How Gods Bleed

by Shane Porteous

When the figure spoke again he said these words, “I had become reborn from a tragedy that you created…my humanity had been taken from me and there was nothing I could do about it. I had to rely on memory and memory alone, and the memory that I will never forget is the memory of you, killing my mother! I could think of nothing else but your damn face….I remember sitting there knowing that I had to find you, that I could not allow you to exist knowing what you had done!

  As the world literally shattered around me and lives that you destroyed were reborn as monsters I looked for you. It is all that I could think about, but no matter how hard or how long I looked for I could not find you. As the west became reshaped in the image of the werewolves I realized that you must have fled into the east. But by the time I had realized that I had become trapped within the west. There was no way that I could have made such a journey and survived. I could not risk dying before I had my chance to avenge my mother…so I fled to the one place I knew that the werewolves would never dare tread.

  The mountain of Xeunvoa which is the tallest mountain in the west. By the time I went to the mountain the werewolves had already forged a legend that the only reason why someone would travel there is so they could be close enough to the heavens to challenge the gods. In spite of what they had become the werewolves still held the superstitions of the people they once were. I knew that the werewolves would never dare go to such a place. Much like my mother and I had fled to Vastis I traveled there hoping to escape the world. When I reached its summit I discovered that part of its legend was true that it was so high up that you could see all of Noonsva. With the vision your curse bestowed on me I could even make out fine detail, such as someone’s eye colour. It became the perfect place to look out on the continent and search for you.

  For centuries I sat watching the world pass by and yet never once saw you. I spent so long up there that I learned the language of the winds; they actually speak if you listen long enough. I began to hear the stories of you, Cada Varl the Immortal and the songs werewolf sung thanking you for their creation.” The hands of the figure began to shake as he said, “They actually thanked you for what you turned them into. How disgusting!” The face of the figure twisted like he had just smelled history’s nastiest odor. “How could anything ever thank you for what you have done?” His words struck the Immortal deeply as he felt like the entire world was preparing to fall down upon him. “For years and years I was haunted by such songs as every day I continued to search for you. Nothing ever changed from day to day; all I could do was search for any trace of you.

  After centuries of isolation and nothingness someone else came to Xeunvoa. The Elde Ode led by a man called Gosfear, even before I became what I am today I had lost trust in everything. I had grown to hate the werewolves because they praised you so highly. But I soon learned that Gosfear and his followers were different, they hated their curse as much as I hated mine. Even though I was different Gosfear welcomed me with open arms, for all he had been forced to suffer he never forgot who he was. I told Gosfear everything that had happened to me and my hatred of you. Gosfear told me that he understood my hatred and even tried to help me to stop it from consuming me. But not even someone as wise and as sincere as Gosfear could stop my hatred, even with his teachings and meditation techniques I could do nothing else but think of you, your face, your hands, the hands that killed my mother. I soon realized that I would never find you in the west, Gorgoza surely would have discovered you. You must have been somewhere in the east but I had no way of finding you.

  Then it came to me, how I could draw you out. In a bid to help me deal with my anger Gosfear would often speak about his own frustrations and hatreds. He told me about Gorgoza and what he had done to the Elde Ode. He told me of how he wanted revenge against Gorgoza for what he had done but did not know how he could possibly accomplish it. It was then that I realized that if Gorgoza died his throne would be up for grabs by any number of usurpers. If one of these usurpers was successful than they would look towards the east for conquest and if that happened, if the monsters rampaged through the east I knew that there was a good chance that you would come out of hiding.

  So using the techniques of alchemy my mother had taught me all those years ago I discovered a way to melt silver down in such a way that it could not be detected if mixed with another liquid. It took many years to make such a discovery but when I did Gosfear did not waste time as he set about getting his revenge on Gorgoza. At first it went mostly to plan, Gorgoza was dead and the west fell into turmoil. Then I saw something that I had been thinking about since the first day I was reborn. I saw you with a group of humans entering the west.”

  The figure paused for a moment as his eyes fell away from the Immortal’s before he looked back and said, “I have no memory of a similar sensation so I could not truly feel the way I should’ve when I saw you. Finally I thought the gods must have been smiling down at me. I once thought it would take a number of years for the werewolves to draw you out as they rampaged across the east but you decided to come out of hiding all your own. As Gosfear and the others became worried about Thark finding them I kept my eyes upon you and your group. As much as I wanted to kill you I forced myself to be cautious, I had waited so long for vengeance that I had to think of the best way to kill you.

  I listened to the winds and discovered the reasons why you were in the west, to find the blood of the goddess. I heard you mention the power that it could bring someone if they drank it and that is when I knew I needed it for myself. To ensure that I would have enough power to kill you I continued listening to the winds waiting for you to speak of how to enter the chamber. But there was always the chance that you would reach it before I could have; I could not rely on a single chance…not after so long. I needed to know exactly how powerful you were.…”

  The figure fell silent for a moment as his eyes became filled with the memory of shame.

  “So I lied to the Elde Ode and to Gosfear that if they could bring me your blood than I may have been able to make them human once again. I had gained Gosfear’s trust because of the poison that I had created so they were willing to hunt you down and attempt to spill your blood. I was worried at first that they may have been able to kill you before I had a chance, but after you defeated Aneeku so easily I realized just how powerful you really were. As the Elde Ode continued their attempts on your life I journeyed to this land just in time to see the light leave the body of Gosfear…he was a good man….”

  There was a part of the Immortal that wanted to blame the figure for the deaths of the Elde Ode and the Helluvans. That if he had not said such a lie than almost all of them would still be alive. But Cada Varl stayed silent knowing that ultimately he was to blame for everything, including what this figure had become.

  “ The fact that even Gosfear fell by your hand just shows how powerful you truly are…As I kicked you away from me and saw the rubble collapse upon you I thought I had enough time to get the blood of the goddess. But I see that there is more to this chamber then what you told the people that came with you into the west….”

  The figure studied the eyes of the Immortal searching for some kind of answer within them. When Cada Varl did not say anything the figure said, “There is another word that opens the door behind me isn’t there?” Again Cada Varl stayed silent but the figure knew his words to be true. “As a way to keep it safe you did not tell anyone, even your companions…. Now I realize that even with my strength this door could never be forced open because it was created by the gods.”

  Slowly the figure took off both of his gloves dropping them onto the ground next to the helmet as he stretched and bent his fingers. “But my cause is far from lost…You may have defeated Gosfear but your victory was hardly flawless. Your injuries have weakened you…it is as plain as day….” The figure stopped stretching his fingers, holding them perfectly still as he placed his right hand out to the side.

  Cada Varl watched in silence as the blood suddenly spat out from
the figure’s palm as he gritted his teeth tightly together. From his hand something began to appear, but unlike the light Gosfear had used this was not energy, it was something solid. The entire arm of the figure trembled violently as whatever it was grew in length literally pushing itself out of his hand. In a moment it was complete and the figure was holding what appeared to be some kind of crimson metal, shaped almost like a sword. Strangely the red that covered the blade was not his blood but some other kind of material. Cada Varl had shock in his eyes, as he looked upon this red blade, utterly bewildered by how the figure had come to possess it. As the figure moved the blade so that it was pointing towards the Immortal, the blood that covered his hand fell so quickly it seemed almost to jump off of his flesh.

  “This,” the figure declared proudly, “Is a weapon the embodies all the hatred for you that I have carried for all these centuries. I have waited so long but finally my vengeance is at hand!”

  With those words the figure rushed forward hammering his weapon down. Cada Varl quickly raised his own sword and blocked it.

  “Listen to me!” Cada Varl said. “You have every right to hate me, I do deserve to be destroyed for what I did.”

  There was a flash of red in the eyes of the figure as he said “And so you shall!” He lifted his sword and smashed it down again, this time as the two swords met the chamber shook. Cada Varl already could feel the immense strength this figure possessed as he said, “If you listened to the winds than you know what will happen if I drink the blood of the goddess, I will be destroyed, along with every werewolf. The world can be freed of this nightmare!”

  “Not for me!” The figure bellowed, “This nightmare will only end when you’re dead by my hand!” As the light grew in the eyes of the figure it stayed there and the air began to heat up. As their swords clashed for a third time they came face to face and the figure said, “I heard your name from the whispers of the wind, you shall hear mine from my own lips….” Cada Varl struggled against the strength of the figure as he bellowed, “I am Rojohitshe!” His words were so passionate that they shook the chamber once more as Rojohitshe raised his sword and almost instantly the air around him changed from clear to a blackish red.

  Disturbed by how quickly the energy had been brought forth Cada Varl called upon the red light as he raised his sword. As both combatants hammered their swords down the red and blackish red smashed together in a collision of terrifying power. The Hegadakore around them shattered like it was nothing more than glass, but the destruction did not stop there.

  While their energies expanded both Cada Varl and Rojohitshe leapt up causing their energies to concentrate as they ascended. The roof of the chamber could offer no resistance to their power and quickly fell to pieces. As rock and earth exploded into the air the two enemies ascended above ground clashing their swords together in an ungodly display of skill. Both leapt back with great speed avoiding the large hole that they had created in the ground. Rojohitshe, with eyes still glowing red, raised his sword causing the blackish red energy to move around it before he hammered his sword down and summoned a wave of destruction. Cada Varl did the same and as the two waves smashed into one another over the heavily damaged chamber they seemed of equal power, sending shock waves to reverberate through the air around them.

  Rojohitshe leapt over the massive hole bringing his strange sword with him as Cada Varl leapt back to avoid his blade. The snow on the ground began to evaporate, as both combatants would not relinquish the energy that they had summoned. As their swords clashed the air continued to reverberate, as it had no way of dealing with such power. Each collision of their blades sounded louder than anything an angry storm could produce.

  After a melee of hurried attacks by both warriors Cada Varl pushed Rojohitshe back. In response Rojohitshe bellowed as he charged forward and the two weapons smashed together once again. “You took everything from me!” Rojohitshe bellowed in a voice consumed by pain and anger. Cada Varl said nothing in response but pushed his opponent away once more. Before he had even come to a stop Rojohitshe summoned the blackish red energy around his sword. This time however he did not unleash it in a wave and the energy remained spinning around his blade. Before Cada Varl could attack him Rojohitshe unleashed the energy in three lightning like streams. Cada Varl dodged the first two jumping quickly out of their destructive path before he summoned the red light to act as a kind of shield before him as he smashed his sword into the last of the lightning like attacks. The blackish red energy quickly flew away from him landing and exploding somewhere in the far distance.

  Cada Varl unleashed a wave of the red energy in response causing Rojohitshe to leap directly up in order to avoid it. The Immortal was about to summon another wave when Rojohitshe rushed forward from the air and down upon him, causing their weapons to smash together once more. Now being so close to one another Cada Varl could see how intense the red of his enemy’s eyes had become. They disengaged and Rojohitshe struck again. Cada Varl blocked it but he had to step back in order to do so.

  Rojohitshe stayed on the offensive hammering and smashing his sword down like he was trying to simply hammer Cada Varl into the ground. His strikes were not the most skilled but they were fast and powerful. Cada Varl continued to step back blocking the strikes of his enemy as he summoned the red energy around him once again. Without missing a beat Rojohitshe did the same. Cada Varl went on the attack countering an enemy blow before he hammered his weapon down Rojohitshe did take a step back but was able to block it easily.

  As the two of them now smashed their swords together over and over again their energies met like two expanding walls that were forced to tolerate one another. The energies expanded both left and right as if trying to outrun each other. As the eyes of Rojohitshe continued to glow the eyes of Cada Varl began to do the same. Quickly the two energies were expanding to cover the entire breath of the valley causing the air to shutter violently as the snow began to evaporate in mass.

  As their swords clashed again the air fizzled like it was being cooked from the inside out. Then Cada Varl managed to push Rojohitshe back and as he did so the energies reached boiling point. The red forced the blackish red back where it soon dissipated causing Rojohitshe to cover his face as a way of dealing with the sudden power that was forced upon him. He lowered his arms in time to see that Cada Varl was summoning another wave and quickly leapt to the right in order to avoid the oncoming destruction. Rojohitshe responded with a wave of his own that Cada Varl stood and met with a mighty swipe of his blade. Cada Varl may have been injured during his fight with Gosfear but he was proving that he was far from incapacitated.

  Cada Varl cut the enemy wave in two causing its energy to fall apart from itself and scorch the ground around him. The Immortal felt like he was fighting a distorted reflection of himself, someone that fought a lot like him but not quite. Rojohitshe began to scream and as the two of them clashed swords once more the screams slowly began to turn into something far more animalistic. Cada Varl knew that the power inside of him hadn’t settled from his fight with Gosfear. He was worried about what would happen if he continued using it but he also knew that in order to defeat this enemy he would have to increase the intensity of his own power.

  Cada Varl went on the attack moving his sword with incredible speed and strength. Rojohitshe blocked each of these attacks before going on the offensive himself with a series of thrusts and swings. As their swords collided again and again in a tremendous display of inhuman power the hands of Rojohitshe began to turn dark red and not with energy. Whatever had once happened to Cada Varl was now happening to his enemy and the Immortal could feel Rojohitshe’s power growing with each collision of their swords. It was happening much faster than it did with Cada Varl but from the beginning of this fight Rojohitshe had been fueled by rage and this kind of power fed on such emotion. The increase in power was instantly felt as Cada Varl blocked a total of seven enemy strikes in quick succession before going back on the attack himself. Their bla
des met but neither one of them were able to push the other back, forcing them to simultaneously disengage. They repeated the same blow and achieved the same result. As they pushed down on their swords their faces came closer together and Rojohitshe began to snarl like some feral animal. Cada Varl pushed the weight of his entire body upon his sword forcing Rojohitshe to disengage from him.

  Quickly Rojohitshe slashed his sword back down where the Immortal leapt back to avoid it. Rojohitshe followed his enemy swinging his sword wildly in a number of directions. Cada Varl ducked and dodged several of them before bringing his blade up to block the last of them. Cada Varl turned his body, skillfully placing himself behind his enemy. As he swung his sword across, Rojohitshe leapt into the air contorting his body and flipping over Cada Varl. The Immortal quickly stepped forward turning around as he did so. Their swords clashed briefly before Rojohitshe intensified the energy around him. Knowing the power his enemy was summoning Cada Varl did the same but also leapt back in order to put distance between the two of them.

  Rojohitshe called the energy upon his sword summoning and then delivering three more lightning like strikes of black red energy. Cada Varl dodged the first two and then ducked underneath the third, running forward with his weapon at the ready. Rojohitshe lowered his blade in time to block the blow of his enemy before leaping back and summoning a wave of the blackish red. Cada Varl quickly ran in a sidestep moving quickly across the landscape and summoning energy around his own sword. Rojohitshe watched his enemy for a moment or so until he believed the time was right and he unleashed an energy wave. Cada Varl easily predicated its movements, moving out of harm’s way before he unleashed a wave of his own. Rojohitshe avoided the wave, but only barely before both of them leapt through the air towards each other. While in the air their swords must have clashed twenty times before their feet touched the ground once more.

  Without missing a step the two continued clashing their swords, going back and forth. It seemed almost a stalemate as neither could force the other to remain on the defensive for long. The engagement came to an end when Cada Varl successfully landed a powerful kick to the torso of his enemy.

  Rojohitshe fell to his knees but easily blocked the sword of Cada Varl and rose to his feet before the Immortal could take any kind of advantage. In the same movement, as he smashed his sword into the blade of Cada Varl, Rojohitshe rammed his shoulder into the Immortal trying to put him off balance. Cada Varl however stood his ground causing the eyes of his enemy to intensify with rage as an animalistic cry left his lips.

  The red that had covered his hands was slowly spreading as the two of them fought on. Now Cada Varl could get a true glimpse of what he had turned into during his fight with Gosfear. Cada Varl blocked another strike of his enemy before intensifying the energy on the ground before him. But in place of summoning it in a wave he kept it there in front of him. Rojohitshe paid no attention to the energy, he leapt over it and continued his onslaught of enraged sword strikes. Now with his enemy so close to him Cada Varl summoned the energy into his sword but astonishingly Rojohitshe seemed to know what he had planned immediately. Rojohitshe leapt back and as the energy wave was released he leapt back again calling upon his own energy to form around him. Instead of unleashing it through his sword Rojohitshe raised his hands up and let out a devastating bellow. It sounded more like the roar of some beast as the energy he had summoned suddenly rushed forward in a wall of protection.

  As the two energies met the wall caused the wave to rush back the way it had come, to the disbelief of the Immortal who hurried to move out of its path. The Immortal reached safety but could not take his eyes off of the two energies as they rushed into the wall of the valley turning rock and earth into dust.

  As he looked back he could see that both arms of his enemy now were consumed by dark red flesh. Rojohitshe now possessed a hideous smile as the darkest part of him enjoyed having such power. The eyes of Cada Varl now were burning red as he summoned the red light around him before he rushed forward to engage his enemy. Rojohitshe stayed in one spot waiting for his enemy to come to him. Cada Varl was moving so quickly that his feet no longer were touching the ground as his sword smashed into his enemy’s blade. The force of his attack caused the wind to flee in fear of him yet Rojohitshe did not so much as move an inch from the spot. This show of defiance to his power rattled the Immortal as Rojohitshe chuckled inhumanly.

  The light in the eyes of Cada Varl intensified as he willingly leapt back and increased the energy around him. The noise that was made as he did so was actually faster than how sound normally traveled. Such a thing caused something like a sonic boom to rattle the air around him as the energy ascended like a fiery spiral. Now the other arm of the Immortal began to turn red as he allowed the energy to take more of him. He bellowed as he unleashed another wave of energy towards his opponent.

  Responding to this Rojohitshe leapt into the air, completely ignoring any law that gravity had to offer. He easily avoided the oncoming wave and then responded with one of his own. The Immortal leapt out of his way but before he could do anything else Rojohitshe summoned another wave down upon him. Cada Varl turned his body sharply avoiding the oncoming attack before he caused another wave of his own to launch into the air. Rojohitshe, while still in the air turned his body as well, avoiding it only barely, but remaining unharmed.

  As the energy intensified around him Rojohitshe swung his sword on either side of him creating two additional waves, one after the other. Cada Varl leapt one way and then the other before launching an empowered wave of his own. This wave was moving so fight that Rojohitshe simply could not avoid it. Instead he raised his sword horizontally in front of him and met the wave head on. Though he was forced back violently onto the ground he was able to prevent the wave from doing him any harm. He forced the wave into the air where it ascended and then fell somewhere behind him.

  As the wave struck the ground causing a devastating explosion behind him Rojohitshe leapt forward towards his enemy who rushed forward to meet him. This time when their swords clashed the energy was so great the ground directly beneath them began to crack. As both of them leapt away from one another the ground that they were just standing on fell to pieces. Both of them snarled at one another as infection upon their flesh now began to spread to their torsos. They clashed again moving their swords so quickly that their movements couldn’t be seen by the naked eye. Their arms and swords seemed nothing more than a blur as strange sounds echoed throughout the air. They stared at one another like they were the last two predators left in the world and only had one another for potential prey.

  As they disengaged they both called upon the energy around them to intensify even further, causing the entire valley to tremble in response to such power. Cada Varl was the first to leap back summoning the energy in another wave and unleashing it downwards. Rojohitshe did not move from the spot, he met the wave head on with his sword. Incredibly his sword easily cut through it as if it was nothing more than an actual gentle wave summoned from the calmest of oceans.

  As the energy of the Immortal fell harmlessly around him Rojohitshe launched a total of 9 lightning like strikes. While he was still in the air Cada Varl twisted his body in ways that were humanly impossible before smashing his sword down upon the third lightning strike. Almost instantly he forced it to smash into the ground which was no match for his power. For the next two strikes Cada Varl swung them away with his sword before dodging the next and hammering down the one after that. As the last two came towards him he quickly turned his body dodging the first before he placed his sword directly into the path of the last one. He turned his sword so swiftly that he was actually able to deflect the lightning like strike right back at Rojohitshe. It happened so quickly yet Rojohitshe was able to turn his body in time to avoid the attack. As he looked back he seemed disgusted that Cada Varl would dare turn his own attack against him.

  Rojohitshe snarled at his enemy before he raised an open hand towards the Immortal. He
summoned the blackish red energy in the palm of his hand and as he did so the red infected his flesh further. He launched a stream of energy towards Cada Varl. The Immortal seemed perplexed by this sudden ability as he raised his sword to intercept it. Cada Varl was forced back across the ground as the energy intensified. As he gathered all the strength he could to prevent the attack from consuming him the red began to infect his entire torso. When the energy disappeared Cada Varl bellowed an ungodly cry as he summoned the energy around him.

  This time the energy ascended at an unbelievable rate reaching the heights of the sky in no time at all. The sheer power of the energy was that incredible that it made every single cloud in the sky glow red in tribute to it. The pillar of energy surrounded itself around one of these clouds and instead of causing it to deteriorate the cloud seemed to draw on the energy and grow larger. As the Immortal summoned the energy into his sword and hammered it down the energy brought the cloud with it literally ripping it from the sky. As the sword struck down, the energy followed, causing the earth to break and crack open in a massive path before him. Rojohitshe watched the ongoing path of destructive bringing up his sword to meet it as his own energy intensified around him. Cada Varl’s energy finished its ascent by smashing the red cloud into the ground instantly causing it to separate and form a strange kind of red mist on one side of the valley.

  An explosion of such power was terrifying yet Cada Varl stood in one spot snarling and breathing heavily as he searched for any sign of his enemy. The mist that the Immortal had inadvertently created was so thick that not even his powerful eyes could see through it. He kept his sword raised before him not knowing what the mist hid. He stepped forward but did not rush keeping his eyes darting back and forth for any sign of Rojohitshe.

  When his enemy did appear from the mist he emerged as something new, something terrifying. Their swords clashed once again and Cada Varl saw that the red had infected Rojohitshe from head to toe. His cape and upper garments had vanished completely perhaps incinerated by the explosion. Even his hair now seemed more a dark purple than the white it once was. Rojohitshe snarled and this time there was no trace of anything human inside of his tone.

  He pushed Cada Varl back forcing the Immortal to stumble and almost lose his balance. As Cada Varl summoned another wave he called upon so much energy that he too began to transform into something inhuman. He launched the wave only for Rojohitshe to block it like it was nothing more than a gentle breeze. The two enemies rushed towards one another, their weapons becoming little more than a blur as they clashed violently. The sky now began to roar with thunder though no lightning fell, like it was angry that Cada Varl had stolen one of its clouds.

  Blow after blow the red continued to infect the Immortal as his hair began to turn a dark purple. It was only a matter of moments before he had become something similar to Rojohitshe. They may still have been shaped like men but they now were anything but. After what could only be described as a shuddering display of raw power both leapt back from one another. As if he was a reflection of his enemy Cada Varl raised his hand and instantly unleashed a concentrated stream of red energy. Rojohitshe did the same causing the two streams to smash into one another at the exact same time. As the air became filled by an explosion greater than any the gods had ever witnessed upon the earth, Cada Varl and Rojohitshe were thrown back with disturbing violence.

  The valley now became covered in rubble and scorched earth but neither enemy took any time to notice this. Both of them had received injuries from the explosion but seemed indifferent to their own pain as they quickly rushed forward to clash swords once again. They snarled and growled as their swords repeatedly hammered against one another. Any trace of skill or training now had vanished, they seemed like two wild beasts literally trying to bash one another to death.

  After their swords had clashed at least 100 times in a matter of only a few seconds they smashed their swords together yet again. Instead of repeating the blow however they continued to apply pressure upon their individual weapons. Like two bulls locking horns they now both simply tried to force the other back. When neither could accomplish this through sheer strength they began snarling out one another as if trying to frighten the other to summit.

  After several moments of this strange contest of sounds Rojohitshe raised his head back and glared his teeth before biting into the shoulder of the Immortal. Blood exploded out from the corners of Rojohitshe’s mouth, Cada Varl bellowed in pain before he pushed his enemy away from him. Rojohitshe spat the blood out of his mouth before he leapt forward causing their swords to smash together once again. Quickly Cada Varl took his left hand off of his blade and swiped it across the face of his enemy.

  His nails proved as sharp as claws as they tore flesh from Rojohitshe and covered his face in horrible gashes. Rojohitshe snarled in pain as he stepped back and then rushed forward barging his shoulder into the body of the Immortal. Cada Varl violently fell back and Rojohitshe followed him. Before his enemy could swing his sword downward Cada Varl morbidly leapt up off the ground and brought his feet into the chest of Rojohitshe. The blow was powerful and forced Rojohitshe to fall back onto the ground with a loud thud. Cada Varl leapt high into the air stabbing his sword down towards his enemy. At the last moment possible Rojohitshe threw his body to the right saving himself from Cada Varl as he smashed into the ground with so much force that it broke from under him.

  Cada Varl was so fast however that he was able to leap into the air before the ground could swallow him up. Fearlessly Rojohitshe leapt up bringing his sword in a powerful arc before him. When the two enemies struck each other this time it was more like a crude tackle than a collision of titans. As they fell with Rojohitshe on top of the Immortal they continued to snarl at each other like wild beasts. They struck the ground with the power and force of two boulders thrown from heaven.

  Instantly Cada Varl threw Rojohitshe off of him and leapt to his feet. Rojohitshe hit the ground but did not stay there, quickly rising and turning to meet his enemy in combat. As soon as their swords met once again they both roared ferociously as they tried to push the other over. When they realized that this would not work both of them threw their heads back and then forward smashing their faces and foreheads together. The sound of such a contact was a sickening thing to hear and would have brought immense pain to both of them. However they repeated the action again and again and as they did so blood from both of their faces exploded in their air as bones in their faces began to crack and break. It was nothing more than sheer force by both of them desperate to destroy the other.

  Rojohitshe was the first to break away from this strange display of brutality leaping forward before Cada Varl could follow them. What followed next was as brutal as it was desperate. Neither seemed too concerned in stopping the other from hurting them as they used sword, claw and teeth to cut and bite into one another. Pieces of bloody flesh flew into the air all around them as they literally began dissecting each other. There was no regard for their own well being as they both became covered in viscous wounds. Instinct stepped in; it had to in order to save them from such horrible deaths.

  Both of them leapt back and summoned the energy around them. The summoning of the power was incredible as the entire world felt like it was trembling, terrified that it would be destroyed by their next collision. The entire valley, including the sky, was covered in either red or a black red light. Like mirror images of one another they called all of the energy into their respective swords and leapt forward snarling at their enemy. Their cries were so loud that they silenced all other sound.

  In a shard of a moment they were far behind one another with their backs turned, everything had been blown away by some powerful wind, including even the angry clouds in the sky, covering the valley in an eerie calm. With nothing to hinder it from view the sun shone once again like it hadn’t done in over a million years. Cada Varl was breathing so hard it sounded like he was panting as the sword in his hand shattered into pieces so s
mall that they could not been seen by even the sharpest of eyes. Rojohitshe was breathing as well but it was far less violent as his glowing red eyes stared up into the now beautiful blue sky.

  A moment passed and then the red that had covered his body disappeared like it was being sucked back inside of his soul. His eyes turned back to what they once were, as his hair became white once again. There was a look in his eyes, one so deep that it would haunt even the bravest of men. He was looking at something far in the distance, something that only his eyes could see and his mind could comprehend. It was the look many a man carried in his eyes when at his final moment. As he continued looking upon something that only he could see a cut began to spread across his face, growing deeper with each instant. As the blood consumed his face his eyes stood out as if they were somehow immune to this horrible liquid. There was a quiet rage in his eyes as he said softly, “Damn you Cada Varl.”