Chapter 66: Switch (2)
I felt again her body preparing to attack. She detected my fears and emotions. I could feel her movements. It’s a seer against seer. But what ability she held? Until I could figure it out, it will be dangerous for me.
I readied myself when she attacked me again. I have to be calm. As she approached, I quickly struck my dagger on her direction. I felt the dagger slightly graze her arm. Her black cloth was slightly torn apart. She stepped back again and made some distance between us. Fuck. It seems like a cycle.
I was panting as I watched her from where I stood. I found her sleeves, looking for the wound I made. But I was surprised when I felt a painful wound on my own arm. I groaned. What the fuck?!
I felt like I lost my breath when I saw the cut on my skin. It's the exact wound I gave her. I turned to her direction and found her standing there and still watching me, apparently waiting for my reaction. Suddenly I felt cold when it sank to me what she could do. Body switching.
“Did your own attack hurt?”
I held to my bleeding arm as I felt the pain of a deep wound on it. She held the ability of conditional body switching. She switched our body condition that's why my own attack affected me.
I grabbed hold the dagger tightly on my hand the moment she walked up to me. But I didn't know if I could use a knife against her. She stopped just as we're both staring at each other, face to face. She didn't attack. She just stared at me. I wanted to lift the dagger in my hand and thrust it on her chest. But I know I can't do that. This is infuriating. I shouldn't have let her got near me earlier. Stupid, Shia.
“Now you know why I’m a better seer than you,” she said with no emotion in her voice. I was even more irritated. “Kill me, seer,” she commanded. “I’m standing unguarded and open. Kill me.”
Fuck you! I didn't stop myself from spitting her in the face. She was shocked and reached for her wet cheeks while still looking at me. She then slowly wiped it and seemed to let me see the stupidity that I did. But I’ve never been this angry again towards another person for a long time.
“Bitch.”
She suddenly reached my neck and grasped it tight. She violently pushed me to the nearest tree. I almost lost air when I hit my back on the rough trunk. She's very strong. She tightened her hand grasping my neck, almost causing me to lose my breath. But it didn't have any effect on her body. Why? Why is she not affected by the switching?
“Do you know why I’m a seer?” she asked calmly as though she's not currently killing a human. She tried to lift me up from the ground. I almost vomited as I writhed from her arms. “I know every aspect of your body; I know when you’re nervous or trembling in fear, confusion, or craving to kill. Your sweaty hands, your deep breathing, even the current palpitation in your head and the count of your heartbeat.”
She lifted me up further and my vision blurred. I tried to hurt her hands holding me with the dagger. But the effect rather struck my own hand and the blood started to drip from it.
“I can feel you, the same way you can feel the danger around you, I can feel the strength and I can search fears, I know which one to avoid for switching and which one is an easy target, and the latter is you.”
I almost lost my consciousness. But before my breathing stopped, I was able to lift my hand that's holding the dagger and hit her face. The blade swiftly slid against the smooth side of her face. She backed a step away at my action. Her hand holding my neck was also taken back. I almost fell and dived to the ground. The air returned to me as if I was drowned and was only able to breathe now. I was holding my neck and violently cough. But at the same time the air returned to me, a great pain was also felt on my cheek. I tried to stand from the ground while holding my bleeding cheek—the cheek that she should have the cut instead. I started to suppress down the searing pain but I can't stop the blood.
“I see you’re desperate.”
I was holding on to the trunk of the tree, trying to calm my trembling body. I’m on the verge of killing her even if it would kill myself on the process. But I remembered the reason why I was here in the first place. I can't die yet. Not this soon in the Game. I leaned on the trunk and looked at my hand full of blood. I needed to think. I have to know how to hurt her.
“The ability is in my hand,” she said while tilting her head, still watching me. “Whatever you do to me will be yours instead. And whatever I do to you won't have any effect on me. You either kill yourself by killing me or I’ll kill you. Accept your defeat.”
I wanted to laugh at what she said. Defeat? “Stupid,” I spat. “When I stepped into this arena, I have been already a loser.” I stood up and looked at her. “I’m not afraid to die and if I’m going to be wiped out on this game, I’ll drag you down with me. Seer to seer.”
A flicker of confusion flashed before her eyes. In everything that she said earlier a thing has registered in my brain. The ability is in my hand. Amidst of my bloodied face and arm, I was able to smile. Maybe I’m really desperate. But if I was about to die, it’d be better to take her with me.
I took the dagger again, but instead on pointing at her, I pointed it on my chest. She stared at me. She made a mistake because I have three choices here. If I kill her body, I will die. If she slays my body, she will not be affected. But if I kill myself, then she will be damned. And it’s obvious which option was way better.
“And what do you think you’re doing?”
I smiled. “Killing both of us,” my answer. “I myself will kill myself to kill you.”
I felt her gritting. The only emotion she's shown since then. “You’re crazy.”
I didn't answer. I completely pressed the tip of the dagger on my clothes until it was slightly punctured. Now I could feel the cold metal on my skin. I looked up at her and saw how she blinked and looked down at her own chest. Her shirt was torn and a red graze peeked from there.
“I can tone down pain, but can you?”
I used all my strength just to suppress the feeling of pain in my whole body. The blood flowed continuously from my many wounds and that's the only sign that my condition was critical. I have to hurry up. I needed to trigger her in the fastest way and make her ability that's holding us to be released. Because I can feel that any time soon my body would give up without my control over it.
“Your body is on the verge of death,” she said as if inspecting the state of my body. “Even if you can tone down pain, it does not change the fact that your body is deteriorating. You’ll die before me.”
I tried to show that I didn't care. “I told you, I’m not afraid to die.”
I thrust the dagger on my chest deeply. It completely cut my skin. I didn't feel anything but it was clear in my eyes the tremendous amount of blood that's coming from it. The woman in front of me gasped because of the pain she just felt. I buried the dagger deeper to my flesh and she almost lost her breath, falling down on the forest floor while still in front of me. It was like watching what should be happening that moment to me. Release it. Remove your ability.
“You bitch.”
I ignored what she said. I looked at her with my blank eyes and pushed the dagger deeper in my chest. She groaned from the pain. How long will you last? I even pressed the dagger until even I can feel a slight pain.
She screamed. And then, she finally let it loose. I felt the absence of pressure that surrounded the both of us. She immediately got up from the ground while holding her chest and gasping her breath. I didn't waste a moment. I immediately attacked her direction. I thrust the dagger to her chest. But she was able to avoid it. She attacked me but I blocked it with one fist and then pulled her violently. She struggled but I didn't let her. I reached for her neck and was about to smash her onto the ground. But I groaned and held my own chest because of the pain. Shit.
She escaped from my grip and started running away. I tried to stand up and turned to her direction. I took a deep breath even though I groaned again. I held the dagger in my hand tightly. I may be desperate and reckless but I’m not going to run away from my enemy. You’re a shame for a seer. With all of my aiming ability, I harshly pitched the dagger in her direction. It accurately struck her back. She continued running until she slowly stopped. I clenched my hands while watching how she suffered. And then, she finally fell to the ground.
I have no idea how long time had passed before I approached her body. The number I held hasn't changed yet, she must still be breathing. I walked towards her until my feet touched her body still on the ground. She was facing my direction with her wide opened eyes. She was glaring at me, her anger showing high. I squatted and took the dagger stabbed on her back. Seconds passed and her eyes slowly closed. I saw the change of number on my wrist. From 52 it became 82. I looked at her lifeless body for the last time before standing.
“I’m the better seer.”