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And so, my dance begins.
I favour quick slashes with my weapons as the soldiers come around the corner, conserving my energy. When they do manage to swing their weapon, I’m ready to block with one sword and slash with my other.
I kill ten in a matter of minutes.
Wiping my weapon on my robes, I peek around the corner. I can’t see any more soldiers making their way up the path, but when I look over the ledge, I can see a crowd of the invaders gathering around the crumpled bodies that fell off the ledge.
I duck back before they have a chance to look up and spot me.
My heart beats at a wild pace. The blood spilled thrills me.
Normally, I don’t feel the urge to bathe in the blood of my enemies, but I know what fate lays ahead for my sisters if the temple is breached before they’ve vacated the area – rape, brutalization, and death.
I’m ready to kill as many as it takes to help them and avenge the souls of my people that were stolen this night.
More soldiers make their way up the mountainside path now, their steps echoing towards me. The bodies below must have alerted others that something went wrong at the temple.
I wait with bated breath, remaining invisible for as long as possible.
When the soldiers finally start to round the bend before me, I’m again ready for them. And the cycle continues.
The invaders come, and I lay waste to them. Some don’t even reach me, instead tripping over the bodies that now litter the narrow strip of earth before me.
After I’ve killed over four dozen soldiers, I must capture the attention of some of their commanders. I hear yelling below as arrows slice through the air, trying to reach me without luck. The temple is high and dotted with crags and jutting rocks, blocking access to me. I grin at their failed efforts.
The soldiers are coming in at a slower pace now as they try to devise strategies to take me out. A massive soldier barrels around the corner, holding his huge sword like a spearpoint over his head.
I swear I feel the ground shiver beneath his thunderous steps, and I take a knee just before he rounds the corner. By the time he notices me through the slats in his helmet, I’ve lodged my blade into his groin. He falls back with a croak of pain.
More come, but I slaughter them all.
One hundred dead now, but still they come. I know the enemy must have forces in the thousands, but now they are only sending up unseasoned, young fighters, likely in an effort to exhaust me.
If only their lives could be so simple.
The Guardians kept me awake for days, forcing me to dodge arrows and parry unexpected attacks with nothing to sustain me. Again and again, they broke me until I could be reshaped into something fierce.
I will not tire of spilling blood.
I’ve killed well over two hundred of their soldiers when I hear movement behind me.
I whip my head around to see that soldiers have scaled the mountainside behind me using ropes and hooks. A dozen of them are standing in front of the large, circular entrance to the temple.
I scream as two of them try to push open the doors. I run towards the group, my swords drawn.
I will not let them take the temple. Not yet.
This group of soldiers is not unseasoned. I can see scars littering their bodies where they’ve removed their armour for the climb up.
I’m happy to add my artwork to their collections before rendering them to corpses.
I spin from soldier to soldier, parrying blows, striking, and spinning to parry another soldier as the previous soldier falls to the ground. One soldier knocks me down, slicing my left arm.
Shrieking in pain, I tumble backwards, dropping one of my swords. Quickly, I right myself and unsheathe my dagger. They don’t slow their attack. Again, I block their strikes, my back to the temple doors. I can feel myself weakening from the blood loss in my arm.
I will not fail my sisters. I will not fail the children.
Faster.
