Desert Wings

With Tooth And Nail

"I would expect nothing less." Death replies, swinging his sword as he approaches me once again. I back away from Luck's dead body as I lift my own blade to the ready,"You have proven unwilling to fall easily."
"I'll keep proving it, time after time, until someone finally lands a fatal blow," I tilt my head,"Will that be you?"
"Yes." Death replies definitively, thrusting his sword towards my ribs.
"What makes you so sure?" I ask, dodging his sword.
"I am Death, the final word, friend, foe, the closing piece of this world." He replies, moving in again for another attack. I dodge, flipping his sword away from my body before driving my own sword towards him.
"Fair." I grunt as I try to disarm Death with my sword but to little avail as I am forced to back away to avoid being impaled on the end of Death's sword.
"Yes it is." Death replies casually, turning and thrusting his sword at me again.
I resist rolling my eyes and try to keep an eye on the ground while watching Death. I almost trip moving to dodge another attack from Death, managing to keep my balance somehow. The torch light dips lower as we exchange attempted blows, always deflecting the other's sword.
"No chance at redeeming my life?"
"No Kara." Death moves to the side, trying to hit my side again,"You aren't even meant to be here right now Kara. Life has been a real thorn in my side over it to. Your timer has run out, it ran out a long time ago, accept that Kara. The Plain will be more accepting if you accept it."
"No, I still have breath in my body and a will in my mind, therefore I fight for my tomorrow." I dodge him and pause for a moment.
"Good for you." Death replies, trying to hit me in my momentary pause.
"Yeah, now you say I can't kill you. Will you ever enter the Plain yourself?" I ask, moving aside once again.
"Yes, I actually enter the Plain all the time Kara." He replies suddenly changing the direction of his sword and scratching my arm. As blood wells from the wound Death gives a triumphant cry,"First blood is mine!"
I hiss in pain, swinging my sword in a wide arch, almost hitting Death,"A battle does not decide the war."
"True and wise words Kara, who rubbed off on you?" Death tilts his head as he hits my other arm drawing more blood from me.
I hiss again,"No one." I falter for a moment and receive a scratch on my cheek for it.
"Tsk tsk Kara, never drop your guard, you should know that by now." I manage to deflect another blow from Death, my lack of sleep and overall strain on my body catching up to me,"Being Queen of the White Desert and all."
My reactions slow,"I have learned that, have you?" I dodge Death's sword and try to land a blow of my own only to have Death smoothly side steep my attempt.
"Yes, centuries do that to you, as does learning how to do your job while you are working." I jump into the air briefly to avoid Death landing another blow, instead his sword clips my leg.
"Have you learned to protect your heart?" I ask as I land a few yards from Death,"Or do you enjoy playing with me?"
"Alone protects me friend, I broke one of the number one rules of being an all powerful keystone of the universal balance. I have let people become my friends, I then have to watch as they beg me to let them live, or beg me to die. Do you know what that does to you Kara? No you wouldn't, you don't have to do my job. I can't have favorites, no one can live when their time is up Kara. That includes you. Leave my heart out of our fight." He levels his sword at me before lowering it and walking over to where I have landed,"I don't like to play with those whom Life demands I prey upon, but you like a good fight, so I thought I would give you a good run for your money." Death grins cruelly,"After all, the White Desert is simply a stage, a twisted, broken one yes, but a stage all the same. Let's give them all, the Desert itself a show." Death gestures to the land with his black sword,"After all here the curtain never closes and we are stuck in a loop, here not even Time reigns supreme, for none of us can truly banish the others, none of us can exist alone."
"Time? I don't know Time." I back away further.
"You do, Time does not often make a physical appearance, often choosing instead to watch the going ons of the Desert from else where." Death follows me, moving to strike again,"Time is here even now, watching infinitely."
"Right." I mutter, trying to dodge the rain of blows that Death subjects me to, blood soaking into my clothes as I try to dance away from Death.
Suddenly, he no longer holds a sword, now Death holds a scythe. The weapon was still midnight black, red strips adorning it, the blade glitters a cold black,"Your second weapon..." I whisper in awe at the scythe.
"Yes," Death looks the weapon over, nonchalantly,"The Reaper, one of a kind. Though all Desert gifted weapons are, never has there been a duplicate." Death was obviously proud of the magnificent weapon,"This also happens to be the weapon that shall strike you down and send you into the Plain."
"How do you figure?" I ask, readying myself for our fight to gear up again.
Death looks coldly to me,"Because the Reaper always wins." I look to the glittering blade and as much as I dread and hate it, I believe him,"Always. In the end, it is where I stand. Now and when the universe falls, someone must ensure things end. Now, then and forever."