Shōko and Count glanced at eachother before the woman waved her axe at Shōko's face.
"Ey, drop the stick, lil' lady. Or I might decide to cut you down where ya stand…!"
Shōko immediately complied, dropping the stick and throwing her hands into the air.
"Good girl. Now, why don't you answer my question. Who are you, and where are ya from..?"
Shōko hesitated. She didn't want to reveal anything to this dangerous woman, but at the same time it's not like she had anything she needed to keep secret.
She took a slight breath, steadying her breathing before answering. "My name is Shōko, and this…" She said, pointing with her eyes to the cat. "...is my associate, Count. W-we're from Isenn, the little town on top of the cliff, and we fell off a cloud on our way to Lavden…"
Sweat was beginning to drip down her face again. If it wasn't for the miasma that started to re-enter the empty space around them, it would have been noticeable.
She steeled herself again before continuing. "W-we didn't mean to— uhm, i-invade?— your territory, we were just passing through..."
"Is that so?" The woman asked rhetorically. She glanced behind her shoulder for a moment then rolled her eyes, almost like someone just said something that annoyed her.
"Yea yea, I'm getting to it. Can't believe you're naggin' me again.." She mumbled before continuing. "So, why are you tryin' ta get ta Lavden, ey? It's not really a town meant for tourists, now is it?"
The lady's question made Shōko scrunch her face in annoyance. Coupled with the incoming miasma, and her head started pounding again. This time, it felt like thousands of needles were repeatedly stabbing her scalp.
"That's not an important question. You know we're of no harm to you, so can't you let us—"
"Nuh uh uh~" she mumbled as she waved the axe in Shōko's face once more. "I'm the one askin' the questions here, alright? Now you're going to answer and you're going to answer truthfully. Why ar-#-#-#-..."
Her words faded out as Shōko glanced at the cat once more, but this time not out of fear or anxiety. Well, mostly not, anyway. No, this time it was for confirmation. This woman clearly couldn't be reasoned with in Shōko's mind, so she wanted to act. Count nodded knowingly and Shōko realigned her gaze.
"...Well?" The woman asked, waiting for an answer. Shōko closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, her hands already hot with spiral energy.
She then opened her eyes and replied. "Well, the reason... uhm...? I-is because—"
She then threw her hands down and forward, towards the woman. Her hands made contact with the woman's bare neck as she pushed her backwards, the heated spiral energy transferring from Shōko's hands into her neck, making her muscles and wind pipe tense and tighten.
The woman began to choke as she stumbled backwards, a side effect of her airways suddenly closing. Her free hand flew up to her neck, feeling it and the surrounding area before the tightening subsided and her throat opened up, allowing her to breathe.
She dropped her hand as she opened her mouth to breathe in a big gulp of air, but before properly being able to do that, Shōko threw her Spirally charged fist forward with a loud grunt, her knuckles making contact with her Adam's apple. The woman made an exasperated sort of sound, one mimicking that of gagging and coughing as she lurched backwards involuntarily, leaning forward as she stumbled back even more.
Her hand came up once again to hold her throat, her palm covering her Adam's apple while her index finger, her middle finger, and thumb finger held the spot where her lower jaw connected to her neck.
"I'll— guegh—!" She gagged as she tried to speak, so she instead swung her axe wildly, despite the pain and confusion. "cuegh eugh—... I'll kill you, you b-brat!!" She continued as she regained some of her senses.
The miasma was thickening and quick to fill in the empty space. Shōko may be using that to cover herself, but the woman has her ways to counter it.
She gripped her axe tightly with both hands before taking in a deep breath using her core, then spinning around with speed and vigor, her movements clearing the space of the miasma temporarily. Until it fills it again, that is.
The now clear and visible area revealed Shōko who was holding her knuckle in pain. The woman, however, wasted no chance and immediately threw her axe Shōko's way.
It whirred past the girl as she narrowly dodged it, her eyes following the axe's trajectory. Once it was past her, she focused her sight in front of herself once more and saw the woman charging at her before throwing a clearly heavy footed punch directly into Shōko's face. Luckily for the girl, she managed to react in time and block it with her forearms. But, despite her forearms being filled with blood and adrenaline, the hit still hurt like a bitch.
"Guuhng!" Shōko grunted as she got hit back. She wasn't used to taking hits like that. She wasn't a fighter. "Hah!!" But despite that… "Is that all you're made of? My cat scratches harder than that~!"
She exclaimed as she pointed towards Count.
Genius-like, Shōko. Bravo, bravo!!
She thought to herself. The woman, on the other hand, wasn't impressed by Shōko's obvious bluff. And neither was Count.
The woman dashed backwards before she extended her hand, opening it wide. The sound of the axe metal cutting through the air managed to hit Shōko's ears before the metal itself did, and she managed to jump out of the way once again.
"You're pretty nimble for a little girl. Since I'm plannin' on killin' ya, might as well make it fun. Whas your name, sweetheart?" The woman asked provocatively, the manic grin covering her face again.
Shōko opened her mouth to answer, but the incoming miasma made her feel queasy, and she paused before managing to answer in a strained and annoyed voice. "I-it's Shōko, you old hag…! Didn't you ask that already? And the cat you amputated is my a-acquaintance…" She then brought her shaky hands up to massage her temples, the pressure easing the throbbing slightly.
The woman seemed to reply but Shōko didn't notice. Instead, she noticed the cat's whispering. "Flow, Shōko. You must use zhe Flow form!!"
"Wha— h-how am I supposed to do that, Count?! I can't focus during a fight—"
"Yes, you can! Exactly how you're feeling Spiral in your arms, you need to feel it in your entire body or else you'll suffer like before!!"
Shōko held a puzzled expression before she turned back to face the woman. She sighed briefly before trying to focus on the feeling of her blood spiraling in the vessels throughout her body, and to do this she needed to buy time.
"Wh-what about you, lady? What's your name—"
"You're ignoring me??" She said, abruptly cutting the girl off. "During our fight too?!"
The woman's agitated response had Shōko feeling a little distraught and hopeless. She continued trying to feel the blood spiral through her despite the clock ticking down.
"N-no, not at all! I just now asked you what your name is, does that not count as focusing on you??!" Shōko pleaded. Her body was aching all over. The sweat left her feeling drenched and her head and chest felt like they were being squeeze by a professional hugger.
The woman grinned before answering. "Oh, you're interested in me? How swell~ My name's Melaina!"
…She's a little special isn't she…? Shōko thought to herself.
Melaina brandished her axe once again and threw it at Shōko. The sudden shift from conversing to attempted murder surprised Shōko, and therefore left her frozen for a moment too late. As she leaped to the side to dodge the attack, the axe had already made contact with her shoulder, slicing off almost two centimeters of her side deltoid.
The axe landed somewhere behind her, probably lodging into a tree or something. Shōko, on the other hand, landed onto her right side, making some of the leaves and dirt fly up.
It was painless at first, reason being the adrenaline coursing through her arms. But in the time it took to leap and land, the pain had already set in. Her right hand flew to her shoulder and she—
"Gaaahnng..!!"
Screamed loudly, the sound echoing, making the birds nesting in trees fly off. She clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth as she tried to hold back her groans.
"Aww, gonna cry love?" The woman asked as she recalled her axe, the weapon flying in a straight line. Meanwhile Shōko lied there, immobilized by the intense pain, leaving her very vulnerable. "I guess this is where it ends then, for you and your little cat thing. Hehe~!"
The woman lifted her her left arm high, clearly intending to end it in one singular blow. Shōko glared at her as she did so. She knew what was coming, but wasn't going to accept it. Through gritted teeth and tears she rolled left, onto her back, her hand still holding her shoulder as blood flowed through her fingers. She swiftly lifted her legs and pointed her feet at the woman, intending to take the blow with them. It would leave her very injured but also very alive. She shut her eyes hard for a tiny moment before opening them and glaring at the woman with a fierce will to live, her body tensing up to endure the impact.
*Plunk, crack.*
Instead of the sound of a metal blade cutting into thick leather and inevitably flesh, along with the sound of a little girl screaming, it was the sound of a metal blade hitting cloth and wood, the wood cracking slightly as a little cat grunted in pain.
"C-count!!" Shōko shouted as the cat fell to the ground as the axe was ripped out of his chest. Shōko nearly leaped up onto her knees before crawling over to him. "C-count wh-why—"
"Focus, girl!!"
He pushed himself up and onto his little leg nubs to headbutt her chin and push her out of the way of the swing of Melaina's axe, before falling forward onto his face.
"F-frow Schōko!!" His words were muffled by the leaves and dirt, but it went through. She gritted her teeth hard, hard enough that she could feel her teeth hurt despite all the other pains. She leapt to her feet and squeezed her shoulder, making her blood spurt out all onto her hand. Her body shuddered and she winced, but she continued moving.
If I keep moving, then I won't feel anything!!!
She stepped forward and threw her right arm towards the woman's face, not to punch her but to grab her. She managed to get a hold of her facial planes and covered it with her blood, effectively blinding the woman. Her fingers gripped tightly as she pulled her closer, and then hit her mouth with her forehead.
They both stumbled back in pain. If not for the tree behind Shōko, she would have fallen over. Melaina held her mouth as her tongue felt for any loose teeth. She also gagged slightly as she tasted the blood. After feeling no loose teeth, she spat onto the ground, the combined blood of her and Shōko exiting her mouth. She looked up at Shōko, who was still recovering from the sudden impact with the tree, and grinned again. The very same manic one.
"Nice one, girly-pop! Who knew you had it in you~?"
She stepped forward and used her left arm to swing her axe horizontally. Shōko proceeded to duck, falling onto her butt as the axe hit the trunk of the tree.
The swing rebounded, and Melaina held her left arm, as it was quite strained from repetitive use.
Yes! My chance!
Shōko grinned, then chared in low to tackle her. There was an obvious weight difference between the two, which would pose a problem, but with proper technique and taking advantage of surprise, she could pull it off—
*Swish. Pshhh.*
She was baited. Melaina's arm wasn't actually tired— she was just playing possum. And because of that, she managed to get a good— or in this case for Shōko, a bad hit in.
Melaina swung her axe upwards and sliced Shōko's left forearm, along with a portion of the bone. Shōko's head bumped into Melaina's navel as she fell forward, then to the side and onto her back, knocking the wind out of her, not even allowing her to scream in pain. Her forearm – which was filled with blood due to spiral usage – sprayed the fluid upwards, covering Melaina's upper body, staining her clothes and covering her face, blinding her for the second time.
She stumbled back as Shōko finally managed to scream in agonizing pain. Melaina spat and clawed at her face, trying to wipe the blood off while gripping her axe handle.
"You b-bitch! I'll make sure to see myself gutting you... but... blegh-blergh…"
Despite her clearly violent personality, blood makes her queasy, which resulted in the violent vomiting.
Shōko held her arm, the pain overwhelming her.
I-I need to get, up but… I-I can't..! It's to much...
The voice in her head was shaky, then it whispered.
Flow…
She widened her eyes despite the tears and realized.
Sensation.
That was the most important factor in fully utilizing Uneri, and right now her entire body was filled with various sensations– Pain. It was pain….
A shuddering, bone clattering, jaw clenching, tear inducing pain.
And, she could feel it all. Sure, it was reduced by the adrenaline and all, but her blood flow. Her heartbeat. Her breathing. She was aware of it all, and it somehow brought out a calmness she didn't know she could feel in such a moment.
She moved her arms away from each other and held them at her sides, using them to slowly push her up into a seated position. She couldn't hear anything as the blood pressure in her ears was quite high, but that didn't matter. No, not at all.
She breathed in deeply using her diaphragm, then breathed out, the sudden influx of oxygen energizing her. She slowly stood up, her left arm still profusely spilling blood onto the ground, but way less than before. She walked up to the woman, who half-finished puking but was still reeling from it. She wiped her mouth and glanced to her left, but flinched as she saw Shōko standing there with a calm, deadpan expression.
Shōko's right hand placed itself onto her latissimus dorsi – her back – then it slowly snaked it's way up onto her mid trapezius, then onto and around her neck. She pulled back and locked her arms together tightly, holding Melaina in a rear naked choke hold. This was incredibly frightening to Melaina who was frozen with shock, but when the pressure around her neck was applied, she suddenly regained her senses and started flailing around to free herself. She tried to lift her left arm to swing her axe into Shōko's face, but Shōko just tightened her grip which made Melaina flinch again. She wasn't sure what it was, the girl's sudden calm and strength that somehow managed to rival her own, the incoming miasma that was once again filling the space, or the fact that it was a choke hold.
But the woman, Melaina, was scared.
Melaina started to slump down as strength began to exit her body, Shōko followed the fall but didn't release her grip.
"Just die. Please." Shōko whispered into her ear.
The words made Melaina shiver and she tried to struggle again as a memory that wasn't quite hers flashed in her mind. She dropped the axe and tried to claw at Shōko's face, but it didn't stop her. Her grip just seemed to tighten and tighten util…
*Thud.*
Melaina's arms dropped. It wasn't just oxygen deprivation, but also the pressure on the vessels and nerves that aided in her death. Shōko let out a shuddering sigh before releasing her grip. She gently put the woman's head onto the ground and closed her eyes before standing up. Her right hand came up to her shoulder which was starting to become unbearably sore. I guess sore isn't the right word, but it was agonizing.
She turned to face Count and somehow smiled.
"I-I did it. I survived…"
She said in a soft peaceful mannner, loud enough for him to hear. The cat nodded, and the hallucination of her younger self appeared next to him. They both spoke at the same time.
"-"But you killed someone…"-"
The tears began to drip, not from sadness or regret, but from the increasing pain.
She replied, her voice strained. "Y-yeah, I did. B-but I'm alive. And that's all that matters.."
The cat and the hallucination smiled together as they replied again. "-"Yeah, that's true. Surviving is all that matters…"-"
Shōko chuckled at their reply, a hearty one filled with tears and snot, but a happy one nonetheless. She stopped and sighed. Her body began to feel cold and weak, and she knew that she might pass out. She tried to focus on the sensations again as she fell onto her knees, but it just wasn't happening. Her eyelids fell over her eyes before she fell onto her face, passing out at once.
The cat, seeing this, immediately began crawling over to her on his hands and nubs. He wasn't very fast, but he was persistent.
Once he reached her, he felt her neck to see if she still had a pulse. And luckily, she did. It was a strong one, too. He sat down onto his butt and began to unbutton his coat, then began untying the headscarf she had tied around his chest. Once he was done he could clearly see the gaping hole in his chest. It was very strange, to say the least, but it wasn't a bother.
He then wrapped it around her shoulder like bandages, then used his tie and wrapped it around her shoulder as well, but higher and tighter, using it like a tourniquet to lessen the bleeding. Her shoulder wound was severe enough that she could bleed to death, after all.
He glanced at Melaina, who was lying dead on the ground behind Shōko. A sigh of relief came from his face hole before he, too, collapsed onto his back, passing out. He may be a doll who was effectively immortal, but that didn't mean he had infinite energy. That is, after all, impossible…