Regrets of The Fallen (Victis Honor Book 1)

by Jake Taylor

  Isabella hit and shattered the stone floor, feeling bits of it rain back down on her as the wounds from his claws slowly healed. She forced herself to stand quickly and shot out of the hole moments before Faust landed on it, cracking it further. She hadn’t managed to get her footing before his backhand struck her and once more sent her flying towards the wall. This time she spun in the air and stabbed her sword into the ground, ceasing her momentum and coming to a stop on her feet. Faust let out a dark laugh as he stomped towards her, his stretched visage grinning. “You should just give up and make this easy! Either I’ll kill you or you’ll kill yourself with that unstable power – there’s no winning!” What made his words worse was the logic they carried – this unstable form was, in fact, tearing her apart, and every moment she stayed in it there was a larger risk of dying. However, like with so many other things in her life, she had no choice. She pulled her sword from the stone and ran forward to meet the monster, the only one she could blame for her situation.

  Haruka skidded across the floor and flipped to her feet just before her father’s fist struck and shattered the ground where she’d been. She reversed her direction and slammed her knee into his face, successfully knocking him back, but he caught her leg and spun in the air, smashing her into the floor. Haruka threw a heel up into his chin and freed her leg before rolling to her feet and spinning to meet him just in time for his fist to connect with her cheek; her mask saved her from a broken cheekbone but his next punch hit her stomach and knocked all air from her lungs, even taking her feet off the ground. Kazuki finished it with an overhead slam that made her hit the ground so hard she rebounded back into the air before landing a second time. Haruka slowly pushed herself up to her hands and knees as Kazuki stood over her. “This is pointless rebellion. You do not have the ability to defeat me or to change anything.”

  Haruka yelled in rage and shot to her feet, throwing a punch at his face. As he leaned back she dropped and swept his legs from under him, and as he fell to his back she brought her leg back around up and down in an axe kick. He managed to block the kick and shove her foot away before flipping back to his feet, but she met him with a flurry of blows that he was forced to deflect. With a feint she forced him to block high before her right leg slammed into his left side, then she spun back the other direction and delivered a roundhouse kick that knocked him back. He set his hand on the floor and reversed his direction, swinging around into a flying kick that connected with her chest and sent her back the other way. Haruka skidded across the floor and flipped to her feet only for him to catch up and smash a fist into her, slamming her into the ground. Before she could even recover he gripped the front of her clothing and hauled her off the ground before throwing her across the room.

  Haruka landed somewhere in the center and felt a hand grab hers, opening her eyes to see Isabella picking herself up off the ground as well and helping her up. They stood together back to back, breathing heavily, injured and having inflicted little damage. Kazuki came to stand nearby and folded his arms, while Faust stood opposite him, enjoying this far too much and unable to stop laughing. “Isabella of Two Faces, the great Golden Butcher! I had remembered you as more of a challenge.”

  Kazuki shook his head. “Despite their age and ‘experience’, they’re still just children.” He looked down at Haruka. “I can still make you into a worthy challenge if you just give this up.”

  Isabella looked over her shoulder at Haruka, who met her gaze. They shared the look for a long moment before turning back to the others. “You two… are such fools,” Isabella said as she stood straight, looking at Faust.

  Haruka straightened and cracked her neck and knuckles. “You still don’t know anything.”

  Faust just laughed as if they’d told a joke, while Kazuki shook his head. “You can use any words you like, but this remains a useless endeavor. You simply aren’t strong enough.”

  “We’ve been doing it wrong, and you still don’t understand,” Isabella said as she looked over her shoulder at Kazuki.

  “Our strength no longer comes from ourselves,” Haruka said as she looked over her own shoulder.

  At the same instant they spun and took off in opposite directions; Faust’s eyes widened as Haruka’s fist slammed into his face, and Kazuki’s confusion was obvious a moment before Isabella’s sword nearly cleaved him in half. He managed to avoid it but her foot slammed into his chest and shot him back, and she went after him. Faust growled and shot a clawed hand at Haruka, but she twisted around it and caught his wrist, spinning around and kicking his chin before dropping from his arm and leaving a Death Mark that exploded a few seconds later, cracking his armor and causing him to release a howl of pain.

  Kazuki was enraged and even looked offended as he fended off Bella’s attacks with his bracers and unleashed his own, but Isabella was deceptively calm. There was anger visible beneath the surface, but there was a steady determination that was keeping it in check. Her expression didn’t change as she twirled around his attacks and unleashed her own, her twin longswords preventing him from ever getting close enough to deliver real damage. “I’ve heard what you’ve done,” Isabella said coolly as she twisted a blade around his block and cut a gash in his arm, forcing him to back off. “You forced her into a life she never chose; you put her through pain and torment under the guise of ‘improvement’ instead of caring for or about her. You are not worthy of having Haruka as a daughter,” she continued as she barely missed a stab at his head.

  Kazuki grunted and ducked a swing, connecting a punch with her stomach that doubled her over. “And you aren’t a-“

  Isabella cut him off with a vicious knee to the face that broke his nose and sent him reeling. “Shut up,” she said in a disgusted voice as she strode forward and renewed her attacks.

  Haruka slid beneath Faust’s feet and placed a Death Mark on each leg before hopping up onto his back and sprinting along it, placing more and vaulting off before his claws found her. All of them detonated and he yelled in anger and pain, spinning around and lashing a claw at her that she avoided. “My battle is not with you! My enemy is Isabella!”

  “Same thing,” Haruka responded as she sprinted up his leg and smashed a knee into his chin. He managed to catch her leg, his claws piercing it through. He growled and slammed her into the floor, planning to do so repeatedly; however, she placed enough Death Marks on his wrist that the ensuing explosion severed his wrist and set her free. She moved back and knelt, wincing as she pulled the claws from her leg one by one until the hand dropped to the floor. As she focused her energy on healing her leg she kept her eyes on Faust, who was gripping his new stump. “I’ve heard all about you,” she said as she stood and channeled chi through her leg, feeling the wounds closing up and knitting together. “You used Isabella. You took advantage of her broken state and wielded her as a weapon for your own gains. You didn’t deserve what she did for you.” He shrieked and lunged forward, and Haruka yelled in response and actually leapt forward to meet him, crashing both feet into his head and flipping over his counter.

  Isabella wasn’t getting out of this without injury; Kazuki connected with punches, and kicks, and throws. She just didn’t care. No matter what he did she kept coming, and injuries were adding up on both of them. Isabella had bruises covering her body, and Kazuki was bleeding from dozens of places. This was going to end soon, and it seemed like it could go either way; but Isabella had something to fight for. “Six!” She shouted as she attacked with incredibly ferocity, forcing Kazuki back towards the center and ignoring his confused look.

  Haruka delivered an axe kick to Faust’s shoulder, flipping back off of him and hitting the ground running as he rushed after her. “Five!”

  Isabella spun low and swiped her blade at Kazuki’s legs, forcing him to jump; she used this chance to deliver a kick that knocked him back further, and she leapt after him. “Four!”

  “Three!” Haruka replied as her side was torn into by Faust’s claws. She spun away from the worst dama
ge and in between his arms, her arms blurring as she suddenly hit the monster with a lightspeed flurry of attacks, his chest taking dozens of hits per second.

  “Two!” Isabella responded as she brought her heel across Kazuki’s cheek, spinning him around. She was pouring everything she had into this, every bit of effort and energy she could expend in order to overwhelm him and push him back. As his face flared with rage she stabbed her swords into the ground and used them as leverage to deliver a powerful kick that sent him flying.

  Haruka narrowed her eyes and ducked Faust’s strike, sliding beneath his legs. He looked down and his eyes went wide as he saw the hundreds of Death Marks appearing across his chest and torso. With a cry of anger he spun to face her, and Haruka charged her fist with every bit of energy she had until it flared with a bright golden light. “One,” she finished as Faust’s claw went for her. Moments before it connected Kazuki slammed into his back and knocked him off balance. Isabella landed, pulled both swords free and took off with all speed she could; her feet left the floor in the same instant Haruka’s did, and in the next instant, Haruka’s burning fist and Isabella’s crossing blades cut through both Faust and Kazuki simultaneously, putting an expression of surprise on both faces. Isabella and Haruka landed on opposite sides of them at the same time, and less than a second later, every Death Mark Haruka had placed on Faust detonated.

  The resulting explosion incinerated not only Kazuki and Faust, but a large area of the floor and ceiling; the following shockwave shattered the remainder of the keep and sent debris in all directions. As the stone and dust rained down around them, Isabella and Haruka stood and turned, looking at the crater between them. Isabella’s energy instantly faded; her swords hit the ground as they and her appearance returned to normal as she fell. Haruka caught her mid-way and cradled her gently as she knelt on the ground. Isabella took a shuddering breath, looking up at the cloudy sky above them as rain fell on them through the hole the explosion had created. “Rain… It’s always… always raining, isn’t it?”

  Haruka brushed the rainwater from Isabella’s face with a gentle hand, nodding. “It’s our luck,” she said with a smile.

  “I’ve never felt… so tired,” Bella said softly. “I’m… done with fighting.”

  “There’s no more to be done,” Haruka assured her as she lifted her up in her arms. “We’re finished. This is our time now.”

  Isabella smiled and closed her eyes. “Just… Promise me something.”

  “Anything.”

  Isabella rested her head against Haruka’s shoulder as they left the ruins of the keep. “On the way back… Let’s pick a route with less mud.”

  Haruka couldn’t help but laugh.

  Chapter 19: The Arisen

  “I think sometimes, a happy ending is deserved.”

  IXH

  The Bloodmoon Mercenary Camp was alive with movement and noise, with people rushing back and forth in all directions. Ophelia did her best to direct the chaos, but more often found herself simply sighing or shaking her head at the directionless mass. She never would have guessed that their mercenaries would be so excited over a wedding, but apparently Isabella and Haruka had made a strong impression. The fact that it meant a huge party probably helped, as well. They had set up their largest tent – a massive one that covered a large square area – for afterwards, where dozens of people were setting up food and drink, and Ophelia had to handpick and post guards to prevent idiots from getting into it early.

  The actual invited guests were much more well-mannered – herself, of course, and Dalgus; Able and Suria, who were there already; and obviously Freya, who had – on request from the brides – brought a doctor from the north by the name of Vivian Heart. Ophelia had never met her before today, but she was far better behaved than the people Ophelia ordered around, so she was quite happy to have her. Ophelia sighed as another crash came from nearby, followed by the sound of an argument beginning. Putting on her strongest no-nonsense face, she stalked over to deal with the situation.

  In one of the smaller tents near the staging area, Isabella was doing her best to get ready. The actual ceremony was being held outside, as there was no tent large enough to incorporate the entire camp at once, and then everyone (aside from the named guests) would filter in and out of the reception area. Bella was glad, then, that for once, it wasn’t raining on them. “No, in Areya our traditions were very simple,” she was explaining to Suria as she got ready. “Usually weddings there are a very small, very private affair with no more than ten people; it’s intended to be a solemn occasion acknowledging the weight of the event.”

  “That seems a lot different from this,” Suria said as she peeked out of the tent flap. “Are you nervous doing it in front of two thousand people?”

  “Nope,” Isabella said with a smile. “I don’t get nervous in front of people, or embarrassed. But even if I did, I wouldn’t be noticing those things anyway.”

  The crimson-haired girl pulled back and looked at her. “You’re still that affected by Haruka?”

  Isabella nodded. “It’s not something that changes, really. I mean…” She lowered her hands and looked into the mirror she’d been provided. “If we had… years of time left, I’d still feel the same way after all of that.” She looked back at Suria. “Love is strange; it comes easily, but you still have to work at it. You choose it. And it’s hard – don’t think it’s just some easy romance-novel thing that sweeps you away. You have to put effort into it and into your relationship, you have to work together to make it work. But if you do it right, that just makes it stronger. Something you work at will always be stronger and better. It’s like steel, tempered in fire and pounded by iron and made stronger through the process. And in the end you’re left with something beyond value, something shared between two people that can’t be truly explained to anyone outside of it.”

  Suria sat down and watched as she picked up a blue dress, apparently a modified version of one she had already owned; according to Bella, it had been made much longer and fancier thanks to a friend, but retained the deep blue color she loved. She had said that it meant far more to her than any new dress she could get, and she wouldn’t get married in anything else. “You talk about it so easily; I hope I can understand it like you do someday.”

  “Oh, I don’t understand it,” Isabella said with a laugh as she looked back at her. “I just feel it.”

  IXH

  “You look sharp,” Vivian said with a whistle as she leaned back in her chair, folding her arms and crossing her legs.

  “Aye, I wouldn’t kick you outta bed,” Freya added with a wink.

  Haruka grinned at them both, looking over her shoulder and raising one eyebrow. “Is that appropriate for today, Freya?” She was wearing what was similar to a formal military uniform, a deep green suit with gold embroidery along the edges. It was actually an outfit from her days with the Black Sun that she had never worn, meant to be used in the most formal of occasions. She had never cared for such occasions and hadn’t dressed up despite her father’s wishes, and she enjoyed repurposing it for this, an occasion that she actually cared about. Additional pluses were that Bella would love it and her father would have hated it, so it was a win/win for her.

  “Lass, when’ve I ever been appropriate?”

  “There was probably one time. The law of averages says there has to be one example.”

  “I’ve only known her for the trip here,” Vivian said, “but I would be willing to bet that this is an exception to that law.”

  Freya grinned at her. “D’you ‘ave a problem with my inappropriate ways?”

  “I’m not going to dissuade you.”

  “Really now? What about inappropriate advances?” The pirate captain set a hand on her hip and cocked her head. “Say… Aimed at you?”

  The red-haired doctor smiled slightly. “What makes you think they’re inappropriate?”

  “You two better not disappear in the middle of this thing, Bella will kill me,” Haruka in
terrupted, drawing laughs from both of them.

  “No worries, lass – I can wait,” Freya said with a wink at the doctor before slipping out of the tent.

  Vivian watched her go before leaning back. “She is… very interesting.”

  “I guess your trip up here was nice,” Haruka said with a chuckle.

  Vivian smiled. “It certainly wasn’t bad. It’s been a long time since I went anywhere; it reminded me of my days as a field surgeon, travelling with a military regiment, only less bloody. Well… slightly less bloody.”

  “Freya likes her fights,” Haruka said with a smirk.

  “Yes… She reminds me of a few soldiers I served with, only she’s much more… intriguing.”

  “I trust Freya with my life,” Haruka said as she looked at Vivian. “It would be hard to do better.”

  “I’ll certainly trust your opinion on that; you seem to have done well yourself.”

  “Well, you can’t do as well as I have, there’s only one Bella. All you can do is almost as well, but that’s still really, really good.”