Neva frowned as a whip of flame wrapped around a hanging roof. Her legs pumped with blood as she jumped into the air. Pulling on the whip of flame she threw herself over the chaos towards the walls. She landed upon the stone walls. Looking over the parapet, she spied the endless tide of undead swarming towards the destroyed gates. Her facial scars wormed as her anger rose, as she turned towards a defiant group of defenders.

"Didn't you hear Gaspard?! Fall back you idiots! Run to the inner castle!" She yelled. The chaos of the fight was loud. The remaining beastkin were desperately holding the foe back. Ignoring her, they attempted to hold the enemy back.

A ghoul clambered over the walls. Neva grimaced. A whip of flame shot out grabbing around its neck. Neva pulled, throwing the surprised ghoul into her elbow. Its heads exploded in a shower of gore. Its razor sharp teeth spewed out amongst the walkway. The beastkin saw her. Fear and awe gripped them like a vice. Neva thrust her indestructible sword into the air.

"Listen to me! Retreat to the inner castle! Now! We make our stand there! Abandon the walls!" Neva shouted.

The beastkin scrambled to obey her as a group of ghouls mounted the walls. Neva threw her blade, a whip of flame connected to the hilt guided the steel with killing intent as she reaped the lesser dead from existence. She caught her blade. An annoyed battle cry escaped her lips begging for challengers to sate her fury. The fire curling upon her wrist burned bright. The dark night flew away against her flames. The tendrils of fire wormed their way up her left arm higher and higher. An oft ignored bloodlust kept growing within her. Second by second, adrenaline and rage mixed intoxicating her. How long had she ignored this feeling? How long had she pushed that emotion down? Walking down the walls she eyed the enemy with disdain.

A group of grappling hooks landed upon the walls. Heavily armored vampires mounted the walls all at once. Ten challengers appeared, guarding a central figure. An expansive black fur coat draped upon his hunched shoulders. A large drooping black mustache fell from his upper lips. He drew his golden greatsword ready to fight. The remaining beastkin had vanished, leaving Neva alone upon the walls.

She stepped forward. Her blue eyes regarded the undead warriors without remorse. Her left hand tightened on the hilt of her shortsword. The vampiric warriors formed up in a defensive formation around Captain Bruhart.

"You are either brave or stupid." Captain Bruhart addressed Neva. "Soldiers! Our objective is clear! Cut a path through the city! Spread chaos! Kill the animals! Let the lesser undead be our battering ram, whilst we reap!"

"You think I will allow that?!" Neva yelled. Her arms shifted. She held her shortsword above her head with both hands.

"Kill her!" Captain Bruhart pointed towards Neva. His vampiric warriors turned towards Neva.

Neva threw her sword. Indestructible steel thirsted for the flesh of the dead. The killers surrounding Bruhart were quick to react, but not quick enough. Neva's sword gored through the first warrior coming up to the hilt and shattering its spine. A lifetime of training vanished in an instant as the warrior lost control of his body. The rest of his comrades started running around the paralyzed vampire. A tendril of flame followed back to Neva's hands. Her wrist flashed as the whip of her magical fire tightened pulling the blade free. It travelled at unimaginable speed. Neva caught it with ease as a horde of combatants descended upon her.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Her sword flashed through the air. Steel met her steel as she parried through the onslaught. The flame upon her left arm grew hotter. It grew brighter, as a wing of fire exploded upon her back. Rage burned within her heart. Fury was the only melody her ears would hear.

A thrust left one of her opponents out of position. She pulled her shoulders inwards dodging past her opponent's blade. Flame completely enveloped her left arm. She grabbed her opponent by the head exposing its neck and cleaved its head clean off. Her left hand caught a blade aimed for her stomach turning it away, as her sword severed a hand. Neva dodged through the onslaught. An opening showed itself and her head shot forth slamming into her opponent. Bone shattered underneath her fury as she kept up her assault.

A tendril of flame found its way around one of the warriors. The vampire never knew what happened as Neva pulled hard, throwing her opponent into his friends. Taking advantage of the chaos Neva thrust at the exposed face of a vampire. Her shortsword pierced through its skull like fruit. Wasting little movement she pulled her blade out violently transforming the movement into a throw behind her. The blade sailed through the air, spearing her enemy like a fish. The blade scrambled its brains. Its legs started crumbling to the ground, as Neva grabbed the hilt of the blade with her flame. Yanking it free, the blade arced through the air. It found the exposed necks between the plate severing heads, reaping all in her path.

The blade had a mind of its own. It defied physics, stopping and changing direction with supernatural ease. It was an extension of Neva's will, perfect and incapable of erring from her desires. Her last throw sent the blade through plate armor carving through it like butter, running up to the crossguard. She yanked it free, forcing it into a high sailing trajectory before returning to her right hand. The whip of flame attached to the hilt felt right in her hands. Power and mastery of the world around her suffused her demeanor. Her scarred face was scrunched as she looked over the felled warriors with disgust.

Ten dead vampires. Ten thousands years of sparring lay dead before her. Her left wing of fire burned with an insatiable lust for death. Her blue eyes rested upon Captain Bruhart.

"You are skilled. Now you die. Pray to whatever gods you worship." Captain Bruhart said, forming a high guard.

"I worship nothing." Neva replied as she idly twirled her shortsword in a slow wide arc.

"A pity. The soul is an eternal matter for the short lived races."

The man was quick. His wide sweeping strikes from his greatsword left little opportunity for Neva to strike back. Despite his size, his speed was nearly incomprehensible. He moved like a blur cleaving through the air. Neva ducked and dodged through the onslaught. Captain Bruhart's blade swept for her torso, threatening to bisect the beastkin warrior. She held her sword to parry. The greatsword struck her blade. Sparks flew in a thousand directions as Neva grunted, keeping the blade at bay. The captain was strong but not strong enough. Neva's scar twisted in annoyance as she strained underneath Captain Bruhart's strength.

"You're quite strong. Far stronger than the others."

"Shut up and die." Neva growled out.

Their blades danced as the city burned. Neva's blade danced through the air. Fire and flashing steel danced into a crescendo. Slick blood threatened their footing. Each turn, feint, parry, swipe and dodge threatened to be their last. Amongst the chaos, two old warriors dueled.