Slayer - Finale

 

Reckon it was like the sound of thunder when our swords struck. Ain’t never been one for fancy words, but I could see beauty in our deadly dance. Metal has a sound that sings shrilly through the nights and days. To my ears it is the most harmonious thing I ever heard. As I stared through the sweat and effort at Cleaver, I could see he was lost in the music just like me. 

 

“Come on, Little Slayer,” Cleaver teased, “I know you have more to give than this.”

 

With a sudden ferocity, I came at Cleaver with strike upon strike. Each attack was deflected with ease and I could feel his entire strength behind his sword. Falling back, I regained my breath, frustrated I could see no way through his flashing blade. It was like the man had two swords! “I don’t want to hurt you,” I panted. 

 

Cleaver grunted, then rushed me with a slashing cut to my throat that I brushed aside, pushing Cleaver off balance. He spun round before I could get my final strike in and blocked. “One of us dies here this day,” Cleaver said, breathlessly. 

 

Taking three large steps back, I gave myself some room to breathe and study his defense. There was a glint of death in his eyes. I didn’t believe he would actually hurt me. But he did. With a sudden sprint towards me, Cleaver sliced out. This time I was too slow and his blade cut my arm, deep enough to know he was serious. Anger now urged me on as the pain sharpened my senses. I feinted an attack to Cleaver’s right, then came in to his left. Cleaver’s sword cut my attack, but I had drawn blood from a deep cut to his side. 

 

“Can we stop this now?”

 

Wincing with pain, Cleaver shook his head. “Not until you face the truth.”

 

I deepened my stance, ready to snap into my next attack. “What truth? The dark lord came and-”

 

Cleaver’s sword cut through the air and I dodged it, jumping back. “There was no dark lord!” 

 

There was a sudden flash of memory. The dark lord dressed in black towered above me as my village burned. Shaking the thought from my head, I threw attack after attack at Cleaver who I could see tiring. The old man was skillful, but he lacked the stamina that my youth gave me. If I could not cut him down, I would wear him down. 

 

“A plague swept the land,” Cleaver said, clutching the bloody wound at his side. “Entire villages were burnt to prevent the spread. They called it the Blight.”

 

Cleaver’s words dug into me, sharper than his sword had. “The dark lord-”

 

“You made him up!” Cleaver attacked again, feinting a head attack, then striking at my legs. Jumping back, I lost my footing and stumbled. “It was a plague that spread through your village bringing death, no dark lord. I helped burn it down!”

 

Angry, I went into another frenzy of hacks and slashes. Cleaver’s arms were shaking as he held his sword to my blows, but he was soon on his knees. With a final blow, I knocked the old man’s sword from his hands. “You burned my village?”

Cleaver looked into my eyes as I held my sword to his throat. “There was nothing but plague ridden bodies; I thought you were all dead.”

 

Holding my voice as steady as I could, I asked, “Why did you let me believe it was a dark lord all these years?”

 

Cleaver sighed. “You needed something to believe in, to grow strong and focus your rage at. Now it’s gone, Little Slayer. There is just us.” He dropped his eyes from me. “And now one of us must die.”

 

I brought my sword up high, ready to swipe down and cut my master down. The last of the sun’s rays washed over me and I felt the warmth of the day fading fast. Slowly, I brought my sword down. My mind was back on that distant day at Dragon’s Spit as I saw my parents sick and dying. Unable to help them, I lay down next to my Ma as flames spread through the village. My eyes tightly closed, I imagined a dark figure hunting everyone down. Wasn’t quite sure what was happening to me as I stood with Cleaver’s life in my hands; reckoned I was dying, ‘coz I fell to the ground and everything went black. 

 

“Come back, Little Slayer,” Cleaver whispered. 

 

I opened my eyes and stared up into the rough old face of Cleaver. “Did I die?”

 

“Aye, but now you get to live again.”

 

I sat up, throwing my arms around Cleaver. I kissed him, expecting he would pull back again. Only he didn’t. Finally, I pulled away, gasping, but happy. “So you do love me?”

 

Cleaver smiled for the first time in... forever. “Aye,” he whispered, pulling me to my feet. No other words were needed from him. 

 

“Was all that training for nothing?”  My head was spinning. “There is no dark lord to face.”

 

Cleaver shook his head. “There are always dark lords to face and people to be protected from them. I have given you the tools, shaped your body and mind. You are ready to go out into the world and live.”

 

Suddenly I saw many paths before me that had been hidden before. Cleaver’s clearing seemed like a small place and I was struggling to breathe there. He was right, I realised: it was time to move on and explore the land. Even though it was a Blight that killed my Ma and Pa, I would still find and fight any dark lords I came across. From the smallest village to the largest kingdom, there was the weak that needed to be protected from evil. 

 

“Come with me,” I said to Cleaver. 

 

Cleaver shook his head. “No, my story was done a long time ago. Let me fade to legend while you write a new one.”

 

I kissed Cleaver. “Your legend shall live on through me.” As the sun faded, we went to his hut and closed a chapter on my life.

 

The End