Falling Leaves 30 ??

  April 15th 1944

  A truck rides through a wasteland, inside a group of men wearing green uniforms holding rifles, grenades, and some even holding machine guns.

  The truck bumps, everyone jolts a bit in the air.

  The smell of cigarettes fills the air, and chatter from the other men keeps everyone engaged.

  Except Peter. “Aye Peter.” A man calls out.

  Peter jolts up, snapping out of his daydream.

  “Y-yeah?”

  The man laughs holding his rifle. “Whatcha thinking about? Don’t tell me you’re being a wuss now.”

  Peter sighs. “What’s there not to be nervous about Lev? We’re heading into battle—-”

  The man chuckles. “Oh yeah, I know. We’re not too far from Crimea. But you know this is what we were made to do.”

  Another soldier cuts in. “Made to do my ass, you’re saying our only purpose in life was to die in battle?”

  Peter whirls his head to the soldier, his words stick to him.

  “Purpose—-” he whispers to himself.

  “Ha!” Lev yells. “Really Ivan? You’re asking about purpose?”

  “Let me ask you this, Do you believe in God?”

  The soldier nods. “Yes, I do—- what’s your point here?”

  Lev grabs a cigarette from a box and lights it up. “Think about it. If we weren’t meant for this, why would God send us here? Why would he give us the mind, body, and spirit of warriors?”

  Peter listens deeply, Lev puffs smoke.

  “If it’s purpose you’re worried about then this is your exact time to find it. If you survive this battle, if you’re blessed enough to live.”

  “Don’t you agree Ivan?”

  Ivan looks down at the floor, the rest of the soldiers continue to chatter.

  “So it’s only the ones who survive who get to have a true purpose? Why would God do that? I thought a purpose was supposed to bring happiness and fulfillment in life. Not despair.”

  Lev sighs and shrugs. “You know kid you really talk a lot.” His eyes meet Peter’s eyes. “Dying in battle won’t be fulfilling for you. But for me?—- Dying for the right cause is more than enough.”

  He takes a drag, the cigarette glows. “My mother, my wife, my children, I fight for a better world so they can live peacefully.”

  He takes another huff of his cigarette and blows it out. “And carry forth my legacy in the future, grandkids, great grandchildren. That is what I fight for.”

  Ivan remains silent, the truck bumps again.

  “Peter let me ask you something. Is there anyone you love? Anyone you cherish? A special lady?” Lev asks.

  “Anyone I cherish?” Peter repeats to himself.

  He pauses for a moment and thinks about a woman named Alina. His body tenses as he remembers how she died from sickness.

  “No—-” he mutters.

  “No I don’t have anyone I love at the moment.”

  Lev chuckles and slaps his knee. “Wow, so you’re a virgin going into war? Hey man I pray for you to survive. It’ll suck if you die without getting any.”

  Peter clenches his jaw and rolls his eyes.

  Lev leans in. “But seriously, if you do survive this, find someone you cherish, find someone to love. I promise it makes living so much more worth it.”

  “It’s good to fight for others, but it’s also good to fight for yourself. Always remember to put yourself first sometimes.”

  Peter locks eyes with Lev and nods. “Yeah—- I understand—-”

  Everything starts to fade to black, Lev’s words replay in Peter’s head.

  “It’s good to fight for others, but it’s also good to fight for yourself. Always remember to put yourself first sometimes.”

  “Put myself first sometimes—-” Peter says

  “Yes—-”

  ——————————————-

  Back in Forêt sans ame.

  Outside of Peter’s head the giant hornets continue to surround him, L’abeille, Ari, and Danya. The Monstrous Soul Tree’s eyes continue to glow a bright red, it continues to scream “DIàBLE!!”

  Peter swings his sword, Ari plants her feet in the dirt ducking.

  The sword barely grazes her hair, navy blue strands fly off.

  She instantly pulls herself back up, Peter starts to swing repeatedly, she dodges and weaves the slashes, she drops to the ground rolling to the side.

  She uses her tail to propel herself back to her feet, she sticks her palms out with her claws, she rushes to slash Peter aiming for his chest.

  “Tch!” Peter smacks his lips, sweat drops from his forehead.

  Lev’s voice flickers in his skull. “Put yourself first.” Ari’s claws come down.

  Peter quickly uses his sword placing it in front of his chest with her claws aiming to block the attack.

  They lock eyes, Ari’s claws clash with his sword.

  Peter notices her face, her teeth are gritted, her pupils are dilated, fangs are showing.

  “She’s really trying to murder me—-” Peter thinks to himself, disappointed.

  Ari jumps back and stretches her tail swinging it towards Peter.

  Peter quickly ducks, his thoughts continue racing. “I didn’t mean to betray—- no I did—- I had no other option.”

  Ari jumps towards him. Peter is in the motion of picking himself back up.

  She swings her claws once more, Peter tries to block, she uses her tail to move her body to the right, she slashes his right arm where he holds his sword.

  “AUGH!” Peter screams, blood gushes out.

  Blood leaks on his white battle robe staining it, he holds his wound with his other arm, and continues to hold his sword tight.

  Peter tries to take a step forward. Ari’s tail wraps around his neck, squeezing it.

  “AGH!” He groans. She stretches it into the air, twirling him around, she growls, her pupils slit.

  Peter drops his sword, it lands next to Ari sticking in the dirt, the golden handle glistening.

  Ari slams Peter to the ground, dust from the dirt erupts.

  Peter lies there, blood leaking from his forehead, he coughs trying to catch his breath.

  He lies near the wall of swarming hornets, and opens his eyes instantly.

  Ari positions herself like a feral fox, yanks Peter’s sword from the ground and rushes towards him on all fours with it.

  She leaps in the air, ready to impale him.

  “Oh, what the hell?!” Peter quickly rolls out of the way.

  Ari stabs the ground barely an inch from the hornets.

  She jumps to Peter, his eyes dart to her, he’s on the ground not letting up, he grits his teeth.

  Peter quickly uses his good arm to push himself up, clocks his leg back, swinging a kick striking Ari on her side while she is mid-air.

  She hisses in pain, rolling and skidding across the dirt.

  Peter runs to his sword and yanks it out of the ground.

  The sound of clashing and shouts comes from Danya and L’abeille’s battle.

  Danya in her activated Sanguine mode, her hair and one open eye glow a bright crimson matching the light from the soul trees.

  She swings the Great Sword she holds towards L’abeille.

  L’abeille turns her fingernails into sharp stingers, her poisonous honey coats around them, making them hard as steel.

  They clash, sparks fly off the sword.

  “Damn this thing! How are you even supposed to use this!?”

  L’abeille sprouts her wings, they buzz propelling her in the air.

  She swipes her hand down towards Danya. “ORDRE D’ATTAQUE!!”

  A small swarm of the hornets forming the wall, gathers and chases down Danya. Their eyes beam red, and their buzzing continues to grow more aggressive.

  Danya looks up at them smiling, bearing her fangs.

  The hornets stick their stingers at her bombarding her.

  A red pulse of light, radiates from Danya’s body creating a brief dome around her.

  All the hornets fall to the ground, they wither away on impact.

  L’abeille watches in shock. “Impossible?! How can you use magic?! The Cursed Backwoods should have negated everything magical in your arsenal.”

  Danya laughs, holds the great sword by her shoulder, green orbs rise from the wasps and seep into her skin.

  She looks at L’abeille and stomps on one of the hornets’ bodies turning it into dust.

  “Momento mori!” She says with a sadistic smile, she raises her sword, it starts to shine brighter.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “This is no magic, this is death itself. I am death itself, it’s funny you just forgot that.”

  Her grin widens. “No matter where you are, even if a silly little biome negates negative magic—-”

  She jumps up and launches towards L’abeille.

  L’abeille growls and swipes once more. “ORDONNANCE DE DéFENSE!”

  Another swarm of hornets surrounds L’abeille circling her, she descends downwards, the hornets distract.

  Danya gets closer to the hornets, another burst of light pulses over her, the hornets fall from the sky.

  “Grazie, Grazie, GRAZIE!” Danya lands on the ground, dirt particles fill the air.

  The wasps wither, more green orbs fly towards her seeping into her skin. Her scars start to heal, her burnt shut eye starts to recover.

  L’abeille flies around Danya aiming her stinger fingers at her.

  Danya stands still, her grin doesn’t fade, and she slowly starts to open her damaged eye, her pupils glow.

  “Don’t falter! Don’t let her get to you! I need to take her down!” L’abeille says to herself, orbs of her poisonous honey form on her fingertips.

  She appears behind Danya, firing orbs that shoot out like machine gun rounds. Danya spins and dives for cover, the great sword raised as a shield. Metal rings against magical projectiles, each impact driving her backward through the dirt.

  L’abeille’s wings start to buzz louder, she rushes towards Danya slashing her stingers downwards.

  Danya quickly adjusts the great sword to block her attack, The sound of metal scraping together rings in her ears.

  L’abeille presses onto the sword, dragging Danya further into the dirt.

  They both grunt and hiss. “I’ll crush you!”

  In this moment she lets go of the handle and slides under the sword it falls.

  It drops, L’abeille starts to tilt forward, her eyes widen.

  Danya twirls facing the ground, digs her nails into it, and positions her hands for a handstand.

  She clocks her legs back, lets go a handstand kick straight for L’abeille’s kidney, the sword hits the ground causing a thud.

  “AHG!” L’abeille shouts, purple blood erupts from her mouth. She’s sent crashing to the ground skidding across the dirt.

  Danya twirls her legs in the air, she front flips standing back on her feet. She bends and picks up the great sword giving chase to L’abeille.

  L’abeille continues to skid, she flaps her wings to stop the momentum, the buzzing mixes with the sound of the swarm.

  Blood leaks from her mouth, she pants, her kidney pulses with a sharp pain.

  She hears footsteps rushing after her, whirls to Danya who’s charging at her.

  Danya wears her sadistic grin, Her eyes widen, with her pupils dilating, they glow a deep crimson.

  Chills run down L’abeille’s back, she crosses her arms preparing to block.

  “No.. no—-” she mutters to herself, sweat races down her forehead.

  The hornets begin to slow down, some fall and disintegrate.

  L’abeille shakes, she feels her magic depleting. “No—- I’m not—-” She can’t help herself, her body and instincts betray her mind.

  Her chest tightens, her arms tremble, her breath grows ragged.

  The biome effects are taking place. Her magic is negating.

  Her eyes are locked onto Danya approaching, her body freezes, the feeling of wanting to run away surges through her body.

  “I’m going to die!”

  She closes her eyes tightly, Danya reaches her and prepares to swing the great sword.

  In that moment Danya’s hair and eyes flicker, she loses balance and drops the great sword once more with a loud clang.

  She grips her head, her vision blurs, she stumbles back. “Ugh!” She groans, the glow immediately flickers back on.

  L’abeille opens her eyes slowly, noticing Danya disoriented, she flies back instantly instinctively, She hovers near the wall of hornets, shakes her head and catches her breath.

  “Don’t be afraid, Malika’s with you, her love won’t fail me.” She takes a deep breath trying to clear her mind.

  Danya removes her hand from her head directing her gaze up at L’abeille. “I have to end this quick—- before I lose more of myself—-”

  She turns her attention to Peter and Ari fighting, Peter frantically trying to dodge Ari’s claws.

  She closes in on his sword, he swings it clashing with Ari. “Perfect a slim sword.” she whispers to herself, smiling.

  She turns back to L’abeille. “Hey bee! 2 minute time out okay!~”

  L’abeille’s eyes widen. “W-what?! Who do you think you are calling a timeout!”

  “This is a batt-” before L’abeille can finish Danya is already rushing towards Peter.

  She grits her teeth flapping her wings with more powerful force beginning to chase Danya. “Get back here!”

  Back at Peter and Ari they continue to clash, black dust breaks off Peter’s sword each time it makes contact with her claws.

  Blood drips from Peter’s arm, he tries his best not to get mauled.

  “Ari! Listen to me!”

  Ari swings her tail slapping Peter on the side of his head sending him rolling on the ground.

  She walks slowly towards him. “Don’t try to speak now that your existence is at stake.”

  Veins pop out of her head, her claws grow sharper.

  She stands over him looking into his eyes.

  “Don’t do this- Ari—- I just got this life back.” Peter mutters.

  Ari scoffs. “You side with someone who wanted to kill us, and you dare to ask for mercy?”

  She raises her arm. “Save it you die again.”

  She aims her claws at Peter’s neck, he closes his eyes.

  She’s about to dig her claws into his neck, Danya grabs her arm stopping her.

  “Scusa fox but I need this boy alive for a minute longer.” She says with a grin.

  She then grabs him by the neck, choking him, raising him into the air.

  Peter kicks his legs in the air. “GWAHH!” He screeches, struggles to breathe, blood drops from his open wound.

  Danya’s eyes dart to his sword in the ground, her grin widens.

  “Hey, why are you interrupting my fight?! I thought you were fighting that bee!” Ari’s ears flatten, tail whipping the dirt, she bares her fangs.

  Danya sighs and turns around quickly facing L’abeille rushing towards her. “Look I’m not stealing your kill trust me I’m not. I hate it when others do that to me too. I just need him for.”

  “DéMON éSCARLATE!” L’abeille roars, her voice echoes mixing with the screams of the Soul Trees yelling “DIàBLE” enhancing it.

  She rushes towards Danya.

  “Her—-” Danya mutters.

  Ari lets out a sharp sigh. “Whatever—- just-”

  Before she can finish Danya chucks Peter towards L’abeille, he flies towards her.

  “GAH!”

  She then stabs the great sword into the ground, instantly picking up Peter’s sword.

  She inspects it for a second, The blade is pure black and shines. “What material is this?”

  She shrugs. “Oh whatever! As long as it gets the job done!”

  She immediately follows suit, The force of her running creates a small breeze blowing against Ari’s hair.

  The red light from the Soul Trees dims, their screams begin to fade. The dense green fog that once covered everything in sight returns.

  The buzzing from the wall of hornets surrounding them picks up the pace, the wasps grow more aggressive.

  Peter crashes into L’abeille. She gets pushed back, hit with the full force of his body weight.

  “What the hell?! Get off me!” She grabs Peter by the leg lunging him to the ground.

  Peter crashes into the ground, leaving a small crater, dust and dirt cover him.

  He coughs blood, tries to regain his breath, his body is broken. He can only open one eye.

  Danya appears above L’abeille appearing from the fog.

  “YOU!” L’abeille scowls, slashes her stingers upwards, Danya slashes Peter’s sword downward.

  They clash mid-air, black dust chips off the sword, L’abeille’s body radiates from the vibration of the force, clenching her jaw.

  L’abeille’s stingers lock with the sword, Danya uses force to drag both of them to the ground.

  They land, instantly jump back and start to attack rushing each other.

  L’abeille infuses her stingers with more honey, golden goo covers all ten of them.

  She slashes her arm, streaks of poisonous honey sharp as blades fire towards Danya.

  Danya ducks, it grazes her horns chipping a piece off.

  On the ground, she uses her free hand to lunge towards L’abeille.

  She sticks the blade out, L’abeille uses her stingers to block the attack.

  Danya smiles bearing her fangs, she puts her face close to L’abeille’s.

  “Ottimo, Ottimo Bee.”

  L’abeille smacks her lips, she goes for a low attack, she sweeps her foot to trip Danya.

  Danya notices at the last second, she jumps in the air, holding the golden handle of the sword with both hands striking down at L’abeille.

  L’abeille places her stingers upwards, they clash once more.

  She then flaps her wings, the buzzing returns, and she propels into the air with Danya.

  “Huh?!” Danya huffs being pushed above the trees reaching the clouds.

  She looks down, only the shadows and silhouettes of the forest and hornets can be seen through the fog.

  L’abeille kicks Danya off her, she flies further in the air sticking her leg out, she uses her wings to boost the acceleration of her dive kick.

  Before Danya can react L’abeille’s foot crashes into her ribs, the sound of her bones cracking reaches L’abeille’s ears, her face contorts into a smile.

  Her hair and eyes flicker on and off again, she spits up blood, the blood lands on L’abeille’s face.

  They both crash to the ground near the wall of hornets.

  L’abeille stands over Danya, blood leaks from her forehead, her eyes are closed.

  She swipes her hands. “Retreat! Before she absorbs you all! She won’t be healing herself any longer!” The hornets start to fly away to the sky breaking the formation of the wall.

  “Only return when I call!”

  Danya’s eyes burst open, she grabs L’abeille’s legs and pulls her down.

  She hits her head off the ground. “Agh!” She groans, her eyes close.

  Danya stands, holds onto L’abeille’s legs, she starts to spin her around, the force of the sound causing dust and debris to kick up.

  She throws her across the ground like a rock skipping on a pond. L’abeille rolls across, she digs her stingers into the dirt to stop herself from flying off any further.

  She pants on her knees, sweat and purple blood drops from her face. She has her head facing the ground, her body shakes.

  Her exoskeleton exudes droplets of golden honey resembling sweat.

  She hears footsteps charging towards her. “Just perish already!” She uses force gripping the dirt below, digging her stingers deeper into it.

  She picks up a huge boulder of dirt from the ground, pebbles fall from the bottom.

  Danya charges at her ready to swing the sword. “A rock?” she whispers to herself.

  The moment Danya approaches L’abeille throws a punch with the boulder.

  Danya swings the sword, it makes contact breaking the boulder into pieces.

  A dust cloud surrounds them, L’abeille tries to reposition herself, instantly without warning, Danya’s fist fires through it, jawing L’abeille, a loud crack radiates from her skull. “AUGH!” She screams, purple blood flies out of her mouth.

  She stumbles back, her vision starts to disorient, purple blood leaks from her mouth and nose.

  Danya follows up with a sweep of her own, tripping L’abeille.

  Before L’abeille hits the ground she clocks back a sidekick, throwing it, hitting the side of L’abeille’s liver.

  L’abeille is sent flying back, she lands on the ground face-first, her right knee is bent and her left leg sticks out, her hips are raised.

  She claws at the dirt trying to stand, her fingers tremble, her body refuses to obey.

  She coughs out purple blood struggling to breathe. “I can’t lose—- I can’t lose this! I need to bring her to Ma Grandeur—- I need to do this for Malika—-”

  Danya walks up to L’abeille dragging the tip of Peter’s sword on the ground, the sound of dirt scraping reaches them.

  Danya chuckles and spits blood on the ground. “Well, that was fun wasn’t it?”

  “I won’t kill you yet though, I do need answers.”

  L’abeille’s pupils start to tremble, she grits her teeth, rage starts to consume her.

  Hornets rain from the sky and sizzle to dust on impact.

  Ari looks up, a storm of them drops. “Insane—-” she mutters.

  Peter grunts, some of them fall on him. “Erk!!”

  Danya holds her hand out catching one of them.

  She holds it as it disintegrates in her grasp. “Is this your plan bee? What are these supposed to do explode?”

  L’abeille stands, her body shakes, her stingers grow sharper. “I’m done—- screw the capturing! Screw all this I’m killing you here and now!”

  Danya points the blade of the sword at her. “Well, come on and try Ms. Bee.” She giggles, her hair and eyes continue to glow.

  Something in L’abeille snaps, she lets out a bloodcurdling roar that echoes through the forest, she charges at Danya. “I’LL KILL YOU, I’LL KILL YOU, I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

  She starts to slash her stingers frantically, Danya swiftly weaves all the attacks.

  She moves to the side, she crouches down, she jumps, she bends over, she bends backwards.

  She drops to the ground in a cat stretching position arching her back on purpose.

  “AHHHG!” L’abeille shouts, her jaw clenches, she starts to slash faster.

  Danya smiles. “Maybe try something new? Ever thought of that?”

  Her hair and eyes flicker off more, she remains still for a second.

  L’abeille charges in with her slash, in that split second it flickers back on, Danya instantly uses the sword to block her attack.

  She grits her teeth. “I’m losing it—-” she thinks to herself.

  She turns to Ari. “FOX WE’RE DONE HERE! LET’S GO!”

  Ari’s ears perk up. “W-what! But-”

  “Trust me I can’t go on much longer I’ll lose myself! I’m finishing this.”

  L’abeille puts more pressure on the clash, tries to break the sword.

  “YOU’RE NOT GOING ANY-”

  In that moment Danya kicks L’abeille in the gut making her spit more blood, she holds her gut stumbling back.

  She holds her gut bending over. “Y-ou—-” she mutters, more blood leaks out of her mouth.

  Danya digs the tip of the sword into the ground, she swings it upwards sending chunks of dirt and dust into L’abeille’s eyes.

  L’abeille screams covering her eyes dropping to her knees, she places her head on the ground.

  “Let’s go! I’m about to-“Danya’s hair and eyes flicker once more, this time they stay normal, she grows dizzy.

  “Faint—-”

  Ari rushes to Danya. “Alright I got you! Come on!”

  Danya drops Peter’s sword, Ari runs off with her and they both disappear in the deep fog.

  L’abeille squirms on the ground, the sound of weeping comes from her.

  Peter lies there bordering between consciousness and unconsciousness.

  “At least—- at least I survived—-” he whispers slowly closing his eyes.

  L’abeille continues to weep. “Malika—- Malika—- I’m sorry—-”

  “I’m sorry!”

  Her body drops, she spits up more blood.

  “Forgive me—- please forgive me—-”

  She opens her eyes, the dust clears out of her vision, starts to blur, a cloaked figure with gray glowing streaks across stands in front of her, it has two large gray butterfly wings with a structural pattern.

  Its body is hidden, everything inside the cloak is pure black.

  Tears continue to fall. “Malika—-” she whispers, memories of when she was found half dead by a Soul Tree, the first day she met Malika.

  She reached her arm out to L’abeille, offering her a second chance to live.

  “Yes, I remember—- why I can’t stand failing you—-”

  The words of Malika ring through her head. “The battle with Le Démon éscarlate is mine to bear.”

  She’s talking to all four of the Belles, she lifts her book Livre de révérence.

  “I would never expect any of you to defeat her if she came here. That’s not your job, it’s my mission to avenge my father. Not yours.”

  L’abeille’s eyes shut, her final thoughts hit her. “I was too ahead of myself—- I see why it would take Malika to defeat her—-”

  “I see it clearly—-”

  Her eyes shut, her blood runs down her cheek mixing with the tears.

  Belles Maudites 1/4 DEFEATED: L’abeille Méchante.

  ——————————————-