“Things like this make me wish I’d simply died and gone to Hell,” muttered Kaelin between gritted teeth as she parried another strike.
“What makes you think we’re not already there?” Azura leapt back and released an arrow straight into the beast’s eye. She was amazed and sickened at how easily the skill of slaughter came to her.
The tall girl scoffed, accepting the slight reprieve. “Then this is one twisted Hell we’re in.”
Roselyn remained silent as she kept yet another Cardin at bay. Her beautiful face was contorted in a feral snarl as the sharp end of her chain whip sunk into the creature’s exposed chest. With a deft jerk of her wrist, Roselyn relieved the beast of its black heart. The earth shook with the might of Broderick’s massive axe as it continued to cleave the monsters in two. He moved with supernatural speed swung the blade in a wide arc, annihilating everything in its path. A bloodthirsty cry was heard in Jay’s direction. Her pearl-white guns fired mercilessly at every Cardin she saw. She didn’t worry about running out of rounds; the guns used no tangible ammunition and the technology of the weapon was unknown even to the Northern territories.
All the better to kill a Cardin.
This was not a battle but a slaughter. However, despite their inherent skill for battle, the three young girls were not mentally conditioned for the fight. The battlefield reeked of death and the terrifying screams of a life being ripped from its host would haunt the girls for all of eternity. The accursed souls of the slain Cardin left this world with the knowledge that they would once again see their murderers in Hell.
The battlefield was seemingly empty save the various corpses scattered about. Although most had met their ends by the hands of Jay or Broderick, the two were not the only one with blood on their hands. Unfortunately, this calm was short lived. The ground, blackened by the pools of Cardin blood, erupted as another black beast flew out of the earth. It took to the air with tattered wings, blocking the risen sun from the sky. It was yet another Cardin, one larger than a bus.
“I hate these things,” Broderick mumbled. He may have been deadly on land, but he was nearly useless when his opponent flew too far overhead. His only hope was to keep it hovering within range, presenting considerable danger to the inexperienced troop beside him.
The young trio gaped at the beast in disbelief that such a thing could exist. It let out an ear shattering cry and swooped low to the ground. Broderick and the three girls tensed, ready to face a Cardin more deadly than the entire horde they faced minutes earlier. Without hesitation, Jay leapt unnaturally high into the air and onto the Cardin’s back, firing a round of shots into the back of its head. It thrashed upwards, avoiding the group entirely.
“Jay!” Broderick cried in surprised at the sudden action. ‘You were never this reckless until you had found something to protect,’ he thought grimly to himself. All he could do was watch uselessly from the ground as the beast flew higher into the air, engaging Jay in aerial combat.
“Will she be alright?” asked Roselyn, the only one of the three not winded from battle.
“Jay?” Broderick said, lifting his eyebrow, “Of course. Not even a flying Cardin can match her; she’s the only person I’ve ever known who could fly without wings.” Despite the strength in his voice, he still worried for her in his heart. She had already shown she was willing to go to any length to protect these girls, and Broderick dared not think of the consequences of her actions. The warrior in her was getting stronger with every drop of blood split. He feared that, one day, the warrior Jay would leave the battlefield unscathed, but the human Jay would never return.
The ring of gunshots broke through the air, but the group was already becoming apathetic to it; all that mattered was that the source of the shots would come back in one piece.
Today, she did.
The Cardin plummeted towards the earth, having already succumbed to Death’s embrace. Just before the body hit the ground, Jay leapt off of it and landed nimbly beside the others. The battle was finally over, and the group looked grim. It didn’t matter that they were relieving Gaia of its plague; even their intentions would not relieve them of the sins of such slaughter. However, they would not pay the price now – not until their deed was done.
The flames of Hell would have to wait for another day.
