An Unbeatable Foe Pt. 2

"Dian, dodge!"

Mia's frantic warning barely reached Dian in time as the tip of the jian narrowly missed Dian's heart and merely nicked the edge of his rib. His hand crossbows clattered to the ground and his remaining dagger was in his hand, launching a stabbing backhand at the brown hooded figure.

"Fire!" he yelled. A stream of searing flames erupted from the tip of Mia's staff like a flame thrower, engulfing the enemy swordsman in tandem with Dian's stab.

It wasn't enough. Cress's lungs screamed for oxygen and she could only watch in horror as the cloaked attacker tanked both attacks. The tip of Dian's dagger chipped when it made contact with the figure's neck, gliding off harmlessly and even though Mia's flames were hot enough to turn the surface of the sandstone behind the attacker to glass, they acted as if they were standing enjoying a summer breeze. Only their cloak burned away, revealing a woman that, to Cress's shame, made her racing heart skip a beat.

The tall woman's dark brown white tipped hair danced in the flames and her tan skin was flawless. She wore a metal chest plate that glowed orange like it was being forged at a black smith, yet the searing hot metal had no effect on her at all.

They'd never stood a chance.

"Cress, run," Mia yelled, casting a healing spell on Dian's bone-exposed hand. The flames had hit him, too, though like the woman, he hadn't cried out. He'd even managed to somehow keep hold of his glowing hot dagger, but he dropped it as his muscle and skin rapidly regenerated.

"You bitch! This is for Marcel," the blond haired man proclaimed, throwing a punch that would have instantly killed someone like Cress. A small grin pulled at the corner of his mouth when the blow connected directly with the tall woman's nose… only to vanish when the woman didn't even flinch. Instead, Dian let out a high pitched yelp, pulling his fist back to reveal a swollen hand with several broken fingers.

"How strong is this woman?! She killed Marcel in a flash, and she's acting as if Dian and Mia's attacks are child's play. Mia's right, I should run. If I escape, I might be able to make it to the town they told me about and find people who can help… or avenge."

Avenge. There was no helping Dian and Mia anymore; Mia's sad, pleading smile assured that. They wanted Cress to live and carry on their memories as cliche as it was.

"I'll get help," Cress said, tears running down her cheeks as she sprinted down the dark tunnel, leaving her newly found friends behind. To her surprise, a small white orb hovered above her head: a final parting gift from Mia.

She didn't look back as she ran from the smell of burning air and blood. She couldn't. Just like when she fled from the Cave Stalker, she accepted there was nothing she could do besides run. Even when her lungs felt like they were being stabbed with a thousand knives and her legs felt like logs, she kept running. She had Dian's steel dagger clenched in her hand, though she doubted it would be of any use after watching the swordswoman shrug off Mia's flesh-melting flames and Dian's stab.

"What else do I even have?" Cress asked herself, reaching her free hand into her bag and blindly rifling through. "I have my pepper spray, but I doubt that would do anything except blind me. Tissues, my phone… Wait, what's this?"

Pulling her hand from her purse, Cress stared down at the gold coin in her hand. It was the same lily engraved coin she had returned to the ground. How had it gotten into her bag?

"God, I'm so sick of this fantasy bullsh—"

Cress's head cracked against the hard stone of the tunnel, knocking her back and onto the ground. Dian's dagger slid several feet away across the floor and she muttered a flurry of curses as she grabbed her forehead. She'd been too distracted with the stupid coin and the tunnel had curved at a sharp angle she hadn't anticipated.

"FUCK!" she bellowed, slamming her fist into her throbbing forehead. "I don't want to die…"

Cress's shoulders shook, barely supporting her as she pushed herself to her feet. The short, painful break had given her body the chance to hit her with the after effects of her run and she could barely move. Her chest heaved and she could only hear the sound of her panting and the sound of her blood rushing in her head. Her legs wobbled, resisting her command to move and she couldn't even take a single step forward without collapsing to her knees. Above her, the light orb flickered like a flashlight with dying batteries… Mia had been the batteries.

"I'm sorry… Mia, Marcel, Dian… I'm sorry Mom, Ian… I really tried. I'm just not strong enough."

Luck is fickle. Though Cress's body had given out on her, her collapse actually saved her life. As she apologized to the people she had failed, the tip of a sword, aimed at the spot her head had been when she was standing, passed harmlessly over her. Of course, that didn't stop the rib cracking kick that followed.

Blood spat from Cress's mouth as her back bounced off the hard tunnel wall. Pain instantly shot through every nerve in her body. Her choked scream of agony echoed down the pitch black darkness of the tunnel.

"Get fucked," Cress spat at the slowly approaching giant of a woman. She clenched her fists, though she wasn't sure if it was to make one last ditch attempt at defending herself or to brace for her death, and was surprised to feel the hard edges of the gold coin digging into her palm.

"Stupid ass coin! This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, I'd be at home, tucked in bed… It's not fair!"

Refusing to die with the bauble that was responsible for her death, Cress chucked the gold coin at the woman. At the same moment, the woman's finishing blow connected with it and suddenly Cress felt a familiar blast of wind envelop her.