Tragedy Of Rain
/ Tragedy of Rain 25 Chapter 25: Blood and Blades
Zane explained before that using magic was like using a drug, it felt amazing until you used too much and then it would become a poison. Rain had experience the former, but not with the later. It had always started feeling like being completely weightless, drifting in a warm spring, then it would feel invigorating like an explosion of senses. As she forced her magic to its limits and further it suddenly felt like she was sucking the marrow from her bones.
The blade melted, making it so only the edge of the dull hilt impacted her, and suddenly the fire extinguished. Pain shot through her body as every nerve seemed to tense at once, not from the impact but from something twisting inside her. She fell backward into the mud, her skin felt cold and numb. Most of the clothes she wore had been burned away revealing tender flesh and exposed ribs.
The guardsman was in pain, as he found his gauntlets partially melted to his hands making it hard to move them. Still he looked down at her realizing she was vulnerable. Bones cracked as he forced his hands to let go of the hilt of his blade. Rain tried to stand up and instantly felt disoriented, the world twisted and turned forcing her to vomit black bile.
I'm doomed, she realized. She knew she had to get up, and placed a hand on her stomach as she tried to rise. The guardsman screamed as the pain from his fried nerves started to register, and he grabbed a dagger at his hilt with slow and painful movements.
Rain stood back on her feet, the downpour seemed to grow heavier with each second. "Any time now Remon," she complained with a hoarse throat. The guardsman seemed to have forgotten the lone inventor meddling with his firearm, "Seriously, really need your help!"
The guardsman lunged at her again, her instinct immediately went to drawing magic. She wished she had just dodged it, she cursed as she felt a sharp pain from her bones. A flash of light and the smell of sulfur was followed by the sound of the muskets discharge. The shot grazed him, slicing the meat from his thigh. The impact was enough to shake his aim, the dagger narrowly missing Rains face. She swore she saw it cut the edges of her hair.
The guard slammed into her, his shoulder meeting her collarbone in a confused attack. His weight collapsed against her and she felt herself sink into the mud as the pair landed with a thud.
"Die!" He demanded along with a slew of curses as he tried to slam the dagger home. She caught his wrist with her right hand, holding him back. The guard smelled like a wet dog and burnt meat as he punched her in the stomach with his free hand.
Rain convulsed with each impact, all her strength fighting to hold him back. In desperation she tried to tap the well of magic, but like before she was spent. The harder she drew the louder another voice scratched in the back of her skull, a voice she hadn't heard since Coppermill. She bit her tongue as another punch to her stomach forced the wind out of her.
The guard sensed he was close to achieving his goal, and forced all his body weight against the knife. She could do nothing to hold back the weight of a fully armored soldier. The dagger sank deep into her abdomen, scrapping bone and slicing into organs. Rain tasted blood, her eyes were wide open. Everything she felt seemed to be carved into her face at that moment, and the man on top of her seemed to be satisfied by what he saw.
The guard lifted himself upright so that he still was sitting on top of her. He looked down at her and then his hands. His skin was likely burned into the metal. He screamed a painful cry.
Is this what dying feels like? Rain wondered as she felt her body grow cold, the world seemed lighter. It wasn't too dissimilar to how she felt when she used magic. She didn't want to die, and she took a defiant breathe. Her killer was to busy screaming to notice. Her eyes narrowed, the taste of blood pooling against her lips. It was there, finally she could feel it. A small ounce of energy had restored itself, it wasn't much but it would be enough.
Drawing magic had been difficult to learn or describe. It was almost like using a new muscle to a new sense. The mark she had been cursed with had been designed to awaken the magic dormant inside her, and then corrupt it. Twisting it into something powerful and enslaved to the father who had been very good at cursing large swathes of the country. There was something different about her magic though, something that she didn't learn until Coppermill and the revelations about her mother. Whether through some ancient power, or old elvish lore, Rain possesses a strain of magic that was unique. She had learned how to hijack the curse mark, and subvert it to her own designs. She couldn't do the same with anyone else, but she had safely learned how to use the mark to her advantage. Despite all this, magic was finite and somehow infinite in scope. The soul could generate a well of power to use, but only so much at a time. As she laid close to death, she felt the smallest drop of it ready to be tapped.
It wasn't much, but it would have to do. She watched as the guard tried to peel one of his gauntlets off, each inch was agony. After two failed attempts he failed to see her jerk upward to grab his face. She unleashed all the power she could in her palm.
It happened so fast he barely had time to register it. The sudden burst of fire caused the air in his helmet to pop and he flew backward in blinding pain. Whether he lived or died was irrelevant to her as he soon laid still on the ground. His hands twitching.
For several seconds Rain laid back down in the mud, each breathe forced the dagger to move. A tear strolled down her cheek as she fought to draw in each mouthful of air. The muscles in her arm were on fire.
Rain coughed as she tried to lean up, the dagger was moving with her and she fell back down almost instantly. "Damnit," she cried out placing a hand on the hilt.
Life had always been a series of pain. One after the other with no remorse, why should now be any different? "Gotta get it out," she muttered to herself as she pulled it. The pain was extraordinary, lights flashed in her vision as she tried to pull. It was no use, it hurt to breathe...it hurt to talk...it hurt to live.
She felt a hand grab hold of the hilt, the smallest pressure making her squint. She rose up expecting to find the guard on top of her again. Remon looked at her surprised and terrified, "I'm sorry, hold still." She wasn't sure if he was apologizing for not helping her or for what he was about to do.
With one slow but uninterrupted pull he forced the dagger out. She tried to grab him, to stop him as the pain was simply too much. She would come to regret some of the things she said at that moment.
When the dagger was free blood poured from the wound, he planted his palm against it, "Any chance you have any fire left in you?" He asked as he pressed hard against her.
"If I did you'd be feeling it right now!" Rain felt pain then cold then heat then shivers and spasms all at once. Is this what it feels like to get stabbed? She suddenly felt bad for the first guard she had killed.
"Too bad I guess I'll have to seal the wound myself," He replied. Rain didn't know what he meant by that as he retrieved a small pouch of powder. He lifted his hand to reveal dark blood and poured the powder on top the wound.
"What are you-" it happened so fast, he lit the match and the black powder burned a bright red and white flame. The pain was finally enough to make her black out.
When she came too it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. She was still laying in the mud, Remon wrapping bandages from his own shirt around her, "I'm...going....to....fucking....kill....you" she said the words so quietly she doubted he could hear.
"Just hold on..." Remon was trying to speak to her, but she found it difficult to listen. She knew her magic could be used to heal some wounds, but she had never tried to heal anything like this.
The sounds of cheering and a horn echoed, something was happening around them and she was too tired to see.
Chapter end
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