Son of a bitch, ah shit, and other such obscenities.

That explosion fucking hurt. Probably cracked a couple ribs on impact. Lost a couple teeth. Can't see out of one eye. I'll be okay soon enough.

As I picked myself up from the snow and smoldering rubble that frosted the ground, I hear Amari wretch once more. Another puddle of smoking black goop, another horrible coughing fit.

"You're fine," I groaned as I dusted off my longcoat.

I slapped her lightly on the back. The skin of my fingers tingled, countless little sharp needles of dark energy poking me even through her thick leather jacket. "You're doing great, sweetie. Come on, we're almost finished. Only a little ways to go, now. Best friends see each other through to the end, yeah?"

All around us, there was fire. Billowing columns of black smoke pouring into the bright afternoon sky, casting shadows on the bloodied streets of this nameless little town. Fire poured out of doorways and broken windows, destructive tendrils licking at the air and spreading quicker than I could have ever hoped. The heat was intense, almost unbearable. I was cooking alive in this thick-ass fucking coat.

"I don't see anyone else," Amari hissed through the pain that was wracking her own body.

Without a word, I knelt down and dug my vines into the frozen earth. I took a deep breath, and lost myself in the pulse of the world.

In the black abyss of my mind, I saw several dozen pale little dots. Each of them growing distant. Each of them fading as they fled the burning wreckage of their lives.

"Everyone is--" I began to say, but then... something weird appeared.

Four bright red dots flared to life, one, maybe two-hundred yards away. They were approaching Amari and I with incredible speed.

The vision faded from my eyes as I violently ripped my vines out of the ground. My jaw ached horribly, but I could not stop smiling. Teeth bared, a hungry grin splitting my face ear to ear, I welcomed our new arrivals.

Four figures dressed in fur-lines leather coats and wide-brimmed hats emerged from the thick clouds of smoke. All those unnecessary buckles, the sigils that they wore on their collars, the crossbows and swords they brandished... Add the cold looks of determination that were etched on their stony faces.

Witch hunters from the Sway.

"Dessert's served," I muttered under my breath as I licked my remaining blood-stained teeth.

One of the witch hunters stepped forth and opened his mouth to speak. "Murderers. Heretics. Saint Denebriel has judged you guilty--"

"What took you guys so fucking long," I howled at him. "Too busy fingering your sisters to save these fuckers? Two in the pink, one in the stink? I hope you washed your hands before you swing them at us!"

The hunter inclined his head slightly, his hands tightly gripping his crossbow and ever-so-slowly raising it into the air. I cut him off before he could continue his judgment rights or whatever the fuck they recited before they killed someone. "I don't have time for your religious horseshit. If you came to fight, then fight!"

Without a wasted movement, the hunter brought up his crossbow, aimed down the sight, and pulled the trigger. I immediately juked to the left, but it wasn't enough. The bolt caught me in the bicep, ripping through thick cloth and vines. Just a flesh wound. You can still move your arm. Suck it up, Madison, fight through the pain. It's almost over. You've come this far. You can't let these knee-bending cocksuckers kill you. You're so close... You're so fucking close--

Amari kept in step with me as we rushed the quartet. The hunter who shot at me moved to reload his crossbow. I went straight for him. One of his comrades stepped between us, sword drawn, ready to use my momentum against me and run me through to the hilt of his blade. I spat a mouthful of acid at the bastard, catching him in the face. He immediately dropped his weapon and ran off screaming bloody murder, and I was upon the first hunter. I could hear the curse on the tip of his tongue as he dropped back, planted a foot in my chest, and flipped me across the road.

We both rose to our feet at the same time. He drew a steel dagger from inside his coat. My lungs filled with plague, ready to be unleashed on this asshole--but he swiftly ducked to the side as I exhaled a thick plume of purple miasma.

I didn't have time to react before I felt the cold steel slip between my ribs. I screamed in pain, as one is wont to do when some of their juicy bits get a few extra unnecessary holes added to them. I desperately tried to grab him, but he snaked out my grasp before diving in and plunging his weapon into my side once more. This time, I caught him across the jaw with an elbow.

Over his shoulder, I saw that Amari was faring well enough with her own two witch hunters. One had already succumbed to her, clutching his throat, trying to hold shut the massive hole in his throat as his life quickly spilled onto the ground.

Actually, she was faring a little too well.

She was so close. So close to breaking. The cracks in her skin that grew with each passing moment, the vomiting fits that took her with increasing frequency...

She's so fucking close to blowing up.

Why hasn't she blown up yet? Why why why why why?

Amari's teetering on the edge. I can feel it. She's right fucking there. And yet, no matter how much hell she's being put through, no matter how much death and destruction she's spread today, she keeps hanging on.

To what?

What does she have to hold on to? What is giving her that spark of hope, that one thing she needs to keep going for?!

Maybe the bitch just needs a little push.

Wrapping my briar-knit hands around the wrist of the witch hunter and his dagger, I tore the thing from my flesh before falling in step behind him. Thankfully, he was still a bit stunned from having his jaw damn near broken, and I was able to push him across the battlefield closer to Amari. The Ar'Tuel had her back turned, occupied as she was by the remaining witch hunter.

I had my opening.

I guided the witch hunter's hand as he--we jammed it into Amari's shoulder. Her scream ripped through the cold air as a burst of black smoke erupted from the wound. It was a nasty, horrible, animalistic noise that felt like nails digging into my soul and hot knives carving up my flesh.

So close. So close.

It's almost over.

I pulled the witch hunter away from Amari, finishing him off by latching onto his neck with my teeth and tossing his bleeding corpse aside.