Day Seven: Blades Behind Your Back
This was it. The end. They were in a curving arc, all of them. Triton and Kym in front of him the pair of traitors. The Fours always were off the beaten track a little, sometimes too nice and sometimes too vicious. Sometimes it was the latter, like now. The issue was the fact that they'd been too unwilling to follow orders, whiny brats who only cared for themselves. That was why they were ready.
Sabine and Glamour were on their own. A little too far apart to be partners, even if they were glancing at each other as if making an agreement for two. Sabine with her longbow, the weapon that had sung a deadly song. That had annihilated bone, flesh, organs seven times. It was nicked, loosely drawn, and her aim was shifting in an arc. Glamour's rapier twirled in his hand, sparkly and shiny and so so pointy. If there was ever a weapon for One, it was that rapier.
Lapis is behind him. His ally, his gorgeous, giggly ally. She'd been effective, if a little slow. Not quick enough to kill him, that was the only reason she was standing with knives drawn behind him. He wouldn't trust any other like that. She'd seemed almost purposefully slow, tossing words back and forth and seeming to have more knowledge of social graces than martial graces. She'd played allies long enough, and they'd agreed. One final fight after they'd handled the other four. One final fight he'd win, of course.
They were glancing around, Sabine speaking first. "We still have them out there. Nine, Six. We can handle them first, please. We don't have to end it like this. If one of them wins-" "One of them won't win." Glamour's tone is firm. "Sabine, if you want, we can team up after these usurpers are gone. Handle Six and Nine and then have a nice and proper final fight. That's the way it should be."
A laugh, mocking and cruel, from the Fours. From Kym, and Lapis wheels on her with excited malice in her tone. "Aww, Kymopoleia. Such a gorgeous name for such an ugly little bitch. Well then, Kymoploeia, I'm sure you'd be a more than fine decoration. Perhaps, after I win, I can have your pretty little skull on my mantle. I'll put it in center position, and I can use it as a nice little talking point. After all, you won't exactly need it any more." The Four girl chokes back a snarl, and Lapis giggles. "Awww, such an angry little shark. Not exactly known for killing people, though, are you? No water, no big water, and what are you?"
"Enough." Triton yells this, not happy with how this is proceeding. Knowing he's loosing control of Kym, and knowing that he's not going to be able to hold her storms back for too much longer. "We're going to settle this. However it happens. We won't be holding back, I hope you aren't. Then we can..."
A knife emerges from his neck like a particularly useless fruit, looking especially clean amidst the gush of blood. I turn, to see Lapis begin to laugh, drawing a sigh from Kym. Of course it does, the Four girl seemed never to be impressed by anything. "You stole my thunder," Kym pouts, and it seems especially aggrieved as I notice her bottom lip genuinely stick out.
"Oh, come on now. He was bigging this up and shouldn't have been. Tell you what, why don't we agree now. No other killing before we get properly going and have our fun! We can get this, once and for all, properly handled. See who the best Squaddies are. Any of us fall, you're a loser." A round of comradely laughter reminds me of what we lost, our alliance of steel and blood. Not that that alliance exists any more.
"Ready?" "Wait!"
Lapis steps forward, clapping her hands. "Good luck, everyone. If you want to grab any food or such, do it now. We have honour, no backstabbing yet." It's an oddly sentimental statement, and one everyone takes advantage of. One that takes a good five minutes.
They're back in their positions, and ready to start, when he feels what must be a punch. Directly into his back, and he staggers. Gives an uncharacteristic whimper, the air driven out of his lungs. Lapis drives the blade into his back, once and then again, and he can feel blood trickle out of his back and into his shirt as he collapses forward into the mud. Her high laugh pierces the air, the blonde stepping unceremoniously on his back even as a red froth crawls out of it. "Must've thought he was all good with his Eleven. Sorry, sweets. We can get going now. Just wanted to get that out of the way."
He hears the clashing of blades above him, that high laugh piercing the air again. It's the last sound he hears.