What comes to an end - prt.1

For the first time…I felt afraid. Silver unconscious below me, Damnsel no were to be seen…and then me held against a wall, claws sealed in heavy gauntlets. The blue fox, Cobalt, as he told us, was a rather serious figure; his right arm was cybernetic, which was daunting to see, but the weapon it housed that had disabled Silver was far more frightening then the fox holding it. I remember thinking just how much power this fox could be given, it seemed something totally impossible.

We were drawn from our cell after several long and dreadful hours. I was tired, sore and most of all depressed. It had been several hours of silence, worry, I kept my gaze upon Silver for all those hours, hoping that he would awaken; I couldn’t believe how he was taken down so easily. I couldn’t and wanted to deny it but the truth was there, he lay on the floor, out cold…it…it was something I wished not to see. When Cobalt and his men gathered us, I felt a cold chill when he came near; taking a paw to my chin as his men drag Silver onto a movable trolley while another began to unhitch me from the wall.
“Hmm…it seems this Damnsel has been good with meeting people” he says turning my head to the side from my chin, studying my composure. I couldn’t even growl to how tired and upset I was
“What is this…the kitty has lost her tongue this time around?” he chuckled at the sick and stupid joke, I couldn’t even gag. For some strange reason he spent a good deal of time watching me, gazing at me. His eyes, craving me, wanting me…it was scary how fiendishly he was looking at me as I finally sagged to the floor.
“Now…posture malady!” the fox says jokingly as he heaves me up and twist my arms together. It didn’t matter, the gauntlets that sheathed my claws were enough to prevent me from using them, but he was smart to know I could still wail with them on me fists.

--

Royalty of any kind pisses me off, especially those who know of their power and can use it to the best extent. In other words, a king can use his knights to instill fear, at the same time these Knights serve directly to him and have such trust and loyaly in him they will never falter. The fact he holds so much power in his hands and is able to ease and sway his followers is scary. Seeing that in reality is far worse. We were brought before Nint in her throne chamber, a massive cathedral style room that seemed to date before the fall of humanity. Stain glassed windows line the walls around the throne and an even larger one right behind it. I doubt they were even related to Nint and her kindred…if she had any, but the sheer awe of seeing such ancient artifacts’ in good condition is a sight to see. Nint herself was another curious thing to see, a red hedgehog. From what I know, marsupials like that are very rare and uncommon, usually unable to live in this harsh world. Seeing her here…and in such good form was one thing. But something at the back of my mind kept telling me there was more to it, and that gave me…a chill.

Nint sat proper in her throne, as royalty should. Her black fur well groomed and her bangs neatly kept, both bore steel bangs that covered almost half of it from the base of the head. Her eyes were deep green and her gaze seemed a mix of boredom and seriousness, somewhat hidden by her black hair. Her gown was an unusual style of clothing; dark black with red trimming that had runic letters written across it. As Cobalt escorted us into the chamber, she rose. Her hand, delicate and slender outstretched to us before clenching her fist and drawing it in
“So…” she said, her voice soft yet very powerful “you are the kindred who have aided Damnsel?” she asks. I growl, already not liking her “yeah…we did…what’s it to you?”
Nint seem to keep her composure “I had no intention of seeing any aid towards Damnsel, it is…unlike her”
“unlike her? I take it you have a history with her.”
She turns to me and nods
“Indeed…she has…caused me some serious grievances for the past year, it is suprising to see her have…”friends”
Cobalt holds my arms tightly as I squirm abit “seems your operation is rather extensive, and yet you needed a year to take down one gal?” I chuckle abit, only to be violently tugged by the fox
“Silence!” he barks, Nint raises her hand
“No need…her words are futile…if not rather idiotic”
“HEY!” I shout as Nint smirks at me, she turns to another entrance as Damnsel is escorted out, eyes covered by some funky cover as she seemed…frightened.
“Ah…Damnsel…for so long I have sought you, now you are here…under my control”
Damnsel shifted, she couldn’t speak, in fact she couldn’t even coordinate were Nint was; her head shifting left and right
“Ah…it seems without your...gift you cannot truly see, but my little mask does more than that…all your sense except for a tiny bit of hearing are free…so you forever will be in the dark”
“That’s just twisted!” I exclaim
“Necessary however” Nint replied as she turned to Nat again “now…I offer you one thing my child” she said to me “because you did not truly involve yourself, I will allow you to leave this place. Your friend…” she said as Silvers solid body was wheeled in “will not be as fortunate…due to his attack on us, his body shall be used for parts, and Damnsel shall be executed for her crimes.”
“Wait…I cant just allow that?”
Nint gives me a look “oh…are you willing to die with them instead of being given freedom?”
I growl again, looking down….Think…what can I do…
“I…I…” I stop for a second, take a deep breath
“I challenge you to a fight for the freedom of myself and my partners!” I shout, the room grew…oddly silent as Nint gazed at me
“You…challenge me?” she smirked “interesting…and if I win?”
“Then…you get all of us, and you can do as you please to me”

--

As Silver would say “Man has fought by tooth and hand since the dawn of time…simply adding a stick escalates the danger, but the true fighting spirit resides only in the hands and feet of the contenders.” I never asked where he got that quote, but the concept was perfect. Man has always fought with fists, a sword or gun or even a nuke are simply sticks added to escalate the danger, but it’s the spirit of the fist that holds the true power (even for a nuke to push the button) fighting Nint with only my fists was a real treat, but I highly doubted that it would be a walk in the park.
Nints battlefield was a coliseum, an ancient one at that built around a high wall were everyone, including the prisoners, watched. Silver had been reactivated, well at least his head had been, and his body was…removed… so he couldn’t try anything. Now, with my friends on the line, I had to do something I seriously hope was the right thing.

Nint walked onto the field, her gown replaced by a strange armour; a mix of Scavenger armour with a more “royal” feel, but I figure it had more to it than just looks. I slowly raised my fist, gauntlets still present but I didn’t mind them, was better since I didn’t want to kill her.
“Now…begin!” came one of the observers.

I must admit…I never really fought hand to hand much, mostly with my weapons training, I deal with close to mid range gun fights, but first-to-cuffs is something entirely different; its…well…almost frightening. With guns its point and shot the enemy goes down, with fists, its all about skill, speed and focus; it’s not something you can just wail at.

Nint was fast, she came at me with such speed I nearly had time to block before I was pelted in the gut by a series of strikes. Each hit felt like a stab from a sword, precise, quick, and quite painful. I double back quickly, my gut screaming in pain as I nearly double over
“Such...movement” I mutter as Nint takes a stance before me, fist ready and raise, not clenched, but straightened. She huffs a bit, and then comes at me again. I am able to narrowly block this time, but that was my mistake, she feinted and quickly struck me in the side of the head.
I…buckle….cant think straight as everything blurs…wait
“Nat…” I hear in my head
“Silver….?” I respond, or…I think I do
…in an instant I feel something almost control me, my hands flail upwards and I block another attack, my entire body felt lithe and agile again. I moved quickly at Nint, stroking back…or at least I think.

I don’t have control of my body, but I can feel the blows being block and connected by my fist, and eventually I am knocking the hedgehog back. I…however notice something that doesn’t seem right. Around Nints neck was a metal band, but not like the ones around her bangs, this one…seemed like a coil. I quickly direct every point in my body towards it and strike at it, once…twice…three times. It hurt to hit it, but soon I knocked it clear off. Nint’s eyes went glazed and she fell to the ground, the coil scattered to the floor nearby as my body went limp, smoke coming from my joints of my robotics…whatever happened had done its job.

--

“The…Queen lost?” muttered Cobalt as I slowly moved to the wall “yeah…now…let my friends go!” I bark with whatever strength I had left, if these guys didn’t follow their side of the deal, id be done as dinner, fortunately, Nint taught them well and sure enough the scavengers began to untie Silver and Damnsel from their locks, easing them down to the field. I walked over to Nint, and gently felt her neck, she was alive…but out cold. The coil thingy…lay beside her. I recall what had happened with the Zombie and the metal rod, could this be the same? Curiosity of a cat is never really something good, and instinctively I drew my hand near…only to have the coil spring it and grab around my arm, crushing the cybernetics.

The pain rips through me, I clench my teeth, shout, cry meow, anything! Until its relased…Cobalt rushed to me and slashed the coil with his sword, causing it to sputter and tumble to the floor. The blue fox kept the blade pointed at it
“Are you alright?” he asked, I nodded
“Yeah…that was scary” I mutter as the coil turns into a ball…then slowly forms into something else…a small figure

“So…it seems my creators had done quite well with their projects…I am most pleased to see all 4 of you growing so well.” It said as the from took shape of a rabbit…girl or something
“Wait…four?” I ask as the rabbit points to me, Silver, Damsel, and then…Cobalt
“You are all my…successors…and I am quiet please, it is a shame the organics…had defiled your minds and removed your true purposes for being here”
“What do you mean!?” I shout, but the form quickly melds away
“Fine me…in the North for the answers” it said and quickly slid away into the shadows
“The North…” Cobalt muttered “she means the Arctic regions”
“Then…it’s where we must go” Silver said walking over, I smile and look up to him as Damnsel walks over “So…she is the pre-born…I was wondering when she would show”
“You knew?” I asked, Damnel nodded
“I was born first before Silver, and before me was her…she was…an experiment to make way for us, but she was far more powerful than anything ever built”
“Well… then it seems that’s where we better go” Silver replied “That has been our task since the start Nat”
Cobalt huffs “you can go…but I refuse…my place is here, I do not need your misery on my shoulders.”
“Cobalt…” Came a soft voice from the ground, Nint slowly rose “as your queen…I ask you to help…she has controlled me for the past year and…in her hold I was able to see her vision, her purpose…it is a risk to us all…life in general shall be destroyed if we do not stop her.”
The fox growled then turned from everyone “fine…I will go…”
Nint smiled, as did myself and everyone else…we had one more mission and hopefully, the last one