I looked at Silky in dismay. She was crying, but not in control of her own body. Lato had leapt back to the stump and was sitting there casually.
Silky launched herself at me, sword flashing in the air. I ducked under it and proceeded to avoid all of her attacks again.
"Silky!" I said. I tried to help her regain control, but it wasn't working.
"You'll have to fight her," Lato said, a small laugh escaping his throat. "Otherwise she might just kill you."
The chances of me dying were next to zero, but I might lose my head. Which meant, he was right. But I didn't need to kill her. I summoned a sword and started fighting back, but only enough to potentially disarm her. However, I could tell that at least some of Lato's swordplay skill had been transferred to her. She was really good.
I blocked and parried managing to avoid getting hit for the first two seconds. She then moved into more complex attacks that I could not block or parry. I had to avoid and evade. But I still couldn't avoid them all. I had to try to block, but the force of the blow pushed my sword back into my own shoulder.
We continued like this for a good two minutes, until I finally saw an opening. I thrust my sword forward, struck the hilt and disarmed her.
She didn't even slow down, she proceeded to launch herself at me, fists flying. I sidestepped and swatted her hands away until I had no energy left.
She saw the opening, called her sword, and plunged it into my chest. When she did, it almost felt like an explosion. When the hilt of her sword touched my torso, it blew a hole six inches in diameter.
I turned and looked at the ground behind me.
Well that's nasty.
I turned back around and stepped backward trying to avoid the slash I knew was coming, but I didn't make it in time. Silky, teeth clamped tight, tears streaming from her eyes, lopped off my head.
-
Well that's it. Story's over.
Just kidding.
I caught my head before it hit the ground, much to Silky's surprise. Lato simply laughed.
I placed it back on my neck and felt everything sewing itself back together. All of the blood and mess on the ground behind me began to melt, and the hole in my torso to mend.
Silky started her advance again, but this time, I was both ready and willing to do what I had to do.
She was dying.
I swatted her sword away and struck her in the back, causing her to fall. I crushed her weapon and turned to fight Lato. But she wouldn't let me leave. Silky tackled me from behind. I pushed her off and started toward Lato again. But she repeated the process. Finally, I got annoyed and, without thinking, turned around. Then she tackled me.
She gasped.
My eyes widened.
"No!" I shouted. "No no no no no nonononono." I let her down to the ground gently and pulled my sword out of her chest. I started trying to heal her but she grabbed my hand and pushed it away from her softly.
"You can't stop it, Nierix," she managed. Her breathing ragged.
"Don't speak," I ordered. I didn't notice at the time, but thinking back on it, I might've been crying.
"Don't blame yourself," she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "I did that on purpose."
I was trying to heal her, she couldn't stop me now, but it wasn't working.
I held her hand tightly as her breathing became more and more shallow, and more and more ragged.
"Nierix," she said quietly. "Are you still there?"
"I'm here," I said. "I see you."
"I think I'm going on ahead Scribbles," she said. I had to lean in to hear her now.
I didn't say anything as her breathing became softer and softer. And then it finally stopped.
I looked at her face, brushing the hair out of it. She looked happy, and at peace.
While I watched her, out of her mouth came a wisp of golden light.
I reached out and touched it, absorbed it, and then went back to tending to Silky.
I rocked back and forth for a little bit, heartbroken. I kissed her on her forehead, and then lay her down with her hands over her stomach.
I turned to Lato, I was mad.
No, mad wasn't the right word. I was livid beyond anything I had ever felt before. I summoned another sword, sending the first back to my armory. This one was a claymore with ragged edges, designed to kill Humans in a single shot.
"Do you hate me?" Lato asked.
I didn't answer, I just launched myself at him.
He leapt away and drew his sword. "At this point you've probably already figured out that Silky was trying to use me as a way to get you riled up so you would kill her, that clearly didn't work. She underestimated how much you cared for her. Still, I have to applaud her efforts."
I attacked him again. I felt the strength and power that Silky had had churning in my chest. I saw the black aura that she had emanated form around me. I noticed that every swing caused the plants around me to die.
It wasn't long before my mind went blank and I lost myself to this power.
I threw my head back and let out a blood-curdling yell. It was somewhere between a scream and one of the most evil, twisted laughs you have ever heard.
Latorakena laughed as well and then said, "So not even you can resist the Flower of Death!"