In the blink of an eye, Ahuli had morphed into a demonic being like no other. Forget about the Banurs. Even his own people were scared of the evil aura that surrounded him.
But A’Mila’s concern was not just for Ahuli’s appearance. The deathly aura that emanated from him was more intriguing for her. It was a force that brought destruction wherever it touched.
The grass beneath their feet was the proof. Once vibrant and green, they lay dry and lifeless, as if Ahuli’s presence had poisoned them.
Noticing his newfound strength, Ahuli lunged at the enemy, but A’Mila rolled away in time. Ahuli collided with the tree where she was standing a moment ago, and similar to the grass, the tree also dried up before crumbling to dust.
Ahuli had banged his head on the tree but began laughing like a maniac instead of feeling pain.
"It works!" He laughed maniacally. "I can’t feel anything!"
A’Mila frowned. She had seen a similar reaction a while back when the Banurs were about to be exiled. Her father had the same expression when everyone turned their backs on him following his betrayal.
"...I never wanted to face you again," A’Mila curled her fist, remembering what happened to her ’father’ and the entity that sponsored him.
[The entity, Sin of Pride, laughs, remembering the User’s previous encounter with one of his vassals.]
It was the first time an entity had communicated with her directly. But A’Mila couldn’t be bothered by such words and ignored Pride, something he didn’t take kindly. She had hurt Pride’s pride, so she’d have to pay for it.
Pride instructed Ahuli to kill A’Mila, and he’d get more rewards for that. Ahuli didn’t need a reason, but he was glad at the same time.
Ahuli attacked once more, but this time, A’Mila stood her ground and hit back. Their fists met with a loud crack. Skaha, busy fighting the elves, heard the noise and grinned, assuming A’Mila got hurt. But it turned out differently.
A’Mila’s hand was fine, but Ahuli had lost two fingers, which dangled from his hand like jelly. They were broken, barely holding on to skin and muscle.
Ahuli awkwardly noticed his arm but couldn’t feel any pain, thanks to his sponsor. Meanwhile, A’Mila noticed a black patch rapidly spreading through her fingers. It was the effect of Ahuli’s poisonous aura.
’Touching him would be troublesome,’ A’Mila thought as she reached for a small knife and made tiny cuts between her fingers.
After finishing, she focused on the tiny amount of magic she had left around the wounds. Several popping sounds followed as blood gushed out of the cuts along with the poison and landed on the ground, making a sizzling noise.
While getting rid of the poison was a quick fix, A’Mila knew the solution wouldn’t work in the long run. She would have to find a way to deal with Ahuli without touching him.
Being an archer, defeating an enemy from a distance wasn’t a big deal for A’Mila. But now, with her bow on the ground and Ahuli blocking her path to it, things got tricky.
She eyed her dropped weapon; it was a mere few feet away, but reaching it wouldn’t be easy. A’mila couldn’t risk touching Ahuli, but she knew he would attack her the moment she moved towards her bow.
’Unless...’
A’Mila threw her knife towards Ahuli’s eyes. While he didn’t feel any pain, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t lose his eyes if the knife hit him. As such, Ahuli had to dodge the attack.
Taking advantage of the situation, A’Mila rushed towards the bow. But as she had predicted, as soon as she stepped a foot forward, Ahuli jumped at her, wildly swinging his massive fists. A’mila dodged and weaved, careful not to let him land a hit.
She dodged another swipe from Ahuli, but she wasn’t fast enough this time. His claws ran across her thighs, leaving behind a searing pain as the poison spread through her veins.
Since she was already poisoned, A’Mila dropped the careful act and kicked him away. It brought her a couple of precious seconds, but Ahuli was already on to her and punched her in the back.
She fought back, but Ahuli wasn’t finished yet. With a cruel grin, he launched himself at her once more, this time aiming for her shoulder. A sharp pain shot through her arm as Ahuli’s fist connected, injecting poison into her arm.
A’mila stumbled forward and fell face-first next to her bow, clutching her wounded arm where the poison was yet to spread.
"All that strength for what?" Ahuli laughed, confident in his victory as he closed in for the kill. "In the end, you’re on the verge of death, and soon your tribe will join you in the afterlife."
"I’m... not that... frail."
A’mila’s laughter surprised him. With a defiant grin, she grabbed the bow with her good arm and turned to face Ahuli.
For a moment, Ahuli was shocked, but then he realised that his opponent had lost all the senses in her other arm, thanks to his poison. He sneered, thinking she was incapable of launching an arrow with just one arm. But A’mila had other plans.
She grasped the bowstring between her teeth, holding the arrow in place with her tongue. Pain surged through her body, but she ignored it, focusing solely on her target.
Ahuli’s laughter turned to shock as A’mila released the arrow, sending it hurtling towards him with incredible speed. The arrow found its mark, severing his left arm right from the shoulder. She had aimed for his heart, but due to unsteady aim, it hit his shoulder.
But A’mila wasn’t done yet. She kicked Ahuli’s leg, making him fall over next to her. Ignoring her aching body, she forced a smile as she said the words that enraged Ahuli.
"An arm for an arm," A’Mila muttered through clenched teeth, her voice barely a whisper.
Soon, darkness crept into the edges of her vision, the poison coursing through her veins finally taking its toll. As the world faded to black, A’Mila’s last thought was of victory, of sacrifice. And then, there was nothing.
***
Author’s note: Thanks to my beloved partner, I’d have to upload 6 bonus Chapters. The Chapters will be uploaded next week, i.e. from 1st April to 7th April. Feel free to thank her in the comments, lol.