The imps were thrown into disarray, not expecting that Trip would burst out of the tree line and be among them so quickly.

Suddenly, their muskets had become more of a hindrance than anything else, as Trip flitted in a zig-zag pattern from one imp to another like some deadly black butterfly, her knives flashing like silver wings, slashing through throats, eyes, wrists, and the insides of thighs.

She was unpredictable and deadly, slashing the wrist of one imp, twirling to lightly stab the eyes of another, then hopping back to deliver a deep cut to the neck of the first imp who was still holding on to their bleeding wrist. In this manner, she made her way through the now bunched-up group of imps, trying to make her way to the imp mage.

Never forgetting that the imp mage was the deadliest one of them all, she always did her best to keep one or more imps between the imp mage and herself. Whenever she could, she would kick or shove an imp towards the imp mage. Thanks to her actions, every single one of the firebolts that the imp mage sent in her direction were intercepted by one or more hapless imps. Although the firebolts looked like little meteor-like projectiles barely bigger than an imp’s fist, their power was apparent in how every single imp that got hit by a firebolt burst into flames and collapsed, screaming.

By that point, the tide of battle began to turn. Almost all the imps had discarded their muskets in favour of various sharp and pointy metal implements more suited for melee combat. Instead of merely dodging the musket barrels that might not even be loaded, Trip was now trying to avoid the slashing and stabbing of daggers, swords, and spears that seemed to come from every direction. For every one or two imp that she felled, she received an injury in return. Even though it was a shallow stab or cut, the wounds added up. She could feel herself tiring, slowing down.

At that moment, a gap in the melee formed. As she was about to dodge a spear thrust, she saw the imp mage, about to throw a fireball at her.

Knowing she didn’t have a moment to spare, she focused all she had towards kicking an imp towards the fireball, then running away in the opposite direction. However, her run was interrupted by a cold icy bloom of pain, as the spear that she had been distracted away from stabbed into her thigh until it hit the bone.

Ignoring the deep wound, she tried to continue running away, but it was too late. The fireball hit the imp she had sent flying while it was still barely an arms length away from her.

It was like being hit by the steel-encased fist of a giant. A very angry, noisy, flame-enshrouded giant. She flew through the air, seeing only a jumble of blurred colours, hearing the deafening roar of the explosion, and feeling the pain of impact all over the front of her body.

She hit the ground hard. She would have had the breath knocked out of her, if she had any left. For a second, she lay there, stunned. Then, she gasped for air, remembering to breathe.

Forcing her battered body to move, she tried to get to her feet, but ended up in a half-kneeling position instead, wincing in pain. Drops of blood splattered on the ground beneath her. She knew she had collecting even more injuries from the explosion, but had no time to even realise where the injuries were. The imp mage was glaring at her with a mixture of frustration and contempt, like she was a type of irritating bug that was proving surprisingly difficult to crush. Again, it began charging up a fireball. This time, there would be no convenient imp to intercept it, as all the imps within her reach had been blown away by the explosion. She was surrounded by a large empty circle, ringed with imps that lay unmoving on the ground with differing degrees of burns on them. Beyond them, were more imps who had escaped the effects of the exploding fireball. They seemed content to wait, certain of her inevitable demise at the hands of the imp mage.

Trip took a step forward, her breath hitching at the cold stabbing pains along her chest, signifying cracked ribs. More pain throbbed from deep within her thigh, telling her that it was serious. She ignored it. Her head spun from blood loss, deep purple spots of dark light flared in her vision. She ignored it. Instead, she took another step, then launched herself into a sprint, heading directly towards the imp mage as it began to draw back it’s arm to throw the fireball. In that moment, that arm held all of Trip’s attention.

The moment the imp mage’s arm began to move forward, beginning the throw, Trip leapt diagonally to the side, diving into a roll. Her cheeks felt the heat from the fireball as it whooshed by, missing her completely.

As the exploding fireball went off somewhere behind her, she pounced towards the imp mage, stabbing both knives as hard as she could. The imp mage’s force shield flared, the points in contact with her knives almost crackling with red energy.

Trip didn’t stop. Gritting her teeth, she threw everything she had into the attack, whirling around the imp mage as she launched a barrage of cuts, slashes and stabs at it, causing the force shield to flare almost continuously. All the while, she dodged the firebolts from the imp mage.

It was a fine dance, as she tried to wear down the imp mage’s force shield. The seconds ticked by, as she dodged one firebolt after another. The imps were so entranced, they forgot that they were supposed to be attacking her. But all too soon, her accumulated injuries took their toll. She began to slow down.

Finally, a firebolt caught her full on the shoulder. Flames splashed all over her and she dropped to the ground.

Almost instinctively, she rolled on the ground, smothering the flames. By the time the flames died, her shoulder and neck had been badly burnt. With a soft groan, she tried to get to her feet, but all she could do was twitch while still on the ground. Just that slight movement seemed to drain all her remaining energy. All she could do, was struggle to draw in tortured, rattling breaths, one after another.

One of her eyes didn’t seem to be working. Out of the other, she saw the remaining imps surround her. As though from a far away place, she heard a dry, ancient voice say, “Tenderize her, but leave her alive.”

The imps around her grinned, then began kicking her. Distantly, even as she marshaled resources from deep within her to make herself curl into a ball, trying to protect her head and chest, she felt her ribs break. She knew that the pain should have felt urgent, immediate, but instead, it was as though it was happening to someone else. A cold numbness spread throughout her being, as she felt herself drifting away.

She tried to hold on, but she was tired. So, very, very tired.

Papa, mama, will I be seeing you soon?

The fading embers of her consciousness flared weakly.

Not yet! I haven’t avenged you! How can I…?

Against her will, despite all her struggles, she sank deeper into darkness.

-- Chapter 19, End --