Azura The Key

PRESENT

A dark-skinned lady covered in marking on her arms, legs and side of her face is seen battling with a of couple humanoid figures whilst wielding two twin blades. As she slashes through them, a dark goo is left on her blade and they disappear into a dark mist. She stabs the last figure in the stomach causing it to gurgle and choke on its own bodily fluids, blackish blue goo spills out of the comers of its mouth.

”Y-you know that w-well n-n-never stop c-c-coming after you -right? ” said the demon in between gurgles as it chokes on its goo, then it smiles wide with the same goo now staining its razor-sharp teeth. She withdraws the blade from its stomach and proceeds to slash its neck thus decapitating it. Goo erupts like a fountain from its neck and baths her face and then the evil humanoid smirks as he dissolved into dark mist.

Id be surprised if you did ” she says before wiping off the goo from her face. It did not matter how man she killed: they would always come back. While she is trying to wipe off as much of the sticky mess coating her, she hears a slow clap behind her from the shadows and pauses. She proceeds to sniff the air and now sports a half smile on her face; without turning around and with a sigh she addresses the owner of the sound.

”I know it is you Membe ” she says whilst rolling her eyes. ”I can smell your body adour from miles away ”

A hooded figure walks slowly into the light, its a man of lean build wearing dark loose clothing. He keeps a safe distance between himself and the lady.

”First of all. I do NOT smell Membe says with a frown ”and secondly, how were you so sure that it was me? ” He queries with a pout on his face. She finally tums around and faces Membe with traces of the goo still left on her face.

”I cannot decide which answer fits best ” She says and then proceeds to wipe her face again with the back of her palm then cleans it on her skirt before continuing. ”Maybe it is fact that there was a thick smell of desperation mixed with sweat or maybe its the fact that you stink… A lot, with or without the added hint of desperation. Like I said, either way; I can smell you from miles away ”

Membes face scrunches up in embarrassment and then tries to sniff his armpits.

”I do not stink; this place just smells bad and its probably rubbing off on me. ” He says with his arms crossed. She stares at him for a few seconds before speaking

”Sure of course you Do not and I Do not have a price on my head. ” She says sarcastically.

She then wipes her blades clean with a scrap of cloth lying on the floor but sheaths only one of them.

”Speaking of heads, I think you shou-.. ” the rest of his speech dies out when she points a blade at him and he makes a move to take a step back with his arms raised.

”Let me stop you there. ” She says with the blade still pointed at him. We have had this conversation before on countless occasions. Although its the only relatively sensible that has ever come out of your mouth, my answer still remains the same. ”

”Im happy that you agree that its a sensible idea. Also, you do know I can just disappear right? So, you pointing your blade at me is pointless. ” He says but still staring at the blade with a hint of fear. She smiles and takes a step forward. Membes back is now against the wall.

”Should we test whats faster? My blade or your spells? ”

Id rather not. ” He says ”I wouldn want to prove you wrong and hurt your pride. ”

She takes another step and now the blade is lightly touching his chest which causes him to flinch and squeeze his eyes.

”Oh, is that so? ” she says with a smirk ”Then why did you flinch? ”

He opens his eyes when he feels her step back. She lowers the blade and places one hand on her waist still sporting a smirk.

”I did not flinch ” he says with a pout. ”Its cold in here, it was just a mere shiver so, do not get cocky. Anyways as I was saying, that demon was right and you know it. They will never stop. ” He says exasperated.

”Your plan is stupid and I refuse to be anyones pawn. ”

But you are a pawn. You have been one since your existence. ” He says and her smirk is

gone.

”Membe let me make this clear because I feel like I wasn the previous times we have spoken about this. I am a couple of things; a fighter, a survivor and most times Im referred to as an abomination but I am no ones pawn. ” She says with irritation laced in her tone.

”Azura, soon you will have to pick a choice on whom to serve. You cannot keep walking in between both worlds ”

I can and I will ” She says angrily. The irritation has quickly transformed into anger with every

word that fell out of Membes mouth.

”Your path was already carved out and cursed when your mother conceived you. You cannot escape it Azura ”

”That is where you are wrong Membe ” she replies with a dry chuckle. ”My mere existence is proof that fates can be changed. ”

”Do not be foolish Azura. ” He says, and with that he disappears in a cloud of smoke.

”Damn you and the fates! ” She says, angrily staring at the spot he was before he disappeared and then spits on it ”My mother chose her path and so will I. ” She finally sheaths her blade and walks out of the building and into the night.

I am Azura and I am an abomination.

I wish I could say that it wasn always like this; that I did not always spend 95% of my time leaving in the shadows and fighting demons, bounty hunters, occasionally overzealous an overzealous normal villager and whatever they cooked up in the underworld.

I should have known I was not normal when I could hear and remember everything that happened while I was in the womb. I just thought it was normal that I must have had a special bond with my mother. But the fact that I was the size of a one-year-old when I came into the world should have been another dead giveaway.

The forest isn safe a