Bruno screamed. The deathly cries of the giant thundered across the battlefield as the fleshly remains of his left arm flopped onto the ground with a nasty thud.
Still, he refused to back down. Despite having his left arm cleaved off, he stomped forward, spear in his right hand, aimed at the duke's torso.
Another flash of silver crossed the air. This time it was Bruno's right hand. His spear dropped uselessly to the side—his severed hands still grasped tightly onto the handle.
"Bruno!" Suisei screamed, her frazzled mind finally caught up with the insane turn of events.
Undaunted, Bruno continued his suicidal charge.
Duke Calon eyed the giant's advance with an impassive stare. With a short breath, he advanced a single step. His sword traced the air in a flurry, painting the giant's body in strokes of crimson. In a blink of an eye, Bruno collapsed onto his knees. A bloody mist erupted in the vicinity, thick with ferric musk.
Mangled and mutilated beyond recognition, Bruno still refused to go down. On the precipice of death, he growled, baring his teeth, desperate to land a hit.
Squelch!
Suisei watched as Bruno's head separated from his neck. The giant finally fell in a torrent of crimson and gore.
"Ah..." she whimpered.
Her hands were shaking. Her eyes blurred with tears as Bruno's body flickered in and out of focus. His horrific death was seared into her eyes. Suisei's mind blanked. A torrent of grief pressed down against her chest. It tore at her heart—shredding it, ripping it apart, smashing it to splintered pieces until there was nothing left. Then it suddenly surged, swelling to her throat.
"Ahhhhh!" she cried with a primal rage.
Something inside of her snapped. Suisei reached for the ground, grabbed the nearest weapon that she can find and threw it at the duke. When Duke Calon squatted her pathetic attack aside, she continued unbothered, flinging whatever she can find. Spears. Swords. Stones. Even the remnants of her fallen comrades. Whatever she could grab in her hands, she threw.
"Die! Die! Die!"
The vengeful words poured out of her mouth, each utterance rose with hate and despair—as if the louder she screamed, the more likely her vengeance would turn into reality. The pragmatic part of her mind begged her to flee, shrieking that she was just wasting Bruno's death on a fruitless endeavor. The duke was not someone she could possibly kill. Still, the overwhelming grief shut off her capacity for rational thought.
"Dieee!"
Duke Calon suddenly disappeared from her sight. He re-appeared an instance later, towering right in front of her. Suisei blinked. Something smashed into her face. The left half was instantly numbed, throbbing with agony as she was flung into the ruins of a nearby barricade.
The pain jolted her out of her insanity. The reality of the situation suddenly sank in.
It was just a bit too late. Immobilized and dazed, Suisei could only gaze up as Duke Calon approached. His sword raised skyward, dripping blood, coated in murderous intent. His eyes were unfathomably cold.
"Don't fear. I'll end this in one strike," he muttered. His cold, chilling words felt more machine than human. His sword descended.
Suisei shut her eyes.
---
They keep coming.
Vesper grimaced as the endless wave of soldiers stormed over the rainy plains enroute towards Fort Nyak. The vanguards were already close to the castle moat. With battering rams in hand, they rushed forth with reckless abandon, eager to reach the front gates. The storm of arrows raining down from the castle defenses and his spells were barely keeping them at bay.
YOU ARE READING
A Distant Reverie
Fanfiction"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?" Vesper Noir wakes up one day in a foreign land with gaps in his memories...and a sharp blade pressed against his throat. His assailant? A beautiful, self-proclaimed female pirate with a sweet voi...
