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[Almighty_Jado]

The Naga drum resonated throughout the halls of the tower, followed by the cries of death, the graceful notes of steel, and the violent staccato of gunfire.

I turned to her, her face cradled in my steel hand. The armour, impenetrable by all else, could not block my feelings. She was Orokin. She should die. I raised my other hand, blade resting within it.

A tear rolled down her porcelain-like face, a small whimper escaping her mouth. I could feel the fear radiating from her, as if she knew the Orokin witchcraft that protected her would now fail her. I felt her sadness that our tale together ended here. But no anger. No wrath. No feeling of being betrayed.

There’s a struggle behind me. A man screaming, flailing his arms. I turn and watch my friend, clad in armour like mine, land a blow into the man’s head with the hilt of his weapon, caving it in and sending blood and brain matter across the table he was held against. He flicked his fist, shaking blood and bone shards off.
She let out a small gasp as she watched the man, her father die. She turned towards me, her eyes regarding my featureless face. I stared back, my emotions blocked by my serpentine visage.

“Come on man,” my friend called to me, “we gotta scoot. There are Dax reinforcements arriving on levels 3 and 16. If we don’t hurry, we’re going to get flanked.”

Did I really want to do this? Could I live on without her? She could not go where I was headed. My hand tightened on her face, lifting her head up to expose her neck. She did not struggle. I held my golden blade against her neck. She whispered something, something I will never get the chance to hear again.

Then I drew my blade across, smoothly severing her windpipe. She gasped as blood bubbled from her mouth and dripped down her front, the dark red contrasting with her pale body. I dropped my weapon and cradled her as she fell forward.

I do not know how long I knelt there, her body limp in my arms. My friend moved my shoulder. “Come on,” he said. His rapier dangled in his other hand, stained fresh with blood. Behind him, several dead Dax soldiers. “They’re already here. We need to move. Now.”

I nodded, laying down her body, careful not to twist any of her limbs. The white plating of my armour was stained crimson with the blood of her flesh, as was my sword. I picked it up and flicked the ruby fluid from its edge before sliding it back into its resting place. I turned towards the door as what must have been thirty Dax barged in, weapons drawn.
“You betrayers! Murderers!” The lead Dax screamed, his face red with anger. “You have killed the Emperors!”

“Then we have freed you,” I replied. “You need not fight us any more.”

The Dax clutched his weapon. “How DARE you try to undermine our honor! We are DAX, you insolent child! You are but NOTHING WITHOUT YOUR TOYS!!”

He may have been right. I know I had nothing else without this second-skin. Not anymore. I gazed one last time at her body. It was still beautiful, her face peaceful despite what horrors she had just endured.

I turned back to the Dax and his men. My friend nodded at me.

I burst into flames as we carved through the soldiers until the sun set.