Encounter Number 5: Enemy Centurion
Emora opened her eyes to the sound of a horrible cry. She gasped when she recognized the voice.
"No...Where am I?! Crap.."
Emora jumped out the wagon she was in, she looked around, and realized that all of the soldiers and men were in a circle. She looked back inside the wagon to look for her sword, but it was nowhere to be found.
"Shit...Wait. What's happening?"
Emora saw that there was a split in the circle. The men had made a straight path towards the inside of the circle that Emora could walk through.
"No...No...Please don't be..."
When Emora spotted Airi and Leon fighting, she cried out in anger.
"Not this again! Fuck! Get me out of here!" The Warden grabbed her hair and began to pull on it. She watched as the Lawbringer grabbed the weak Nobushi and threw her against a carriage.
Emora frowned. She spotted the dead body of a...Warden, not too far away from where the two were fighting. She walked out and looked around. It was as if no one could see her.
She bent down and touched the Warden's arm. She then turned the body over to make it face up.
"AHH!" Emora stumbled back when she saw her own face and body covered in deep gauges and graphic cuts lying before her. Her boots splashed the pool of blood that surrounded her body.
"I-I'm dead?! Wait...Then Airi...Oh no..."
Emora turned around to see the Lawbringer lifting the Nobushi up into the air with both of his hands. He strangled the half-dead Nobushi as he lifted her higher.
The Warden's chest sparked with pain.
"Leon! STOP IT!"
Emora felt her emotion take control of her body, and she sprinted forward on impulse. She was moving unconsciously as if her body was moving on its own. Without pain, she threw herself forward in a powerful body slam.
"Agh!" Emora grunted as she landed on the floor. She got up saw that Leon hadn't moved an inch. Had she gone right through him?
"What the fuck!?" The Warden yelled out angrily.
Leon laughed as he watched blood seep out Airi's mouth and dribble down her chin and neck.
"Airi—NO!" Emora felt herself yell out. Her instinct's told her to charge forward, but she only stood and watched.
Leon suddenly tightened his grip on Airi's neck, he abruptly snapped her neck, ending her squirming and moaning.
He threw Airi's lifeless body onto the ground and slammed his foot down on her skull, instantly popping her head like stepping on a grape. Blood splattered everywhere, and when Leon lifted his foot, only broken skull and dark pink pieces of brain remained.
Emora doubled over, gagging. "No...A-AIRI! FUCK!"
Emora spiked upwards, she yelled out in anger as she punched the wall next to her, cracking the wood.
"DAMN IT! AIRI WHERE ARE YOU?!" The Warden yelled. She was once again only wearing her undergarments.
She glared at the curtains covering the entrance to the wagon. She gasped when she saw a familiar face peek through.
"Hello, Emora. It is good to see you again."
Emora's heart nearly stopped. She squealed and backed up against the back of the wagon.
It was her Commander. Commander Cinder.
"Well. You're not looking too hot Warden! What happened on your trip?" Cinder asked.
Emora's face flushed red. She cleared her throat and tried to act calm.
"Well, you see sir...The way there was fine, and we found some opposition at Citadel Gate in the form of enemy Heroes. We managed to eliminate them all sir, but Lurah and Remard didn't make it back." Emora said firmly.
"Yes, I know that Warden. I've known for over an hour." The Commander smiled. He was a young man at the age of 22, only two years older than Emora and Airi.
"O-Oh...I'm sorry sir..." Emora looked down at her bare feet, which were clean and spotless.
Cinder grinned. "I also know that you nearly died many times during this mission, is that correct?" He asked.
Emora slowly shook her head in shame.
The Commander scoffed, he chuckled genuinely. "And that you had a little a little run-in with a Peacekeeper and a Lawbringer who both proved to give you quite a bit of trouble." He said, referring to Emora's bandaged wounds.
"Y-Yes...We did." Emora shuddered.
Cinder nodded his head. "You've been sleeping in this wagon since you've arrived, which was an hour ago. How are you feeling?"
Emora bit her lip. "I...I'm fine...C-Commander Cinder? Where is Airi?" She asked, rubbing her arm.
"Airi? Oh, Hakushi. She's in her quarters. I assume she's tucked in and sleeping right now." The Commander responded.
Emora felt her heart drop to her stomach.
"She told me that you saved her life three times during your trip. Way to look out for your teammates Emora. She looked horrible when the convoy arrived here, saying that she stayed awake all night, and into the afternoon looking after you, and trying to stop your bleeding." Cinder explained.
The Warden looked at herself; she was covered in tightly wrapped bandages. She was sweating, but only a little bit. Her armor was once again in a wooden box, and her clothes were folded and likely clean right next to her.
"That girl...Why's she doing this stuff for me...?"
"Oh...I see." Emora finally said.
Cinder nodded his head. "Alright! Well, let's get you to our actual medics. We'll get you cleaned with a nice bath, and then patch you up with fresh bandages and medicine, how's that sound?"
Emora smiled. "It sounds great. Thank you, sir."
Commander Cinder nodded his head. "Alright! Well at least put your shirt and pants on. We can't have you walking out half naked. I'll meet you inside the fort."
"Yes, sir."
Emora pulled her shirt on and slipped her legs into her pants. She tugged her boots on impatiently and jumped out of the wagon carrying her box of armor under her arm, and her sword in the other.
She sighed as she took a look at the place she called her home. A large fortress made out of stone. High walls had archers perked up on them for defense. The towers at the corners and front gates of the base had huge ballista crossbow's that could only be used by people strong enough to turn the turret from side to side.
There was a large wooden gate that she walked through along with some of her fellow soldiers and Commander Cinder. The structures inside the base were made of stone and wood.
The barracks where she trained, the homes of people and warriors inside the base, the blacksmith she trusted so much, the tavern she could relax at, the home of her clothing designer, who made her custom clothes made out of cloth, leather, silk, linen, and even wool to mix comfortably with her armor.
The conference building, where all the fortress' maps of Ashfeld were all kept, where plans were made, where battles were planned, where secrets were discussed, where conflicts were settled, and where upper-class generals and Commander's lived. Like Cinder.
Only two Commanders' and one General lived in the large structure. The rest was open to the public, and their private quarters were always off-limits and were protected by guards.
There was a large courtyard, and off to the side were the horse stables and the storage rooms. In the far back, there were small farms that grew potatoes, carrots, radishes, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables and fruit. Animals were raised in the fortress; they were slaughtered in the slaughterhouse that was out behind the fort.
Having one of the wealthier Fortresses, having some of the most elite warriors; the Azure Legion was well-known throughout the land. The Azure Legion was large and had smaller branches and other bases spread out everywhere throughout Ashfeld. Their color scheme: Shades of blue, purple, green, and light gray were recognized everywhere.
The enemies and the rivals of the Azure Legion, the Elio Legion, oppose their every move. Their color scheme is the direct opposite of the Azure Legion's colors, being shades of orange, yellow, red, and black.
"Alright! Our servants have left you a tub full of water down in the basement of the barracks. They even went through the trouble of boiling the water before-hand, so you'd better hurry up and take your hot bath while you still can before the water gets cold." Cinder grinned.
"Right! Thank you, Sir!" Emora bowed lightly.
Cinder watched as the ragged Warden took off and ran through the door of the barracks.
As the door to the basement of the barracks closed behind the servants, Emora was left alone in the torchlight. She sat down in the large tub of water, spread her legs out, and laid her head back.
She relaxed her entire body, releasing out all of her stress, exhaustion, and weariness. She lay in the warm water with her eyes closed.
Her wounds had medicine applied to them; they were cleaned and had stopped bleeding so that the Warden could finally bathe without having the water turn bloody.
"Ah...Holy shit...I needed this...So badly..."
A bar of soap made from wax, the oils of aromatic herbs, flower oil, and lime juice lay next to her. Along with a simple sponge, and a bowl made of clay for the Warden to dump water on herself.
As Emora cleaned her body and rinsed her hair, she found herself unable to stop thinking of Airi. She wanted to see her so badly for some reason. She wanted to thank her for being her literal caregiver after every single one of her fights, and for always looking after her while she slept.
"Oh, that's it...I have to go find her."
Emora called for the servants, who came quickly to help the Warden set herself up. They grabbed towels to start drying her off.
"Hey! You don't need to do that. I don't really like the idea of servants...All I really need help with is my hair, and cleaning up." Emora explained.
The two servants exchanged confused looks, but they nodded in understanding.
Emora dried herself off and put on her undergarments. She sat down on a chair and let one of the servants brush her hair out of its tangled, messy form.
She put on a pair of freshly woven leather pants, a cloth shirt made from wool and cotton, and a new, more comfortable pair of brown knee-high boots made from thick leather, and additionally had rubber soles made from natural latex.
The servants let Emora's hair dry and once again brushed it, and returned it to its gentle, wavy appearance. They tied it into a neat ponytail that Emora propped on her shoulder, the ponytail reached down to her breasts. She let some of her hair rest behind her ears in the form of side hair, and her forehead was covered by a fringe that she swept sideways with her fingers.
Emora looked in the mirror. She smiled and tilted her head in different angles. She had two scratches on her cheek that were covered by small bandages that the servants had placed. Medics had professionally secured her wounds with well-tied cloth bands.
"Thank you. What are your names?" Emora asked as she was about to walk out.
The two servants once again exchanged glances, but they turned to Emora and kept straight faces.
"Rose."
"Daisy."
Emora hummed. "Flower names. You two work hard?"
The two were raised to be humble. They shifted nervously, as if afraid of Emora.
"Hey...I'm not going to hurt you two."
The Warden placed her hands on the arms of each servant. Both of them released small and quiet yelps of surprise. Emora frowned, realizing how thin and fragile the servants were.
"I'll put in a good word for you. You've helped me out a lot today, and I'll try to do what I can to help your lives improve. Do you know how to read or write?"
Both servants shook their heads sadly.
"We'll start with that. I'll keep in touch. For now, you two are my assistants, not my servants, understood?"
Rose shifted. "W-We would have to tell Mr. Arun—"
Emora's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Mr. Arun? Are you talking about Arun Steel? He's still here?"
The two servants exchanged looks. They both nodded their heads.
Emora looked at a single spot between her boots. She remembered Arun. He was a strong, arrogant, egotistical man who was always full of himself back in training.
Being the top of the male class, he chose the cocky, boastful route to become a Centurion. He always liked to punch things, and he was handy with a Gladius sword. He always bragged that his last name, Steel, hailed from his ancient Roman ancestry.
"Arun Steel...That idiot. I thought he was banished from the entirety of the Azure Legion when he killed two of his fellow Heroes!"
The servants shook their heads. "He was spared by Mr. Cinder ma'am...From pity." Daisy spoke up.
Emora frowned. She then noticed the bruises that the two servants had on their faces, arms, and legs. Their long gowns were torn, and the little hats they wore were ripped and tattered.
"Why do you need to ask him to come with me?" Emora demanded.
Daisy and Rose swallowed.
"We belong to him..."
Emora cocked her head back in disgust and confusion. "Belong to him? What the hell does that mean?"
Rose's lips trembled from Emora's sudden show of power. She felt intimidated and scared of the powerful woman she knew was a Warden of the Azure Legion.
Daisy touched Rose's arm gently, she turned to Emora. "We're his servants...That's what he says."
Emora shook her head. "No...No someone can't have private servants without permission. I was going to ask Cinder for permission to let you be under my protection. Does Arun have his permission?"
The two servants shook their heads.
"What the hell is he doing?! And...What're these bruises? Where are they from?"
Rose sniveled quietly; she looked up at Emora with her hands together. "Just bruises from falling and all of that..."
Emora detected a lie immediately. "Tell me the truth, Rose. I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me."
Emora's true Warden instincts came out. She was doing her job, protecting those who can't protect themselves, helping the weak, and standing for justice.
Rose let Emora wipe her tears away; she nodded her head and looked up with her gray eyes.
"Arun...He beats us when he gets mad." She whispered.
Daisy was crying too. "Yes...He hits us with his metal hand...It hurts..."
Emora's eyes widened with unmatched rage. Her hazel irises flashed golden in the light from a nearby torch. The two servants looked up at the now angry Warden.
"That...Bastard...I won't let him do that to you for any longer!"
As Emora was about to rampage out of the door, both Rose and Daisy grabbed ahold of her hands.
Emora jumped, feeling how cold and bony the hands of the servants were compared to her own warm and strong ones.
"What's wrong?" She turned around.
Daisy and Rose were pulling on Emora's arms, crying. Were they begging for her to stop?
"W-What's wrong with you two? Is everything okay?"
The two girls shook their heads. They sobbed and pulled harder. They began to grunt and moan.
It was then that Emora realized how weak these girls were. They were pulling as hard as they could, and the Warden barely felt tilted forward.
"Tell me you two! What's going on? Why don't you want me to tell Arun?"
Rose lifted her head, her cheeks streaked with tears.
"We can't let him find out we told you...We can't let Cinder find out what else Mr. Steel has done...We just can't...He'll kill us..." Rose begged.
Emora's anger grew.
"I won't LET HIM kill you! And what else has he done?!"
Daisy rushed forward and threw herself into Emora's arms.
"He killed our children! Both of our children!"
Emora's head spun. She stumbled backward, nearly fainting.
"W-What did you say...?"
The two servants fell to their knees, both sobbing.
"He...Did he impregnate you two? Both of you?!"
The two girls, both Rose and Daisy nodded their heads.
Emora's fury surpassed her limits. She clutched her fists, her jaw trembled in anger, and her eyes sparkled with tears of fury.
She completely forgot about Airi. She took a long deep breath and then turned to the two servants, who were both looking up at her with eyes full of tears.
"Tell me...Do you two know how to assemble a Warden's suit of armor?" She asked, her voice powerful, her gaze paralyzing.
The eyes of the two servants widened with astonishment, grins grew on their faces as they nodded their heads.
Within a few minutes, Emora was standing up straight with her arms out, and her legs spread. The servants grabbed a freshly forged silver suit of armor, and blue robes. They began to assemble the armor on Emora's body while she stood.
They slipped on her brigandine and secured her utility belt to lock it down on her entire torso. Rose wrapped Emora's chest and neck with chainmail while Daisy was bent over strapping silver shin and knee armor on her legs.
Both servants stood and added chainmail to Emora's arms. Daisy grabbed brigandine standards and helped Emora fasten them to her lower body; they ended right above her kneecaps. The bottom flaps of the brigandine on her torso folded over and ended right below her hips.
They added padding onto her arms and were finally ready to armor her up. Emora slid her fingers and hands into powerful new gauntlets. Both servants strapped elbow pads to her arms.
"My chestpieces," Emora said sternly as she raised her arms up into the air.
Rose and Daisy began to place steel plates on Emora's torso. One particular plate had a carving of a diamond on it. They strapped her chest pieces down tightly, leaving belts and buckles across her chest, building an effective, padded protection system.
Finally, Rose and Daisy stood on either side of Emora and fastened spiked shoulder pads onto her shoulders. Underneath the pads, a long blue cape reached down to her calves.
The two servants stood back and watched as Emora looked at them directly, her expression stern and mad.
"Wow..."
"Woah..."
Emora reached out with her armored hand, looking at Daisy.
"O-Oh! Here! I'm sorry..." She stammered, she handed Emora the final piece of her armor.
The Warden finally came into full uniform by sliding her head into her custom-made helmet. The visor was open, and she looked at the two servants.
"Okay..."
Emora walked over to the wall, were a sharp, well-made longsword that was made just for her rested. It was made by the blacksmith that Emora trusted so much, and knew would never fail to forge good weapons and steel armor.
She grabbed the sword, slowly wrapped her fingers around the grippy handle, and lifted it up.
The two servants stared at the beautiful blade, knowing it's power in the hands of a Warden, the two swallowed and shuddered.
Emora put the sword at her waist. She turned to the two servants and grinned.
"I think it's time we pay Arun Steel a little visit."
With those words, Emora's grin disappeared as she shut the visor down over her face. She stormed out of the barrack's building in full armor, the two servants scuttled behind her.
A few minutes later...
Airi paced around in her room endlessly. She had organized everything and cleaned her entire living quarters. She smelled good and was dressed casually. The room was lit by a few small candles, and a stick of incense burned in an ashtray, filling the room with a wonderful aroma.
"Ugh...Where is she?! I thought for sure that she'd be looking for me!" The Nobushi tugged on her hair, before quickly fixing it again.
"We went through so much on our trip...Has she forgotten about all of it? D-Does she already have someone she loves? No, she couldn't have! S-She's been individual for her entire life...Um..."
Airi sat down on her bed; she dug her face into her hands.
"Emora...Where are you..."
At the doorstep of Arun Steel's living quarters...
Emora stomped onto the steps of Arun's house and slammed her fist into the door multiple times, knocking loudly.
She stepped back, waiting for a response.
A friend of Arun's, who was in full training armor, opened the door after a few seconds.
Emora grabbed the small man, threw forward from the doorstep, and onto the ground.
"GAH!" The man grunted as he rolled onto the floor.
Emora put her sword to his throat.
"Where is Arun?! TELL ME!"
"I'm right here, why you asking?" A voice said from behind her.
Emora spun around to face the doorstep, where Arun stood in his full centurion armor. He had his gauntlet on, and his gladius was in that armored hand. The other hand was on his hip, and he was leaning against the doorway on his shoulder.
"So. What's the problem Warden?" Arun spat, his wide grin made Emora fume on the inside.
"These two. They've told me things, is what they're saying true?" Emora yelled.
Arun immediately turned serious. He stood up straight and glared at Daisy and Rose.
"What did you tell her? Who are you!" He yelled at Emora.
The Warden lifted her visor up on her helmet. Her hazel eyes dug lasers into Arun's face with her horrifyingly concentrated glare.
"Ah...If it isn't Emora Ryon. I could recognize that pretty little face of yours anywhere princess." Arun smiled. He then walked forward, and past Emora.
"What did I tell you about telling anyone about our deal!"
The Centurion raised his fist to strike Daisy. But before he could, he felt that his fist couldn't move forward.
"Huh? What the!"
Emora was holding onto Arun's wrist tightly, not letting his fist fly. He grip was unbearable, and the Centurion began to squirm his arm around to break free.
"What do you think you're doing bitch!" Arun scowled, he grunted as he tried to break free of Emora's grasp.
With a swift movement of her neck and head, Emora's visor slammed closed. She cracked her neck swiftly and tightened her grip on Arun's wrist.
"Sorry. But I'm not letting you do anything to Rose or Daisy anymore. They don't belong to you, and after today, they'll be free of your dominance over their freedom." Emora said sternly.
Arun scoffed. "Who are you to say that? What're you gonna do huh?"
Emora harshly pulled back on Arun's arm. He cried out as he turned to face Emora. The Warden backhanded the Centurion in his face, then launched a punch forward that knocked him to the ground.
"AUGH! Gh—You'll be regretting that Emora!" The Centurion said as he got up. He wiped blood from his nose and grabbed his helmet. He slipped on over his head, and his face was replaced by a steel faceplate.
He spun his gladius around in arrogance. He paced back and forth, grinning behind his faceplate.
"Emora dear, you could just leave, you know. This doesn't have to be this way." Arun laughed.
Emora clutched her longsword as she got into guard stance.
"After what you've done in the past, what you've done while I was gone, and what you're going to do if I don't stop you...This does have to be this way." The Warden replied.
The Centurion let out a short snicker. His tone then got serious.
"Fine. So be it."
He charged forward at a full sprint. Rose, Daisy, and Arun's friend backed away, all three watching closely.
Emora watched as Arun lifted up into the air, his gladius raised to come down with a strong crushing attack.
"Hm. You're too predictable!" The Warden shouted as she sparked her sword past Arun's gladius, and brought it down on his chest in a devastating and painful counterstrike deflect.
"AGH!" Arun cried out as he backed up, but Emora didn't let up. She lunged forward, her shoulder charge connecting into the Centurion's torso. She slid her sword across his stomach twice in two successful slash attacks, and then spun around to gather momentum. Her sword sliced through the air as it came towards Arun's side.
"Nice try, cheesecake!" The Centurion laughed as he used his gladius and gauntlet to parry the attack, disabling Emora. He clocked her across the face with a swift knuckle smash and then threw his kneecap forward in a swift movement.
"GAUUGHHH!" Emora suddenly gutted out as Arun's kneecap dug into her stomach. He laughed as he then slashed her twice on her chest. He struck Emora with a powerful punch to the jaw, making her head crack upwards.
He quickly thrust his sword into Emora's body, causing blood to shoot out on the direct impale.
"AHHH!" Emora cried out, she gritted her teeth as she looked at Arun with angry eyes behind her helmet.
The Centurion ducked down low after ripping his sword out, and elbowed the Warden underneath the ribcage, making her crouch over in pain.
"TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE, WARDEN!"
Arun slashed his gladius upwards, making a loud clang and bright sparks as it struck the bottom of Emora's helmet. It made a metallic scratch across Emora's faceplate, going from her the right side of her jaw to her left eye.
The Warden fell onto her back, but then quickly recovered as she got back into position.
She crouched and powered up a shoulder charge. Arun charged forward and lifted his leg. He delivered a strong kick to Emora's stomach that made her entire body shake in pain.
"KAAAUUGH!" Emora cried out, she stumbled backward, breathless.
Arun jumped up and thrust his gladius into Emora's shoulder pad. It made a bit of penetration; enough for him get the chance to uppercut the Warden in her jaw.
"DAUUH! Gh—AAAHH!"
Emora recovered from the rocking uppercut to her jaw only to receive a back kick to her ribcage. She crippled, and Arun managed to slash her from her shoulder down to her gut. He went in again to get another attack in, but Emora managed to parry the attack and cuff him with a strong right hook.
Arun grunted out loud as Emora's fist connected with the side of his head. She swung her sword upwards, delivering a solid blow up the Centurion's torso.
She raised her sword in the air, making the Centurion move to parry. She stopped her attack and stepped to the side.
"Huh!?"
Before Arun could react, Emora was behind him with a full-throttle shoulder charge on the way.
"TE SECABO!" She thundered as she body slammed Arun with all her strength. Her battle cry echoed and could be heard throughout the large fort.
"AAHH!" Arun yelled as he launched forward. He stopped himself and slid to a stop. But before he could turn around, he felt a horrible, unbearable streak of pain stem from his back. He felt as a long, sharp blade sliced down his entire back.
"GAAAAHHH! GUH—GAHAAH!" Arun cried out in agony, he spun around, stumbling over his own feet.
"DIE YOU MANIPULATING PIECE OF SHIT!" Emora roared, she swung her sword over her head and came down in a huge top heavy.
"GH—GRGH!" Arun grunted through grit teeth as he placed his gladius in the way of the super-heavy attack. Emora's blade crashed down on the Centurion's gladius. A loud clang rang out through the air, and metallic sparks flew out from the impact of the two swords.
"DAGH!" Arun grunted as the strength of Emora's downward force made him fall to one knee. The two pressed on each other, grunting and forcing each other down and up.
"GRRGH—HAANGH!" Arun yelled as he tried to push Emora's blade upwards.
"HGNNGH! GRAAH!" Emora yelled as she tried to force Arun's gladius downwards.
The Warden saw a clear opening. She lifted her leg up and delivered a powerful kick to Arun's chest, sending him on his back.
"AHGGH!" Arun hollered as Emora raised her sword into the air, its tip pointing downwards.
"HAH!" Emora grunted as she planted her sword into the Centurion's stomach.
"GHUH—GLAAARGHH! KUH—CAAUUH!" Arun spat, blood sprayed through the holes in his helmet made for him to breathe through. He gagged and coughed uncontrollably on the ground.
Arun grabbed ahold of Emora's blade using both of his hands; he began to pull it out of his stomach all on his own, taking the Warden by surprise.
"Huh?! What!?" Emora's eyes widened in shock, her mouth wide open.
"I'm...Not that easy to kill!"
Arun pushed the blade back, making the pommel of Emora's blade strike her in the mouth. She retreated backward, stunned and bleeding from the mouth.
Arun quickly but sloppily stood back up. He charged at Emora full power, taking advantage of her stunned state.
Using the full extent of his physical power, he thrust his blade into the center of Emora's stomach. He forced it farther, and farther, and farther inside. The gladius going deeper, and deeper...
"Ggh...Ah..." Emora quietly gargled on blood. She released short moans of pain and numbness.
"EMORA!" Daisy yelled.
"NO! EMORA!" Rose cried.
Arun savagely jabbed Emora in the throat with his armored gauntlet. Spit and blood flew out of Emora's breathing holes. It sprayed behind her helmet, obscuring her vision completely.
The Warden couldn't breathe, couldn't swallow, and couldn't compute what was going on. The world was black, and she couldn't see.
Emora fell onto her back, she coughed and gagged endlessly. Arun had no mercy. He charged forward, leaped into the air, and came down in a devastating ground pound. He dug his gladius into Emora's stomach.
"GH! Ha...Ngh..."
Arun left his sword stuck in the Warden's body. He stood up, his armor bloody, panting heavily, and heavily exhausted.
He yelled out in power and victory, pounding on his own chest. He threw off his helmet and slicked his hair back.
Rose fell to her knees, Daisy quickly bent over to comfort her. Arun's friend stepped away from the two girls as he walked over to them.
"You really thought she could beat me? You really thought...She could help you? You ACTUALLY thought...That she could free you from me? No...You're MINE. And that's how it's going to stay." Arun smirked, evil ravaged his face.
Rose and Daisy eyed the ground, they said nothing in return.
"You pair of sluts. You're gonna get beaten hard tonight. I'll make sure not to clean my gauntlet...So not only will your blood be stained on it, but Emora's blood too!" Arun laughed manically, showing his bloody fist to the two servant girls.
As Arun grabbed both girls tightly by their arms, a faint cry went off behind him that made his heart stop.
"Arun...Ngh...Ggh...Let...T-Them...G..Go..."
The Warden, Emora wearily stood up. The Gladius was stuck inside her, impaled through her body. With her helmet scarred across the face, her armor bloody and cut, and her entire body aching in pain...
She stood.
"W-What the...HELL!? I...I killed you I...I thought..."
Emora grabbed the handle of Arun's gladius. She began to tug on it gently, making herself moan and groan in pain.
"Tch...Gheh! Rgh...GAH! Guh—AAAGHH! RUUAAAGHHHH!"
Little by little, the blade of the Centurion's gladius became visible. It was dripping with blood, every inch of it. The farther out it got, the louder Emora's endless scream got.
At the finale, she yanked the Gladius out from her stomach; releasing a blood curdling, spine-tingling, ear tearing, nightmare-inducing cry that everyone in the Fortress heard clearly.
Elsewhere...
Airi spiked up from her slumber, her eyes wide, her heart racing.
"EMORA!"
Cinder looked up from his book, his eyes in shock, and his expression alert.
"Emora?!"
The Warden's clothes designer, the bartender at the tavern, the blacksmith, the teachers at the barracks, the other Commander, and even the General of the fortress woke up from their sleep in shock to hear the familiar voice of Emora in danger.
Rose and Daisy opened their eyes; Arun took his hands off his ears. They all looked at Emora, who was holding the gladius in her quivering arm. Her legs shook as she stood up, slouched over. Her other hand was pressed tightly against the gap in her body.
"If I'm not dead...I must've gotten lucky..." She whispered. She spat onto the ground next to her, pure blood, no spit.
Arun shifted in his stance. "Lucky?"
Emora nodded her head slowly.
"You're a shitty fighter...You hit no vitals."
With a cry of justice, determination, perseverance, and willpower, she launched the Gladius forward like a throwing knife.
The blade flipped through the air, cut through the air at a blinding speed.
Arun couldn't move. His eyes were wide, his mouth was wide open. His entire body frozen, staring at the stunning view of the gladius flipping towards him.
In the blink of an eye, a stream of blood shot out of Arun's mouth and splashed out onto the ground. The sword struck him right in the heart. With bloodshot eyes, trembling lips, and a crooked body, he slowly looked down to gaze at the blade in his chest.
He staggered back against the front wall of his house. He leaned back, his eyes with the look of death embedded in them.
He sagged down and slid down the wall slowly. A perfect line of blood smeared behind him as he fell further down the wall.
Finally, in a slumped sitting position, he hung his head low as his body went limp. He sat up against the wall with a steady trail of blood flowing out from his heart, creating a small pool around where he sat.
Everyone rushed over to look at the horrific scene. Cinder was yelling, the citizens and workers clamoring, and Airi weeping and crying out for the one she loved.
The world around Emora spun around. Her vision went blurry; tears fell from her eyes as she felt herself lose power in her legs. She fell onto her knees, and her hearing went all muffled.
As she was about to fall forward, an all too familiar grasp caught her. The frantic, panicked voice of Airi rang and echoed through the Warden's head.
"Emora! Emora please don't die! EMORA HANG ON PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU! Don't leave me Emora...Please don't leave me! You can't! You have to hang on! I'm begging you Emora...Just hold on..."
The words were faint, muffled. The rough outline of Airi's crying face flashed through her vision. Behind her, Cinder called for medics and doctors with his powerful yells and commands.
Emora couldn't move her toes. She couldn't move her legs. She felt as something changed in her hand. It felt...Warm, soft, soothing.
Airi had taken off the Warden's gauntlet and was holding onto her hand.
"Emora...Grab onto my hand, and try to grasp it as tightly as you can! You can't fall asleep Emora! Don't close your eyes! Don't DIE Emora!"
The Warden's breathing slowed. Her vision almost completely blacked out. Her hearing bad and any words she heard were barely understandable.
But...She paid attention to that constant warm feeling. She used what seemed like the rest of her strength to wrap her fingers around Airi's hand.
She would hang on. She would hold on tightly. She would do her best to cling to life. She'd do it to live. She'd do it to survive another day. She'd do it for her. She'd do it for her friend.
She'd do it for Airi.
Hooray! Stay tuned! And tell me what you thought if you made it to the end!
