/=|= The Lost Raven =|=\
13
"Lessons for a Jaded Juvenile"
The wagon came to a halt outside a ruin of a castle that towered high above the landscape on a treacherous cliff (which claimed half the fortress in some sort of earthquake or landslide once upon a time). A burst of lightening flashed behind the structure, reducing it to a mere silhouette before the earth trembled with thunder.
Ostrheinsburg.
"Grab your weapon and come. On your feet," Zasalamel snapped his fingers, and his pet Tira obeyed. Walking for the first time since her enslavement (in Zas' presence at least), Tira obediently followed behind her master, looking around curiously and taking her new surroundings in with a child-like fascination (as much as she could afford, anyway.) She had to stay close to her master. She walked with the ring blade around her neck , wearing it like an oversized necklace or a kind of weird metalic cape.
Fading footsteps marked the mud with the presence of others, their tracks disappearing into the forming puddles of water. The Egyptian left the undead Revenant to guard the front gate and the wagon. Meanwhile, he lead his pet ventured into the ruin, through the mighty doors which hung forever ajar. On their frame, and in the stone, one could see impressions where heavy blades struck. Through a roofless corridor they marched, up two flights of stairs, through a surprisingly well preserved great hall, and then out into the courtyard which ended abruptly at the cliff about 50 feet in. Any decorative flora having long since passed away, replaced by weeds and overgrown vines that grew up between the stones.
Off to the side, a little girl sat on her knees crying by the form of a fallen man. Sensing her company, she slowly eased herself towards the rapier a few inches away. And in the center of the courtyard, lay the remains of an oversized shattered sword with what looked like … a giant eyeball? A giant bleeding eyeball! Tira furrowed her brow, and tilted her head. She started to circle the strange gooey sword, but Zasalamel shooed her away. "Deal with those vermin, maggot," he commanded and began setting up … Tira had no idea what he was setting up by the sword, but she wanted to find out.
However, he gave her a command, and thus she must obey. Her focus fell on the only two souls in the courtyard. A blonde haired man lying motionless in a puddle of blood and rainwater, and the red-headed girl rising to her feet, a rapier in her hands. With her own ring blade still around her neck, Tira strolled towards the little girl, a sideways smirk on her face.
"I'll kill you," Amy declared.
And Tira raised an eyebrow.
Amy lunged forward, just like she'd seen Raphael do … but this strange woman gracefully dashed to the side, brought her circular sword from around her neck into her grasp, and deflected the attack. The parry threw Amy off balance, and sent her tumbling into a puddle of water behind the older woman.
Tira twirled around and curtsied. Amy sprang up and swiped at her, more from desperation and rage than an attempt to mimic her elder parent-ish figure.
Again, Tira wove her ring blade around the thin Spanish weapon, and flung the little girl behind her. This time she managed to take the youth off her feet and make her land on her back with an audible splash. The villainess brought a hand to her mouth and giggled.
Amy bit her lip, glared death, stood up and pushed her drenched bangs out of her face. Then she charged at Tira, taking the rapier into both her hands and swinging the weapon more like a massive war hammer than the precise duelist weapon it was. Tira smiled and shook her head, letting her ring blade slide down and off her body. At the last second she hopped forward and caught Amy by her wrists, and headbutt the child, putting her down on her back, moaning from the dizziness.
The rapier now in Tira's grasp, the older woman straddled the youth, pinning the girl's arms beneath her strong dancer's legs, and Tira used the tip of the Spanish sword to clean the dirt out from under her fingernails. Once her senses returned, a rain-drenched Amy squirmed beneath Tira's weight, but it was no use. She was trapped, and not going anywhere. She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and in a low tone said, "just get it over with."
"You're quite the jaded doom and gloom type," Tira said, examining her fingernails, blowing on them, and rubbing them on her soaked shredded top before glancing them over again.
"The world is doom and gloom."
"Some days." And nonchalantly, Tira tossed the rapier over her shoulder. It clanged against the stone floor behind her.
"Everyday." She snapped. "If you don't see that you're an idiot."
Wham! Tira's right fist descended and forcefully connected with Amy's face. "If that's true, then you must want to die to get away."
The blow turned Amy's head to the side. She looked up at her elder, eyes wide with disbelief and watering from the burning in her cheek. Did she really just punch her like that? A little girl like her? No! She couldn't cry. She had to keep it together. "Like I s-said, just k-kill me and g-get—"
Wham! Now Tira's left fist gave Amy's other cheek a natural rouge and sting. "I will," Tira answered, straightening out the young girl's head with her left hand while drawing her right fist back for another blow. "One punch at a time." Wham! "I'll kill you."
Hyperventilating, Amy closed her eyes tight and shook her head.
Wham! "What's the matter little girl?" Wham! "Too much doom and gloom for you?" Wham!
"Please—"
Wham! "I thought you wanted this." Tira raised her fist up while Amy's struggles reached a pitiful climax. She bucked, squirmed, convulsed, as much as she could, but she could not free herself. Her body stayed securely pinned beneath Tira's. Tira threw her head back and laughed maniacally. "Ha! I knew it! You wanted to come across all mature and adult, but you're still just a spoiled brat—"
"No—"
Wham!
Amy sniffled and whimpered, she tried to turn her head to hide her tears.
"You're right. You're not a brat—you're a baby—"
"Please—"
Wham! "Little fucking cry baby."
"P-please—"
Wham! "Well, if you're not a cry baby, then let's see you prove it. I know!" And Tira reached down, grabbing Amy by the ears and twisting them as far as they'd go. Twisted them to the brink of tearing them off. She lifted Amy's head off the ground, and lowered herself to the child's face. "I'm going to bite your nose off!" Tira said, opening her mouth, and closing her teeth around Amy's cute little nose.
The little girl's struggles returned with renewed vigor. She looked like she went into epileptic seizures with how much she fought and bucked. But she couldn't raise Tira's weight off her. She couldn't topple the woman. Could barely budge her. Tira bit down, just hard enough to hurt, and she started to grind the little girl's nose between her teeth. Ears painfully pinched, Amy couldn't even turn her head. It felt like any second the psycho would snap away, ripping her half her face off. Her pleading broke down into desperate cries and whines which sounded absolutely pathetic in their total surrender and absolute begging. Biting down harder, Tira started to pull away, as if to take poor Amy's nose with her. The girl yelped, and Tira gave one final devastating bite before letting go. Sitting up straight, and bouncing in place (crushing poor Amy beneath her).
"I'm just going to start with your nose. Then I'm going to bite your ears off one at a time, and then," Tira released Amy's ears, and the girl's splashed back down against the wet stone ground. Tira tapped Amy's eyelids, "then I'm going to bite off these so I can see your pretty peepers all the time, and then," Tira tapped Amy's lips, "these have to go so I can see your pretty smile, and then," Tira, with viper-like speed pinched Amy's tongue and drew it out of the girl's mouth. With her other hand, Tira made a fist and pushed it against Amy's jaw, forcing her teeth to clamp down on her own tongue. "Then Ima gonna uppercut you right here, and you Missy, aren't getting into the good parties anymore."
Amy bawled, shaking uncontrollably, and begging Tira through her pitiful sobs (as best she could with her tongue trapped.)
But Tira only laughed, pulling the girl's tongue and lifting her head off the ground. She was utterly helpless. "Oh, but I have to do it! You're not a cry baby! You can take it!"
Amy shook her head as best she could.
"Oh, I'm confused." Tira said, finally letting go. Yet again, Amy's head smacked against the wet stones. Tira continued, "One minute you're all mature, playing with the big girls and the next you're a pathetic little emotional wreck!"
Eyes shut tight, Amy quietly begged.
"I guess you better tell me what you want me to do. Now, listen closely, because these are your only two options, okay? Hey! Stop it! I said stop it! Settle down! Now listen, or you'll piss me off, and things will get dark."
It took her a bit, but the little girl eventually calmed down enough to stop crying, to stop shaking, and to listen to her conqueror.
"Here's your choices—your only two choices. You will pick one and repeat what I say exactly or else I'll have to get 'creative' with you. Understand?"
Amy nodded frantically.
"Good, now, option one. Tira, I'm a big girl. I want you to ruin my face forever and bite off all my cute features so I can wear them as a necklace—"
Amy started shaking her head frantically, whimpering.
"OR, hold your horses—just settle down! Or, option two. Tira, I'm just a pathetic little cry baby. I want you to break my face with your bare fists and teach my whiney tail a lesson on adulthood."
The girl pleaded with her eyes.
"One or the other, little girl. That's how we big girls play ball."
Amy continued to shake her head.
Tira laughed, cracked her knuckles, and twisted Amy's ears again, "Well, time to get creative—"
"NO!" Amy shrieked. "No! Please-please—"
"Pick one!"
"Please!"
"NOW!"
"Tira," Amy gulped, "I'm just a little cry baby—"
"Pathetic little cry baby—"
"I'm just a pathetic little cry baby! A-and I w-want you t-to …" but she couldn't get it out.
Tira started to lean down, her mouth open, baring her teeth.
"And I want you to break my face! Break my face! With your fists! Break my face!"
"And?"
"A-and … I—"
"And teach—"
"And teach me a lesson."
"Teach my whiney tail—"
"Teach my whiney tail a lesson! Please!" And she closed her eyes, turned her head, and braced herself for the punishing onslaught coming her way.
Tira leaned all the way down so their noses and foreheads touched, stroking Amy's tear-stained cheeks and running her fingers through the girl's crimson hair. Tira smiled, a strangely sincere smile. She kissed Amy on the forehead, on the nose, on the cheeks, and then gave her a long extended kiss on the lips. "Remember, as crappy as your little world may get, the adult world is always a thousand times worse. Your childhood isn't dead. Even if it is just a teeny-tiny itty-bitty sliver. Grab it, hold onto it, and enjoy what little you have left. One day you'll have to let go, but not today …"
And Tira straightened up (but still pinning Amy), she sighed as she arched her back and stretched. Across the courtyard, Zasalamel performed a ritual Tira didn't understand by the weird eye-ball sword. There were nifty spheres and rings of green-glowing energy and tendrils of … Tira didn't know what it was. Looked kinda like foggy fire just hovering over the sword. Anyway, several feet away from the neat magic, the unconscious man started stirring in a much less fantastic manner. He looked like every other guy waking up, which wasn't terribly attractive or pretty to look at.
So Tira cracked her knuckles, then looked down at the still helpless youth. "Today, I teach you what it means to play with the big girls and boys." Her fist came down and once again devastated the helpless Amy. Wham!
"Amy!" Raphael cried as his senses returned.
"Maybe this'll motivate you to go back and be a kid again." Wham! Wham!
"You bitch!" The man tried to rise to his feet, but too weak, he quickly crumbled, "Leave her alone!" He tried crawling, but he couldn't get there in time
Tira glared at Raphael, daring him to try and stop her with a wicked smile. She raised both fists up, preparing to unleash a final destructive barrage on the utterly helpless girl. "Because being an adult sucks!" And the blows rained down on poor Amy. Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!
Raphael cried as he struggled to intervene, but, weathered from previous battles, he could only watch as Tira silenced the youth and put her to sleep. Amy's chest barely rose and fell when Tira finally rose up, grabbed her by the ankle, and dragged the destroyed child over to the cliff's edge—
"NO!" Raphael again tried standing, fell to his hands and knees, and had to crawl … but he couldn't get there in time.
Tira crossed her arms and laughed as she stood over Amy's prone body, her foot planted on the unresponsive girl's chest. As Raphael made his way over, when he was just within reach of lashing out at Tira, she rolled the unconscious girl over the edge.
"Amy!" The Frenchman lunged after her, grabbing hold of the girl's wrist, and holding on … under the shadow of Tira, completely unable to defend against her and keep Amy from falling.
"Might as well let her go, sweety," Tira said, planting her right foot in the center of Raph's back. "Both of you are going over." And as Tira stepped up and over Raphael, she kicked him in the face as hard as she could, and snapped his head to the side. Battered and weak from his wounds, he was out like a candle doused in the sea. His grip went limp, and Amy fell into the black abyss below. A quiet splash echoing its way up the cliff. Tira slid her foot under the man, and rolled his worthless hide over the edge too. "And neither of you pathetic losers are climbing back up anytime soon."
Tira collected the rapier, and dropped the final remains of the Sorels over the edge. Tira waved into the dark abyss, and venomously said, "au revoir, good bye, and good riddance."
Writer's Note:
For this story, I imagine Tira looking like my version of her from SCIV's editor. Link to My Tira pictures located in my profile. (I would link here, but won't let me for some reason.)