Esmeralda rushed about quickly, moving from person to person without so much as a proper moment to think. It had been determined that she was not prepared for combat and as such was assigned to provide medical aid, although she mainly gave out orders and helped with medical equipment. Their village consisted of multiple small homes, a large schoolhouse, buildings for the purposes of processing raw materials and the monastery which also served as the grounds for their training. That same monastery was where the injured had been brought to receive medical attention, although most of them were past the point of saving.
“Esmeralda! We need more gauze over here!” a woman’s voice called out from across the room.
“We’re already out! You’ll have to settle for cloth! And make sure it's clean!” she spoke as she rushed around the chapel. “You’ll have to improvise if we plan to treat everyone!”
“We have more injured coming in!” a male voice spoke as the doors flew open.
“We’re starting to run out of space! Bring them to the nave! We’ll start filling that area instead, let the children occupy the infirmary and chapel! This is a fucking mess.”
She aided in moving the adults from the infirmary with the others while current supplies were focused on the injured youth. It didn’t take long for her to end up taking control of the situation. Regardless of how others saw her it was well known that she had the most level-headed attitude amongst them, but that couldn’t save people. One by one the nave filled up until they moved everyone they could. However, as she looked around the room it was clear that there wouldn’t be many survivors... if there were any at all.
She watched as those assigned to taking care of the wounded moved about frantically from person to person, applying what medical attention they could before moving on to the next. She could see that some cases were utterly hopeless, some people looking as if it would be better to just put them out of their misery. She looked down at the weapon on her side, a small dagger alongside a handgun which she had been trained to use for years, but in that moment, she found herself lacking the need to use it. What was it for? Wasn’t she meant to be fighting with everyone else? She continued to move about providing what help she could while also taking note of those who did not make it.
“Esmeralda! We need more painkillers!”
“I’ll get some from the infirmary! In the meantime, everyone arm yourselves! There’s no telling when the enemy will show up here with this many injured coming in! Everyone, prepare to fight if you must!” she spoke before running to the infirmary.
As she stepped out into the cloister, she caught the scent of smoke and blood on the air, her eyes turning to see the night sky dyed with the tint of flames. She paused only for a moment to take in the sounds around her; the screaming, the gunshots, the sounds of battle. It was easy to ignore when focusing on other things, but losing that focus for a moment was an eye-opening experience to say the very least. He had told her time and time again about how overwhelmed they would be, but seeing it now made it feel as if he undersold the feeling. All she could do now was hurry back to the infirmary.
“Quickly! I need painkillers for the-”
There was a bleak silence, a turning of the stomach like she had never experienced. She raised her hands and covered her mouth; swaying to the side as her shoulder pressed against the wall as a means to keep her upright. It took all of her willpower to keep the bile from rushing out of her system, but it was a willpower she had in droves, for now. Even so, she questioned how long that willpower would last if she remained here. She had only been gone from the infirmary for a few minutes, and yet that was more than enough for a massacre to take place. Not a single person had been spared. Not even the children.
“The nave!” she spoke to herself as she quickly turned back and rushed out to the cloister, the sound of what was once combat eerily gone as she took her weapons in hand and made her way into the building. “Everyone! Prepare for-”
“That was easier than I expected it to be,” the unfamiliar female voice spoke. “They all fell like flies in the end!”
“I must admit, this was less intense than originally anticipated. Although you have to hand it to him, only David would have inspired an entire town to his cause. Possibly some last resort to make sure we still had enemies of his sort after his passing.”
“I doubt he was that thoughtful. Probably planned to use them as sacrificial pawns. It wouldn’t be the first time for the Karrs to do something like that.”
She had only been gone for several minutes, or maybe it had been longer than she thought? Either way, upon returning back to the nave she would only find everyone dead. Did that mean that all of the ones outside of the monastery were dead? The medics, the children, the fighters, they even finished off the injured... and she had just happened to slip in between them. Would that make her the only one left? That couldn’t be possible! Not after all of the hard work they had put in!
“Looks like we missed one,” the male voice spoke as her eyes turned upward to see him looking straight at her. “You might as well not run, there is no escape.”
This was her first time getting a clear look at him. He looked so average at a glance, but there was clearly a sense of divinity about him. He stood tall, as if confident from birth, with a head of perfectly blonde hair and skin so pale it was nearly white without even the slightest blemish. His eyes were like light shining through a prism, rainbows that seemed to hold the purest colors she had ever seen. He wore pure white, a cape of the same color and looked as if he were missing the set of armor he so desperately desired. With the way he held the longsword at his side, it was all that was missing to have him look like a proper knight of the heavens.
In contrast, the woman who rounded the corner and stood next to him looked as if she had been brought here from an entirely different place. She wore what could easily be mistaken as lingerie with a fur scarf that covered her shoulders perfectly. She clearly did not care that the clothes she wore were see-through and revealed every bit of her person, but it was clear that she didn’t care much for those types of things based on her demeanor. While the former only had small speckles of blood on his person, there was barely a spot on her body which was not covered in it. Even so her skin was just as perfect, a beautiful shade of coco alongside a head of pure red hair which looked more like a wild braided mane; eyes of the same color.
“We must be getting rusty if we let one get past us! You think Almaden is going to be upset that he didn’t find her first?” the woman spoke as she flipped the crude knife in her hand.
“No doubt, but he should be here soon. There’s no harm in waiting. Besides, I’ve spilled far too much needless blood today.”
“Says you. I’d love to see what she can do before he gets here.”
“That’s fine by me,” Esmeralda spoke as she readied herself to fight.
“She’s bold,” the male spoke.
“I can see that!” the woman spoke with a smile. “She doesn’t look too bad either. I’m sure Phita would have liked this one if she were still around. What’s your name, girl?”
“Anyone who’d kill children the way you’ve done doesn’t deserve to know my name.”
“At least she has a strong fire in her soul. Yeah, Phita would have definitely liked this one. Attack whenever you’re ready,” the woman spoke as if taunting her.
Esmeralda raised her pistol, firing as many bullets as she possibly could and yet none of them would land. It was mesmerizing in its own right, the sight of the woman blowing a stream of flames from between her lips and melting the projectiles before they could even reach her. It was clear in that moment that there was no chance of winning this fight. Joseph had told her that they had powers that went beyond their capabilities, but this was too much. If she could do that to bullets her flesh wouldn’t mean anything to her. Still, with that overwhelming difference, she still rushed forward with her knife in hand.
She was slightly surprised, looking as the woman smiled and refrained from burning her to nothing on the spot. Perhaps she was underestimating her, but that just meant she had the slightest chance to win this fight! She flipped the knife around in her hand, a feint Joseph had taught her to make enemies confuse the angle of an attack-
“That’s because that’s all we’re trying to do.”
Her eyes grew wide as the words brought themselves back into her mind. Remembering what Joseph had told her.
“If we can all avoid fighting them then that will do just fine for us.”
She caught the woman’s eyes for only a moment, watching as she casually took note of her every movement with a smile on her face as if this were all nothing. She hadn’t been properly trained for this; she had been trained to flee. It wasn’t any more obvious as it was when the woman stepped off to the side, a simple movement, making a gap between them she wouldn’t be capable of making with several steps; yet she closed the distance so quickly Esmeralda couldn’t even recover from her attack. The woman’s hand wrapping around her wrist as she attempted to pull it away.
“You fucking-”
“Don’t get upset, you’d have probably gotten any other human with an attack like that. You’ve clearly been taught well, but there’s only so much a human can accomplish.”
“I hate you all so much. How you casually go around doing whatever you want to us.”
“We don’t garner enjoyment from this,” the male spoke as he watched them. “Against popular knowledge, we claimants tend to do our best to remain out of human affairs. In particular, there aren’t many of us who would willingly do harm to humans. This is all being done because of the generational hatred of the Karrs.”
“The Karrs?” Esmeralda spoke as her brow furrowed. “I wonder how many of them you’ve killed compared to how many of you they’ve killed.”
“Oh? So, you know about their relationship with the claimants? You’re well learned, for a human, but it only makes sense. That knowledge is why we’re here now. To end that hatred they’ve been spreading among humans for generations.”
“You can keep telling yourselves that,” she spoke as a smile curled across her face. “With so much strength, your ancients must be pretty scared to just kill off a bunch of humans like this.”
“Hey,” the woman spoke as she raised Esmeralda’s wrist higher. “Say what you like, but don’t think you’ll get away with stuff like that.”
It took all of her willpower to keep from screaming out when she snapped her wrist with barely any effort at all, dropping her to the floor after doing so. It seemed as if she had expected her to give up at that point, turning to speak with the male, and yet Esmeralda jumped up quickly in an attempt to drive the knife into the woman’s neck. There was a moment of strict pleasure in knowing that she would at least kill one of them, but that pleasure faded away as the knife couldn’t even manage to penetrate the skin. The blade snapping in half as the woman turned back to look at her again.
“You have a tendency to think battles are done when they aren’t,” the male spoke.
“I didn’t think she’d be that bold!” the woman spoke as she turned around and placed her fingers around Esmeralda’s jaw, lifting her head upward as if examining her. “It almost makes me want to have her for myself. Almaden can’t be too upset when he’s taking this long.”
“You’re not completely wrong,” the male spoke as he turned his attention to Esmeralda.
“What?” the girl spoke as if refusing to throw away her tenacity.
“I just feel slightly sorry for you. While I did say most of us prefer to avoid conflict with humans, Luno here is one of the exceptions. A fight is a fight in her eyes, no matter how weak the opponent is. One of the marks of Phita’s rowdy children I suppose.”
“You heard him,” Luno spoke as she raised her dagger. “Don’t disappoint me now-”
Their conversation halted as the doors to the building opened and a male stepped inside. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a forest, adorned with tribal markings and a tunic covered with furs. He too had blood covering the majority of his person, and yet he looked more upset than anticipated. Why that was Esmeralda could only guess. That is, until he spoke.
“You really took care of everyone before I could get here?” he said as he lifted the claymore to his shoulder.
“You were taking too long, idiot. We aren’t going to wait for you forever!” Luno responded with a growl.
“That’s enough you two. This is no contest, it’s work. Work that we just have to get done so it can be put behind us. The faster the better, so finish this up so it can end.”
“Fine by me! It’s about time we’ve finally put this to rest.” Luno stated as she turned to face Esmeralda. "Although I guess that isn't good news for you."
The doors to the nave were already open, he could smell the familiar stench of death on the air within the smoke. Bodies burning, homes reduced to cinders and embers. He rushed forward quickly as if nothing more than hopeful that he would find at least a single survivor, a single soul who managed to survive all of this, but his eyes only managed to catch a glimpse of the worst possible sight imaginable. His motion ceased as he witnessed the moment the dagger held within the woman’s hand was pulled from Esmeralda’s stomach. The girl fell to the floor so slowly he felt as if time would freeze, hoped that time would freeze, but knew that was not the case. He could have sworn his vision flickered. First he was looking at Esmeralda, then his mother, then Esmeralda again. How had he been made to watch this exact sight again? The exact weapon even?
“Esmeralda!” he called out as he rushed into the building. His words garnered the attention of Almaden who raised his weapon in preparation.
“Alright! There was still one more-”
His words fell short as he stopped in place. The other two stood completely still as they watched the boy run directly past the claimant and to the girl’s side. There was a distinct confusion which conjured itself up in the two claimant's minds, but they too found themselves instinctually choosing not to approach. The way he looked over her body, observed her injuries and wounds, attempted to do anything and everything to heal her... it was pathetic. Yet it was also far too terrible to witness.
“Don’t you dare interfere,” the blonde male spoke.
“Fine! I get it!” Luno responded as she stowed her weapon.
“Heal her...” Joseph spoke as he continued to struggle.
“What?” the male in all white spoke.
“I know you can do it, so do it! I don’t care what it takes, I’ll even become a claimant if I must, but you have to save her! What will it take? My arms, my legs, my life?”
“I don’t believe you understand.”
“Of course I understand!” he cried out as he turned his head to face them. “I know your kind has done it in the past! Healed injuries the likes of which no human can heal, so do it! I’m willing to give up everything, so just fucking do it!”
“Joseph,” Esmeralda’s voice brushed by his ears. His attention flicking directly back to her. “You don’t get it. They won’t do it... because they don’t care about doing it. They were sent here to kill us after all.”
He watched as she even struggled to speak, the injury to her stomach so severe that no methods he knew of could possibly repair her. Even so, she looked as if there was no pain on her face at all as she attempted to lift herself up. Not a single tear was shed, nor was there any sign of fear in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, relax, I’ll convince them. Just give me some time and-”
“There is no time, Joseph. Just listen to me. Alright?” He looked as if he were prepared to protest yet did not do anything of the sort. His attention fully placed on her without any chance of letting it escape. “Good. I’ve spent most of my life wondering what I could do to make you happy. Even though I knew... I knew you were happy all along, but I didn’t believe it was true so long as you did not smile... I thought that if I could get you to smile at least once that maybe, just maybe, you’d keep smiling forever.”
“Esmeralda...”
“It was a stupid idea, I know! You don’t have to tell me that... but I just felt as if I were failing you in some way every time I saw that unhappy face... You’ve given me more than I could have ever hoped for. A friend, a protector, someone who actually cares about me. You showed me many things like how to fight, and you made me stronger than I would have ever been without you. Even if you didn’t notice, you showed me what it meant to love someone and be loved. Even more than my own mother... I’m sorry it couldn’t last forever.”
“You don’t need to apologize for anything. I should have been here; I shouldn’t have left you alone-”
“That doesn’t matter now... what does matter is that you're here now and I want to see it.”
“What do you mean? What do you want to see?”
“Your smile,” her words caused his body to deflate. All the tension and agitation flooding away like winter tears. How long had it been since he'd felt so at ease? Even in such a tragic moment, she still wanted to pull it out of him. Cared about him more than herself. “Can’t you show me, just this once? I’ll never ask you for anything else again, if that wasn’t obvious.”
“You’re crazy... absolutely crazy,” he spoke as he sighed. “All this time and you still haven’t changed one bit.” She watched, her eyes widening in disbelief as his lips shaped themselves into something she had once believed she’d never experience. This person who she had come to know as the stoic yet kind companion with a stern face; now smiling in a manner that melted her heart. It was nearly too much to bear. “Will this do, Esmeralda?”
“Yeah... but now I have a different problem," she spoke as her own smile began to waver.
His face was drained of all pleasure brought by their exchange. He could feel his stomach twist, his heart ache. It was now his turn to see a sight which had never graced his presence once in all his life with her. He grasped her hand and squeezed it in his own as tears began to pour down her cheeks to the ground. His other hand attempting to wipe the tears away as if in an unwinnable battle.
“Esmeralda, what’s wrong?”
“Now that I’ve seen it... I don’t want it to be the last time,” the woman whimpered as if trying her hardest to hold everything back. “I don’t want to die yet, Joseph... I don't want things to end like this.”
“P-please,” Joseph started as he turned to the claimants. “You can treat me like a dog, sick me on all of your enemies, beat me every single day for the rest of my life, I don’t care... just please save her. I know you can do it. If not you, a treasure. If not them, an ancient. Just please... anyone at all... I can’t let her die.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s already too late.” The blonde claimant responded.
Joseph turned his attention back to Esmeralda, gripping her body with all his might and pulling it into an embrace the likes of which felt as if it might kill him. His mind raced, his body ached, his chest was so hot he felt it could burst at any second. She so desperately pulled these emotions out of him, made him show them so sincerely, and now it was more difficult than he could have ever imagined to stow them back where they came from. All he could do was hold onto her and hope that she would come back... but he knew better.
“How dreadful,” Almaden stated as he looked down at the male.
“This is why I hate this type of work. I don’t understand how either of you can enjoy this. There is no pleasure to be had from causing such tragedies.”
“If they choose to fight then they choose to die. It’s as simple as that, Vaak. Aren’t you a knight? You could at least act like you enjoy combat,” Luno spoke to which the male twisted his face.
“No knight worth their weight would ever enjoy this.”
“Joseph,” David spoke as he pulled a book from the large shelf. “Turn to page three seventy-one. Read it aloud.”
“Yes, dad.”
The boy looked around the room, so dark he could barely see anything outside of what the lantern lit, before retrieving the text from his father’s grip. The book was heavy and quite old. It looked to have been passed down from generation to generation. The cover looked to have been replaced multiple times while the pages looked as if they had been through refurbishing on multiple occasions. He paused upon reaching the page his father spoke of. It was the start of a chapter holding an ominous title the likes of which he had hoped to never see.
“Read it aloud.”
“Yes, dad... Chapter thirty-two, No Second Chances. There was a time in the past, as stated by my father, when my grandfather had attempted to craft a peace between our family and the claimants. The first time everyone had agreed to meet peacefully and without quarrel. At the time, the conflict between our family and the claimants had been going on her years, but it was yet still young. He believed that it would be best to end things without any more bloodshed; choosing to meet with one of the ancients instead. This ancient’s name was Novevu... the ancient of death?”
“The very same. Now, continue.”
“They met, they spoke, and they negotiated. However, Novevu did not accept peace for it was one of his own claimants which was first to fall to the Karr family. My grandfather chose to give up his own life as payment for what had been done. He was told that his life was not equal in value to that of the claimant whose life was taken, and the meeting ended. Several months later my grandfather attempted another meeting to craft peace once more. He had grown sick of the fighting in his old age, found that it was not worth it for all his descendants to spend their lives fighting this battle he had come to call hopeless. He had grown tired, often wondering if this were how things were meant to be. But he ended up doing nothing more than resigning himself to death. Upon making his request the claimants he had spoken with responded by taking his life.”
“Do you understand the title of this chapter, Joseph?” his father spoke.
“I believe so, but I don’t know.”
“Claimants don’t deserve second chances... our ancestors tried once to make peace, even after the countless losses we suffered compared to their negligible amount. Our entire family has been marked for death, and nothing will change that. Even those who sought peace were met with the sword.”
“But why? At some point wouldn’t the hatred die out?” His father looked at him as if disgusted.
“Die out?” he spoke as he placed his hand on the boy’s collar and lifted him from the floor. “Die out like our family?! Not a single member of the Karr family has managed to die outside of combat aside from the very first of our line! Everyone, even children, met with the blade! You would believe that this hatred can just die out?!”
“We can’t fight forever, can we?” he questioned the male as he closed his eyes tight.
“This hatred will never die! It will never cease! Not until every single claimant is made to feel the same suffering we have felt! Hundreds of our family were slain, and we shall pay them back in kind. Every single one of them. Every soul defiled, every body cursed! A handful of claimant lives being compared to lifetimes of the House of Karr! You will learn to take that hatred and turn it into your fuel... you’ll learn it... when you lose everything you hold dear.”
“I hate you claimants... so very much.” He spoke as if his very body ached with each word. “All you’ve ever done is take everything away from me, and now I finally understand why. Granted, things are different for me.”
“It seems we’ve made the boy upset,” Luno said as they watched him lay Esmeralda down on the floor and wipe the remaining tears from her cheeks before standing to his feet. “Then tell me, boy. What makes you so different from everyone else so far?”
“Don’t provoke the boy any further, he’s already been through more than enough-”
“I have no need for your worthless pity!” Joseph responded as he drew the short-sword from his side. “Your kind has stolen everything away from me! I don’t have a single solitary care for the past or anything which happened before my birth, but what comes next is due to your actions against me in the present! I will carve the definition of terror into your very souls before I erase them from all existence just as my forefather’s once hoped to do! I will become the single living curse upon all claimant lives, that is MY promise!”
“Just calm down kid. It’s not as if we don’t feel bad for this,” Almaden stated.
“Feel bad? What do you know about feeling bad? Feeling bad is watching everything you’ve ever loved snatched away from you by MONSTERS with too much power for their own good! Feeling bad is living an entire life without ever smiling because it feels like you don’t have the RIGHT to smile when you’re all that’s left! Now bring your sorry ass over here... I’ll show you what feeling bad really looks like.”
“Are you certain you want to fight like this, kid?”
“Either you’re coming to me, or I’m going to you.”
“Fine.”
Almaden held his claymore at the ready, approaching Joseph in a manner that would no doubt cause anyone else to be fearful. All he could do was feel his face twist into the most heinous frown imaginable. He stepped aside in a manner that looked as if he had faced the male before, his eyes never once leaving the claimant’s face as he deftly avoided every single attack like a thief sneaking past royal defenses. Then, as if on cue, he began to speak.
“You came here so brazenly, and this is what you had to offer? You killed my mother and father, and this is what you had to offer? You killed my brothers and sisters, and THIS is what you had to offer?! On my name I will become a plague that haunts all of claimant kind if you do not KILL ME RIGHT NOW!”
The fight continued, Joseph moving around as if incapable of ever being touched while the other claimants watched the fight go nowhere. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but it was Vaak who broke that silence between the two of them.
“Luno.”
“Yeah, I noticed. The kid is playing with him.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Almaden! Stop fucking around and kill him already! Don’t hold back!” Luno yelled at the male who quickly changed his demeanor.
“Finally,” Joseph spoke as he raised his weapon up to a ready position.
“Don’t blame me for the complicated death. If you would have sat still it would have made things easier.”
“Ashes to ashes...”
“What?”
The claimant could barely question him about his words, Joseph moving forward with an intent so vile it made him sick to his stomach. It was the same feeling he had felt when Joseph passed by him earlier. Almaden raised his weapon forward, spears of wood striking from the earth beneath his feet and forward towards the human who approached him. It was odd, the feeling of unease which rested in his throat the moment the fight had started. Something about it all made him feel as if he should be on the defensive, or simply just running away, but no human to date had ever made him feel that way... but it all made sense when the spears were sliced clean through.
Almaden attempted to raise his weapon in defense, but it was entirely useless as he watched Joseph bypass his defenses with quick and decisive bladework. It was like watching a master swordsman firsthand. Feeling pure desperation and anguish behind his form as the tip of the sword pierced through his chest. The twist which followed, no doubt an attempt to destroy his heart entirely, as the weapon was pulled from his body. The claimant now looking up at the male as he fell to his knees, a new perspective in which he now saw this terrifying person who fought as if it was everything he ever knew. Watching as the boy raised his weapon in a manner that only a true and proper knight could.
“Do you feel it now? Do you feel the despair I will spread amongst your kind like a pestilence which shall never cease? But most importantly,” he spoke as he turned his attention to the other two claimants. “Do you feel it now? What it really feels like to feel bad?”
The next stroke of the blade was like a wakeup call, Almaden’s head falling to the floor in a manner that was unexpected upon their arrival. It was in that moment that they had realized a human managed to kill a claimant before their very eyes with such ease. How could they possibly explain this to Florita? All they could do was watch. Confused about how this had managed to happen until, as if taunting their situation, he raised his weapon once more and took a deep breath.
“Who’s next?”
The male claimant stepped forward into a heavy downward strike with the sword, as quick as he could expect from them and yet it did not land. Joseph just barely stepped out of the way as he had always done. The exchange only lasting a few seconds, but so much had happened in that time. The moment he stepped to the side was also the moment one of the claimant’s hands was severed. Before he could register the injury another attack, a slash right down his face and splitting his left eye in two along with his cheek and forehead. It was at that point the claimant had stepped back, his remaining hand still holding tightly onto his weapon as his face and arm now seemed to bleed what looked like liquid light.
“What the hell?” the woman spoke.
“Is it so crazy to believe that I’m your superior? Or maybe you thought yourselves too grand to ever die,” Joseph spoke as he continued his approach. “Either way, I’m sick of breathing the same air as you. My mother, so kind in all her ways, wanted so desperately for me to be free of all this. I was entirely content with letting the bloodshed end with my family. I watched as you cut everyone to pieces before my very eyes, and yet I was selfish enough to let lifetimes of hatred cease with me. Content to die with hatred in my heart... no more. I will have you all suffer the same curse which riddles my Karr blood!”
“There was a survivor? Didn’t we burn that building down?” the woman spoke.
“You thought I’d flee from those flames? You believed I would run as my family burned?” He spoke as he raised the short-sword in his left hand and the claymore in his right. “I stood right there and watched, etched the sight into my mind so that I could never forget their faces.”
“Are you mad?” the male spoke as he attempted to move forward yet was stopped by Luno.
“Mad? What do you believe would cause more madness? Watching my family burn to nothing but charred bones, or watching as you cull the life from their eyes? Or should I apologize, assuming that the concept of love is lost to your kind? You lot who so callously grieve and get angry for your own... yet would murder an entire family in front of a child!”
He rushed forward, as if throwing all caution to the wind. The two claimants immediately readied themselves in a manner they had not even attempted when facing the girl. The difference in the situation was staggering. It was madness all the same, watching as Joseph challenged them both on his own. He was clearly at a disadvantage and yet he did not slow down in the slightest. His skills at evasion were something to be recorded in history, but he rarely had the opportunity to attack. In fact, he did not attack at all. He always seemed just out of range, moving in a manner that was difficult to keep track of.
The way he seemed to dance about the area was mesmerizing, using every single item, everything around him to his advantage. It was all filled with techniques he had yet to teach Esmeralda, things that were well within human capabilities yet clearly would take years to properly master... things which may have saved her... He didn’t waste too much energy with his movements, doing only what needed to be done in order to conserve as much stamina as possible while also keeping proper pressure on his foes. Walls, seats, stones, pillars, all of them acting as footholds for which he could use to evade or keep pressure. The way things were currently going there wouldn't be a chance for them to breathe.
“Luno!” the male called out before stepping back.
“Fucking die Karr trash!” the woman spoke as she took a deep breath and blew out a ball of fire the likes of which no man could properly dodge.
Vaak found himself surprised to see how focused he remained even in the face of such danger. It was at this moment he chose to raise the short-sword yet again, slicing through the flames in a manner that left both claimants unable to process what had just transpired. To them it made no sense, to him it was just how things were meant to be, just as how he chose to then rush forward in her direction. It could only be called crazy, the speed at which he moved for a human. Outpacing even the fastest Olympic sprinter as he pushed himself towards the fire claimant with a thrust of the longsword. She stepped back, just as she had done with Esmeralda, but Joseph clenched his teeth as if thoroughly disrespected and disgusted.
“You thought I’d let you get away? You who killed both my mother and my love?!”
He allowed the longsword to leave his hands, a feint in its entirety as well as a means to rid himself of the added weight of the weapon. Now raising the short-sword, he continued forward with even more momentum. Taking advantage of the woman having allowed her feet to leave the ground for the slightest moment and losing the ability to change her direction, he closed the gap in a manner no one could have anticipated. Entirely running on adrenaline and rage, he could feel his muscles aching from the strain of pushing his body so far. But as the image of his mother entered his mind, he couldn’t manage to care at all for his wellbeing!
He thrust the weapon forward as soon as he came within range, making certain to strike the woman’s heart and follow all the way through. She cried out, slashing in his direction with her dagger, yet only able to watch as he stepped back just out of range. His right hand reached forward, grabbing hold of his weapon’s hilt and twisting it within her body, drawing it outward in a manner that caused her blood to splatter over his body. The dark droplets felt as if embers were resting on his skin, but it did not faze him in the slightest. Now... she could only watch as he raised the weapon to his side. It was a stance honorable above honor, regal above nobility. Yet it held the grimmest of implications.
“I believe in no gods for they would have saved us from you! I believe in no mercies for those have been robbed away! I do not believe in your ancient lies, nor do I believe in your Elysian and your Void! I believe in the beginning of life and the end of the same! Die and become nothing, just as my family has! Ashes to ashes!”
"No! Stop!" the blonde male called out to no avail.
The final words he would impart to her before severing the woman’s head from her shoulders.
“By the realms,” the male spoke as he watched Luno’s body fall to the floor. “What manner of power do you have that allows you to do this, monster?”
“Power? You must be confused. I have no power at all, I’m just a human after all. You all seem to think that we’ve unlocked some secret that allows us to poison your very existence, and yet my family has been nothing but humans this entire time. Just that small exchange has me more tired than I’ve ever been before, running at that speed which amounts to nothing compared to the faster claimants was enough to almost have me pass out. I’ve done nothing outside of human capabilities. I’m fragile, weak, spectacular in no way compared to you claimants... but what I lack in everything else I make up for with skill and tenacity.”
“Skill? You’d dare to say it was skill alone that allowed a human to defeat two claimants so flawlessly?”
“My combat is full of flaws, but I am far more skilled than all of you. There’s a simple reason as to why that is,” he spoke as he raised his weapon to the ready. “I can’t shoot fire from my hands, I can’t manipulate the dark, I can’t fly or breath underwater, I can’t do anything special... or I suppose that stuff is only special to us humans... All I can build is skill, and when I was below average compared even to my own siblings in terms of physical attributes then that’s all I have ever had.”
“I refuse to believe it. No amount of human skill can match a claimant.”
“Then you can die with that belief... my sister had a saying. ‘If you’re not strong enough, be fast enough. If you’re not fast enough, be cunning. If you lack cunning, but intelligent. If you lack the intellect, be resourceful. If you lack resourcefulness, be capable. If you lack the capability, forge your skills. Even if you’re the weakest man alive you can be skilled enough to slay the mightiest of monster. Even if you have to become a monster yourself.’ As such, I will use every single thing around me and forge every single thing into my skill. No part of this world will exist outside of my skill, because at the end of the day I am still a human. A weak human who will kill every single claimant that exists on this earth and become the MONSTER you all fear. You can blame yourselves for that.”
The claimant rushed forward again, more cautious in his approach this time. Joseph grabbed Luno’s decapitated head and tossed it in his direction. The claimant ceased his momentum, stopping as he attempted to catch the head in his arm yet stepped back at the last second. It was the only choice he had, watching as his opponent came slicing downward with the short-sword in hand, severing the head in two as if aiming to strike them both at once.
“You bastard!” Vaak shouted.
“Are you angry?” Joseph spoke as he rose to his feet. The slight shift in his stance, the shaking of his hands, that barely notable change of his expression. “How dare you.”
“How dare I?”
“You think it compares? You think this moment compares? Compares to the past two decades of my life?! You don’t know the meaning of anger! The meaning of hatred!” He raised his weapon upright in a manner the likes of which the claimant could only take as both a challenge and an insult. “You think you compare? Then I will show you the difference outright! With your own stance, your own skills! I will make you regret everything. I will make you regret ever being born a claimant!”
It was a clashing of forces which could no longer be comprehend by the average man. A claimant, the pinnacle of what some knew to be power in all ways... and Joseph, a human with nothing to his name. The way he fought now wasn’t anything crazy, but it could only be called perfect. Even as they both fought using techniques reminiscent of the oldest knightly orders, it was clear that Joseph was far more capable in that regard. Parries, counters, dodges and evasions, he knew every single one of them without mistake. It was like watching a lion fight a cat, yet the lion could not manage to connect a single attack. Their weapons clashed, but never long enough for the claimant to push him back. Sparks showering the air as the engagement sped up to almost difficult to follow movements. Neither of them willing to fall back, refusing to do anything more than push forward with full bloodlust on display. But then, Joseph looked as if he had lost himself entirely in his anger, his eyes red from the strain on both his mind and body as his teeth clenched together. That was the moment the fight had turned into a measure of pure technique and skill. No more clashes, only parries and dodges between the two.
They swirled around one another as if in the most violent dance anyone could have possibly witnessed until, as if coming from the claimant’s eyes, a flash of light burst forth in Joseph’s direction. There was the slightest moment in which he covered his eyes, and in that moment, he was sent back with a kick to the chest. Deep breaths slipped his lips as he pulled himself up from the ground.
“It seems all of that talk is nowhere to be heard now,” the claimant spoke as he raised his weapon.
“I hate you claimants, ever so much,” Joseph responded as his face twisted in a manner the likes of which it seemed impossible for a human to do. “I will carve you into pieces the likes of which Alvax will never be capable of identifying. Anger above anger, hate above hate. Enough of the games and pleasantries... I shall suffer you no more.”
He rushed forward as if not injured at all, but that was clearly untrue as blood dripped down from his mouth. The claimant prepared to strike and yet Joseph avoided his attack as he did so many others up to that point, the blade barely passing by his body as his own sword severed the claimant’s remaining hand. The marking of a loss for someone who could no longer hold a sword, but the fight had yet to end in Joseph’s eyes.
His expression had not calmed in the slightest, his sword swinging down into the claimant’s shoulder, before being drawn out and hacked into his side. The claimant attempted to step back only to find himself held in place by Joseph’s free hand as the weapon pierced his heart. The claimant tried to hold in his pain, even when the weapon was twisted around, but could not keep from yelling when his offhand slammed against the guard of his sword, tearing the weapon out through his side. He staggered back, watching for only a moment where he would see a face marred by rage and hatred so overbearing it felt as if he were being suffocated by it, before his head went flying from his shoulders. Neck severed; heart destroyed. The only proper way in his mind to hunt a claimant. The mark of his enemies having been destroyed completely.
“Ashes to ashes,” he spoke as he placed his weapon back into the sheath at his side. He took a moment to calm himself as best he could. Closing his eyes as if to block out the truth once more, as if once he opened them things would return to the way they once were, but as he turned to see Esmeralda’s body once more it was plain as the dawn. She was gone, and he was once again alone. “Ashes... to ashes.”
He approached her body slowly, as if afraid that it might disappear if he were to move too quickly. Joseph lifted her from the ground, noting just how light she was as her head rested just beneath his own. She was already cold.
“I don’t think I’ve ever picked you up before; not that you would have ever let me,” he spoke with a chuckle as his lips curled into a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll smile for you until you’re with the others. We won’t stay in this place. I’ll take you back home to everyone else. With dad, mom, Charter, Benjamin, Miln, Maxine, Molty... however, I can’t join you yet. Not until every single claimant who steps foot on this planet is erased. No, in the entirety of the human realm. Only when they feel the same grade of suffering I have felt will I finally be able to rest with all of you.”
It felt as if he were walking forever. Step by step, wading through this nightmare made into a reality. He would often look down at Esmeralda and wonder if he could have done anything to save her, but thoughts like those were meaningless. She was already gone and he had already made his choice. He paused for a moment, looking at her once more as the chilled air carried over them. He could feel his ears becoming numb as he placed his lips against her forehead, an action which caused his eyes to burn ever so slightly as tears began falling onto her face. It was odd. How long had it been since he cried like this? He wanted to turn back time, rewrite the events of the day and keep her at his side, or go with her even though she was against it. He wanted to, but he couldn't. All he could do now was forge a path directly through his enemies. Make them all pay in the same blood which they had spilled.
"Esmeralda," he spoke without letting the smile leave his face. "You really were the only person alive capable of making me express myself like this. Thank you. in the end, you did accomplish what you wanted, if only for a little while. And, if by any chance there is a place after death, please rest easy there and wait for me so I can tell you properly when I join you... Ashes to Ashes, my love."
