Levagnion made immediately for Fae, but Fae no longer occupied the space. Because of this, he stumbled, lost his footing and went down on the wet grass. He twisted onto his back. The tall man in the long coat and hat was standing over him. His coattails flapped fiercely in the wind.
“Allow me,” he said politely, and extended a hand. His fingers were long and bony, and his wrist, incredibly thin. His skin was ashen.
Levagnion ignored the gesture and got quickly to his feet. He backed away, making some space between himself and the man.
“Then straight to business,” the man said. He threw open his coat, revealing a black leather sheath attached to a thick leather belt. The sheath was situated to the right of his waist. It housed a formidable looking blade. He reached across and gripped the haft of the weapon with his left hand, and remained as motionless as a statue.
Levagnion's gaze was drawn to the blade. It had a fierce, serrated edge, and was at least as long as the man's forearm.
“All I ask of you,” the Bladesman said, his voice stern, “is that you spare me none of your rage.” His eyes burned like the late evening sun. The rest of his face remained obscured in shadow.
The drumming of Levagnion's heart filled his skull. His hands were trembling. He was scared. But he was also very angry.
With a loud roar, he rushed the Bladesman.
The Bladesman sprung into action, withdrawing his weapon and slashing it upward in a wide, diagonal arc.
Levagnion anticipated the move at the last moment; dug the heels of his boots into the softening earth and pulled back his head. The blade cut through the air before his face and lacerated his left cheekbone.
The momentum behind the attack left the Bladesman momentarily off-balance.
Ignoring the burning sensation in his face, Levagnion seized upon the Bladesman's vulnerability. He stepped forward and drove a powerful uppercut into the shadowy area below the brim of the hat.
His fist connected.
The Bladesman's hat flew off and he stumbled to one side. His head was long and narrow, and completely bald.
Levagnion motioned to further engage his adversary, but stopped abruptly when the Bladesman drew back his lean lips to form a snarl which uncovered what looked like terrifyingly long fangs.
Levagnion wondered what manner of demon possessed these men. What he was looking at seemed incomprehensible. For generations, stories had existed regarding hellish creatures which came out at night to feed off the misery of the living. He had always thought these tales to be the conjuration of the ignorant. And yet now, to his amazement, these superstitions seemed so glaringly true. Assuming he survived the night, his life would never be the same again.
The Bladesman gestured to attack.
Levagnion leaped to the side in a bid to avoid whatever was coming his way. He landed hard on the ground. Air escaped his lungs in a gush. He twisted his torso. Visibility was becoming difficult. He squinted to see against the force of the wind and rain; could only just make out the Bladesman's arm, readying a throw. Realizing what was about to happen next, he rolled. Moments later, the Bladesman's weapon pierced the earth beside him. Without hesitation, he gripped the haft of the blade and gathered himself quickly to his feet.
The Bladesman came towards him with long, confident strides.
Levagnion swung the blade at his assailant's head.
Instinctively, the Bladesman held up a hand to protect his face. The weapon's serrated edge bit into flesh and bone, severing the main four digits of his hand. But it didn't stop there. Propelled by the sheer force of Levagnion's attack, it carried onward, and became deeply embedded in his left cheekbone.
The Bladesman's eyes grew wide with surprise. Copious amounts of blood spurted from his disfigured hand.
Levagnion tore the blade free of the Bladesman's face. The weapon's small razor teeth scraped bone and tore flesh.
The tall man shrieked and fell to his knees.
Levagnion prepared a finishing strike, but, before he could execute it, there came a cracking sound and his arm was suddenly unable to move. He strained to see against the tumultuous elements, then noticed his wrist was bound by the end of a whip.
The whip was pulled, yanking Levagnion's arm. He spun. The burly man in the leather waistcoat began reeling him in.
Levagnion found freeing his arm a difficult task. The whip was wrapped around his wrist several times. He dug his heels into the earth, but it made little difference. This new attacker was too strong.
A flash of electricity briefly illuminated the sky, and, in that moment, his assailant looked like some sort of devil.
Levagnion frantically hacked at the whip with the blade.
The man issued a determined grunt and started to reel faster. His neck muscles bulged.
Levagnion felt his heels slide against the forest floor. He pulled on his arm with all his might, rendering the whip as taut as possible, then started to saw at it with the blade's serrated edge. In mere moments, he would be close enough for the man to reach out and snatch.
The combination of sawing and tension on the whip caused it to suddenly snap.
Levagnion lost his footing and landed on his rump.
The broad man discarded the whip and made for Levagnion with lumbering footsteps.
Levagnion scrambled to his feet and turned to run, but he wasn't quick enough. A powerful hand clamped the back of his neck. He struggled to free himself, but it was no use. He could feel his attacker's breath on the back of his head. Thinking fast, he drove the tip of the serrated blade towards his own face and pulled his head to the side.
The weapon met with something solid.
The grip on his neck loosened.
Levagnion stumbled and turned.
The large man staggered backwards. The blade was deeply embedded in his mouth. He reached up and gripped the haft; pulled on it, but it wouldn't budge. The serrated edge of the weapon was locked against his teeth. Blood ran from the sides of his mouth and filled his throat, causing him to make a choking sound.
Levagnion rushed forward and struck the haft of the weapon with the palm of his right hand. The force of the blow drove the blade further into the man's mouth. It dislodged teeth and sent the tip protruding out through the back of his skull.
The man went down on one knee. He looked at Levagnion with incredulity.
Levagnion gripped the haft of the blade with both hands, twisted it to one side, then tore it out the side of the man's head.
A profusion of blood sprayed into the air.
The man gave an agonized roar and raised his trembling hands to his mutilated face.
Levagnion flipped the sharp edge of the blade and brought it sweeping back towards his enemy.
The man's expression turned to one of horror ... a mere moment before his skull was completely cleaved in half, just above the brow.
Levagnion felt his stomach heave. He had to get back to Rinnae. He gathered his bearings and scanned the forest clearing. It was difficult to make anything out against this maelstrom of nature.
The heavens rippled with thunderous malcontent, then lit a brilliant electric-blue. The flash briefly illuminated the surrounding area.
…
Illuminated the Bladesman
.
He came running towards Levagnion, through the wind and rain; had secured his belt tightly around his wrist, minimizing the blood loss from his wounded hand. His wide-brimmed hat sat on his head once more, and covered his face in shadow.
Levagnion felt his stomach knot with tension. He gripped the haft of the blade with both hands and, digging his heels into the soft earth, adopted a stance of readiness.
Within striking distance of Levagnion, the Bladesman issued a shrill, bloodcurdling cry.
Anticipating the Bladesman's arrival, Levagnion swung his weapon, but mistimed the attack. The blade found only air.
With Levagnion momentarily at a disadvantage, the Bladesman slashed at his adversary with his remaining hand, and found flesh.
Levagnion cried in response to a searing pain in his right arm. He almost dropped the weapon.
Almost
.
He brought the blade up swiftly in a diagonal arc, and felt the tip of it catch his assailant's face.
The Bladesman hissed and slashed at Levagnion's torso. Once again, he succeeded in tearing cotton and rending flesh.
Levagnion clenched his teeth and swung blindly for his assailant. He struck nothing, and staggered to one side. Exhaustion was beginning to take him over.
The Bladesman's tall figure loomed before Levagnion. He spread his arms wide and readied the long nails on his functional hand for one final assault.
Rainwater dripped from the brim of his hat.
The sky flashed, highlighting the demon's burning eyes and hideous fangs. His savagely wounded face was truly a nightmare to behold. In that one moment, however, nature provided Levagnion with a perfect point of reference, and, with every ounce of strength he could muster, and at blinding speed, he thrust the weapon into the underside of the Bladesman's chin, and drove it up through his mouth and into his brain. The attack carried so much force that the tip of the blade pierced the top of the tall man's skull and lifted his hat.
The Bladesman gave a throaty squeal. He gripped the blade's haft and fought to free his skewered head.
Levagnion staggered past the doomed figure.
It didn't take him long to locate Rinnae. She was exactly where he'd left her. And she wasn't alone. Areon Fae was kneeling beside her.
Dismay hung heavy in Levagnion's heart. He had hoped Fae had gone.
“Such a strong woman,” Fae said, rising to his feet. “She really is quite something to behold.”
Levagnion stopped several feet from Fae. His breathing was labored. He didn't think he had it in him to fight another one of these infernal creatures.
“She will die, of course - and soon,” Fae went on. “Unless...” He approached Levagnion. “Unless you choose life for her.”
Levagnion regarded Fae with suspicion. “Why would I choose otherwise?”
Fae stopped before Levagnion - “We shall see” - then snatched him by the throat and pulled him close.
Levagnion resisted Fae with everything he had, but this man - or whatever he was - possessed so much strength ... Levagnion felt like a child in comparison.
Fae opened his mouth wide and sank his teeth into the side of Levagnion's neck.
Levagnion cried out and continued to resist ... then yielded.
Once satisfied, Fae withdrew.
Levagnion dropped to the ground.
“In recognition of your will and determination,” Fae said. “I give you the gift of eternity.”
Levagnion dug his fingers into the damp earth. He looked up. Fae was barely visible in the darkness.
“Use it to save your woman,” Fae said.
Lightening blanketed the sky.
Areon Fae was nowhere to be seen.
Levagnion crawled to Rinnae's side. He cradled her head once more. Remarkably, she still breathed. But her life was fading fast.
I give you the gift of eternity
.
The gift of eternity
...
But how
?
All Areon Fae had given him was misery.
Unless
...
Levagnion once again recalled those exaggerated tales of creatures that lived in the shadows and leeched off the living; demons which looked like men, but which lived forever under the burden of a terrible curse.
Exaggerated tales ... these things were no more an exaggeration than horse and cart
.
He looked to Rinnae. Her life was hanging by the grace of each passing moment. He turned his attention to his wounded right arm. His shirt sleeve was in tatters. Blood dripped from the ends of his fingers.
If his blood was to pass her lips ... or if he mixed it with her wounds...
I can put everything back the way it was, Rinnae
.
He brought his bloody hand close to the wounds on the woman's neck. Blood dripped onto the grass. He hesitated; questioned his
right to make this decision for her. If this worked, if he wasn't too late, she would forever walk the Earth.
...
like Areon Fae and his kind
.
He touched the hair on the top of her head.
“I do not want to lose you,” he said falteringly. Tears filled his eyes. His hand trembled by her neck. If he did this, he would have someone to accompany him on his long journey, and who better than the woman he loved?
A parting sigh escaped escaped Rinnae's lips. The decision had been taken from him. She was gone.
A cry caught in Levagnion's throat. The realization that his hesitation had lost Rinnae was almost more than he could bear. He pulled her head close to his chest and wept until he had no more tears to shed; sat with her in the forest clearing until the wind and rain ceased and the sunlight pierced the horizon. He would have sat longer had he not found the light of the new day intolerable. It forced him into the forest, to search out the darkest recess he could find.