Chapter 35

Anza appeared behind Nate, with a straight jab she punched his back and sent him rocketing forward. His body crashed on the floor and rolled several times over.

He got back on his feet and turned to face her but she was already gone, this time she re-appeared beside him and kicked him in the ribs. Nate was thrown up into the air. Anza grabbed his foot while his body was suspended in mid-air, then swung downward, cracking his body on the ground.

Smash! Smash! Smash!

Amelia watched in horror, each time Nate’s body would collide with the ground hard enough to break rocks. Anza’s sudden transformation had made her so strong and so fast that Nate simply could not keep up.

I can’t allow this. She thought to herself as she began chanting and moving her body. She just hoped she would be fast enough.

Anza tossed Nate’s broken body to the side. He still struggled trying to stand on his feet.

“You were so brave earlier, but look at you now. Trash.” Anza’s sneered. She looked at the human before her with such disdain that she failed to notice Amelia.

Suddenly the ground rumbled. Anza looked at the ground and saw a green bamboo pole sprout up. She dodged to the side as a bamboo pole appeared right where she was standing. Dozens of bamboo poles sprouted up from the ground enshrouding Nate and Anza until they were in a bamboo forest.

Anza dashed forward avoiding the poles to finish off Nate, but the bamboo poles reached over like green snakes and wrapped around her arms and legs. She powered through it with brute force but eventually her momentum was slowed to a halt as dozens of poles wrapped around her.

Amelia was standing before Nate’s broken body with a resolute expression on her face. Anza had so many green bamboo poles wrapped around her body it was as if she fell into a snake pit.

“You would choose him over me?!” Anza yelled furiously, her voice belying the hurt and anger she felt.

“I can’t let you kill him.” Amelia said.

“You know what will happen to you if you cross me. If you cross the Founding. What’re you thinking?!”

Amelia remained silent but her mind was made up.

Don’t interfere.

Amelia flinched when she heard that. She looked around and saw Nate looking up at her, his broken form lying miserably on the ground. Of course I’m going to interfere, she’d kill you otherwise. She said inwardly, but didn’t bother saying it aloud.

She won’t. The voice replied reading her mind.

Amelia looked at Nate carefully.

Trust me. He said.

Amelia was reluctant and unwilling, but she saw the fierce look in his eyes and knew he wasn’t finished yet. She canceled the spell and walked off the field.

The bamboo poles receding back into the ground leaving behind small holes in the ground. “Hmph!” Amelia snorted when the bamboo released her. She then looked at Nate and began walking over to him.

Nate stood up just in time to receive another punch that sent him flying. “I’m going to enjoy killing you slowly.” Anza chuckled.

Suddenly she felt a sharp stinging sensation on her wrist. Looking down she saw her wrist was bleeding. What? She thought. Wiping away the blood she looked up at Nate who held the golden spear in hand. When did he stab me?

“You feeling scared, bitch?” Nate chuckled. The exhalation made him choke on a spurt of blood that sent wracking coughs through his body. He bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Is that what you’re going to resort to? Taunting?” Anza disappeared and re-appeared behind Nate.

This time Nate managed to dodge the punch by a hairs breadth, but the follow up kick sent him flying. His body crashed to the ground rolling over several times.

Amelia bit her lip in confusion. She couldn’t understand what Nate was doing, why he made her leave. Did he want to die?

Anza re-appeared at Nate’s side. This time he dodged the first punch and the second punch. Amelia thought the third punch would hit, but he dodged that too. Nate’s body dashed backwards and he swung the spear forward.

Anza back-handed the spear sending it flying out of Nate’s hands. She closed the distance between them and swung again but Nate easily dodged it. She threw punch after punch in a combo of moves, but Nate dodged each one by a hair’s breadth. It was as if his body wasn’t injured, the way he dodged all of Anza’s punches and kicks.

Within a span of ten seconds Anza had thrown almost a hundred punches yet Nate remained un-touched. He danced around her like a leaf in a storm.

What is this?! She thought to herself. Each swing of her arm was a miss. Each kick met with empty air even though she was sure it would connect. No matter what she did she couldn’t hit him.

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From the corner of her eye she saw the golden spear flying towards her. She dodged backwards and it flew by, missing her. Then suddenly something connected with her side sending her flying.

Anza fell on the ground confused. She looked at her side and saw the golden spear jutting out of her body. I dodged that! She saw the spear fly past her. She looked to the side at where the spear should’ve been but there was nothing there. What the hell is going on?

Nate walked up to her. “You were so proud just a minute ago, what happened?” He chuckled, face clear of any blood. Even the nose she broke earlier was straight.

Anza pulled the spear out and looked at Nate with pure hatred in her eyes, she was ready to rip him a new one when she realized something. Nate wasn’t injured. When she entered her ultimate form she had thrashed Nate a good deal until he was bruised and broken, but all those injuries seemed to have vanished.

“W-what?” She couldn’t help but mutter aloud.

Nate’s smiled widely, the corner of his lips reached his temples as his face distorted out of shape. “Get it now?” He laughed in a warbled voice.

That laugh sent chills down her body. She didn’t know how, or when, but somehow Nate had altered her mind. She was seeing things he wanted her to see. When? When did it start? She thought to herself confused.

Since the beginning of the battle sweetheart. Each transformation your body went through put your mind in an animalistic state, making it easier to gain control.

Anza shivered when she heard that voice sounding in her head. Suddenly dozens of Nate’s appeared around her, each one carrying a golden spear.

Closing her eyes she focused on her mind. She recalled all the lessons her mother taught her. Imagine a wall made of steel surrounding your mind. Secure it. Your mind is a fortress, believe it. No one can own you.

Cute, but I’m afraid it’s too late. She heard Nate’s voice sound in her head right before she managed to sever the hold he had on her.

She was free of his mind control, but it was too late. Opening her eyes she saw he was right before her, the golden spear impaled in her chest, running her through.

He lifted her whole body off the floor, making her body slide down the shaft of the spear before swinging the spear. Anza’s body was sent flying. She rolled over several times before coming to a halt. Below her, blood pooled. She tried to stem the bleeding but it was useless.

“You might be faster, and stronger then I’ll ever be, but the minute you sacrificed your intelligence for brute force, is the minute you lost.” Nate said as he began walking over to her.

Anza’s chest began to heal but it was too slow. Nate would be upon her soon, and he’d finish her. Anza looked over at Amelia and saw her staring at the sudden role-reversal in open-mouthed shock.

She doesn’t even care that I’m about to die. Anza said mournfully as a tear rolled down her cheek. Vision of the past flashed before her, images of Amelia reading her bed time stories even though mother hated them. She said it would make her weak, but Anza said every kid deserved a bed time story. Amelia had been her kinder older sister all her life, but now at the moment of her death she was just a stranger.

She reached down into her pocket and brought out a little vial. She waved the vial back and forth to get Amelia’s attention. Amelia finally looked at Anza, when she saw the vial filled with crimson liquid her face paled.

The vial had markings and runes on it that kept it from breaking. The blood would never be exposed to oxygen unless one of two things happened: the owner of the blood broke the conditions of the blood oath, or the oath keeper relinquishes their life in order to break the vial. The latter condition would kill both the oath maker and the oath holder.

“You wouldn’t.” Amelia said.

Anza laughed. “I would. If he’s going to kill me anyways, what do I have to lose? At least I’d have some satisfaction in taking you with me.”

Anza and Amelia stared at each other. Nate heard the conversation between the two, and eyed the vial of liquid. He could tell from Amelia’s reaction that it was something important. He looked at her, and she broke her eye contact with Anza to stare at him.

“Please, don’t kill her.” Amelia said, reluctance evident in her voice.

Anza felt a pang of sadness but she stifled it. The relationship between her and Amelia was forever broken.

“Spare her? After all the things she’s done?” Nate said, unwilling to let Anza go.

Amelia stepped forward, shielding Anza with her own body. “If you kill her then you kill me.” Amelia said pleadingly. “Besides, after all that’s happened today the Founding’s punishment for Anza will be more vicious than anything you could do to her.”

Nate looked to the side as his face turned contemplative. He couldn’t kill Anza, but at the same time he didn’t want to let her go. He had no control over Anza’s mind anymore, whatever techniques her mother taught her had effectively shut him out, and he didn’t want to risk Amelia’s life by doing something rash.

Amelia blew out a breath in relief when she saw Nate give up. She looked at his face lovingly. Then and there she decided the first chance she had, she would turn her back on the Founding and be with Nate.

The blood oath she’d sworn so long ago was one that ensured she did not betray the Founding. As long as she stayed out of those affairs she could break away from them. The only way they could use the blood oath against her was if Anza sacrificed her own life to kill her.

Suddenly she noticed Nate’s expression change. His features contorted into un-controllable rage. Shocked, Amelia looked behind her to see what had made him so mad. She saw Anza half a mile away her body hunched forward as she devoured a prisoner. She was consuming the prisoner to replenish her strength.

A gust blew past her as Nate dashed for Anza. Amelia reached out to the canceled spell and activated it. Instead of taking a minute like it usually did, the spell was established in seconds. The energy required to cast it already lingered in the air.

Bamboo poles sprouted out of the ground and began wrapping themselves around Nate’s body. Amelia ran over to Nate and stood before him. He struggled against the vines holding him back, eyes flashing with hatred.

“Let me go!” He roared.

“Nate, listen to reason! You kill her you kill me!” Amelia said holding Nate’s cheek with her hand.

Nate was conflicted. He wanted to kill Anza, but knew he couldn’t. This conflict only stoked the flames of his anger, driving him to the boiling point. He felt his insides surging with adrenaline, coursing through his body and driving all the logic out of his mind.

I will kill her. I will cut her to pieces and eat her flesh!

That thought made Nate flinch. That thought didn’t belong to him. His anger cooled. I just beat Anza because she lost her mind, don’t lose your mind man! He rebuked himself, but deep down he was terrified. That voice that screamed to devour flesh did not belong to him.

“Thank you.” Amelia sighed in relief as she canceled the spell. The bamboo poles returned to the ground.

Nate was still angry, but he had to be patient. He’d find a way to kill Anza without risking Amelia’s life. He glanced over in Anza’s direction and saw she had another body she was feeding on. A white male. As Nate turned away he caught the image of a swastika tattoo.

He did a double-take when his mind registered the swastika. Looking closely he saw the two bodies belonged to two very familiar people: Lad and Razor. Lad was dead on the floor, body torn to pieces and Razor was being fed upon.

KILL!!! A surge of emotion welled up from within and erupted like a volcano. Nate’s mind blanked as his body flashed towards Anza.