Chapter 13 -- Lucky or unlucky?

AIO: Here's to one year of (unofficial) serialisation! 13 chapters in 12 months... Let's see if I can be more efficient moving forward!

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After declaring the essence of the place in which they stood, Veronica appeared to look down upon Thorn.

A look which perhaps justified - was one that resulted from years of teaching a lesson to those who underestimated her.

A lesson taught through the form of death.

But it was unclear who was underestimating who in this scenario.

And to no end... The very confidence and bearing of Veronica - a person maybe eight or so years older...

Pissed off Thorn.

...

...

Veronica: "You're not going to draw your blades?"

Thorn: "I'm not sure I need to."

Veronica: "H-Hah."

Veronica: "The fucking... Audacity."

Veronica pointed her blunt grey blade at Thorn.

Veronica: "To the death."

...

Veronica's eyes intense in a hostile green.

Thorn: ...

Thorn: "Are you sure you w-"

Veronica: "To the fucking death."

...

Thorn glanced at Reach.

Reach: ...

Reach had no outspoken objection.

He understood how this was different to their initial misunderstanding with Shile.

Thorn looked back at Veronica.

Thorn: "Come at me."

SWIPE.

Veronica immediately comes attacking. Striking the ground next to Thorn.

She begins to slash and swing ferociously with impressive speed.

Tomo: I guess I'll just...

Tomo: ...Stay next to Reach...

Thorn - even more impressively, dodges each and every blow with swift evasive movements.

Her armour evidently no detriment to her agility - as we've seen.

Veronica: "Argh!"

Veronica’s frustration grows by the second.

Increases in power or technique - all to no avail.

Veronica: She's... Annoyingly...

Veronica: ...Quick.

Disrespectfully, Thorn begins talking to Reach in the midst of battle.

Thorn: "How long should I give her?"

Reach: ...

Reach exhales.

Reach: "Why wait?"

Thorn: ...

Thorn dodges the latest attack and throws one of her light green blades high into the air.

Veronica: ?!

Veronica reflexively looks upward.

Thorn stays locked on to Veronica.

Thorn: "Last chance."

Veronica: "Hmph!"

Veronica seemingly maximises her speed - pursuing Thorn frantically.

Walls, rocks, and rubble dissipate from Veronica's violent destruction.

...

Yet Thorn continues to be... Undamaged.

Reach: ...

Reach thought about Thorn as he watched on.

Reach: She's not just killing an innocent stranger for a good fight.

...

Reach: She's about to kill someone... Who actively challenged her to the death.

Veronica - at peak frustration, yells out.

Veronica: "You!! You fucking b-"

Thorn: "Time's up."

...

...

From Veronica's point of view, time may as well have stopped.

While no doubt fast...

This opponent known as Thorn...

Was insurmountably...

Faster.

SHINK.

...

...

In that single instant, Thorn had left Veronica - dashed 20 metres - caught her own falling blade...

And used it to decapitate Veronica.

Reach: You can argue that you should never kill someone weaker than yourself.

Reach: But I know I'm not that righteous, either.

Thorn shook her blade and returned it to where it belongs.

Tomo: Once again... T-Too fast...

Veronica's two parts dropped savagely.

Her rolling head eventually came to a stop.

And Thorn looked down upon its fluttering eyes...

Thorn: "How dare you compare yourself to me."

- - - -

The three finally progressed through the entryway.

Unlike their previous combative greeting, this time they were passed by two people carrying an open crate on their way out.

The manner of the two people rather nonchalant for the goods they were transporting: two unresponsive bodies.

One of the ‘couriers’ issued a quick statement of no-threat - a common custom, presumably.

????: "We mean no harm. Just on cleanup orders."

Tomo saluted back.

Tomo: "Roger that."

Reach: Oi...

The two people soon stopped, discovering the array of fresh corpses.

????: I-Is that...

...

????: ...Veronica?

Their hesitation allowed Tomo and Reach to peer closer into the crate.

Tomo: "Gah."

The two bodies - also corpses - lay next to each other.

One more out of shape with a sleeve tattoo.

The other slimmer and older.

The troubling reality was that their heads... Were nowhere to be found.

Tomo: I've really had to get used to death and gore since meeting Reach and Thorn..

Reach inspected the headless bodies.

He noticed their lack of a clean cut.

Reach: "Looks like you're not the only one taking heads, Thorn."

Thorn: ...

????: ?

The couriers continued on their way, and Reach pondered outwardly.

Reach: "If we meet the person who did that..."

Tomo: ?

Reach: "Would that make us lucky..."

...

Reach: "...Or unlucky?"

[Chapter 13 -- End]