Greetings Cherry

Seeing the Ella lookalike stare at me I was able to compare the similarities and differences that they both had.

Then I realized that they were so identical that they literally only had the difference of hairstyle, sword color and a scar on their hand.

Smiling with that very same bright smile I had seen when I had first entered the Ramparts, she showed the whites in her teeth all the while the world around her literally burned.

Why was there fire?

Thinking that I realized a fact even as she laughed as if the world around her wasn't burning in the first place.

I honestly didn't care since the only thing that I should be doing suddenly rose into my mind

"Surprise Kick you crazed psycho!"

Punching at her chin she effortlessly bent her back to dodge the fire infused uppercut aimed at her chin as vines sprouted from the ground to wrap around her feet.

"Stay still!"

"Why is it a punch if you call it a kick?"

Tilting her head in confusion, the innocent looking pair of brown eyes stared at me, the smile still present on her ever cheerful face.

"It's a surprise!"

Moving to make another punch, Cherry moved her arms to block the straight punch heading for her face easily, manipulating the punch heading straight for her face so that I would be forced to miss.

'Yeah, I've learnt not to overextend.' Feeling the firm touch of their slaps still existing on my backside, I immediately pulled back my fists before I over extended and lost my balance.

Glaring at her, by now Cherry had ripped out of the wooden binds around her feet, smiling as she spoke "So why are you trying to hurt me Slade? I think we got off pretty well didn't we?"

"Why!? Are you seriously asking that after you gave me that damned amulet!?"

Grabbing the Bronze guard orders amulet bearing the words that it could induce new interactions with people I threw it at the woman who didn't tell me that said new interactions also included being marked by a very spiteful undead that could command an army of fellow undead.

Catching it in the palm of her hands she continued to backtrack her steps all the while the world literally burnt around her.

On second thought, I think I now know why its burning all of a sudden.

Placing pressure on my front foot, I lifted my flaming right foot and snapped a kick at her side only to be blocked by the flat side of her brown broadsword.

'Death that hurts.'

Gritting my teeth I whipped my legs back and transferred into a swift sweep.

Lightly pressing her soles of her feet, despite the hefty weight of her broadsword, she moved startlingly quick as she kept one eye on my movements and another eye on the amulet in her hands.

Being a combination of a sword and shield she tilted her head before turning her gaze to me.

"So? Did you not survive?"

"Yes I did!" Spinning around I continued to make ground on her as her footsteps continually moved her upper body backwards.

Entering the depths of the Ramparts far from the invading undead, I noted that behind her were the bodies of the now dead undead, death that's a mouthful.

"So why are you fighting me? From what I could tell, you would've had to kill the captain sooner or later to get to where you wanted to go." 

"Yeah!? You think so!?" Shouting loudly I feinted a grapple before performing a cross jab.

Not falling for the feint she stored the amulet and pulled out the broadsword, using it defensively like the absurdly wide sword it was.

"How the hell did you even know that I was going to leave the ramparts!? You were literally the only one who told their story one sidedly!"

Smirking she gestured at her eyes. "Everytime I mentioned the past when we still were able to walk through the city like any normal human being, your eyes always turned to beyond the walls, it doesn't take much experience and a genius to know that you wanted to leave these walls."

"Damn, do I still have that habit?" Cursing, I slipped underneath her guard and tried to punch her gut only to have to dodge her blade which swung at a speed deceptive of its size.

"That still doesn't answer the question why you tried to kill me!"

"I didn't try to kill you?"

"You forced that damned zombie's eyes onto me!? If he didn't notice me I wouldn't have to risk my life and fight that stupid army!"

"Zombie...?" Tilting her head she let out a peal of laughter. "Now that's a name that I haven't heard the captain be called, but I guess I can see why you call him that."

'I forgot she's a bit crazy.' Remembering that she still viewed the elite zombie as a normal human air breathing Bronze order captain that guarded these walls, I stared at her, keeping my guard up as she held the broadsword vertical to herself.

"Well that's because the King let down an order, no one gets past without permission." Shrugging her shoulders she moved the sword diagonal from her body, pointing its edge against the ground.

"If I didn't make it so that you catch his attention earlier, the moment that one of his many guards noticed you and let off a signal, you would've been surrounded by the elites under his order."

"???"

'There's more Elite undead?!' Eyebrows shooting upwards I felt a bit of goodwill to the partially insane woman who deceived herself of reality

In the end, all insane people were nothing more than people who viewed the world different from the norm.

It just was that the world Cherry seemed to be viewing involved someone who was very clearly dead was actually alive.

'I would know, I used to be one of them.'

Feeling a bit of pity for someone who denied the harsh reality of cold truths in favor of a delusional dream of warm lies, I prepared myself to punch her straight out of the delusion.

Death knows I still want to punch her for throwing me to the metaphorical pack of wolves.

"Why are you still fighting me? Shouldn't you be thanking me by now?"

"Right now, it's just my personal emotions getting in the way." I leapt forwards to bring my fist right into the side of her gut only to be blocked by the side of her sword. "So let me just punch you a few times!"

"No thank you." Tilting her head like a lizard, she cutely smiled as I continued to punch at her. "Can you just not stop?"

"Nope!"

Pulling back my arm, I twisted my feet against the ground, generating force which slammed straight into the flat of the broadsword Cherry held against her body.

*Dong!

A sound that should've never occurred when flesh hit metal rang out loudly as Cherry grit her teeth at the strong force.

Sliding backwards from the force, two grooves of dust and blood were drawn against the ground as Cherry peaked out from behind her sword, an indent of a fist.

My fist to be exact.

Was seen on her blade.

Seeing this indent on her blade Cherry's mouth fell wide open. "Wow, are you secretly a monk?"

"I've trained under one"

Grimacing, my fist which was unaccustomed to the sudden strong force was unable to relax fully, the muscles responsible for loosening my fingers locking up.

Slackening my wrist and waving off the pain striking through my nerves, flames continued to burn atop my flesh.

But unlike previously, I wasn't going to be spontaneously combusting anytime soon.

That reminds me.

"Receive this punch for me!"

Kicking against the ground, I kicked once more against the air to leap forwards like a rocket.

Flames leaking from the soles of my foot I used my unused left hand and covered it with flames.

My eyes dilating as they took in the world in front of them, my brain computed all of the data my eyes had just inputted and adjusted my body accordingly.

My legs tensed as they prepared to transfer centrifugal force straight to my arms.

Still rocketing forwards, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand as I became suddenly aware of the space behind me.

Cherry's eyes dilated slightly as they moved to the space above my left shoulder.

Watching her abandon the broadsword in her hands, she motioned to take out something from her pouch.

'What the hell is she doing?'

Eyes still wide as they took in everything around me, it wasn't hard to not notice the purple blob of light that suddenly gathered behind her.

Gathering several motes of purple light manifested from the ether, a familiar white robed figure with red horns suddenly appeared behind her.

Hands raised, the purple bolt of crackling light gathered in between the horns on her shoulders as they motioned to strike Cherry's unprotected back.

'So that's what's happening huh?'

Realizing what was happening I adjusted my steps.

Flames emitting from the sides of my ankles my bodies trajectory shifted to the right, revealing the space on my left as she simultaneously leaned to the right.

'So she also knows huh?'

Mind racing, I ignored the fact that there was another one of those annoying white robed bastards and continued to race forwards.

Hand still wreathed in flames the moment that I had adjusted in the air was the moment tha everything happened in a mere second.

*Crash! BANG

Two loud noises sounded out in the enclosed space as I tried loosening my poor left fist.

"Ugh...That hurts." Rolling my left wrist which had just been planted into the skull of this white robed undead, scorched black ashes of what remained floated in the air.

Glancing behind me, I was able to notice that another one of thos eannoying white robes who were able to teleport around had appeared behind me.

But unlike the headless fellow in front of me, this guy had a familiar weapon embedded into its head.

'Is that a Meteor Star?'

Staring at the item which was similar to the Kunai I had, the Meteor Star was much more distinctly suited for cracking bones than slicing through flesh like the Kunai.

Shaped like the head of a mace, the star pointed block of steel lay embedded into the skull of the white robed undead laying on the ground.

Huffing and puffing, I steadied my breaths before staring placidly at Cherry, my emotions now steadied as I had let out my due rage.

"Now that you are calm, do you want to listen to me?"

"...That depends if you want to kill me again."

"Hah!" Giggling she gestured for me to follow "That depends on how you react to what I'll say."

+++

A real thing I found out is that if you just punch without any warmups, there is a high chance of your hands locking up into a fist.

Personal experience btw.

Tree