Highlander: The New Gathering #wattys2018

Episode 10: Sword of Veangeance

Back at Sonya's bar, Ashlyn arrives with great sorrow on her face. The others begin to wonder why she is so shaken up.

"Ash, are you OK?" Sonya asks her.

"I found Duncan... he's dead." Ashlyn mumbled, while holding her head down. She sits on a stool near the bartenders area.

"No..." whispers Joe.

"Did Regina kill him?" Sonya asked, as she gave Ashlyn comfort by placing her arm around her shoulder.

"No... it was me. I took his head..." Ashlyn says to her. Sonya's face is riddled with shock, as is everyone else's.

"Why would you kill him? Ashlyn, he was like your brother!" Sonya says.

"I didn't want to... he forced me to do it. He said it was the only way to defeat Regina! I didn't want to kill him, but I had no choice!" Ashlyn sorrowfully shouts.

"It's what he wanted... Duncan finally wanted to rest, so that Ashlyn can live." Methos says.

"Mac..." Joe says to himself, drinking a beer in his honor. Ashlyn gets up from the stool, her mood changing from sorrow to determined.

"No one else I love will die... I am ending this now!" Ashlyn takes her sword in hand and she exits the bar.

"Good luck Ash..." Joe says. Sonya exits the bar and gives Ashlyn a hug, holding her close.

"You be careful out there, finish this! Get that evil bitch!" Sonya said to a determined Ashlyn. As Ashlyn walks away from Sonya and the bar, she hops onto her motorcycle and she drives away to her loft.

While at her loft, Ashlyn shadow duels with herself, swinging her sword gracefully while moving with the speed of a panther. As she continues to swing her sword, the sweat from her body drips from her skin.

"Mother, father, Duncan, Connor... it will soon be over, I promise." she says to herself, as she puts on an all black trenchcoat, with the small marking of a dragon down the backside.

Central Park, 2:00 am.

Sitting in front of a fountain, Regina senses that an immortal of great strength is nearby. She smiles with a sinister aura illuminating from her eyes.

"Well done Ashlyn! I never thought you could do it! How does it feel to finally see things my way?" Regina mockingly asks.

"It feels like poison... which is why I am glad I don't see things your way!" Ashlyn says, appearing from behind a large tree.

"You are now truly the last of your kind! The last of the Macleod's, and yet you still stand with the world of man." Regina gets up from the fountain and she stands fifteen feet away from Ashlyn, "That is why I like you Ashlyn, your determination just shines through you. But your weakness is that you are gullable to not accept my reason."

"I know what you stand for, but it was rooted from hatred and malice. I fight with the weapon of love and truth!" Ashlyn says.

"Love? Truth? Just like your mother, always lacking the courage to do what is necessary! I had hoped to kill her, so that I could take you under my wing, but your father stopped me! So like every other man, he paid a fatal price for getting in my way!" As Regina takes out her sword, Ashlyn does the same.

"You are here for vengeance? If so, then I will accommodate you!" Regina roars.

"Vengeance? No, this is not about vengeance, this about justice!" Ashlyn says pointing her sword at Regina.

"Well, are you gonna run Ashlyn? Are you going to hide?" Regina taunts her.

"Run..." Ashlyn growls. Ashlyn charges towards Regina and she clashes her sword with Regina's. The two immortals fight like two samurai trying to best each other.

"I expected more from you Ashlyn!" Regina says while she parrys Ashlyn's attacks.

"Well, here's more from me!" Ashlyn once again clashes swords with Regina. As they parry each others attacks, sparks fly off of their blades. Regina manages to slash at Ashlyn's chest, but Ashlyn still stands her ground.

"Lucky shot, but is that all you have?" Ashlyn taunts her.

"Such fire, I always knew there was a little of me in you Ashlyn. You and I, we could have done great things together!" Regina says.

"Like kill all men that despise us, along with their wives or women? Thanks, but no thanks!" Ashlyn attempts to attack Regina with her sword, but Regina sidesteps to the left and she hits Ashlyn with a front kick to the face.

As Ashlyn spits up blood from her mouth, Regina grabs her by her shirt and she throws her into a fountain, full of water. Dragging her out of the fountain, Regina places her foot on Ashlyn's chest.

"A valliant effort Ashlyn, but too bad. You see, your quest for revenge has led you to your defeat at my hands. After I am done with you, I will take out all of my Veangeance on those you love!

"Like hell you will!" Ashlyn says, using her sword to slice the ankle of Regina. Rising to her feet, she switches into a different stance with her sword, holding beside her left shoulder while crouching like a Samurai.

"Conner?" Regina wonders. Ashlyn attacks her with attacks that Connor uses before. As Regina desperatley blocks Ashlyn, she can feel herself stumbling to regain control. As Ashlyn goes in for the kill, Regina stabs her with a small knife to the side of her stomach.

"Impressive, but it's time for you to say goodbye Ashlyn, you can visit your dear mother and father in the afterlife." Regina sinfully says to her, as Ashlyn is hunched over in pain.

Regina tries to behead Ashlyn, but she grabs Regina's sword, making blood drip down from her right hand. Ashlyn then hits Regina with a sharp elbow to her nose, knocking her down.

"Regina Bane... the game is not over yet. It's time for justice, time for redemption!" Ashlyn says to her. Regina charges towards Ashlyn, only to be met with a knife thrown at her left kneecap.

Screaming in pain, Regina pulls the blade out from her knee, but she is met with an attack style barrage from Ashlyn, that bears a resemblance to Duncan Macleod. Regina tries to defend herself, but Ashlyn slashes at her arm and back, following it up with a roundhouse kick to her jaw, knocking Regina through a park bench.

"I... I... I'll see you... in hell!" Regina snarls, struggling to get to a vertical base.

"I'll be the judge of that." Ashlyn says. Regina attempts to swing her sword, but Ashlyn cuts at Regina's knees, making her kneel down to her. As Regina looks at Ashlyn, with a bloody face, Ashlyn decapitates her with a swift downward slash.

"There can be only one!" Ashlyn declares. The earth begins to shake as Regina's power exits her body and shoots upward, parting the sky. Electricity flows around Central Park, and it strikes Ashlyn.

Ashlyn screams as the overwhelming power of Regina enters her body. The very act of the quickening itself begins to destroy all that is around her, shaking the earth even more.

Ashlyn levitates into the air, taking in even more of Regina's power. The thunder and lightning strike at her increasing her strength. A large bolt of lighting strikes her chest, sending her flying and crashing into a car, completing the quickening transference.

Morning came...

Laying on top of the car, unconscious, sparks of lightning flow around Ashlyn. When she wakes up, she surveys the aftermath of the battle as the sun rises. Looking at the headless body of Regina, she takes the cruel ones sword as a trophy.

"This was for you, mom." Ashlyn says, looking up at the sky.

Five weeks later... Scotland.

Ashlyn stands over the graves of Duncan and Connor, placing white roses beside their tombstones. As she looks at the sky, she let's out a smile.

"I love you both... thank you for taking care of me. I will see you both again, but not yet... not yet." Ashlyn then walks away, into the mist.

Hey there guys, what did you think of this chapter? Comment and let me know!

Thank you for reading and I will see you soon!

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