Zero Sum

Sword whisperer

The crew make their way through the dank wet musty underground corridor. It looks almost as bad as it smells.

"Leaving Emmet alone to stall that glass eyed freak was a bad idea," laments of of the crew members.

We didn't have a choice, they knew where to find us, so they clearly know what I am after, Clancy thinks to himself. "He will be fine," is the best retort he can offer. "We need to keep moving."

The crew have unknowingly been pursued in their desperate retreat. 

"Who there goes?!" Clancy can't even make out the words properly.

The single figure in the shadows starts to approach them. Too frightened to move they stand still. She stops several paces away and whispers an inaudible message. 

"What the hell are you saying?" Yells Antonio, he has always been one of the more bolder members of the crew. 

She, being their lone pursuer, doesnt seem like much of the threat, it is three of them versus one of her. Still she seems totally at ease, no signs of faltering from her.

Now she levels her glass eyes at them. Explaining, "it is an incantation of death." Looking at them with eyes uncumbered by vision. She bats a blind stare at the three of them. "There are three of you then?" Her mouth moves wordlessly again. "There that should be enough for you lot."

In anger and in a cry of vengeance, Antonio hastily sizes himself against her, and attacks in retaliation to her seemingly idle threats. "The only one dying here today is you!"

Amateur. The shadow whisperer thinks to herself. Year after year of excruciating training, keeping herself calm and composed in extreme situations is second nature. The brute is going to feint with his right hand. She stretches one of her hands fingers facing outward palms up in response. Straightening her arm in front of the charging brute. 

Now without really understanding his pursuers' method of attack Antonio continues his charge forward. He will prepare a right hook, but at the last minute switch to a sweeping lower kick. Her legs are close together, he tries to reassure himself, so she will go down hard and fast. 

In his last instance of life, before he can even reach her, Antonio sees a glimmer extend from her outstretched arm. In one swift swipe of her wrist, this glimmer of hers removes his scalp from its place in his skull, falling on the ground in front of his allies.

"What the hell kind of cheap trick was that?" Yells out Clancy, pretending to be tough, but inside feeling like his insides are going to pop out.

Instinctively he and his remaining ally now go on the defensive. They huddle up almost back to back. With the strange glimmer still a mystery, they are only left to guess what her next move will be. 

No, I've come too far to be stopped here. Clancy thinks to himself.

"Take her down!" He yells out, shoving his ally forward towards the vicious shadow woman.

Bob gives a look back at Clancy as if saying, what the hell do you expect me to do against that?

No time for that now, he composes himself. He needs to stay on guard, focusing on what they know. Keep an eye on her arms, that is where her next attack is coming from. Even the slightest motion of those arms could make him a dead man.

In a bit of an amateur blunder, Bob decides the best recourse is to pin her arms to prevent that deadly swipe of hers. Inch by inch it seems he moves his feet towards her.

Unfortunately for Bob, his shadowy attacker has already anticipated his plan. In a few seconds he will feel confident enough to attack. Just a couple paces away from being face to face with her. He side steps left at the last moment trying to get around her.