The stone popped off easily, and the inside of the portal started to dissolve. A body leaped through as the film disappeared. The scenery was clear as she looked through the lifeless stone hoop. Liam stood on the opposite side of her. His face was twisted again. It had been the most she had seen of this side of him. She felt like this was his true form.
“You should’ve just left it alone. I gave you a chance to live out your life. Instead, here you are, about to die for nothing in a foreign world.” Liam unsheathed a sword and dagger. Mesu hadn’t seen him fight before. It was something he hadn’t seen from her either. She knew he was strong and quick. There was a slight hope in her that she could match his speed now. He stepped forward and was already bearing down on her.
Mesu had lowered her own short sword in time to deflect the attack. She sidestepped out of the way, and Liam charged through the spot where she had once been. A look of surprise crossed his face as he stumbled past her.
“I see you’ve learned a thing or two in your time away from the farm. It’s no matter. You have no chance of.” Mesu didn’t wait for him to finish. She knew that being in the open area would be to his advantage. She sprinted with her newfound speed into the trees where they hid before. There were areas that she had noted earlier. She knew they would make for good cover, and she had faith in her maneuverability. It was something that she and Tai had practiced. Her comfort here was much higher.
“Running? Already? We’ve barely begun.” Liam followed. His steps were almost in stride with her own. The battle was inevitable to her. This was her attempt to gain a slight advantage or take all of his away. Once the tree line was broken, she hopped from one tree to another. The sturdiness allowed for a minimal amount of branches swaying. The wind had picked up and sent a chill through Mesu. It would help provide a cover for her movements. She found a notch off from the path, and she stood, waiting.
“How about this? Just leave the stone. I’ll spare you once again. You can go on living in this world, or back on our own while it still stands.” Mesu felt the pouch on her belt and ensured it was still there. The wind blew in and wafted that sweet scent around. Mesu could hear his voice but couldn’t see him yet.
“The other option is I’ll kill you and finish what I started.” There was the crack of a branch to the right side of her. She shifted her body to view it. Liam came into sight and was moving at a moderate pace. She wondered if this was a sign that he wasn’t worried about her. His back was exposed. She wished she had learned ranged combat. The time with a bow ran through her mind.
Mesu covered her options as to what to do. She could disappear, go the opposite way, and live out her days in hiding and fear. Liam had the ability to transport himself, and she thought he might be able to do this off-world. There was no telling where he disappeared to, but he found his way here to finish the portal with the stone. Mesu thought that the stone she had now was the only reason he was still looking for her and hadn’t gone back.
The other option was to fight. She hadn’t won many battles in her time. Even in training, she was an underdog. There was no hiding it, and she felt Liam could see it. She gripped her short sword. This was the thing that could be the decider, she thought. It had already made a huge difference in her survival.
Liam was getting farther away. Mesu knew that the moment she moved, her position would be given away. Speed would be the thing that made or broke her plan. Mesu hopped to the ground with a few cracks of the debris below. She ran away from him again. Another tree was in sight, which could house her again for the time being. She made her way to it and up with ease.
The footsteps were fast and behind her. They came close and just passed her again. She was only a couple of feet off the ground this time. Liam stopped and started to turn. Time moved in slow motion for her. He thrusted his weapon out at her. That was followed by his head, but it was already too late. Mesu sliced at his back with her sword and moved beyond him. The scream came slowly.
She used this moment to run back around to his front. He had started to turn and was facing the wrong way. Mesu sliced deeper at his chest as he passed a second time. A tree ahead of her made for a good spot to hide out again. She ran over and leaned against it. Time started to move at a normal pace. A second grunt left Liam’s mouth.
“You think you have me now? I know better than that. You won’t be able to do it because it means killing me. Monsters are easy. Not another human, though. I know you better than you know yourself. You can’t kill me. Might as well give me that rock now and just leave.”
Mesu realized what he was talking about. She had thought it could be solved another way. If she disabled him enough, maybe he would give up. His need for revenge was too strong. He was already close to completing his mission. Now, he didn’t need her either. This was a life-or-death situation for her. She would have to kill Liam, but could she really?
The footsteps closed in. The only downside of using the speed she did was that it gave away her positioning. The leaves and dust were kicked up and led straight to her. Liam would be ready for the next attack. He might even be fast enough to win this next duel. She rolled to the opposite side of the tree and started to run. Mesu knew he was behind her. She decided to use this against him. Her hand was on her short sword, and she stopped. The blade poked out as she shut her eyes.
A force that she had never felt slammed into her. A blade nicked at her shoulder, but that was nothing compared to the body hitting her and her blade. A splatter of blood hit her face as the two hit the ground hard. Liam’s face was in shock. He looked more like a demon than a human as the features of his face distorted. Bones and veins were almost protruding through his skin. It was what Mesu had seen a flash of before. His mouth tried for words, but none came out. Blood trickled from his lips onto the ground. Mesu tossed him over and off of her.
“Well, well. You did it, granddaughter. I’m proud of you.” Mesu lay on the ground panting and tried to look around. She spotted Enya walking over to the pair.