“So, how long has it been since you left? A few months? Looks like you’ve taken to the Fixer life quite well.” Rogue said, grinding his blades together, causing sparks to fly off. “I was there when you were presented that Prescript… Fixer, Proselyte, I guess as long as it involves combat, it doesn’t really matter to you, huh?”

  Heidi, standing across from him, looked at her forearm. It took an attack she took earlier; the metal of her arm looked more like it was scratched by a serrated edge. That’s why his attacks hurt as they do. Looking back to Rogue, she responded, keeping a casual tone. “A few months, yeah. Sorry for not staying for your slaughter of that marketplace.”

  “You didn’t even say hi to Wiseman.” Rogue nodded. “He was looking forward to talking to you again.”

  “I don’t think I can face him. Not now.”

  “You will eventually.” He took a deep breath. “But, enough reunion, both of us prefer to let our blades do the talking.”

  Heidi nodded, “I never interacted with you during my time in the Index, but let me tell you: I already really don’t like you.”

  “Thank you for letting me know. I didn’t expect you to like me anyways.” Rogue nodded with an accepting laugh. “Heidi, as the Prescript demands: Kill the past.”

  Heidi rushed forward, at the same time Rogue did, their blade clashing. Rogue turned since his blades around. It was hard to tell from looking at them, his swords looked like they were a pair of double edged sharp swords; just like Heidi, they also had a wolfsbane tassel hanging off the pommel. But, they were actually asymmetrical. One side was a sharpened edge perfect for killing, the other side was ever so slightly serrated to the point where it was almost impossible to tell until you were cut by them; this resulted in wounds that didn’t cut deep but resulted in grievous wounds that bled a lot and were hard to heal… Poor Oliver… She had to hold through. As Heidi sidestepped Rogue’s attacks, one, two, three, then blocked the fourth.

  Breaking off from the clash, Heidi began attacking, swinging at him. Their position in the fight was now switched, her attacking and him defending. While they were talking so much earlier, they were now both in silence. What was there to say at this point? What they were gonna do tomorrow? One of them wasn’t going to leave this building alive. What came tomorrow only mattered to the survivor so any time in the fight was too early to make plans.

  Rogue was changing up his fighting style yet again. The sword in his left hand, his dominant hand, was kept close to his body. While the one in his right was held further away; Heidi recognized the way he was holding it. It was a fencing stance. Normally, you’d do that with a rapier. But Rogue was far from an ordinary swordsman, he could probably fence with a broken bottle. He would jolt forward, quickly swipe at Heidi a few times or use the blade to deflect her attacks. Then, once he saw an opening, he would go for a stab with the blade in his left hand.

  Seeing the blade lunging at her she juked to the side. The blade scrapped across her right arm, slashing through the metal easily.

  Now up close to her, Rogue slashed at her several times with his right hand. A swift flurry of horizontal slashes. Heidi had to get distance, she jumped back, grunting in pain as she felt the blade graze her midsection, right below her chest, twice. “Fuck…” She grunted. It hurt, she was bleeding pretty bad, but it was a survivable wound. One of the slashes was with the serrated side of the blade; she could tell just by how bad one of the cuts hurt more than the other.

  “…And thus, I drew first blood.” Rogue said, holding his blades out, yet again changing up his fighting style, but to what he was using at the start of the fight, using both blades in tandem.

  “It was a glancing blow.” She said, unzipping her jacket, and tossing it aside. She was now down to just her tank top. She would be more agile like this.

  “Rest well. I want to see your past burn brightly, even if it means my death. So I’ll let you catch your breath.” He said.

  “If you want that, why don’t you go ahead and kill yourself? Make us both happy.”

  “Because it’s something you need to earn. This is a fight to decide if this fate is right for you. Whether or not it is meant to be.”

  “Guess I’m not going to change things by talking.” Heidi nodded. Not that she minded, she preferred to decide things this way. “Alright.” She dashed forward and slashed at them, the two of them resuming their exchange of blows once more. Once again, they went silent, as they clashed over and over again. Blocking, swinging, dodging. The two swordsmen were barely winded, moving between cubicles, their force of their attacks causing papers and office equipment to be sent off desks. Some papers were even sliced in half in midair by their attacks.

  The Prescript was in her pocket. She carried it around with her as if she had to; even now she was unable to let go of her time with them. Truth be told, even today she found a weird degree of comfort from it. Maybe it was that it reminded her of the good times she had… If she could call those good times. Maybe it was just the protection that the Index provided. Maybe she just liked the feeling it had when she held it in her metal hands, even if there was no feeling in her fingers. As a matter of fact, there were two of them. Two Prescripts. There was the one she got before she came here: ‘Leave the Index and become a Fixer.’ Now it was joined by a second one:

  Kill your Past.

  To some, just a nonsense phrase. To someone with the experience of deciphering Prescripts and their esoteric meanings? The definition was plain and obvious.

  Fuck it, she had to focus on fighting, all this thinking was ruining her focus. She wasn’t going to let a silly piece of paper hold her back from the most important thing right now: Killing Rogue. She had to win this fight, even if it meant not worrying about Emilio, even if it meant not worrying about Oliver. She was going to win this fight and rip off that helmet. She leaned back to dodge a sword strike directed at her face; she had no plans on getting any scars across her face, Emilio didn’t mind having a face that looked like a lattice fence, but she did. Dodging another slash, this one directed at her neck, she readied herself. It had been long enough, she was picking up on his moves. His habits. He was going to slash a third time, directed at her chest.

  Rogue stepped forward and swung his sword, aimed at Heidi’s chest.

  There it was! Heidi sidestepped the attack, positioning herself right where Rogue’s hand would be at the end of his swing. Emilio might have a shit ton of cutting power with that dumb cleaver of his, but if there was one thing that her katana had, it was this. Rogue didn’t even process it before it was too late. With one quick swing, Heidi slashed at his hand, his fingers specifically.

  SLASH!

  Rogue grunted in pain, leaping away from Heidi. The sound of 4 small objects hitting the carpeted floor were heard, followed by the soft thud of his sword. Rogue was now minus 4 fingers on his right hand.

  Precision. That is what Heidi had over Emilio.

  The two stared at each other, their swift exchange of slashes put on hold for the time being. Rogue had his hand on his thigh, blooding pouring out of the stumps of his fingers.

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  “Come on.” Heidi said, pointing her sword at Rogue. “Let finish this.” She grinned. “To be honest, I’m not doing this to fulfill the Prescript, that’s secondary. I’m doing this because you really pissed me off by hurting Oliver.”

  “As long as you fulfill it.” Rogue said, placing his remaining sword in both hands; his right hand lacking fingers, he was using only his thumb. “…Shall we…?”

  Heidi nodded, taking a deep breathing, adopting a stance used by duelists in S Corp. “Let’s.” The two stared at each other. Time slowed down. The office felt so silent. They were just a few meters away from one another, both of them could close the distance in less than a second. Who was going to blink first? A clock on a nearby desk ticked and ticked.

  Then, there was the slightly louder ‘tock’ of the minute hand moving. Both swordsmen stepped dashed forward. Then they were behind each other, back to back. A long slash ran along the wall of the nearby cubicle. Stacks of paper were sent into the air, like a flock of white birds. In the middle of that flock, was the golden and white sheen of Rogue’s helmeted head, flying through the air. His body was standing for a good few seconds, blood shooting out of the stump like a fountain, before collapsing to the ground.

  Heidi had swung first. Flicking the blood from her blade, she sheathed her sword, putting a cap on her victory.

  “Killing my past…” She muttered, emotionless. 1 down. 4 to go.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Silvio complained, carrying a medical kit he got from the other side of the room. Oliver, heavy for her size, was a bit too difficult to carry. Plus, with her injuries, he could’ve made her condition even worse by dragging and carrying her around; he was forced to run around, looking for first aid kit. Luckily, he managed to find one quickly, a bright green box with the words FIRST AID on them. “You’re gonna be okay, Bear Girl.” He said, struggling to remember her name, even with Heidi shouting it earlier. The contents of the medkit were the usual; bandages, painkiller, some ointment that was said to accelerate the healing process, some gauze, and some scissors for cutting bandages; if only they lived in K Corp, with their stupid healing ampules. “I’m no medical expert…” He took a deep breath, “But I patched up a few of my allies in the past. I know enough that…” He shook his head, getting back on track. All the time he is spent talking is spent not saving Oliver’s life. He removed her mask and set it aside, then he got to work on removing her jacket. “Sorry,” he apologized for having to strip her down to just her shorts, in order to apply the bandages. As he grabbed a roll of bandages and a bunch of gauze, he stopped, noticing something weird. “What the fuck…”

  He was staring at her wounds, a pair of slashes running from her left hip, up to her right shoulder. They looked like they were already starting to heal; still the type of wound that’d need medical treatment, but still clearly healed. He put his fingers to the wound on his arm, which was still bleeding plenty. Comparing it to the wounds on Oliver’s chest, he was certain that she was cut worse than him… Why was the wound on her chest already looking better? Coupled with how heavy she was for a girl of her size… “Where the fuck did they find you…?” he mumbled. But, now wasn’t the time to think about those things. Even with the wound already mostly healed, he still had to apply some bandages. Placing a length of gauze over the wound, then wrapping her up like a mummy, he cut the bandages. Even in the dark, as he tied the bandages, he noticed something else strange; a long scar running down her torso. Didn’t look like something you could get in a fight, it was a long scar that ran from the base of her sternum, down to her groin. Like she was opened up at some point, like a pea pod. Wincing at the thought, he took the last of the bandages, and wrapped them around his arm. “That should do it. You’re gonna be alright.” He said, putting his fingers to her neck. Her breathing was fine. Pulse was regular. “Hope Emilio is alright.”

  Emilio, meanwhile, sat on the ground, Fionnlagh right in front of him. Oberon standing over him to make sure he didn’t still have some fight left in him. “Fionn.” Emilio grinned, but with anger in his eyes. “Still turning people into trees? At least they’re not children.”

  “Hm…” Fionnlagh tilted his head to the side. “Ah… Yes, that I am…” He knelt down in front of Emilio, smiling gently. “You always were so… Well… Hm… Fierce… So angry… That drive… Ah, it drove you. Hahaha… What a redundant statement. I’m saying you had a lot of drive.” He moved the fingers of his gauntlet back and forth, the material of the glove made a wooden grinding sound. Then, without warning, he thrust his claws forward, his thumb, middle, and index finger pointed right at Emilio’s left eye. He stopped himself just a quarter inch away from puncturing through.

  Emilio didn’t even flinch.

  “Ah… So ready to die.” Fionnlagh frowned, standing up. “That mindset… It disturbs me. Upsets me even. Makes me upset for you… To think what you’ve been through… I can’t help but cry for you.”

  “You have no right to judge me You never have. Now how about you get this fucker to stop hovering over me?” Emilio said, motioning over to Oberon, who was cleaning his machete. “I’ll be more comfy without him there.”

  Fionnlagh nodded. Motioning to his companion, “Oberon? Please?’

  “Very well.” Oberon said, walking to Fionnlagh’s side. “I’ll forgive you for threatening to hurt Titania. Next time you won’t be so lucky.” He looked up, towards the ceiling, “Speaking of, she should be back soon.”

  Emilio, scooting on his butt towards a more comfortable position, unable to walk on his destroyed ankle, he figured he might as well ask questions. “Okay. What is your plan this time? Poison the Backstreets food like you did at the orphanage? Talk about how you aren’t killing people? You don’t have the pass of being a child.” He scoffed, “Then again… You’re about as smart as a child. Hell, why don’t you go talk to the Dieci Association? I heard they have a habit of taking in children without parents or guardians.”

  Oberon, already pissed off, gripped the handle of his machete, stepped forward, only to be stopped by Fionnlagh putting a hand over his chest.

  “Emilio?” Fionnlagh said, “Need I… Hm… Tell you the same things I told you then…?” He laughed, “What I plan, doesn’t kill people.” He stared at his gauntlet. “The deaths here were… Ah… They were… Ah… They were unavoidable… I put it on Oberon and Titania’s shoulders to commit these… Ah… Acts of bloodshed. They don’t mind killing and hurting” He put his hand over his stomach, “But me? You know I can’t stand violence… I hate it.” He rubbed his gauntlet, smiling. “…The trees I make… They do not die… They are liberated from the City… They are happier than even those in the Nest… Hah… Hm… But this glove… These trees… They are just the start of what I plan.” They’re just a start.

  A fourth person could be heard approaching the group. Emilio looked over his shoulder to see Titania coming up to them. “Ah, it’s you. Second half of the twin idiots.” Emilio said, continuing to push his luck, knowing Fionnlagh wouldn’t let them kill him.

  Titania silently raised her blade, only to be stopped by Fionnlagh holding his hand up. She sheathed her machete. In her hand was a small, white and green device. “Negotiations are done.” She said, “A bunch of pissy weaklings. They parted way with the device when I told them it was all I needed.” She looked to her brother, noticing his wounds. “Bro!” She gasped, then looked to Emilio. Putting two and two together, she reacted quickly, losing her temper. “You hurt him?!” She said as she quickly stomped on Emilio’s left hand.

  A crunching sound could be heard, followed by Emilio’s shouts of pain.

  “Titania! Stop!” Fionnlagh raised his voice, halting the psycho from doing anymore damage. “Don’t kill him.”

  “I didn’t kill him. I was simply punishing him.” She argued, before returning to Fionnlagh’s side, but she calmed down as she saw Fionnlagh furrowing his brow. “…I’m sorry… I’ll control my temper next time.” Then, she handed the mysterious device. It was about the size of a softball. Looked like it was made of white plastic, covered in green lines.

  “Even so… I don’t want Emilio to die. I believe in second chances… And third chances…” He looked over to Emilio, who was now seething, clutching his now broken hand. “Plus, he was my best friend… I still haven’t forgotten or time together…”

  “Plan…” Emilio said through clenched teeth, getting comfortable again.

  “What?” Fionnlagh asked, moving closer.

  “What do you plan?” Emilio repeated. “Come on, tel me… Best friend.”

  “What do we plan?” Fionnlagh scratched his hand, pieces of cypress falling out of his hair. He looked genuinely confused. “Ah… Like what is next…? Sorry, I didn’t get what you meant there… Haha… But I can tell you…”

  “Fionnlagh,” Oberon said, interrupting him. “We shouldn’t give too much information. Former best friend or not, he is still an enemy.”

  “We need to get out of here. Backup will probably show up. We’ve been attracting the eyes of Associations lately.” Titania affirmed. “Plus, we do need to give our payment to the Ring soon. They’re gonna need something new.”

  “Hm… For shame…” Fionnlagh sighed, looking upset. “But yes… I’m sorry to part ways so soon… Our first meeting in 17 years… But know this, soon this Backstreet… The Nest… The District… Haaah… Soon it’ll all bloom brightly and beautifully. When I am reunited with my other half.” The twins began to leave. “Before then… Hah… See the beauty of things as I do… If not… Then I will liberate you…” Then, turning his back, he followed the two out, disappearing into the night, leaving Emilio lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.