Liridia

Chapter 32: Payback: Part Two

Liridia
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It's iridescent scales clicking against one another, it's barbed tail dragging on the floor, shooting up bright sparks and making me shield my eyes from the light.

It's horned head and bared teeth gleam as he snaps and growls at his opponent. I shuffle quickly back, away from the beasts and collapse against the wall. My weariness causes me to feel utterly light-headed, and I place a hand against my pounding head. The room spins and everything hurts, but I have to get that box and trap mother inside of it.

Trinity back at my side, I grab the hilt and steel myself for what I am about to do. My legs tremble at the plainly stupid idea, but I have to get the higher ground first. I get back up, and watch as the beasts grapple wings and spit fire and swing their tails, Mother's beast slamming its tail into the golden beast's head and my wyvern taking a bite out of the black animal's side.

I begin to stumble towards the beast's stationary tail, and my boot finds purchase on the shiny scales, boosting me up to his back. I have to grab one of the spikes protruding from his spine to steady my shaking limbs as he whips around to defend from the other's tail.

I swing Trinity around and run up onto to his golden head, his jaw unhinging to unleash a stream of white hot fire. The flames subside and I leap from my wyvern's brilliant snout to land onto the dark scales of the opposing wyvern's head. It thrashes and I dig my sword into the thick hide so as to not be thrown off.

Mother launches herself onto the black beast and her battle axe appears into her hand. She swings it dangerously close to my knee, but I quickly jump back to avoid losing a leg. I wrench my sword out from the brute and swing for her chest, but she parries easily and is instantly back on the offensive.

She swings over and over, and I defend, having to back away up the neck of the creature. The scales beneath me are unsteady, and I push her back down with a strong kick to the knee as her left side was for a moment unguarded.

"That is enough!" I shout, swinging Trinity and slicing the axe in half, tipping my sword quickly to rest at her neck once more.

"Stop this, Ma." I order, my breathing hitched and shallow. I'm still so weak, I don't know how I've held up against her unrelenting blows.

"You've done well, Liridia. But not well enough. I could have taught you so mu-" The demon inside of her starting, but dissolving into a fit of violent coughing. The wyvern jerked to the side and I held onto one of the ghastly horns protruding from its black hide. My knees gave up and I collapsed against the spike, my eyes watering with the pain.

Mother coughs up black blood, and her eyes roll back into her head.

I reach helplessly for the box, which still lies dejectedly on the floor beneath me, and it slowly drags itself on the floor, my energy withering.

Mother stands back up, and wipes her mouth in one crude swipe.

"Now is not the time to rebel, Rose." She told herself, wrenching off her helmet to entwine her fingers in her hair. Her eyes harden, and mother is gone.

"Please." I whisper to the box, my arms too weak to call it to my hands. It jitters up but falls back to the ground, refusing my plea.

My face crumples in pain, and I turn my head to watch mother's palm encase a longsword. Getting to her feet, Mother points the sword at my heart and smiles.

"Ma. Please." I scream, my tear stained cheeks shining and the pain making we shake.

But she doesn't listen.