Less than friends

--Azala--

“Die!'' The sword pierced the ground hard enough to crack it, with only my superior agility preventing my head from being cleaved apart. The Knight looked straight up upon missing, searching where his prey had gone and whether he should expect a counterattack. A singular eye featured behind the damaged visor, one filled with such hatred, it could have glowed. Freeing his sword, he spun around and sliced over his shoulder. The force alone would cut a tree in half, never mind myself, but again, my agility came to the rescue.

C'mon, c'mon... I shot him a look as I tugged at the bracelet wrapped around my left arm. “You would attack defenceless prey?''

“I would rain hell down on Virtuous Forest if it meant getting rid of you.'' The Knight shot forward like a spear. A twist of my shoulder prevented me from being skewered, and two quick steps backward gave me some breathing space but brought my back against a rock wall. If only I could get rid of this damn bracelet.

“You blame me for destruction, yet you're willing to create as much as I?'' I said. “Some hero you are.''

“You annihilated half of Kamieh!'' The Knight struck again, but the sword merely bounced off the rock with a loud clang, creating a brief opening to press a hand against the damaged visor. “Vuur!'' That would usually result in a torrent of fire bursting forth, but the damn bracelet limited it to a couple of sparks and a cough of smoke. Still, it was enough to make Knight to cry out in pain, his sword clattering against the ground as he instinctively reached for his face. I circled around and pull back his head. The thunk as my knee connected with his neck was more than satisfying, as was the clattering when he fell.

“Insolent wretch.'' The Knight pushed himself upright while grabbing the hilt of his sword.

“Oh, and I didn't annihilate half of Kamieh - we did. Or did you forget your part in our war? Hmm?''

“A war you started!''

“What?! Weren't you the one who attempted to assassinate me during my nightly rest? Retaliation is to be expected, wouldn't you say?''

“You were oppressing the populace! People begged for death under your yoke!''

“The only thing I oppressed was a bottle of wine before I went to bed.'' Why won't this damn bracelet come off?! I could feel the scales becoming raw where I scratched, but I didn't dare let my gaze drift from my opponent.

“Goomlot!''

“The people elected that fat-ass themselves. Not my fault he orders half the town to sleep with him and starves those who don't.''

“Sanbuk!''

“You're surprised a beer-brewing town is in a stupor half the time? I'm surprised they didn't torch themselves sooner.''

“Kankoro!''

“They pissed off the local dragon. Saw it's head has horns and thought of me. Idio-''

“Enough!'' The Knight thrust his left hand forward to form a magic circle around it, out of which seven metallic rods shot out. A swipe of my tail managed to counter six, but the seven pegged itself into my shoulder. “The Goddess of Judgement demands your head, and I will deliver.''

“Guess there is irony in her sending meat heads such as yourself.'' The pained hiss came automatically when I pulled the rod out. “Do me a favour: tell her to claim it herself when you see her.'' Holding my hand over the wound, I did my best to heal, but the magic wouldn't flow. Flipping bracelet...

“You can tell her yourself from the pits of the vo-''

“My Queen!''

Us both looked up at the same time, a mountain of mass charging forward leaping over the edge of the crater. It took a second for the recognition to kick in. “Garlaka!'' One of my royal behemoths. Six hundred kilograms of charging horns and claws, ready to tear everything in its path asunder. Slaying one would require two dozen skin-walker soldiers, and even then, success would not be certain. “Get him!''

Garlaka answered with a roar: “Yes, my Qu-'' Before he split apart to fall on opposite sides of the Knight. Shit! I was stunned. Taking a behemoth of that size down in one swing could only mean one thing. “You're learned forbidden arts.''

“Like I said.'' The broken visor looked straight at me. “I'd sacrifice half of Compolot to kill you. This ends, now.'' The Knight leaned forward and started charging.

“You're going to take my place at this rate.'' I snapped my right hand in the direction of his face. “Vuu-“

“Not falling for that again.'' A hand burst through the smoke and grabbed hold of my neck. The sheer momentum alone made me choke, and the follow-up strike pierced my shoulder and pegged me into the rock wall. It's a miracle I stayed conscious. “This... battle... ends... today...'' Each word was punctuated with a strike, each blow making my head spin more than the last. By the end I could barely groan in response. “I... I can't believe it...'' The Knight stepped back with a maniacal chuckle. “We... we might finally end this damn war.''

“Fhor... wh-''

“Silence!'' The strike made me black out for a second. “Now... show me.''

“Wha-'' It took a few seconds for my vision to refocus, only to see a circular object in his left hand. I recognized it instantly, and contrary to popular belief, even the Demon Queen could feel fear. “No...''

“Yes...'' The Knight stepped closer, my legs inadvertently kicking back against the ground, but they could do little more than dig shallow trenches. “Show me. Show me the way to end your existence once and for all.''

“No... no!'' The yell seemed to echo throughout the crater as the collar snapped around my neck. It took but a second before gasps of pain shot left my body.

“Yes...''' Posterior met ground when the Knight pulled out the sword, but I barely felt it. The pain simply conquered all. “Come... come to me...'' A final burst of pain created a shining light above my chest, my ragged body keeling over when it formed. “At long last.''

“No...'' The words were a whimper. I knew what would happen, the Knight knew as well, and we knew I was powerless to stop it.

“Look upon my sword, your majesty, and tremble!'' He spat the words as he raised the sword toward the light. The tip all but caressed it, the tingle it created more intense than anything I've felt in my rapidly ending life. “For from this moment on...''

No...

“... this word will know pea-''

Now, I've seen many things in my life. The running of the karakor horde and the fires of Cantoro will forever remain a highlight. But the sight of the Knight's head exploding as he held his sword over his head? That might push something off the list. It went beyond belief, but the clang of the sword as it dropped to the ground, followed by a cacophony as headless armour followed suit, gave me vague hope.

Only the third voice saved me from blacking out.

“*** **** ***'* ****''