Brands

Part 12(final)

Her head turned back to face him and
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aw that he had fallen asleep. This caused the corners of her mouth to twitch up into a slight smile. She then took a moment to relax and take in the freedom she had just gained. The light breeze soothed her bruises and filled her with a newfound vigor. Now her attention returned to the robed man. Her smile faded into a fierce scowl. So many emotions crashed through her as she stalked towards the man. Hatred, relief, anxeity, and fear. It all came so suddenly and it made her hesitate for a moment.
The wind whistled ominously while she stared down at the beaten man. The only other sounds was the hard thumping of her heart and the robed man's ragged breaths. The man grunted as he attempted to sit up. One arm was very noticably broken. The snow white bone jutted out just before the man's elbow. Blood flowed from multiple gashes, but luckily the robed man would survive long enough. The man coughed up nearly a handful of blood and he grinned up at her with red stained teeth.
"You must think yourself so high and mighty." The man gasped for breath and shifted causing more blood to seep from his body. "You are still the same as when I found you. A waste of skin who cowers from the slightest confrontation. You are nothing, just a scared little girl." He tried to put as much malice as he could into his voice, but it came out wraspy and quiet. He coughed up more blood. She knew he did not have long at all. To prolong the suffering of the poor excuse of a being before her. She decided to use the curse branded upon her skin. When the tattoos wove their way into her body a small amount of knowledge also made it's way into her mind. She knew which marking did what without ever being told. Black magic is a fickle thing.
There is give and take in everything, but even more so with forbidden arts. The price may be paid sooner or later. As for the robed man, his time to pay had come. He had given her the means to enact vengeance. She slowly reached her hand up to the tattoo on her chest. A steady heat rose from the markings and looked as if they were living wisps of flame. Her fingers grazed lightly against the tattoos. Oddly, they felt soothing to the touch which further calmed her. Soon after touching the markings flames erupted around her entire body, as if she was wearing a cloak of fire. The robed man's eyes widened from fear. His breathing had grown more rapid as panic set in. "L-listen I can hel-" his words were quickly cut off by a flame covered hand clamping over his mouth.
Muffled screams filled the otherwise peaceful field and the tears that fell immediately dried from the immense heat. After a few very long seconds she reluctantly removed her hand. There was perfect imprint of her hand scorched into his flesh. "No. You listen." Her voice came out monotone, but nonetheless threatening. "I don't care what you have to offer. All I desire is for you to feel as much pain as humanly possible before you move onto whatever other worldly thing you believe in." Pained groans was the only acknowledgement he could muster due to his burnt lips. They cracked painfully at the slightest of movements.
She then placed her hands on his silk robes. They ignited as soon as the flame licked at the fabric, making a fire that was hotter than anything the man had ever felt. His blood curdling screams once again filled the quiet field as the fire scorched his entire body. The robes fused with the man's charred skin, making the already harsh smell overwhelming. Over the span of a few seconds the man felt as if he experienced the pain of thousands of lifetimes. All of the man's wounds were now cauterized completely, preventing him from bleeding out. His screams slowly faded into rapid breaths. Every inch of his body stung. Just the light breeze caused pain to shoot through him. She wished that this torture gave her some form of satisfaction, but there was just an emptiness inside her. She remained crouched next to the burnt and dying husk of a man, thinking deeply for a long moment.
As she was deep in thought the robed man tried his best to cast any spell to end his own suffering, or to cause the woman as much pain as he has felt. Every attempt at movement caused unbelievable pain. His black skin flaked off and cracked, revealing bright pink flesh. Most of the layers of skin had been burnt off and crisped. He eventually became tolerant enough to the pain to form words. Slowly but surely his words were forming a spell. The words caused her tattoos to begin to burn which pulled her out of her thoughts. She glared down at him then shoved her fingers into his mouth. He began to shake and yell as the flames scorched the inside of his mouth. The fire incinerated his tongue in mere seconds.
He laid there convulsing, floating on the brim of consciousness. Her breathing became rapid as she fought with herself to end it, to finally kill the monster. It helped to think of all the ill deeds he had done, and all that he could do. It took more effort than she had thought it would, but she iced over her own heart. Then hardened her resolve and pushed her flame into the man's body. It was a very odd sensation, it felt as if she was flexing her brain. It was most likely some other magical feeling, but that is the only way she could comprehend it. As she pushed and pushed the flame cloaking her body flowed off of her skin, and made it's way deeper into his body.
The man's whole body convulsed rapidly as his insides burned to a crisp. Soon it was over and there wasn't an ounce of moisture left in the man's body. She pulled her hand free from his blackened mouth and grimaced. Her hand was covered in flaked off black flesh. Out of reflex she shook her hand quickly, making the residual particles fall off. Silence now returned to the field and the wind picked up. Goosebumps rose up all over her body as she slumped back onto the grass. She now felt the hard thump of her heart in her chest and the empty feeling inside. The grass tickled her skin and she closed her eyes breathing in softly, then let out a small sigh.
A barely audible groan caught her attention and she suddenly remembered the gray furred man. She sat up a bit too quickly and a sharp pain shot through her. Carefully she spun around, easing her way to him. Now that the adrenaline was flushed out she felt every bruise, scratch, and scar. She could feel the hot blood flowing to her wounds. Chills ran down her spine as the wind picked up. As she closed in his labored breaths overshadowed the quiet whistles of the wind. Dried blood caked his gray fur turning it into a sickly brown color. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but the gashes remained open.
The exposed flesh was bright red and slightly swollen. She grimaced as she overlooked all the cuts and scrapes. Memories flashed through her mind of the months she spent as a slave. Endless hours of "conditioning" and multiple slavers. Then eventually the mad man she had slain mere moments ago. Unable to hold back the torrent of bottled up feelings she broke. The tears fell silently and again, she felt alone. A warm hand slowly gripped hers. The sudden warmth jerked her away from the flashback. He had rolled over onto his back and held her hand gently.
Over the many long months she had not felt one gentle touch. Her tears quickly dried and they sat there in silence. The warmth of his hand eased her pain, freeing her mind and heart from the past that had gripped her for so long. He decided it was time to break the silence and he did his best to sit up. Though it took quite the effort to do so. "I think now is the opportune time for names." He gave a her a small smile. One that was nearly unnoticeable due to his bull like face. She did her best to return his gesture, but it had been many many months since she had an interaction such as this. Her lips curled ever so slightly. Her voice was still rough from the lack of water and overuse.
"I am...was known as..Alexandria." As he heard her name he held back a chuckle, which quickly turned into a cough. His injuries were still quite prominent. Once the coughing subsided he spoke, the sarcasm evident in his voice. "A surprisingly beautiful name for such a roughed up lady." She tried her best to force a frown, but her face betrayed her. "It's a shame the fall didn't kill your sense of humor." This time a more hearty laugh escaped his lungs along with more coughing. The coughing fit drained him of his already lacking energy. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "I abandoned my name long ago, I now call myself Taurus...for obvious reasons." Now it was her turn to chuckle. It came out as more of a wheeze than anything else. "Not the most original name for someone so unique."
He grumbled quietly to himself and rolled his eyes. "Touché." He laid back down, the wet grass stinging as it rubbed against his wounds. He was too tired and beat to care. "I think I shall sleep, for a very very long time." She collapsed next to him and let out a deep sigh. The cool grass felt great on her skin. They both rested there in silence for quite some time until sleep claimed them. Unknown to them was just how much more of this awful land they would truly see. Their paths no longer diverging. Their lives now in the hand of one another.