bounty Hunter had followed one such patrol back to the small gate he'd used to pass through the walls, knowing that the guards replacement would meet him and take up the patrol.
Having removed the spurs from his boots so he could tread quietly, Joshua followed the returning guard, staying out of sight until he heard the gate open from his position around the corner of a lookout tower that rose over the already impressively high walls. Setting the Winchester down, Tombstone drew the bowie knife, freshly sharpened blade weighing heavy in his hand, as Walker crouched down into the darkest corner and lay in wait. The sound of approaching footfalls had the Gunslinger tensing as the flipped the knife around into a reverse grip.
Whistling a jaunty tune, the blue tunic wearing guard ambled past the Bounty Hunter, blissfully unaware of his presence; Walker waited a beat before slipping behind him and pressing a hand to the man's face before slipping the edge across the guard's throat, and dragging him back to the shadows.
With the body deposited in the corner he had once occupied, Walker collected the Winchester repeater, still holding the bloody knife in his other hand. The Bounty Hunter than retraced the man's steps back to the door in the wall, he then set his repeater down and banged the base of his knife on the wood. "What is it?" barked back some man on the other side of the barrier. In response, Walker beat on the door again, and this time he got the reply he wanted. "Fine, fine, I will let you in, just be quick about your business."
Taking a step back, the Gunslinger waited a beat as he heard the door unlatch and began to creep open, the guardsman on the other side poked his head out, and that was all Walker needed. The Bounty Hunter grabbed the tunic of the guard and yanked him forwards while simultaneously extending his own leg to trip the man leg and causing the guard to tumble to the ground. Walker pounced, diving on the guard and driving the tip of his knife into the guards' throat, pressing down on the hilt, to use the edge of the blade to carve through the guards' neck, blood pouring from the wound.
Holding the man down until he stopped moving, Walker then dragged the man away from the door and grabbed his Winchester before slipping inside the open door, making sure to close and latch it, head sweeping around to look for signs of additional guards. Seeing none, the Bounty Hunter ducked into cover, pressing himself against a stone building before weaving through a back alley, proceeding by dead reckoning as he made his way deeper into the vast city.
"Where is everyone?" mused Walker under his breath, pausing to check a street, and seeing it was a deserted as the last four he had crossed, the Gunslinger bolted across, ducking into more buildings. Face set grimly, Joshua decided he needed to take a look-see, and so he found a ladder to a rooftop and quickly ascended it, crouching down low as he peered around the city. "What in the hell…" the Bounty Hunter muttered. Where there should have been activity everywhere, there was nothing, no shopkeepers preparing to open their stores, no deliveries being made, no sounds of smiths working their forges.
But he could hear something, it was quiet, distant, the susurration of hundreds of mingling whispers in the direction of the temple tower. Feeling a pit in his stomach, Walker quickly descended from his vantage point and got moving, making sure to take a wide detour around the town square as he circled around, putting the sun at his back before ascending to another rooftop, and took in the sight before him.
It looked like the entire population of the town was packed into the market square under the temple tower, all gathered about a raised wooden construction, a platform, almost like the ones Walker had seen used for hanging in the bigger cities, but there was no noose. Instead, protruding from the center of the platform was a solitary pillar, and under the platform was a large pile of miscellaneous wood. Eyes narrowing, Walker scanned around, seeing guards around the platform, taking a count of them before something else caught his attention.
"Only you could draw a crowd like this Calamity Dame."
Snarling, Sonja struggled against her bindings as she was carried through the streets, bound feet dragging along the ground as two large guards kept a tight hold of her, the procession following the preacher through the city. The fresh bruisers on Sonja's skin ached, a result of her attempts to break free when she had been removed from her cell and quickly found out that her strength had not fully returned. Despite that pain, and the changing surroundings, the Hyrkanian's eyes continued to drift down to the hilt of one guards sword, recognizing it as her own weapon that she had willingly given up, and vowed never to relinquish it again should she ever have it back in her hands.
The time for that to happen dwindled however, as Sonja noticed the crowd ahead, bystanders dropping to a knee as the priest passed them by, falling silent as they stole glances at the trussed-up She-Devil. Finally lifting her head up, Sonja saw where she was being taken to, and recognized its purpose, not at all finding it surprising that the priest had ordered her to be burned at the stake for her supposed transgressions against their sun god.
Despite one more attempt at wrenching herself free, Sonja was hefted up the small set of rickety steps until she was atop the wooden platform and pressed up against the pillar at its center. Sonja was unable to prevent her hands from being raised above her head and the ropes placed in an iron hook, her feet left dangling, still bound by the rope. In vain, she tried to kick herself up and off the hook, pressing the heels of her boots against the pillar in an effort to lift herself up and off, but it was no use.
A wry chuckle got her attention, and Sonja looked at the grinning priest, "You've drawn quite a crowd," he observed.
Mustering what defiance she could, the redheaded swordswoman glared at the old man, "If they came to hear me beg… they will be disappointed."
Her words went unheeded, the elderly clergyman spoke again, "You will not enjoy this, it will not be over quickly, and I only pray that your male companion could be here to share your end." Before Sonja could respond, the man turned and made his way to the front edge of the stage, moving to address the crowd.
"Take heed, my children!" bellowed the priest, all the heads of the crowd raising to look up at the robed man who stood ahead of Sonja on the platform. "Our god has been good to us, and so we shall be good to him, delivering unto him a vile unbeliever to face his divine wrath. Before you is the much afeared Red Sonja, warrior woman of Hyrkania, brought low by the will of Scinfaxi and the might of those who follow him!"
The crowd responded as one, "Praise be to he who raises the sun," while their arms lifted to the sky, towards the sun just casting its rays upon Sonja's face.
"Praise be," echoed the preacher, raising his arms before retuning them to their crossed position. "Now, my flock, bow your heads and silence yourselves for the Prayer of the Condemned." Despite her best efforts, Sonja's heart beat faster in her chest, her shallow breathing becoming more rapid, and she had to wonder if this was all some crazy dream. Even a prayer to her goddess failed to make it from her dry lips as the soul crushing reality began to set in as the Hyrkanian watched the crowd drop down to their knees, the glare from the rising sun behind them causing them to appear like a single entity. Further enhancing that notion was the haunting silence that settled over the packed town square.
That silence was then broken, barely, it was a sound that the Swordswoman could barely hear, but it was clear that she was not the only one who did, not from the way the priest and his guards tensed. Blinking back the tears in her eyes, Sonja peered into the rising sun as the sound became louder and clearer, the rhythmic 'chink, chink, chink' of metal on metal slowly got closer, and it wasn't the only thing. At the back of the crowd was a lone, standing figure in a unique long overcoat and with an instantly recognizable wide brimmed hat atop his head as he carved through the kneeling throngs of people until he came to a sudden stop in the midst of the crowd. In his mouth was a thin stick, the end glowing a soft red as it was removed, a bit of smoke wafting from his lips as the stick was dropped to the ground and snuffed out by the sole of the man's boot before he spoke. "Why preacher…" called out a familiar drawl, "You look like someone just… walked over your grave."
"This is not to be the grave of the faithful, but that of this heathen whore," shouted back the Preacher as he pointed a slightly trembling finger at Sonja, who couldn't keep the smile off her face. But her expression went unnoticed as the finger swung around to point at the Bounty Hunter. "If you have any last words, speak them now."
Instead of speaking immediately, Walker's head shook slowly, "Yours. Not mine," he replied, the words hanging heavily in the air as their meaning became understood. The crowd of bystanders began to scurry away, parting around the stoic Bounty Hunter as he parted his coat, revealing his pistol belt. The sight of his strange weapons drew a reaction from the guards around Sonja, their hands going to their own weapons, poised to draw them on Walker. "Fill your hands you sonsofbitches…."
Sonja was a mere spectator, but she couldn't help but watch as the guards around her pulled their steel from the scabbards on their hips, ready to battle the Gunfighter. In response, Walker drew his revolvers, the weapons shining in the sun as they came up, the Bounty Hunter wielding one in each hand. The guns cracked like thunder, flashes erupting from the ends of each in succession, and the head of the guard closest to the Hyrkanian shattered, as if it had been struck by a mace, before his body dropped to the platform.
The vulgar display of violence sent the crowd scattering in every direction, screaming as they went, drowning out the priest as he tried to order the guards to do something, all the while Walker swung his guns around to fire again. When he did, the guard nearest to Sonja, on her left this time, had blood spray from his torso as he staggered back and fell off the platform. Watching him tumble, Sonja realized what Walker was doing, but so did the priest. With zealous fervor, the old man snatched up Sonja's sword from the fallen guard that had been carrying it and turned to swing at the Hyrkanian, only to find that she was ready for him. Hope burning fiercely in her chest, Sonja, tensed every muscle in her core to bring her knees to her chest, face twisted into a snarl as her feet exploded forwards, crashing into the priest's head. The blow caused the elderly man to drop his weapon, sending it clattering to the wood as he tumbled back. Eyes locked on the blade, and adrenaline filling her veins, Sonja watched the last guard on the platform get gunned down before making her move, calling on all of her strength to hoist herself up and bury the heels of her boots into the pillar from which she was suspended before pushing herself up and freeing her hands of the hook.
With nothing to hold her up, the Hyrkanian dropped straight down to the platform, slamming into the wood with enough impact to drive the air from her lungs, but it was still a welcome relief to her aching arms and shoulders. The respite was short lived, as more gunshots rang out, the thunderous report echoing around the square prompting the Swordswoman to look up and see that Walker was shooting at various guards around the square, and Sonja saw at least one fall before she regained her wits and scrambled to her sword. Grasping it awkwardly in her bound hands, Sonja managed to bring the edge of the blade to the ropes tied around her ankles and freeing her legs.
"Sonja!" shouted a familiar voice, and the whole platform shook as Walker appeared from the stairs Sonja had been hauled up. Before the Hyrkanian could react, the Bounty Hunter was looming over her, his knife in hand as he sought to free her wrists, "I reckon we'd better get the hell outta Dodge. You able to walk Calamity Dame?"
With her now free hands, Sonja wrapped one arm around her savior and pulled him down, not able to contain her emotions as she pressed her lips to his, all her relief at seeing the Bounty Hunter again pouring from her mouth to his in that brief exchange. "I can do more than walk, Joshua Walker," returned the Hyrkanian, feeling her blood heat in anticipation of the battle to come. Getting to her feet and twirling her sword to reacclimate herself to its weight, Sonja declared, "These cretins shall feel the bite of my sword in retribution for this affront, I will cut down all who dare to challenge me!"
Turning around, Sonja glared down at the shrunken form of the priest, still dazed from the kick he had received, and was unable to resist as Sonja grasped him by the throat and hefted him up until his feet were dangling aimlessly. The old man clawed at the Hyrkanian's arm in a desperate attempt to free himself, but the She-Devil's unerring grip remained about his neck, his eyes nearly bulging from his gaunt face as Sonja glared into them, "You will not enjoy this, it will not be over quickly, and I pray that you burn in whatever hell awaits your wretched soul."
Before the balding man could answer, the Hyrkanian had reared her arm back and thrust her sword forward, impaling the priest on the tip of her blade as she ran him through. Sonja's steel burst from the man's back, dripping blood as she continued to press her hand forward until the guard was pressed against his gutted stomach, the redhead only letting go of his throat so she could put both hands on her sword's grip. With a yell of exertion, the She-Devil hoisted the impaled priest up above her head, the man hanging limply one the blade, his eyes rolling back before Sonja lowered him and raised her boot, using it to shove the priest off her sword, causing him to tumble off the platform and down onto the ground below.
As her bloodlust was partly sated by the death of the pastor, the Hyrkanian's breathing slowed as she turned to the Bounty Hunter, who had taken the time to reload his otherworldly weapons and said, "This rescue is not yet complete. How is it you intend to escape this bastion of villainy?"
"Our horses are waiting in a treeline to the west," replied the Gunslinger as he holstered his smaller weapons and instead unslung the larger, brass and wood adorned armament, the lever making a metallic clacking as it was operated. "We just gotta get there."
Turning west and seeing that guards were approaching the platform, Sonja's yearning for retribution boiled hotly in her blood, "Then we must not delay." Without waiting, she took long, bounding strides to the platform's edge and leapt. Blood-soaked sword held up, the Hyrkanian came down on a shocked guard and severed his arm with a single stroke, blood spurting from the stump as she slashed a second across the stomach, entrails falling from the cut. He tried in vain to hold them in until a backswing from the Swordswoman beheaded him before she thrust her blade forward, impaling the first guard.
As the She-Devil withdrew her sword from her latest victim, the distinct report of Walker's Winchester battered her ears as the Bounty Hunter dispatched the next guard bearing down on Sonja. Watching the man collapse to the ground in a heap, half his head missing from the Gunslinger's bullet, the Hyrkanian turned to catch her rescuer jumping down from the platform, keeping him on his feet as she saw more guards in their distinct blue tunics bearing down on them, swords drawn. Slowly backing away from the oncoming group, Sonja tugged on Walker's arm, and the two tore off, heading west and fleeing from the oncoming guards.
It was the Hyrkanian who found herself in front with newfound strength as she ignored the burning in her legs that flared with each step, flying down the street towards the wall that surrounded the city. With a chance at freedom and being reunited with Joshua Walker, the Hyrkanian felt a surge of hope that carried her west, and it took the sudden arrival of nearly a dozen newly arrived guards that poured into the street between the pair and their escape. As a few archers among their number raised bows, too many for a single man to counter. The deafening thunder of the long rifle claimed a guard instead, giving Sonja time to dive into an alleyway ahead of flying arrows. Walker joined her in an undignified, but efficient lunge. "This is a masterful rescue you have conducted," observed Sonja through gritted teeth.
"Outta the frying pan and into the fire Calamity Dame," drawled Walker before whipping around and firing his repeater, the chest of the guard who tried to pursue the pair collapsing from the impact of the bullet. "Our best bet will be the way I got in, hop along the rooftops. You up for it?"
"That is not the question," retorted the Hyrkanian as she heard approaching footsteps and twisted around, swinging her sword up and over her head, bringing it down on the man rounding the corner. Ably, the guard blocked her strike, but could not avoid Sonja's shoulder, knocking him back and allowing her to grab her sword by the blade and swing the hilt around so it met the guard's skull with a crunch. Without mercy, Sonja flipped her weapon back to drive its tip through the fallen man's chest, ending him before she turned back to Walker. "The question is if you will be able to match me."
At last, the man's icy gaze cracked and that warm smile she had come to enjoy appeared on Walker's face, and that was what Sonja needed to raise her blade and press deeper into the alley and towards a ladder on a neighboring building. The sound of gunshots over her shoulder caused her to look back and see Walker continuing to fire at anyone who attempted to pursue them. Sonja was left to defeat anyone who impeded their forward progress, such as the two guards that rounded the corner, one with shield and short sword, the other wielding a spear. Not letting up her forward momentum, Sonja simply jumped up and kicked the raised shield, putting all of her strength into the strike that knocked the shielded guard on his ass while Sonja flicked her wrists, effortlessly parrying the thrusting spear. Seizing the opening, Sonja struck by ramming the pommel of her sword into the spear-wielder's nose, knocking his head back and allowing her to bring the thickest portion of the blade above the guard to bear, delivering a crushing blow to his skull that left it a cracked, bloody mess. She could not rest after this victory, immediately side stepping a sword swing from the rising guard, responding by ramming her blade forwards, the tip piercing his flesh and drawing a pained cry before Sonja yanked it out. In a smooth motion, the Hyrkanian grabbed the blade and swung the weapon backwards, slamming the leather wrapped hilt into the guards knee, causing him to collapse and open himself up for a quick slash across the throat.
Seeing more guards coming down the alley, Sonja kicked a stack of barrels down, buying the pair a few precious seconds to charge to a ladder. "Get going Calamity Dame," called Walker, firing his weapon at the pursuing guards, "I got your back." Without needing to reply, Sonja ascended the ladder, hearing the shouts of men in pursuit, only for them to be drowned out by the crack! Of Walker's rifle and then replaced by pained screams.
Hauling herself up onto the roof, Sonja leaned back down and hollered, "Make haste! We must go!" at the Bounty Hunter. Thankfully, the man heeded her words, and the Hyrkanian watched him sling the strange weapon over his shoulder before starting his climb. "Look out!" cried the She-Devil, seeing that one guard sought to take advantage of the vulnerable Walker. Before the man could sprint the 10 paces distance between them, the Bounty Hunter had reached into his coat and drawn one of his gleaming silver revolvers, the small weapon barking as it sent its own bullet into the charging guard.
Before a second man could attempt the same move, Walker climbed out of reach of the guards below, but that didn't prevent more men from coming at the ladder after the Bounty Hunter. Extending her hand, Sonja grasped Walker's extended arm and hauled him up to the rooftop. "Hang on, we can't go yet," called Joshua as he looked down and took aim at a guard ascending the ladder, shooting him dead, "We need to pull the ladder up so they can't follow!"
Seeing his goal, Sonja wrapped her hands around the top rung of the ladder and pulled, grunting in exertion as she stood to her full height and began stepping backwards, hauling the ladder with her until it clattered down atop the roof. Sonja grabbed her sword as Walker loosed one last parting shot at the guards below before he turned. "Haul ass!" he shouted, and both tore off, resuming their headlong charge westward. "Jump! Don't stop!"
Long strides propelled Sonja to the edge of the roof, and without hesitation, she bounded to the next building, only sparing a second to look back and ensure Walker was following her. Leaping across the next one, Sonja noticed an arrow fly past, head turning to see a group of archers down below firing up at them. Undaunted, the Hyrkanian kept her pace, sidestepping any items strewn on the rooftops as she leapt from one to the next, the different buildings running together as the west wall loomed larger before her.
"Look! Those stairs!" shouted Walker from behind, and Sonja saw the stone stairwell built into the wall he was pointing out. Making one final jump, Sonja's feet came down on the stone steps, the Hyrkanian stumbling on the uneven surface, pressing a hand to the stone wall to steady herself before she scampered up the stairs. When she heard a gunshot, Sonja looked to see that Walker had come to a stop on the last rooftop, the wooden part of his weapon pressed to his shoulder as he aimed it up at the top of the wall. Her gaze shifting upwards, a pained scream reached her ears as she saw a man tumble down from the top of the wall. He came to a crashing halt on the stairs before the Hyrkanian, his bow falling further still, all the way to the ground below.
Not bothering with her sword, the She-Devil merely reached out with her free hand and grabbed the man by the arm, heaving him off the edges of the staircase so she could continue her climb. Covering her was the Bounty Hunter with his repeating rifle, firing shots with a rapidity she had not seen from the man yet, he thinned out the guards manning the wall. When the Hyrkanian reached the top of the stairs, she found that Walker had gunned down the other three guards atop the wall, their bloodied bodies laying strewn about. Waving back at the Bounty Hunter, Sonja got the man to make his own leap before he began climbing the steps to catch up, but at the top of the wall, the Hyrkanian had other matters to concern herself with.
The doors opened on one side, two men rushing in from a small guardhouse as a third dropped down from a turret on her right, catching the redhead in a pincer as she raised her blade and prepared to meet them in battle. A big burly brute of a man wielding a warhammer charged at the Hyrkanian with a snarl on his bearded visage from her left, and this was where Sonja directed her attention first. Leveling her blade, point forward, Sonja felt her lip curl before she made her move, thrusting her blade forwards in a feint that caused the man to wind up with that Warhammer and start to drop it down just as Red Sonja shifted her weight back, spinning away from the mighty weapon before it slammed into the stone at the top of the wall.
Finishing her spin, Sonja slashed at the guard, striking an overextended arm with enough force to sever the limb just above the elbow. While that guard cried out in pain, clutching his bloody stump in his free hand, the Hyrkanian turned on the spot and brought her sword up to face the axe wielding guard coming at Sonja. Just like the first, the She-Devil leveled her sword and stepped forward into a thrust, one that the guard didn't shy away from despite not having the reach to counter. His mistake was thinking Sonja would feint again, but did not, instead driving the tip of her blade into the man's shoulder. Through her sword, Sonja could feel the blade drive through flesh and slip between bones, rendering one arm limp.
Despite his scream, the guard swung his second axe, only for the redhead to deftly parry the weapon's curved blade before slashing down across his chest, cleaving through ribs and organs with the powerful strike. With the second guard dispatched, Sonja turned around, blood running hot, adrenaline keeping her going where her aching muscles wanted to cease despite having two more guards to kill. The first one, still reeling from the wounds he had received, succumbed to a thrust of Sonja's blade that impaled him through his stomach, and he collapsed in a heap.
The last remaining guard leapt over the body of his fallen comrade to face Sonja, sword in hand, and immediately went on the attack. With raw ferocity, the She-Devil crossed blades with the man in his blue tunic, locking them in a bind as each sought to overpower the other. With raw fury driving her own, it was Sonja's goddess given strength that handed her the advantage as she knocked her foe's sword up and away. On her backswing, the redhead pulled the tip of her blade across the man's throat before grabbing the blade in a half-sword stance and swinging it back, using the hilt as a hammer to slam into the man's skull and drive him over the edge of the wall and screaming to his death.
Walker stepped up atop the wall, revolver in hand, letting out a low whistle before looking to Sonja, "We gotta go Calamity Dame," he beckoned, darting to a large rope line. The Hyrkanian watched as he tied one end of the rope around a merlon on the battlement and heaved the rest over the top of the wall. "You gotta trust me," he said as he holstered his weapons and grabbed hold of the rope, throwing a leg over the wall.
The man then dropped down, hands and feet pressed to the rope as he slid towards the ground below. Any hesitation Sonja might have had was quickly dashed when she saw the swarm of guards below, the first ones already climbing the stairs up towards her. "It is not as if I am overendowed with options!" shouted the Hyrkanian as she sheathed her blade and followed Walker, grabbing the rope and sliding down, ignoring the burning from the rope rubbing against her thighs.
Hitting the ground, Sonja turned to face Walker, breathing hard as she looked towards the treeline. Sharing a nod, both took off to the west, leaving the city behind as guards shouted to their fleeing forms, with even the odd arrow not halting their progress. Once in the treeline, Sonja followed Walker onto a small path under the brush as he led her to a small clearing, where a familiar pair of horses were waiting. Rushing to her animal and giving the creature an affectionate pet, Sonja then turned back to Joshua and spoke, "Joshua Walker," she began seriously, "Coming back to rescue me was reckless, I thought you would know better than that." Rebuked, Walker flinched in response, until he saw the soft smile Sonja had on her face. "Thank you."
"Pleasure's all mine Sonja," he drawled as he pulled himself up onto his horse, and Sonja did the same before they set off, leaving Galparan behind, hopefully for good.
Closing Notes: This was an interesting sequence to write, there were obviously a lot of influences. Everything from Halo 2 to Tombstone, and Destiny to 3:10 to Yuma. Still, I think the whole thing came out alright, especially since it has been a while between a sword fight, because it is something I don't usually do. Generally speaking, the inspiration for that is For Honor.
So the next stop will be Kulan Gath, but before that there will be a chapter dedicated to Walker and Sonja, which should be out next month.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.