Shohei was tired, really, truly, properly tired. It did not bother him much, he had been tired for most of his life, in fact it was a good kind of tired, the kind that came after a long period of hard work almost done. He was trudging through a good two feet of snow in a forest where the trees had long ago lost their foliage allowing the sun to shine through. It reflected off the white of the snow creating a strange warmth, that cut through the bitter cold. It calmed him, so much so that he felt the urge to curl up in the snow and sleep. It was so pure and beautiful to his eye, the undisturbed whiteness of it like a fresh canvas, one where he could paint the rest of his life, except this canvas was not undisturbed, and the rest of his life had already been painted..
There were tracks cutting through the snow directly in front of him, he had been following them closely for the last few days, but the snow was falling again. Shohei had to catch their creator by nightfall. The journey so far had not been an easy one, it had been a month, at least, since he had seen another living soul save his target. Out here there was nothing but the cold, and the trees, and death. When he had first tracked his target to this forest, he had groaned, “Frozen Forest, what kind of a name is that? So unimaginative. Is it fucking cold there or something?” he had thought. Now he understood the name, there was no other that would fit, everything that was here would freeze in the end, even Shohei. He continued along the tracks, they seemed fresher now, less snow had fallen on them to fill the chasms left by another’s feet. He was close.
Shoehei was not exactly sure how he would feel once this task was finished. Joy perhaps, relief at least, but not a total relief, there would still be one more name, one more score, then perhaps he could rest. Still, it would all work out in the end, it always did, just keep moving forward.
He could see a figure off in the distance now, the snow falling amongst the trees made such a pretty scene he almost forgot how ugly things would be. He pulled his axes out of their respective belt loops and began to run. Shoehei was good at running, he sliced through the snow as if it were not there, axes streaming at his sides. A deep lust pulsed through his body, he could taste it on his tongue, vengeance, so sweet, so sickly, it was everything. He could still hear her voice in the back of his mind, pushing him ever onwards, towards his target.
The figure turned now, Shoehei was maybe a hundred feet away at most, he could see the bastard’s eyes, they held fear in them. He looked far more disheveled than Shohei had expected, the fear in his eyes hardened to determination as he drew his sword. Shoehei did not waver in his charge, there was no stopping now, to his credit the man ran returned Shohei’s charge with one of his own. The sword flashed copper in the winter sun, Shohei had never liked the color of the man’s sword, it seemed wrong somehow, although its effectiveness had always spoken for itself. They were almost upon each other now, bits of copper suddenly melted off the sword and were flung at Shohei like darts. He dodged to the side smacking them away with his axes, they merely turned around and flew back towards the sword, melting back in.
The sound of metal on metal rang out as they met, the copper sword molded itself around Shoehei’s axe and wrenched it from his grip, lodged in the sword’s blade. Fucking Harper he thought to himself, they had fought together so often once and yet Shohei still forgot what he could do with that weird ability of his. Harper backed off and flicked his sword behind him, axe sliding right through the blade again and flying backwards, away from Shohei. He felt naked now, rarely was there an opponent who could disarm him, he needed his other axe.
“Weren’t prepared for that were you Shohei?” Harper grinned at him.
“Ah, I’m not too worried, seems you still have those same performance issues. Most people’s blades stay hard all the way through a fight you know.” Shohei said back as they exchanged blows.
Harper smiled at that, some of that old comradeship was still there he supposed, although it would not matter now. Truth be told if Shohei had his say, he would not be here, killing someone he had once called friend, unfortunately, he no longer had any say, that was left to her now. They traded blows again and again, Shoehei’s axe swinging ferociously, always being sure to pull it away from Harper’s blade when it melted around it’s head. They stood locked in a dance for what seemed like hours although it was likely mere seconds. The snow continued to fall, it clung to their clothes. The cold worsened as time went on and began to set in, Shohei could feel his movements slowing, his ears burning, his face numb. Somehow it was as if the forest itself was concentrating all its cold on him. Their weapons clashed again, except this time his axe swung clean through the blade and the top half flew straight at him. Shohei barely had time to get out of the way and earned a gash on his shoulder.
This was not going well, Harper had always been a strong fighter, Shohei had always been better. There had to be a way out of this, he needed his other axe. He scanned the snow whenever he had a spare breath. Axe would melt through sword, pivot out, look, repeat. The rate of snowfall increased, vision became difficult, the wind howled, the trees began to loom over them, the fight was coming to a close, Shohei was done.
It was funny, he had gone through so much, he had taken on many stronger than Harper and yet Harper would be the one, he could not keep up, his strength was gone. Then he noticed a glint in the snow, his axe, if he could just get to it everything would work out. One step at a time. He launched another attack, coming a little closer than made sense and, as the arc of his axe began to finish he snapped his elbow around and connected with Harper’s face. He spun out, behind a stunned Harper and ran for his axe. Three, two, one... he rolled under Harper’s detached blade aimed for his back, spun around, his back in the snow and knocked the blade back. He rolled to his feet and lunged for his other axe, fingers just barely curling around the shaft in the deep snow. There was his break.
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Harper spat blood from his mouth and rubbed his jaw. “You always were sneaky like that Shohei.” They stood five paces apart staring each other down, it felt as if the forest itself was sapping Shohei’s strength. “I imagine there’s only one left after me.” Shohei merely nodded.. “Well, shame you’ll never get to him, even if you manage to kill me.” Shohei grimaced, he could not even think of that man without doing so.
“Why did you do it Harper? Even if you agreed it had to be done, you could’ve left it to someone else, anyone else, we were friends. I loved her, you knew that.” Shohei said almost pleadingly, hoping for a way out of killing a friend that he knew was not there.
Harper’s eyes adopted a look that one could call sympathetic if they so chose. “It was for the cause, anything and everything, that’s what we always said wasn’t it? Anything and everything.”
“I suppose you’re right, doesn’t make this any easier, harder actually.” Shohei said and then they charged at each other. This time Shohei would not lose his axe, this time Harper stood no chance. Shohei reestablished the rhythm they had adopted at the start of the fight, axe through blade, pivot, repeat. Axe, blade, pivot, repeat. He was waiting for just the right moment to break that rhythm. Harper began to grow comfortable, Shoehei let him believe his strength was almost spent, although truth be told it was. Harper grew confident, more aggressive, he had always been good but it would seem he had forgotten his limits. Shohei changed the dance, his axe again swung clean through Harper’s blade except instead of pulling it back this time, he kept swinging, spinning right on through, reversing the axe head in his other hand and cutting deep into Harpers left arm at the end of his spin.
Harper cried out in pain and clutched at his arm now hanging off at the shoulder. His face contorted in pain. Shohei booted him in the face as he leaned over, sending him sprawling onto his back. He squirmed in the snow, blood leaking from his arm, wailing so horridly that even the trees shivered. His face a mess of crimson and crushed skull, he thrashed, Shohei pitied him. Is this how it happened for her? Squirming in the snow, blinded by her own blood, wailing for some last respite? Shohei hoped not, he knew better of course, still, just keep going, cling to what you can, it’s all one can do no? Maybe not in Harper’s case, his fate was sealed.
Shohei sheathed his axes in Harper’s knee caps, placed one of his boots on Harper’s good arm and the other on Harper’s throat. Harper thrashed so violently Shohei almost lost his footing and was forced to plant one of his feet on the ground leaving Harper’s arm free. The snow came up to his knee almost swallowing Harper’s body. Shoehei left his boot on Harper’s neck, looking down at him as his life began to drain.
“You got anything left to say?” Shohei asked.
Harper stopped thrashing for a moment and struggled out “Leave me my sword once im gone. Wouldn’t feel right without it.”
Shohei nodded and pulled one of his axes out of Harper’s leg and raised it over his head. “When the darkness comes” Shohei muttered. He began to swing it down as a wicked grin spread over Harper’s smashed face. A wave of panic washed over Shohei as he looked over to Harper’s good arm, it held an evil looking shard of black ice. Before Shohei could think the shard was lodged into his leg, he howled, a feeling of dread came over him as a cold, vicious taint began to spread from the wound. Harper began to laugh, a laugh that wanted to carve Shohei’s very soul from his body. Everything was hazy now, Harper’s eyes were completely black, his lips spread almost to his ears. Shohei had not seen someone look like this since, since, well, he did not want to think about it.
Panic had firmly set in now, Harper’s laugh was so vile and twisted it made Shohei’s gut’s squirm. Harper had tapped something he should not have, but he would win this fight with it, Shohei almost could not blame him.
Harper grinned, he was the dark manifest now, an evil that should not be, but was and would always be. “How do you like me now bloomless? Thought I’d go down easy like the rest of them I bet?” Harper said, Shohei did not respond, he was still panicking, he managed to pull the shard from his leg, the stain of it remained, in the wound, on his skin, beginning to seep into his very soul. There was only one thing to do now, he held the shard in his hand, desperately fighting it’s evil.
“No response, eh? Time was you’d never shut up, we always hated that, Shohei Bloomless, savior of Vosia, one of the seven, he killed Towdrin they would say. BAH! FUCK YOU!” Shohei plunged the shard into Harper’s chest, he let out a shrill cry that echoed amongst the trees and then he ceased, his body shriveled up, dead. The forest itself seemed to absorb his body as it decayed, the shard of ice remained a second longer before melting into the ground with him.
“So does the light.” Shohei said to himself as he toppled over, sinking into the deep snow. He lay still motionless, he had always loved the snow, it seemed such a nice place to curl up and sleep, strangely warm despite the cold of it. The sun still shone through the bare trees, warming him, he could feel the icy taint spreading, there was no one who could help him, he would go the same way Harper had. Shame, he would not get to see her if he died this way, what can be done? Nothing? No. One step at a time, things will work themselves out.
He struggled to his feet, and grabbed for Harper’s sword and chucked it to where his corpse had been. The snow seemed so much deeper now, so much heavier, he half crawled through it, back the way he had come. He had to keep going, he had to find some way out, not for himself, for her, he could not die of this evil. She would never forgive him, it’s not as if she could forgive him now. One more name and then he could die. The storm had almost covered the tracks now, his leg burned hot, the taint had begun to set in, he could feel it corrupt his body, in the distance he thought he could make out figures. Strange that there would be others out here, he did not have the energy to think about it though, he collapsed face down in the snow, his last moments drawing close. He saw her standing over him, Ana, and then everything went dark.