A fist slammed into Zara's chest, sending her hurtling backward into the cavern wall. A crater was left behind, and she slammed into it with enough force to shake the entire ground. Wiping the blood away from her shattered nose, Zara breathed heavily and raised her blade to defend the already approaching gearborn.
The fight was a hopeless endeavor. It had been a hopeless endeavor the entire time. Even with full mist reserves, she could not have hoped to defeat this beast. Not in direct combat at least. She just wasn't fast enough or strong enough to compete. However, the biggest flaw was that her biggest asset was useless. She couldn't mark unliving beings, and despite the sentience possessed by the gearborn, her powers didn't work.
Still, she might have hoped to escape. Her mist could be used for other things after all. That didn't matter anymore. She had dumped most of her mist on controlling the pirate king. Even as they fought, she still manipulated the man's vision, even if she was slowly being drawn back to the fight with the gearborn.
It had been a worthy trade in the end. Her chances of escape had always been slim to none. The fort, though, still had a chance. She just had to make sure they survived to continue fighting. Whether she would survive or not, that was still to be decided.
Zara barely managed to parry a strike from the creature. The power of it sent her skidding backward, and before she could right herself, a blow was already coming at her from the side. The other pirates in the chamber had all retreated to the perimeter, but even that was not very safe. Through their eyes, she had seen the blow coming. She had known exactly when and where it would hit.
It was not enough.
Nothing had been enough.
Her parry was just a moment too slow, and the strike tore across her right flank. Hot blood gushed from the wound as she stumbled back. It was her first major wound in the battle. While not immediately fatal, it would still be deadly if untreated. There wasn't even time for her to feel the pain radiating through her side, as the creature slammed his foot into her chest.
Zara slammed into the ground with a crunch a dozen yards away. She groaned and struggled to remain conscious. It was sheer grit and determination that brought her back to her knees.
"You can remain on your knees if you like," the gearborn remarked, his tone serious, but not degrading like so many of his kind.
She growled and forced herself to rise. She refused to go down on her knees like the rest of the traitors in the room. They all would die in time, all of them kneeling. She would not join them.
Not in their disgrace.
A hulking gearborn stepped forward, "You were told to kneel, you ant! Get on your knees."
The leader waved him down, "Enough of that, comrades. Humans are like cockroaches, this one in particular. They are not worthy of their high place in this world, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't garner some respect. Do not take being called a cockroach as an insult. If anything, it is a great honor."
Zara scowled and instead focused inwards. She locked every single mark on the fight. All of the pirates were watching the altercation already, despite still kneeling. She used every single eye then, she was going to need all of them to make it out alive.
"In naming you a cockroach, I pronounce your utmost grit and determination. For despite you humans' many failings, it would be a lie to say you crumble easily," he turned to the kneeling pirates and sniffed, "Well, some of you at least."
Had Zara been in any position to contemplate the gearborn's words, she might have noticed the strangeness of the comment. Despite the pirates swearing fealty to the gearborn, the robots didn't seem to respect them. On the contrary, they seemed to be viewed even worse than her and the other Valencians.
However, Zara was much too focused on her lifeblood seeping from her wounded side.
"However, even cockroaches need to be put down eventually," he gave her a sad smile, which looked ominous on his pale white face.
The gearborn stepped forward and exploded into motion. Zara raised her blade in preparation to block the next strike. Every eye in the room tracked the robot's progress. She had time to prepare for the blow. She was ready for this strike and would finally have the chance to retaliate.
She would…
The gearborn's blade lanced out with so much power that she took a step back. The blow landed against her blade exactly as she had planned, and… and… nothing like she had planned happened.
Her blade shattered in a shower of purple light. Her eyes bulged slightly. Never since obtaining her third stage had she experienced her weapon shattering. As it did so now, the force of the released mist erupted outwards. The combination of power sent her hurtling like a cannonball. Even the gearborn had been sent flying backward.
Zara's body collided with the cavern wall with enough force to make stones fall from the ceiling. Her vision blacked out for a moment as she crumbled to the ground. Her body roared in agony. Bones had been broken and cracked.
She lay there in a cold state for what felt like eternity. The pain throughout her battered body was immense, and she tasted blood. If it had been grit and determination that kept her conscious before, this time it was sheer will to live. Despite sacrificing herself for the sake of everyone left standing, she still wanted to live.
Eventually, despite every injury, she began pushing herself up. She had said she wouldn't die kneeling, and that remained true. Her body trembled as she rose to one knee. Zara groaned in agony, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. It joined the already pooling mess from her side.
Her sight finally returned to normal as she caught herself from falling on the shattered cave wall. In the center of the chamber was a kneeling man. He must have been there for some time, because the gearborn leader was facing him as well. Zara grit her teeth hard enough for them to creak. The Pirate King had escaped in the end. At least the bastard hadn't been successful, but still, the sight made her sick.
Words finally began reaching her ears from the gearborn leader, "...given so much. And yet, here you kneel as a failure. You claimed that this mission would prove your worth and glory, but all you have done is show us your inferiority. This is to be expected, of course, and it is my fault for not accounting for your weakness. What I did not expect was for you to be a coward as well."
The Pirate King trembled at that comment, "Apologies, my lord, I just…"
The gearborn back-handed him so hard that he slammed into the floor.
"I do not need your words of failure," The gearborn grabbed him and hauled him upwards, "You have come back as a failure with nothing to show for it except this woman. It is quite strange then, that this woman put up more of a fight for her own cause than you did for yours, shouldn't you agree?"
The Pirate King groaned, and the side of his face was already bruising.
"Pathetic. I can't believe you were ever given the chance to begin with. We will show you now what it means to prove your worth," the leader turned to the other gearborn, "Return to the ship and finish what this fool was supposed to accomplish. We have no need for this Valencian stronghold. Level the fort and be done with it."
Zara moaned in her injured state as she tried to say something, anything. Despite everything that she had sacrificed, it would not be enough. The gearborn spared her a brief glance before turning to the Pirate King with glaring intensity.
"And you. You will take your people and leave the caverns at once. I presume most still do not know of our arrival…keep it that way. You are to find any survivors and dispose of them with any means necessary."
The Pirate King nodded fervently as one of the other gearborn stepped forward, "Our cannons are certainly enough to finish the job? Why leave it to this…insect?"
"Did I not tell you already about how these humans are like cockroaches? Some will survive our onslaught, you can be sure of that much. They will survive and disappear for a while, before returning to mess with our plans."
"Then why send this insect? Why not our own to finish the job?"
The gearborn turned to the Pirate King, "Because our men are needed in case the Valencian fleet decides to arrive. The others have bought us some time, but it won't be much. The Valencians are not stupid. They will come with time, and we need to be ready so we can finish our mission. Besides, this cretin needs a chance to make up for his failings."
"Of course, my lord," the Pirate King practically prostrated himself before the robot.
"Now go, you have your orders."
With that, the gearborn slowly began exiting the room. She had finally been given an opening, and it didn't matter anymore. In her state, Zara knew she wouldn't make it more than a dozen steps before collapsing. There was no chance of her making it out of this.
"And you," the robot turned to her and surveyed her injured state, "The fact that you stand at all is testament to your willpower. You would have made a far greater asset than one like this fool. Perhaps, we can still make use of you in the future, but not in this state."
Zara didn't even see the robot move. A blow slammed into her head. She rocked. Her head slammed into stone. Her vision blurred and slowly faded to black as she felt herself drifting into endless darkness.