During her earliest years, Aellavanti believed in fairness. She believed in the equality of others and that it didn't matter how powerful you were if you had the help of others and helped them back.
Life taught her otherwise; it wasn't fair, and it wasn't equal.
Power is not a privilege; it's also not given. It wasn't about what you had but what you could take from others and what you could make them do. In summary, it was the branding of second thoughts into the fools who lacked them.
That conviction and belief landed her where she now found herself. Alone in an abandoned building, she sat on the floor in a corner, breathing heavily as she leaned on her sword for support.
She had never wanted to end up in this situation, fighting an army alone. Even though the battle was reaching its end and both sides drew close to their limit, she never sought this way of resolution. However, she didn't regret it.
She turned around and viewed the entrance, where she heard footsteps approaching rapidly. Finally, 20 men dressed in all-black assassination suits, threateningly dark masks, and armor suits appeared before her, while one man in a suit sat behind them. The katanas at their waists didn't help the situation.
"So you've come; I take it the many funerals you'll fund aren't enough? Now you'll learn what it means to be the one others will attend for." Her voice rang out softly as she narrowed her eyes at the oncoming group.
"I lack the patience for your defiance. This world isn't kind to those who waste time, you know that." The man paused with a sigh before hardening his expression.
"You either join me or die here. There's no in-between." He stated, simply fixing his gaze into her eyes and crossing the distance to the front of his men.
He had asked Aellavanti to join his army the previous night and offered her subsequent benefits, as she was one of the world's ten greatest sword-wielders.
What he did not account for, however, was the utter disregard she showed toward him. She ignored him completely. She didn't even spare him a glance. She turned away as though his offer were beneath her notice.
Frustration simmered beneath the surface as he led over 200 of his men to apply pressure. He had thought the pressure of the men at her doorstep would cause her to take notice of his proposition and ultimately acknowledge what he had to offer.
But he hadn't expected the rage she would release upon seeing them. She turned the tide in an instant, unleashing her wrath upon them. The slaughter was swift and precise, a single-handed massacre that left his men in pieces, and bodies littered the ground that had turned into a battlefield that day.
"So you say, I must suggest that you rid yourself of the grandeur delusions if you wish to threaten me." She sneered as she slowly stood up, releasing her sword from its sheath, and stepped forward.
"Why must you be so eager to slaughter? You're already about to die. You speak as if I wished to enslave you. I assure you, I treat those who follow me far better than that." The group's leader grimaced and glanced nervously at his subjects behind him, and each of them subconsciously took a step back.
"The fate of those who subject themselves to others in a latent attempt to avoid death... is simply dying slower." Aellavanti's sneer faded as she exhaled heavily before hardening her gaze towards the men. However, the group leader's eyes lifted slightly in surprise at her words.
"If my last day is upon me, I'll be sure you wait for me in the depths." She finished by taking multiple steps forward, as each individual on the other side tensed before their gazes became serious and locked onto the woman advancing.
"I never wished for it to come this far." The man sighed, slumping his shoulders in disappointment, then waving his hand to signal his men to finish what they'd started.
"It's too late for regrets; at least you'll have all the time in the afterlife to reflect upon what came before." She gave a final sigh before tensing her body in anticipation.
The men lunged forward swiftly, albeit cautiously.
Upon the assassins drawing near Aellavanti, her eyes narrowed dangerously. The first three assassins lunged forward, causing her to dodge a sword aimed at her heart narrowly.
Every attempt at exercising her superior physical prowess caused a flare from her injuries.
Keeping this in mind, she gave a swift sidestep and parried the following attack from the assassin as she gave her blade a twist across his, slicing off his head in the process. The other two assassins attempted to replicate her attack from behind and in front of her.
However, she expected it and dodged the front attack, then simply tilted the sheath on her hip to uppercut the assassin behind her.
"Your attempts are beneath me. The mere effort has frustrated me more than any injury." Her voice echoed within the room, eliciting a strong grimace from every assassin present. Even the unknown man shifted uncomfortably at the provocation.
Not allowing the assassin behind her to recover, she stabbed him in the heart and continued. Two assassins attempted to stab her in the eye as well as in the heart. They seemed to apply a level of technique in this maneuver. Perhaps if it were anyone else, they'd have seen a positive outcome.
To her, it was just as useless as anything else they attempted.
She twirled her blade over and caught both attacks on the flat while using her free hand to swing her sheath at one of the assassins; he dodged however, she anticipated this as well and threw it forward. However, he cut the sheath in two down the middle as she quickly stabbed her blade behind her.
Her instincts honed over the years, screamed in warning of the oncoming danger. Turning around, she pulled her blade out of another assassin's heart.
Three assassins at once attempted to lunge in piercing attacks; however, she gracefully backflipped even as her torso and bodily damage screamed in protest. She swung her blade, with deadly precision as it struck down yet another assassin.
"ARRRRGGGGH!" She roared as she twisted her body mid-spin to avoid a knife aimed toward her back. She caught it while her entire chest and legs pounded fiercely in distress.
However, she could not afford to focus on that.
As she landed on her hand, she did a handspring backward to avoid four more swords coming down on her. After picking her sheath up off the ground, three more swords came into her peripheral.
Aellavanti used the cut half of her sheath to catch one of the opponent's swords, pushing the back through the opponent's eye and pulling the sword back as she sidestepped the other two swords in one motion.
As all of this occurred, the battle quickly halted. The sound of blades came to a close. The remaining assassins stilled in hesitation from the bodies still fresh on the ground.
She knew they could not allow themselves to fight meaninglessly. Even though her body screamed at every waking moment, she pressed on to advance to the unknown man.
The sound of slow footsteps reverberated throughout the building.
"Why are you all just standing there? She's nearing her last breath, finish it." The group leader's piercing voice rang out as his face contorted in confusion.
None of the assassins moved; they even made way for Aellavanti's advancement. The sound of slow footsteps continued as she pressed on.
Seeing this, the group leader sighed in resignation. He stood firm and tall as he stepped forward to meet Aellavanti.
"I expected you to run." Aellavanti raised an eyebrow at the oncoming man and observed him unsheathe his blade.
"Those who attempt to plead for their lives as they face punishment gain nothing. They stand to lose the one thing their opponent cannot take." The group leader's face hardened as he drew closer and paused his speech.
"And care to tell what that would be, Giermo?" She asked, finally stopping to face the man within five paces.
"That which they value in themselves. The conviction that keeps you alive in this world... and the respect of the one to whom they've lost." The man, now named Giermo, finished as his eyes narrowed in focus.
After a brief pause and a shared silence, they both lunged forward. Giermo knew he lacked skill, so he attempted to use speed and strength to his advantage. He swung his blade down in front of her swiftly and heavily. Aellavanti knew she could neither dodge nor block this attack.
So she did neither.
She swung her blade from the side as she blocked the incoming blade. Then giving her wrist a slight twist, as it neared her chest from the pressure of his physical advantage.
His blade crashed to the ground at the side of her, as she redeployed her sword to stab the opponent after dodging her slash; he knew she couldn't die that easily, so he revealed a hidden knife in an attempt to finish it.
However, he did not anticipate her once again revealing the broken half of her sheath from her waist.
She pushed it forward violently hoping to strike his eye because of her unfavorable position. Giermo had no choice but to dodge, unfortunately granting her the chance to reposition herself for the subsequent string of actions.
"Giermo, despite all of that which you've done. You have officially earned my respect. Allow me to show you why I'm called one of the ten." Said Aellavanti as her demeanor shifted. She leaned forward and tensed her body as she stepped forward heavily. Causing Giermo's serious expression to turn into one of wariness.
She accelerated forward, finally exerting herself to full capacity despite her wounds. Her bones cracked, and blood seeped into her clothes, but she continued her advance despite the shivers from her body and the grimace on her face.
She swung her blade heavily and replicated Giermo's technique. However, her's was faster and stronger.
Giermo's eyes widened as he tried to block but took two steps back involuntarily.
She drifted her blade across his as she'd done to hundreds of opponents before and finally cut through Giermo's head as blood spurted and the heavy sound of it hitting the ground rang out. She turned around to face the assassins and squatted down, sitting in the same position she had during their arrival.
Some of the assassins attempted to step forward but hesitated upon seeing Aellavanti's eyes flash with light after she violently lifted her head to face them.
"While I will die soon, it will not be because the likes of you defeat me. All of you are welcome to oppose that." She scanned her eyes across the remaining fifteen men. However, none of them took a step forward.
However, it was clear they also did not want to leave the building. Perhaps they wished to witness her final moments in memory of all those whom she brought their end.
She didn't hate that sentiment, she just did not wish for them to take from her the remaining time for reflection she had rightfully earned. She deserved time to think about what she could've done.
Everything she knew she would've achieved beyond the age of seventeen. However, she also does not regret anything she already decided.
She did the best she could, and she won.
She gave a soft smile as she closed her eyes and her body stilled, satisfied with the memories that surfaced. Her arms fell to the floor as blood seeped all around her. She relaxed her mind obediently as her heartbeat slowed.
Finally, Aellavanti Du Martel breathed her last.