image [https://i.imgur.com/ZeYpywX.png]

Stone grinded to stone like a churning mill. The shaking door made the walls quake and the floor rumble as the light escaped with a shining ferocity. The room flooded with the blinding light drowning the creatures with its brilliance. The creatures turned quickly to find this invading light and locked their gaze to the blade. Their expressions grew dumb. Greater than the flare and stronger than the sun, they could not turn away. Limbs went limp and minds turned blank to the burning glare of that gorgeous weapon.

Tannen stumbled through the door holding out the Feathered Edge like something to be feared. The blinding light made the room too clear to see as everything turned to a nauseating white. She was without the skill or training to use the weapon correctly, importantly she lacked the grace to turn the searing light to a gentle glow. But it would have to do.

As she had seen before her retreat there were 8 of the creatures. Each was in some stage of bewilderment and intoxication, infatuated by the light. 2 were near her at the door, guarding it zealously. 3 were sitting near the center feasting on caught fish and weeds. Another 2 were far and away at the end of the bridge to her left beneath a ram-shacked tent made of flayed and butchered wet leather.

The last one hung from the net with a long spear in its hand. It hung tightly as the net swayed, even from here, she could see the blood seared upon its hands. Looking to the floor front to her, she could see the weapon it had so furiously destroyed in hopes of opening the door. Blood dripped and pooled from the bladed end, the shaft of the weapon lay decimated some feet away from it.

Wasting no more time, she capitalized while her strength to hold the blade remained. She approached the creature to her left looking into its vacant eyes. The creature blindly looked to the sword as she plunged the sword into its neck. Only then did it begin to blubber and yell. It struggled and flailed for a moment as the red ooze drained from it. From one to another she drew the blade away and stabbed the other in the heart. A reserved scream and useless effort before it too fell.

Feeling that the strength to keep to sword ablaze was waning, she moved to the center where the 3 ate. As quick as she could manage she plunged the sword within the nape of the first she came to. The next she felled by removing its grotesque and haunting head from it. The last she drew the blade through its stomach, it fell suddenly to its knees before its head drooped and its squirming ended.

The light escaped the room. Suddenly drowned in darkness the room instead filled with the cries of those who remained. A great shuffling could be heard as one of the 2 hidden at the end of the bridge came charging forward. It came with great speed and an air of malice.

Before it had the chance to land a blow the light returned. Washing over the room again with an overpowering and obnoxious brightness, the creature fell stunned. Its mouth frowned lazily and its arms drooped to its side. Tannen swung the blade, hoping to cut cleanly through its neck but only plunged in deep within it. With a moment of effort and with gravity's assistance, the body fell from the blade. Darkness returned.

Their will returned to them, the bloodied jumped from the net and crashed to the ground holding tightly to the weapon it would finally kill her with. It held conviction as it rose from its landing. The other sat at the end of the bridge, mindlessly weeping. The bloodied could not see Tannen now. The brightness had left it blinded, and the light of the mid day sun bled into the room now, leaving the rest in darkness. But Tannen could see it clearly.

She creeped in shadow for as long as she could. Determined that this time, she would be the one to take it off guard. But the bloodied was vigilant, turning to wherever it heard her. The closer she approached the less space she had to maneuver. With the final flash of her sword she had no more strength to channel into the Feathered Edge. She would have to overcome this her strength alone, and not the gimmick of her god.

The fishing spear flew to her, with one movement she jumped away from it and tossed it to the side with her own sword. But the bloodied had held true to it, and it drew the weapon back towards itself. Seeing the opening she herself jumped forward as soon as her foot touched back to the ground, outpacing the spear on her approach. She threw the sword into it as she placed all her weight behind the weapon striking from overhead. It swung with terrifying speed that challenged the bloodied's own. The bloodied met the challenge with all the speed it too could muster.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Pulling the long weapon up to meet the sword it blocked it for only a moment as the crushing force displayed by the sword crashed through the shaft like an axe through a twig. The spear shattered sending rotting and drenched wood exploding into the bloodied, the sword struck undeterred, cleaving into its flesh just below the right collar. The gargling scream reverberated through the room, its eyes turned to the sky, lurching its spine backward. She pushed the weapon deeper as she could, bringing forth more screaming from the creature.

"HURTS!"

As quick as the blade struck, the bloodied lurched forward grabbing the sword. It ripped the weapon and held it above itself, dragging Tannen off the ground holding her up by the wrist. Its grip was wide, its grotesquely long fingers holding the edge of the blade cutting into itself, whilst also wrapping around Tannen's hand holding her just above the ground. Her feet glided just above the surface. The bloodied felt within its wound for a moment, the blood drained a river to the floor, turning their arena to a deep crimson. Its hollow eyes met Tannen's looking deep into her, then to the floor.

She could see the moment that it had accepted its fate, the wound would be fatal. The next moment, she could see its determination reemerged. It swore with no words. It would kill her as its final act.

Tannen fought, attacking with her free hand with all her might, scratching and clawing at the creature. The bloodied drew away from the attacks, twitching for a moment as the blows landed. Then with a swift winding of its body it sprung forward. Bashing its head to hers, it sent her flying as she lost her grip upon the Feathered Edge.

She slid on the stone for a moment coming to a stop as the wet stone caught her with its friction. The bloodied dropped the Feathered Edge and ran towards her. Steeling herself she swung her legs upon the floor just as the creature struck the floor with its webbed foot. It tripped, falling to its side and sliding off the bridge. It clawed with panic, finally grabbing hold to the edge before it would fall to join the bones laying in the bottom of the octahedron.

Tannen had already stood up, running with all the swiftness she could summon. She sheathed Feathered Edge as soon as she had seized it, then mounted the rope, clambering out as quick as her body would move. The bloodied pursued mounting the bridge and shambling towards the net.

She cleared the edge of the hole, scrambling away from it for a moment before regaining her senses, drawing her mind back from panic. She turned back around to kick the rod that held the net. Her hesitation cost her however. One strike proved insufficient as the bloodied reached out above the net and held onto the lip of the hole. The next strike loosed the net, it fell with a surprising weight, but the bloodied already held onto the edge and pulled itself up. It crawled like a rabid dog, frothing at the mouth and through its gills to kill her.

Sliding on the bridge back toward the dock in an odd motion of escape, the creature continued to outpace her. She kicked, hitting the bloodied in its eyes. A couple more would send it tumbling into the waters below. But she had sense to know that the raging tides would not slay the creature. She reached again for her sword and braced herself upon the bridge. She could only hope it did not come from behind.

The waves gave no warning when they broke open to reveal the lunging creature. Its hand held outstretched, reaching to grab and drag her under yet again. But this time, the waves would claim her. There was nowhere to sink her sword, nowhere that would kill it. She thought how if only she could strip it of its strength... But she had no strength to recall the power of the weapon.

But it was not her strength she needed. She thought back to what he had said, and moved her faith through the weapon. She channeled her faith in him through the weapon, and the light outshone the sun. It brilliance drew her into it, consuming her thoughts and clouding her mind. Just as it had when it first shone. She could see the light of the sword through its flesh. She was lost in it.

Muscles relaxed and weak, whatever passed over her was a distant and inconsequential feeling. The only thing she felt the need for, was her sure grip on the sword and an undisturbed appreciation for it. The worry of her death was even more distant than the horizon, so far away as to seem impossible. The beacon in her grasp guided her thoughts, thinking of the things that brought her peace. Her first instinct was to think of her faith, her devotion and her oath. But ultimately, her mind was empty, a curse of complete clarity.

She came to her senses only when water rushed into her lungs.

She knew not how, but after such a short moment the creature's heart had been pierced by the blade and they had fallen into the water. The creature was motionless, the waves dragged them further below. She pulled the sword from its flesh and crawled to the surface. But the weapon would not come. Stuck within, the sword would not release itself. She tugged and held but every moment they only fell further into the abyss.

She grabbed the blade itself, pulling up and out upon the guard. She planted a foot upon its chest and pushed. All her might in one last effort finally loosed the sword. Leaving the creature behind, she finally began to rise as she wildly pulled herself above the water. She swam to the shore. Failing to cough out what water was in her, she fell in the sand and fainted.