Vera had heard plenty of tales of Quinn’s valour and honour, his supposed gentleness to peasants and bystanders.

  What she didn’t know was how full of lies those stories were. He didn’t care, he never did, for Quinn was a ruthless opponent who refused to learn what the word ‘defeat’ even meant.

  Calculating, precise, exact, all of which he was the complete reverse. He prioritised brutality over brain, force over skill, uncaring of collateral damage or the suffering of any that died during his fighting. However, to support a protective image, he oft claimed nightmares tormented him with the faces of the innocent, and feigned tears with his gifts of water.

  This display, of course, was a lie, his entire image was a lie, he barely even cared about the bounties he was claiming, the real gold was killing. All the stood in his way deserved to drown, that’s what he truly believed.

  He was the pure embodiment of hate, a spiteful being who loathed his opponents to their bones, no matter who they were, no matter the reasons for their actions, their story, their goals, their motivation or their family—the only thing that satisfied him was the earned kill at the end of a rivalry, that crunch of bone from a snapped neck or the squelch of a stabbed heart.

  He had been feeling so empty from the orders of Killian Entrail, slaughtering the people in the sewers made his heart feel hollow, no strength amongst the pile of corpses… now he had found the king and queen of the rats, an enemy he falsely believed had kidnapped and raped someone he knew.

  Vera was the first to strike. She closed the gap between them quicker than a flash of lightning and aimed for his throat with her silver dagger. “How slow,” Quinn taunted. “If that’s your speed, you should just give up and die.” He grabbed her wrist and snapped it, dragging her body behind him and throwing her into a tree. “Do you think I will fall so easily from a simple attack? Do you think out of all my opponents you, a slimy hybrid of all things? No. Never.”

  Vera coughed up blood. Her hands were shaking; she’d never expected the fight to be so unbalanced so quickly. She grabbed the broken bone and snapped it into place with a yelp, tightening black ribbons around it to keep it secure. “You watery prick,” she growled. “Your mother should’ve swallowed you! You should’ve been a stain on her blouse, washed off in a bucket!”

  “My mother is alive and well,” Quinn taunted. “Is yours?”

  Vera attacked with her other knife. Even big, he moved like an unstoppable landslide, avoiding her attacks with large gaps. “You’re not very good at this, are ya?” he snarled. “I’m falling asleep!” He summoned a hand of water and wrapped it around Vera’s arm, then froze it solid. He lifted the handle of ice, her body like the head of a hammer, and gave an overhead swing, slamming her to the ground.

  “Have a rest,” he taunted. “Yeah, catch your breath, looks like that one hurt.”

  Her back ached, her arm was pink from the cold, her wrist black with immediate deep frostbite.

  She wrapped her legs around his arm and sunk her teeth into his hand. “Fuck you!” she yelled, taking flesh.

  He flung her into a stone wall of a home and summoned a trident. “Fox bitch,” he muttered. “How do I taste?”

  “Like shit,” she snarled.

  He threw the trident and turned it to ice. It hit the home behind and tore it to pieces, a bloody mist rising into the rainclouds. A child fell to their knees at the severed legs of their family, weeping, the bells began to ring alongside cries of doom and sorrow.

  “Oops,” Quinn laughed. “That’s on you, Vera, they only died because you moved out the way… another orphan, like you, maybe I should put them out of their misery.”

  Quinn impaled the child with a spike of water turned ice. A blow between the eyes, fast and instant, the child’s head exploded as if it was hit by a cannonball. “No pain,” he laughed. “When this battle is over I shall tell them you did that to him.”

  Vera herself was no stranger to the death of children, seeing a man with the stature of Quinn do such a deed with little care made her feel ill. He’s a monster, she thought. An actual monster. Even I feel a little sting if I take an innocent life… but he, he’s already forgot he ended that child’s life.

  She summoned her knives back to her hands and threw them at Quinn. He caught them before they hit his eyes. He stretched his long arms behind his back until the pommels touched, then flung them at her faster than arrows.

  One grazed the side of her skull, the other found a home in her belly. “Fuck,” she moaned. That was unavoidable, I couldn’t dodge that even I wanted to. Where is Death and Snow? I don’t see them, did they abandon me? No, they couldn’t of, I’m useful, he’s just protecting her, that’s all… I must keep fighting.

  He crouched, then jumped, landing on her and pinning her to the ground under his weight. “I’ve never seen someone as weak as you! So pathetic!” He started strangling her. “I bet you thought you were so powerful,” he said. “When Stroke Valan entered your home, I bet you fought that was your chance to become someone noticeable… you’ll never be more than a filthy, disgusting, vile atrocity… I’m not done with you… rise, animal, give in to your instinct!”

  He ripped the knife from her belly and forced water into the wound, sealing it with frost and tossing her in front of him. “Stand, Vera,” he commanded. “True strength opposes you, this is your chance to display power! Fight me!”

  She fell to her knees and began to sniffle, lightly sobbing as she regretted murdering her mother. Her father deserved it, she had no remorse for that man, but her mother’s begging eyes invaded her thoughts at the worst moment.

  “Aw,” Quinn taunted. “Little cub is crying…” He froze the tears on her face. “Cry in Hell, whore, now is the time for fighting.”

  She plucked the frozen lines from her cheek and summoned her knives. “I can do this,” she whispered. “I… I can kill him.”

  “Oh, can you?” he boomed. “No point in mumbles, bitch, speak your mind! Scream at the top of your lungs! Let the world know that you will not die silent!”

  “I’m going to kill you!” she shrieked. “I’ll rip your fucking head off!”

  “That’s more like it!” He summoned another trident. “Come and show me you mean it!”

  She ducked under his throw and ignored another building being torn by ice. “Call the guards!” a peasant screamed. “Gods, please, call the guards and have them save us!”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Quinn killed the screamer by jumping to them and snapping their neck. “No witnesses,” he whispered. “No guards.”

  She ignored the cries of children, seeing Death and Snow watching from the safety of distance. She felt determined, happy that those she considered friends hadn’t left her to die. She fought harder, faster, that didn’t matter though, every slash was a miss, every kick he dodged, she saw him form another trident and knew she couldn’t win. I will be useful, I can’t let them see me missing all my attacks, she thought. I must do something… I can’t let him have a flawless victory!

  “Weak bitch,” he mocked. “This is—”

  Quinn was stunned. Vera threw herself into the points of the trident as it turned to ice. Her intestines spilled as she grabbed his hair and pulled herself closer, stabbing him in one of his lungs.

  The trident loosened to a puddle; she held her stomach inside her body, gasping and coughing. Quinn healed himself by sealing the cut with ice.

  “Cunt,” Quinn wheezed. “That’s dirty. I’m gonna rip out your spine and shove it up your shitter.”

  He gave a strong kick to her ribs. She rolled to a still in the middle of the street, no energy left. When she looked up, he’d already thrown another weapon.

  It detonated against her chest and shattered her ribs. She was done, exhausted, broken. “I don’t want to die,” she whispered. “This isn’t how I want to die.”

  “You are alive because of my mercy,” Quinn claimed. “Had I turned it to ice mid-throw, you would’ve been impaled and turned to millions of icy snowflakes… the fight would be over already, I don’t want this to be the ending either.”

  “Fuck you,” she whimpered. “I’m going to kill you.”

  “I don’t think you are.” He sauntered to her. She tried to crawl away from him; he dragged her legs and left a slug-trail of blood on the path. “Where is your resolve now, your instinct for battle? You should be pumping with adrenaline, fighting with everything!” He threw her upright. “Don’t stand still! Fight! Fight like your entire life has led to this moment! Summon your daggers, come for me like you did when you stabbed me! You lost your only advantage over me the moment you got it! One should be willing to sacrifice every part of themselves to win, even their own life!”

  She fell to her knees again.

  “You’re going to lose it if you do nothing, why not use it like a weapon instead of wasting it!” He twisted his hips and put his whole weight into a punch to her face.

  She skidded to a stop, breathing slowly, thinking about the face of her mother. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I wish I killed only him and let you live.”

  “You fight like you are already dead!” He jumped to her and stood above her, beating her senseless with cracking whacks. Her face broke, splitting her beauty like a shattered mirror. “Even right now, you are weak!” he yelled, grabbing her ear. “You could’ve taken this moment to stab my leg with one of your little blades… you choose to stare at me and let that fear paralyse you… well, let me make it official then!” He grabbed her throat and raised her into the air. “Do something! Last chance to make your worthless life have some meaning!”

  Vera did nothing.

  He slammed her to the ground, repeating the action. Each time made her spine feel numb, her vision fading, her mind thoughtless, only processing the surges of pain.

  “I hate foxes,” he growled. “What a waste of space you were on the Vatanil bounty board! When I take your head, I will kill Death and Snow the same way I have done to you!”

  He chucked her away and summoned a trident, raising it high and aiming it. “What a boring fight,” he said. “I will not remember you.” He released the trident from his wide swing. “Boom.”

  Death deflected the trident meant for Vera’s life. It hit a home, killing all inside, then entered the adjacent building across the street and did the same. Death felt his muscles tense as the power drained from them to him.

  You are lucky, Vera, Death thought. I didn’t have enough to carry out Snow’s command, but now I might. “You lost the battle, fox,” he snarled. “Should’ve let me fight, this is what you deserve for taking the light and allowing Snow to command me to sheathe my blade.”

  “Ah, the cambion, that is the second time you’ve deflected one of my attacks… once was lucky, twice is coincidence, one more and I’ll chalk it to skill… it’s impressive you can do that.”

  “It is not impressive, Cum Master, your attacks are plain.”

  “Quinn,” he corrected “Glad to see you, I was wondering where you had gone! You are weak too, can’t even let your ally die.”

  He knelt to Vera and took her hand. “This is not because I want to give you this,” he said. “Snow has commanded me to help you; a watery grave is not what she wants for you.”

  Death gave her the power he had just drained, and nearly of the remaining souls amassed from his Sekoi slaughter.

  I hate that I am being forced to do this, he thought. But it will all be worth it when I steal the water abilities of this bounty hunter.

  Vera squealed in pain as her body snapped back into place. She took quick breaths, rubbing herself on her belly and screaming that her organs were gone.

  “Calm yourself,” Death said. “I have healed you. Do not get injured like that again, you took everything I had.”

  She stood and took his side. “Whe—where is Snow?” she asked. “I… tell her I said thank you.”

  “I do not take commands from you, fox,” he snarled. “This fight is mine. Flee, find where Snow is hiding and defend her.”

  “I don’t take commands from you either,” she whispered.

  “Yes, you do.”

  “Not yet!” she yelled, summoning her daggers. “I will fight him with you, bring you children and peasants to kill if you need to heal during the battle!”

  What an insufferable woman… can’t even leave me to fight.

  “How cute,” Quinn whispered. “The cambion cunt heals those that fight for him… all my work undone… thank you, now I can do it to her all over again, perhaps the outcome will be more fun now she has a second chance.”

  “Be silent, Cum Master,” he said. “I am talking with the idiot, or would you prefer we fight now, with more details about what I did to the woman I used in the ritual?”

  He gritted his teeth. “By all means, take as long as you need. I will only enjoy my kills the more you make me wait, scum.”

  Death smiled in excitement. That rage… he wants to take my head; this will be a glorious battle to warm myself back up for the bigger fishes in this degenerate world.

  “Thank you.” Vera hugged him. “I mean it. I don’t want to die. I feel a bit stronger…”

  “You will die if I tell you to die. You have proven that you can’t fight this man, I do not want you by my side.”

  “But I—”

  “I accept your offer,” he interrupted. “Find souls, drag them to the battle and throw them to me if I need them.” He grabbed her by the chin. “Do not deviate from this task, do not involve yourself in my fight, even if it seems I am losing, all my tactics are planned.”

  Vera ran away with a nod. Death raised his sword. “Cum Master that hunts bounties, do you need any time to prepare?”

  “You know… Killian Entrail told me he wanted you alive so he could torture you, cut off your manhood, gauge out your eyes, all that stuff he does… that fool doesn’t understand that I answer to Bianca, not him, or even Harren Valan… you, Death, will suffer by my hand for what you have done. Fight your hardest.”

  “It is you who needs to fight their hardest, Cum Master, should I loosen my belt and piss on you? You can add it to your weapons.”

  “You have jests?”

  “The only jest here is you.”

  Quinn laughed hard. “You are a funny man.”

  “I am a man without fear of pain and darkness, you will never win against me.”

  “And I am a man who doesn’t surrender. To the death, Death?”

  “In my grand path, you are not even a step of the staircase in my new conquest… but yes,” Death agreed. “Until one of us falls.”