"Don't patronize me," Lisbeth rasped, still struggling to draw breath. She tried to push herself to her feet, refusing to show weakness in front of him. She pressed her hands against the sand, but her arms shook and she wasn't able to rise up.
She clenched her fists in the sand, shaking. She watched her tears drip down onto the sand.
She let out an unholy scream, pushing to her feet, carrying up two fistfuls of sand and throwing them in Sah's face. She hoped at least to catch him off guard before he could deflect the sand with his telekinesis.
She tried to run across the sand back to her bow, but she slipped and stumbled, catching herself on her hands again before pushing back to her feet. Once she had her bow in hand, she drew an arrow, trying to whirl around and aim a shot right at Sah's head. She didn't care that she stood no chance of hitting, that he could likely kill her with a flick of his finger. His kind deserved punishment, and she wanted to be the one to dish it out.
She slipped in the sand as she whirled about, and the arrow she fired flew wide, piercing the feathers of an unfortunate seagull that was flying past. She collapsed to her knees again, taking deep, struggling, wheezing breaths as she tried to pull another arrow from her quiver.
She collapsed facedown in the sand, breathing in a few grains of sand before coughing it back up. She pushed herself up weakly, her face covered in tear-streaked sand. Unable to continue, she forced herself to slow her breathing. It was a big a struggle as it had been in a long time. She cursed her weak lungs and her frail, fragile body. She trained and she trained, but she never got stronger.
When she finally had her breathing controlled enough to at least be able to stand up again, Lisbeth pushed herself to her feet. She was covered in sweat, tears, and sand. Her body was shaking. Her breath was raspy and weak.
Despite all that, she held her chin high, looking at Sah with a quivering lip.
"I don't need your pity," she said, spitting the sand out of her mouth and onto the ground. She held a single arrow in her fist, pointing it towards Sah, her bow still dangling at her side. "When the war starts, I'm going to kill as many Ascended as I can. And if any of your kind are fighting alongside them?" A smirk touched her lips, a wild look in her eyes. "I will kill every last one of them. But that's not all..."
She spat again, then rubbed her mouth off on her sleeve. She could barely speak with how out of breath she was, so she stepped closer, so that Sah could hear her hoarse whisper. "It's not just about the war." Her voice was barely audible over the sound of the waves. "I'm fighting for the future. To protect those who are not yet born. And that means stopping the dangerous, unpredictable magic before it spreads out of control. So if you," she tapped the arrow against his chest, "or any of your kind, tries to use their magic to create something unnatural, or to rise against the gods, I'll kill you all."
She spat again, this time right against his armor.
She was shaking. Her lips trembled. Her breath rasped and wheezed. Sah could no doubt have knocked her down with a gentle shove. But still, she stood as tall as her meager body would let her, looking him dead in the eye.
"I will not allow another one like the Voice to rise again. Not while there is a single breath left in my body."
She clenched her fists in the sand, shaking. She watched her tears drip down onto the sand.
She let out an unholy scream, pushing to her feet, carrying up two fistfuls of sand and throwing them in Sah's face. She hoped at least to catch him off guard before he could deflect the sand with his telekinesis.
She tried to run across the sand back to her bow, but she slipped and stumbled, catching herself on her hands again before pushing back to her feet. Once she had her bow in hand, she drew an arrow, trying to whirl around and aim a shot right at Sah's head. She didn't care that she stood no chance of hitting, that he could likely kill her with a flick of his finger. His kind deserved punishment, and she wanted to be the one to dish it out.
She slipped in the sand as she whirled about, and the arrow she fired flew wide, piercing the feathers of an unfortunate seagull that was flying past. She collapsed to her knees again, taking deep, struggling, wheezing breaths as she tried to pull another arrow from her quiver.
She collapsed facedown in the sand, breathing in a few grains of sand before coughing it back up. She pushed herself up weakly, her face covered in tear-streaked sand. Unable to continue, she forced herself to slow her breathing. It was a big a struggle as it had been in a long time. She cursed her weak lungs and her frail, fragile body. She trained and she trained, but she never got stronger.
When she finally had her breathing controlled enough to at least be able to stand up again, Lisbeth pushed herself to her feet. She was covered in sweat, tears, and sand. Her body was shaking. Her breath was raspy and weak.
Despite all that, she held her chin high, looking at Sah with a quivering lip.
"I don't need your pity," she said, spitting the sand out of her mouth and onto the ground. She held a single arrow in her fist, pointing it towards Sah, her bow still dangling at her side. "When the war starts, I'm going to kill as many Ascended as I can. And if any of your kind are fighting alongside them?" A smirk touched her lips, a wild look in her eyes. "I will kill every last one of them. But that's not all..."
She spat again, then rubbed her mouth off on her sleeve. She could barely speak with how out of breath she was, so she stepped closer, so that Sah could hear her hoarse whisper. "It's not just about the war." Her voice was barely audible over the sound of the waves. "I'm fighting for the future. To protect those who are not yet born. And that means stopping the dangerous, unpredictable magic before it spreads out of control. So if you," she tapped the arrow against his chest, "or any of your kind, tries to use their magic to create something unnatural, or to rise against the gods, I'll kill you all."
She spat again, this time right against his armor.
She was shaking. Her lips trembled. Her breath rasped and wheezed. Sah could no doubt have knocked her down with a gentle shove. But still, she stood as tall as her meager body would let her, looking him dead in the eye.
"I will not allow another one like the Voice to rise again. Not while there is a single breath left in my body."
