Fan Fiction - Origins

[Preybird]

Part Two

“Oof!” Uriel grunted as my stick connected with his side. I parried his return strike while simultaneously swinging with the stick in my off-hand, connecting with his knees. He swung again as he dropped, but I trapped his stick with the two of mine before disarming him in a single smooth motion. When I was finished I had my weapon pointed at his throat.

Uriel coughed before smiling. “Good work.” He picked himself up and collected his training stick. “I can safely say you could now bring the fight to any of the men in my old command.”

“Well I have had an exceptional teacher.” I replied. “Two years of constant practice helps as well.”

“How does your new fiancée feel about you doing this?” Uriel asked, sitting down at the table in the corner.

“Mark? He doesn’t know.” I replied. “Nor do I intend to tell him anytime soon. He wouldn’t see swordplay as a suitable activity for a lady.”

“Would have thought you’d have chosen someone who was a bit more open-minded.” Uriel said.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love him to bits.” I said. “He’s kind, generous and funny. But he has family who have died in battle, and like Dad he wouldn’t approve of me taking up a blade. His disapproval is simply born of concern for my wellbeing.”

“Well, I hope you can tell him someday. Secrets are poisonous in relationships.” Uriel frowned. “Believe me I know.”

I nodded simply. Uriel’s wife had left him some time ago, but he had never revealed why. Even Dad didn’t know the circumstances of the break up.

He smiled to break the solemn mood. “So anyway, when’s the wedding? And more importantly do I get an invite?”

“Two more weeks.” I smiled. “And of course you get an invite.”

“Getting nervous? Cold feet?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting the butterflies.” I laughed. “But it’ll work out. The thing that’s really making me nervous is that Mark wants to move out of the city.”

Uriel raised an eyebrow. “Where does he want to go?”

“There’s a little town called Reeph, about a days ride from here. His dad owns land out there, and offered to give Mark a job tending the farms while we get settled.”

Uriel stood up with a slight grunt. “Well, sounds like our sessions will be coming to an end then. Sad really, I enjoy our time together.”

“Me too. I have no intention of stopping my training however.”

“Nor would I want you to. You’ve got a natural affinity for the blade, and there are plenty of dangers away from the cities. There have been a lot of raiders of late, and entire villages have been burnt to the ground.”

“I know.” I sighed, “But I’ll keep safe.”

“I have something for you that may help in that regard.” Uriel said, walking over to one of the weapon chests and removing a large wooden box. He placed it down on the table then waved me over. “My wedding present to you.”

I looked over the wooden box. It was made of oak and finely crafted, with gold edging. In the centre of the lid was a plaque with the text “The Dancer”. The box was sealed with a single lock.

“You know I hate dancing.” I grumbled.

“Open it.” Uriel smiled, handing me a key.

I took the key and opened the box to reveal a pair of rapiers. Each was exquisitely crafted, made of the finest steel. Their hilts lacked ornamentation, though they had a guard that almost completely covered my hand as I held them. The only difference between the two was the text engraved on the blade, one “Rhythm”, the other “Beat”.

“These are incredible!” I exclaimed. “But again with the dancing theme.”

“When you fight it’s like you are dancing.” Uriel explained. “You move with a grace that few fighters could match.”

“Odd, Lady Hawksworth always said I had no grace.”

“Maybe you were never motivated enough.” Uriel smiled. “Or maybe you don’t feel at home unless you have a blade in your hand.”

I didn’t respond but began twirling the blades around, getting a feel for their weight. Each was perfectly balanced and felt like an extension of my own arm.

“The names also suit your fighting style.” Uriel continued as I practiced. ”Your main hand is the beat, constant and ever present. Your off hand is the rhythm, flowing and unpredictable. Together they make wonderful music.”

“Deadly music.” I said.

Uriel nodded. “Quite. Let’s hope no one has to hear your tune.”

I smiled as I put the swords back in their box before locking the lid. “Thank you. They’re perfect.”

“I’m glad you like them. Now you’d better head off, it’s getting dark.” Uriel said. “I’ll see you at the wedding.”

[Preybird]

Part Three

The bark splintered under my rapid fire assault, Beat and Rhythm tearing chunks out of the unlucky tree as I twisted and turned around it, all the while unleashing my pent up frustrations. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was frustrated about, Mark and I were doing well and Reeph was a nice enough place, but for some reason I was finding myself leaving the house every day to take my rage out on the forest behind our property.

One thing that had become a bit of a sticking point in our marriage was children. Simply put I wasn’t ready for that yet, but Mark was keen to start a family immediately. While I could see he was respecting my thoughts, I could also see it was tearing him up every time I said “not yet”. And rather than argue with me he was spending more and more time with his family. I knew I wanted a family, but first I wanted to find out what was causing this lingering frustration. I wasn’t going to bring a child into this world if I wasn’t happy and completely dedicated to them.

As if to emphasise my thoughts, I swung Rhythm into the tree so hard I lodged it in the trunk. Try as I might I couldn’t remove it, and I found myself screaming in anger. As I beat my fists against the tree trunk I dropped to my knees. Looking up at Rhythm wedged in the tree I had an epiphany.

Useless. I felt useless.

I felt like I wasn’t making a difference in this world. I looked after the house like a good housewife. I made sure there was always food on the table and always ensured we wouldn’t go without. I had good friends and a great husband, but I wasn’t happy. Outside of my tiny little bubble world I had no impact. I wanted to be more than a housewife.

Maybe it was time to become a mother.

Standing up again I calmed myself, grabbed Rhythm gently and tugged. Rhythm dislodged from the tree easily, and it felt as though the world approved of my decision. I smiled and decided I would tell Mark the good news as soon as he got home. Maybe even get started then and there.

Dirty thoughts. Dirty dirty thoughts.

A rustle in the trees and a growl interrupted my wicked fantasy. I spun around with my blades at the ready, expecting to see a boar or something of that ilk. What stared at me was something entirely different.

It looked like a wolf but it stood on two legs like a man. It also possessed more than an animal’s intelligence, I could tell that much. It looked me over, sizing me up, before focusing on my face.

“Huuummmmannn.” It growled. “DIE!”

It lunged at me and I barely managed to avoid those razor sharp claws. Spinning around to face my attacker again I could see it was already preparing another strike. This time I was ready however, leaning back and causing its swing to sail harmlessly past. It continued to swing wildly at me, and with its exceptionally long arms it had a very good reach. Its attacks grew more savage as it got more frustrated that it couldn’t hit me, and that was when I struck.

Ducking under a particularly wild strike I shoved Beat so far into its flank the hilt touched its skin. The beast roared in agony and swung at me, connecting with the back of its claw. I tumbled, ripping Beat out of its body as I did. Getting to my feet I could see it bleeding profusely, but it simply smiled at me. Staring in disbelief I could see the mortal wound I inflicted stop bleeding and close up, not even leaving so much as a scar. Stretching its arms out, the beast resumed its assault.

Once again I was forced on the defensive due to the savage nature of my attacker, and this time a couple of his strikes connected. Pain shot through me like I had never known as the beast’s claws slashed across my torso and leg. Wounded now, I was not as quick as I would’ve liked and I moved to get as much distance as possible. The beast pressed the attack, swinging constantly, though I was able to parry most of his strikes. Unfortunately the gouges I left in its arms healed almost as quickly as I inflicted them. If I was going to beat this thing I would need to kill it instantly.

It came at me again, its bulk dwarfing mine as it tried to tackle me. Spinning to the side I used my momentum to lend power to my strike. I brought Rhythm down on its neck as it hurtled past, severing its head cleanly. The head rolled away as the body came crashing to the ground, skidding to a halt. I almost dropped to my knees as the pain from my wounds began to overwhelm me. I could still walk, but without the single minded focus of battle every step hurt.

What the hell was that thing? More importantly how am I going to explain this one to Mark?

I slowly made my way back to the house. We always kept some healing salves on hand as accidents were relatively common out here. I had about four hours before Mark got home from tending his family farm, enough time to get myself patched up then visit the local Priest for some more rapid healing. Hopefully.

As I made it inside the sound of crockery shattering got my blood pumping again, and I burst into our lounge room ready to confront whatever lay waiting. What I saw almost caused my heart to stop.

Mark lay on the floor, cut and bleeding from half a dozen wounds that looked just like mine. He was struggling to breathe and his eyes were starting to roll back into his head. I dropped my swords and ran to him, cradling his head in my arms.

“Mark!” I screamed. “Mark! Hold on! PLEASE!” I could barely see his face with the tears filling my eyes.

He looked up at me and his hand gently brushed my cheek. “Run.” He said weakly. “Run.. my lo…ve….”. As he finished speaking the last of his life left him and his hand fell away from my face. I screamed; a mixture of impossible pain and unbridled fury. I did not stop until my throat was raw and the only sound I could manage was a croak.

As I cradled my dead husband in my arms, the howls of wild beasts began to fill the air, as well as the screams of those they hunted. The cacophony brought on a resolve I had never felt before, and I knew what I had to do.

If this was to be my last day on this earth, I would make it count.

I would not be useless.

[Preybird]

Part Four

I rammed Beat and Rhythm deep into the chest of the winged beast in front of me. It croaked as I savagely tore the blades out, causing black blood to spray from the beast as it dropped to the ground dead. Seems it didn’t heal like the wolfman, which was a good thing. I had left Mark in the house, there was nothing I could do for him now, but if I did survive this day I would ensure he got the respect he deserved. Still, I could not grieve right now. Now I had to fight.

I walked further out into the street, my blades coated with blood. All around me the signs of battle were more than evident. Dead and dying lay in the streets, houses were extensively damaged and in many cases utterly demolished, and the sounds of battle filled the air. Reeph had no real standing army; they had never needed anything beyond the defense the farmers and workers provided. Now it seemed Reeph would pay the price for its lack of preparation.

The church bells began to toll, an emergency signal to tell all survivors to head there. It was one of the only stone buildings in Reeph, and no doubt the strongest and most easily defensible. I began making my way there, checking the houses as I went for survivors. Unfortunately I seemed to only run into more monsters, but Beat and Rhythm dealt with them well enough.

The road to the church was paved with the fallen, but there were still a number of villagers alive. There were a few men armed with pitchforks and other farming equipment herding the women and children into the church as I approached, and one of them waved for me to join them. But I had no intention of cowering in the dark.

The howls of more wolfmen began to permeate the air and within a few seconds the church defenders were set upon by a trio of them. The hapless men began to fall easily to the bestial savagery of their attackers and I immediately entered the fray to assist. Aware of what needed to be done I wasted no time striking at the beast’s torsos, instead saving my energy for the single decapitating strike. I shouted to the other defenders to do the same, but by this time they were all dead and I was alone in the fight.

I finished the last of the wolfmen off before looking inside the church. There were maybe two dozen women and children total, and a few men to provide a last line of defence. The priest was inside as well, providing a calming influence and using what divine magic he had to provide healing. One of the men called me to get inside but I shook my head, closing the doors to seal them inside. I could hear the men barring the doors and sealing my fate.

I could hear more growling, different this time, more gravelly. Perched on top of the rooftops I could see at least six of those winged beasts, looking just like the stone Gargoyles that adorned buildings in the city. At the foot of the stairs a solitary warrior had appeared. He was a hulking beast, impossibly muscled and sprouting a pair of immense horns from his head. He looked very much like a Minotaur from the old fairy tales. In his hands he held a pair of war hammers, each one nearly my size.

“Seems the women put up more fight than the men.” He growled. “Pathetic.”

“What do you want?” I called out. “We have nothing of value. Why attack us?”

The Minotaur smiled, baring teeth as long as my hand. “Blood.”

“Well, come and take it.” I shouted, sounding a lot more confident than I felt.

“Oh I will.” The Minotaur said. He looked up at the Gargoyles on the rooftops. “This one is mine. The ones in the building are yours. Keep the strongest ones; they can work in the mines.”

The six Gargoyles lifted off in unison and began circling the church. After a few seconds they began crashing through the upper windows to descend on those inside, and I could hear the screams of the occupants. But it was the cries of the children that threatened to consume me.

“There is nothing you can do, woman.” The Minotaur said, coming up the stairs. “Give up.”

“You’re wrong. There is something I can do.” I snarled. “I can send your sorry ass to hell.”

The Minotaur roared as he charged at me. He was massive, and it was made more evident as he thundered up the stairs. But a beast of that size has a lot of momentum, and I simply rolled out of the way. I came to my feet before he had completely arrested his motion and began to get within range. If I could get really close it would be difficult for him to swing those hammers effectively.

Still, that was easier said than done, the Minotaur blocking my attempts to close in with his superior reach. But he swung wildly just like the wolfmen, and he was considerably slower. I waited until he was thrown off balance by a particularly violent swing then forced Rhythm into his gut. In response he lashed out with a hoofed foot, catching me off guard and sending me tumbling down the stairs, losing Beat in the process.

Dazed, I looked up at the monster approaching me. He seemed completely ignorant of the two feet of metal embedded in his torso. I on the other hand was acutely aware of my injuries, and I struggled to stand from the pain. Looking over I could see Beat a good few feet away, but still close enough to get to if I was quick.

“You’re tough, I’ll give you that.” The Minotaur replied, raising his hammer. “But you’re too dangerous for slavery.”

I rolled out of the way as the hammer came crashing down. The strike was so powerful it shattered the stone stairs and I could feel the vibrations as I lunged at Beat, grabbing the blade before making it to my feet. The Minotaur cracked his neck in frustration before charging me again.

I knew I could not face the beast down directly, but there was still one option I had left. Spinning out of the way and dropping to one knee, I brought Beat around in a sweeping motion as the Minotaur passed, severing the tendons in his ankle. That wound he could not ignore and he stumbled before crashing into a wall. He tried to stand as I approached, but his ankle would no longer take his weight. He swung one hammer ineffectually as he tried to prop himself up with his other arm. I simply moved out of the way then slashed the tendons in his wrist.

“Bitch.” The minotaur snarled as I placed Beat under his neck. “You will not survive. We will kill you… painfully.”

“Maybe, but I’ve killed you.” I replied, violently severing his jugular. He coughed as the lifeblood flowed from his neck.

“And my name isn’t Bitch. It’s Amber Rain.” I snarled, tearing Rhythm free from his chest just as he died.

Leaving the Minotaur’s corpse I tried to get into the church to help, but the doors were barred from the inside and there was nothing I could do. The screams had stopped long ago and I could now see the Gargoyles flying out the way they came in, with a number of captives obviously destined for these mines the Minotaur mentioned. The rest of the Minotaur’s forces seemed to have fled, leaving me alone in this ghost town. Looking at the blood covering my blades, I could no longer cope and I collapsed in tears.

------------------

My house burned, with the body of my beloved inside. I did not have the wood to build a pyre, so instead I had set fire to the place I had called home for the last year. It was the best I could do in the time I had. Those monsters could return at any moment, and I did not have the strength to fight them again.

I could no longer stand to watch the fire, so I turned and walked down the road out of Reeph, my eyes filled with tears. The city was a long way off, and I needed to make a good start before nightfall.

And when I was healed, I would find every last one of these monsters and I would make them pay.

[XanteseZerylliom]

Too cool! I enjoyed it--especially since many people question the "housewife-turned-warrior" aspect of Amber when it was revealed. This makes sense. Good read!

[Veles]

Excellent work Preybird! Very enjoyable read.

[Preybird]

Thanks guys As a small amount of official Origin lore exists for Amber this was my way of "Filling in the blanks" so to speak.