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Volume II

Chapter 11

Deita VS Jinshin

“Elizabeth! Hurry! It’s finally here!” Shouted Josiah Sanchez, father of ‘Liz’. After having received the mail, the long awaited acceptance letter had arrived from a most promising college. Not only would it change her future forever, but would allow her to move beyond Valdez and accomplish her dream of getting into medical school and one day becoming a heart surgeon, Liz’ dream career.

Juggling multiple pancakes in the same skillet, Liz heard the call of her father from the living room. Adding the last four pancakes onto the plate with the rest, she added some butter atop each and quickly shifted it towards the dining room where she placed it amongst the various items she had been cooking for her family all morning. Eggs, hash browns, pancakes and syrup, even some diced potatoes if hash browns were too greasy for her mother. 

Liz loved cooking for her family, more so than she did working at the food wagon with Jacob. What she desired most however, was to finally escape this distant town of Valdez, and begin her higher journey in the medical field. While she had proven to be an excellent chef, her deepest purpose was to one day be able to help others. It was all Liz could ever think about, being able to make a difference in this world and be a shining light to those who felt an overbearing darkness.

After finishing breakfast and preparing the table, she swiftly headed towards the living room where her father and mother were waiting for her. The letter was placed across the table, as Liz walked up to it and gazed down at it.

“Well, this is it, don’t keep us waiting!” Josiah smiled at his daughter, hopeful that she had been accepted. Liz’ mother smiled warmly, holding her husband's hand as they waited patiently while Elizabeth picked up the letter.

Taking a deep breath and sighing calmly, Liz opened the letter and pulled it out from the envelope. Unfolding the tri-folded paper, she began to read the letter with a big smile on her face. However, the more she read, her smile had begun to fade. Josiah and his wife felt horrible, starting to realize what this meant. Tears began to form under Liz’ eyes, lowering the letter and setting it back onto the table. It was clear that she had not been accepted to the college, and there would be no funding despite her remarkable grades.

“Elizabeth…” Josiah murmured, not sure how to console his daughter. It had been thought to be certain that she would make the cut, and now he was left with a heartbroken daughter.

Unable to face her parents with this self believed failure, Elizabeth turned and fled her own home. Her mother tried to go after her, but before her parents could stop her, Elizabeth had sprinted down the street, sobbing silently as she made her way into town. Left to her own thoughts, Elizabeth began to curse herself.

‘Why… Why is this happening to me!?’ Liz thought to herself, her cheeks red and wet with tears. ‘I’ll be stuck here forever… A nobody… My dream is over, my parents can’t afford college, and neither can I… This is it… I’ll be stuck in Valdez for the rest of my life, as a lowly cook at a stupid food wagon!’

Ever since she was a child, Elizabeth was born with an inability to speak. While she had been taught how to understand English through her childhood, she still had to use sign language in order to communicate her own words. Being limited in communication, as most people didn’t know sign language at all, it was a cruel existence in Liz’ mind. Not wanting to believe this would be the end of her growth as a human being, she did her best not to let this rejection completely sour her view of the life around her.

After walking dejectedly for some time, lost in her own thoughts, she finally arrived at the food wagon near the port. It was early, technically she didn’t have to show up until another two hours, but she had nowhere else to go to be away from her family. Despite consoling herself, she couldn’t dare to face them right now, even though she knew they’d support her, that was the reason she couldn’t look them in the eyes.

“Liz?” Jacob poked his head out of the wagon window, surprised that she had shown up so early. “Your shift doesn’t start until nine, you know that right?”

Elizabeth sat down at one of the tables, slouching in her chair and visibly distraught. Upon recognizing something was wrong, Jacob quickly exited the wagon and sat down across from her. Leaning forward and cupping his hands together, he gave her an understanding and sincere smile.

“Alright, what’s up? Spill it,” Jacob demanded. “Consider that an order from your boss.”

Liz let out a sigh, holding up her hands and signaling to him. Explaining everything, which instantly made her feel better to share her turmoil with someone she trusted. Not having had many friends, it had been a welcome surprise to learn that Jacob knew sign language. It made him the only person, aside from her family, who could directly understand her. Because of this, Elizabeth had come to think of Jacob as a friend, in addition to being her boss.

“Oh,” Jacob leaned back in his chair. “Liz… No, Elizabeth. I’m so sorry to hear that, I know how excited you were to get that letter…”

Liz signaled some more, being expressive in her gesturing as she vented to him in full. Slowly feeling increasingly comfortable, Liz had realized she had reached the point with Jacob that she felt alright spilling her entire feelings onto him.

“I can’t imagine your parents wouldn’t support you,” Jacob responded. “You know they love you, don’t you? If I were them, I’d be feeling responsible.”

Liz was taken aback by this comment, and signed some more.

“Well, I mean… I can’t imagine being a father to anyone, and not being able to fully support them financially. I can’t imagine your parents don’t take some of the blame, but I’m not saying they should either, that’s just how I’d feel if I were them.”

Liz nodded, thinking about Jacob’s words. Signing some more, Liz stopped her slouching and leaned forward to rest her arms on the table with a sigh.

“Well yeah, I can see how that makes sense,” Jacob responded. “You don’t want to disappoint them, because you know they are only able to provide so much. You wanted to do this on your own, and succeed, so your parents wouldn’t have to worry about you. But guess what, Liz? They always will worry about you, because you are their daughter, and whether you're a cook at my wagon, or the world's most silent doctor, this world will always have a place for Elizabeth Sanchez! Perhaps your true calling just hasn’t presented itself to you yet! Ever thought of that? Huh?”

Liz smiled, enthused by Jacob’s attempt to make her feel better. He was so charming, and while Liz couldn’t deny how attractive he was, she would never want to jeopardize the friendship that had seemingly developed between them. But perhaps he was right, and maybe there was a destiny for Elizabeth that not even she could fathom quite yet.

Signing some more, she relayed this thought to Jacob, and he smiled at her wholeheartedly.

“Of course I’m right!” Jacob cooed. “Mark my words Liz, this world probably has a lot more in store for you than some stupid chef gig, and maybe you’ll find it more empowering than being some surgeon. After all, there’s more than one way to help people in this world! You don’t have to be a doctor to do that, you could be a paramedic, a police officer, a rescue diver, charity or whatever else your heart desires!”

Liz nodded, signing that she understood him, and she was thankful for his kind words. Looking up to the sky, a vibrant smile on her face, she began to feel relieved.

‘Perhaps he is right,’ Liz thought to herself warmly. ‘I wonder what purpose I’ll serve in this life. I wonder what kind of difference I’ll be able to make one day. I sure can’t wait to find out!’

Tears forming under her eyes, Liz kept her eyes clenched shut as she recalled her family, and even Jacob before she had come to learn his true nature. Having undergone the most tortuous and sadistic experience for so long, it almost felt like a dream that she was now spared from that evil woman. Having nearly been devoured alive, it had been a shock to have her prayers answered at long last. But as Jinshin carried her and Benjamin down the winding corridors of this mysterious facility, Elizabeth could only wonder… Would she actually get to see her family again? She knew she’d soon find out.

‘Bzzzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzzzz!’

The alarm continued to sound, its piercing reverberation echoing all around them as Jinshin sprinted down the corridor, turning into a hallway, and running as fast as she could. In her bosom, huddled together, was Benjamin and Elizabeth, both terrified, but hopeful nonetheless. Then a voice was heard over the intercom.

“Attention all personnel, this is a phase five lockdown emergency protocol. We have a traitor in our midst. Jinshin, your previous operations director, has gone renegade. In her possession are two individuals affected by Jacob. Jinshin is to be captured alive at all costs, and the two individuals are to be terminated immediately. Repeat, this is a phase five lockdown emergency protocol. Be armed and ready!”

“What’s a phase five lockdown?” Benjamin asked, feeling the wind rush by him as Jinshin’s speed was impeccable even by an olympian’s standards.

“Emergency security doors will be closed to seal off all exits and contain the breach within the facility,” Jinshin answered, turning yet another corner as she did her best to rush to the entry of the building before such a thing could happen. “If we don’t get out of here in the next two minutes, the entry doors will seal shut, and you can imagine what happens then…”

Feeling dread wash over him, Benjamin shuddered at the possibility of death. Though he once wanted to die, now that Jinshin had effectively changed sides, the hope of being rescued at long last was more than he could bear. Feeling the same energy radiate off of Liz, who continued to hold him tight as she laid her head on his chest, Ben continued to return the gesture and held her close. After all, she was probably just elated to be able to touch anyone other than that vile woman, Deita, after over a month of captivity.

Just as they turned another corner, two security guards were seen heading their direction. Ben’s heart raced, as the two guards were shocked to see Jinshin so abruptly. Despite her speed, her footsteps were nearly silent, and before they could lift their rifles, Jinshin pulled her Odachi from its sheath and slid across the floor. Passing in between them, she used her momentum and spun a full turn before slashing the back of their ankles as they fell to the floor screaming. Knowing they wouldn’t be a further threat, Jinshin turned left before the two injured parties could even turn to get a shot off.

“Holy shit!” Benjamin had felt nauseous after that entire ordeal, the way Jinshin moved was incredible. Disarming two men with a single sword swing, sliding and spinning like some chaotic acrobat, this was a side of the Japanese woman that Ben had not known or seen before. While her story of wrath was one thing, to see this wrath unfold in person, was an entirely different experience.

“It won’t get any easier, so hang on!” Jinshin ordered as she sprinted full speed down the straight hallway, her sword at her side and ready to strike.

“Hang on to fucking what!?” Benjamin shouted as he felt a rush surge through him. “Your giant tits!? There’s nothing to hold onto!”

“Then wedge yourself in further!” Jinshin hissed, not appreciating the vulgar remark, but she understood considering the intensity of their situation.

As they reached the end of the hallway, the entrance in sight, Jinshin felt relieved to see that the security doors hadn’t been sealed off yet. It required two key cards to be scanned at the same time, and since Jinshin possessed one of these cards, she knew it would take a few minutes to get those doors closed via a bypass, which at the most would take two minutes, hence her timeline feeling rushed.

However, five security guards suddenly piled into the hallway ahead of them, and effectively blocked the path as Jinshin came to a grinding halt. Only a few dozen feet away, they all lifted tasers and aimed them towards her. Holding her sword vertically in front of her, she took a stance and studied each individual that stood before her. With almost a minute left to spare, she’d have to get through this blockade as fast as possible. While she had made great progress through the facility before the alarm had been sounded, it wouldn’t be long until the entrance was teeming with hostile enemies and by then Jinshin would be completely overpowered. After all, she wasn’t super powered like Jacob or the mysterious Gullivette. All she had was her prowess, and unfathomable rage.

“End of the line, Jinshin,” Deita said ominously, as Jinshin turned her head slightly to see her heel-clad sister striding down the hallway from behind them. Instead of the usual grin, or devious expression on her face, Deita now possessed a completely cold and callous glare. Not only did she feel betrayed, but she wanted revenge for being abandoned.

“Dammit…” Jinshin hissed, struggling to keep her eyes on all the targets at once.

“Did you really believe you would escape?” Deita scoffed. “You fucking dumbass, this is the most secure and guarded facility ran by this organization. It has effectively become our primary base of operations. You thought we’d let a renegade just walk out the front door? Tsk… Tsk… Tsk… Silly Jinshin, you really do have the hopeful mind of a child, don’t you?”

“Don’t listen to her!” Benjamin encouraged. “You can do this! We believe in you!”

“Benjamin…” Jinshin murmured.

“Yeah?” Ben responded.

“Just shut up, you’re distracting me,” Jinshin chirped, taking a stance and shifting her blade into a horizontal position. Benjamin obliged her, not taking offense as he knew that she was right. To make sure her focus was perfect, Ben chose to remain silent, instead holding Liz tighter.

Elizabeth kept her eyes closed, the sound of everything around her drained by her thoughts as she tried desperately to keep thinking of her family and future. Perhaps if she focused on that, then maybe it would become a reality, just as her rescue had been. While she didn’t know Jinshin or Benjamin very well at all, they stood to be her best chance now at finally being free, and that was enough to rekindle the spark of hope within her spirit.

‘My very first strike with this sword was splitting a bullet in half,’ Jinshin thought, trying to encourage herself. ‘So what could a few taser’s possibly do to me!?’

Controlling her breathing, and widening her senses, Jinshin began to unfold the series of maneuvers within her mind that would give the best chance of success. Scanning the walls, the stance of each individual guard, who had an additional firearm and who didn’t, the men and women, who appeared the strongest versus who would be easier to take down; the order of whom she needed to dispatch in perfect sequence, all of this ran through her mind as she prepared to strike. With Deita growing closer from behind, it was time to act, and there was only forty seconds left to spare.

Clenching her teeth, Jinshin exhaled with perfect form, and sprinted forth towards the five armed security guards. Two of them fired their tasers, but by then Jinshin had reached a top speed and jumped from the floor, transferring to the wall as she began wall running and narrowly evaded the two tasers. Shocked, they had no time to react as Jinshin did a forward spin and brought the sword down.

Slashing the hand of one, he dropped the taser as Jinshin then brought her hilt up and knocked him square under the jaw. Falling onto the ground unconscious, she then jumped and performed a spin kick, her heel making contact with the other man’s face and fracturing his jawline in ten places. Another guard then turned his aim, but Jinshin tilted her sword, and as the taser fired, she cut the lines with the blade before slashing it across his chest. Every action and maneuver was aimed to disarm and disable her target, but she did her best not to mortally wound them.

After all, this had been her family, she knew these people and they knew her. If she could help it, for the time being, Jinshin never intended to kill anyone. If her change of heart was sincere, if Benjamin was right about who Jinshin could become, it had to be something that surpassed her wrath incarnate. No longer did she want to kill, no, Jinshin was tired of killing, and enslaving. She wanted something more, something honest and beyond the realms of evil. Whether or not she could be truly redeemed was not her decision, but redemption was not what Jinshin sought. All she sought now, was saving Benjamin and Liz, and atoning for the failure that was the death of that little boy, all those years ago.

“Aaaaahhhhhh!” Jinshin shouted with a fiery rage, as the two remaining guards realized the tasers were useless.

Attempting to draw their firearms instead, it was all but too late. Jinshin easily slashed across one of their chests, kicking them into the wall as their head hit the concrete and knocked them out. The other drew his weapon and aimed it to fire, but using her sword, she struck and turned the weapon away just as a bullet was let off and hit the wall behind her. Head butting the man, she knocked him out cold. Just like that, single handedly, Jinshin disabled all five guards that blocked her path.

“Impressive,” Deita cooed from behind, growing closer, though she appeared to be striding slowly on purpose, as if to tease her sister. “Still have some moves it seems, I taught you well. It won’t be enough, however, Jinshin!”

Ignoring her sister, Jinshin sprinted into the large entrance of the facility. Just as she did so, she realized her time was up, and the sound of the mechanical workings of the security doors echoed within the large chamber as the doors began to slide across the floor to seal themselves. These doors were massive, the size that would be required for an airport hanger, and they closed vertically. Because of this, Jinshin knew there was still a slim chance of getting through, but it would risk the death of all three of them. This fact emboldened her, and she gave every last ounce of strength she could muster as she sprinted for her life, and the lives of Ben and Liz.

“Hang on! This is going to get hairy!” Jinshin warned them, but Ben kept silent and put his full faith into the woman who had been his captor until now.

Standing at the end of the hallway, Deita stood back and watched intently. Despite sounding the alarm, she knew that Jinshin might have been too fast for them to stop in time, and yet it was going to be a close call. Crossing her arms and waiting to see the result unfold before her, Deita narrowed her eyes as she watched Jinshin do her best to make it out in time.

“You were always the fastest,” Deita said to herself as she watched her sister. “Always out maneuvering me, using your speed to your advantage. But I was always the stronger one, Jinshin. Even if you escape, I’ll never stop hunting you, and I won’t allow you to make it very far.”

Despite her doubts, as Jinshin sprinted towards the doors, they were nearly closed. Her spirit began to tremble, doubts starting to overcome her, it became clear she might not be able to pull off this daring escape.

“Jinshin…” Benjamin murmured, the rush of the wind and the sound of the alarm nearly piercing his eardrums. “Even if you fail… Thank you for getting us this far… Thank you so much…”

‘No…’ Jinshin thought desperately, closing her eyes briefly. ‘Benjamin… I couldn’t save you then… But I can save you now… No, I have to save you… I have to do this, I have to prove to myself that I can be more than a failure, a monster used as a tool to spread further misery to those who do not deserve it…’

Her eyes opened, a fire was lit within them. Unable to grasp the reality of failure, Jinshin somehow began to run even faster than she already had been. Feeling the speed pick up, Benjamin felt mixed feelings of hope and fear, wondering what fate awaited them in the seconds to come.

‘Deita… I know you’re angry, but this is who I was from the start, I see it now. I’ve always wanted vengeance, but before I could realize it, Avaramix took me and manipulated me into a weapon… I wish I had understood this sooner, and Deita, I hope one day you can see this too… I’m sorry, sister, but I will escape this place, and nothing on this fucking earth will stop me!’

With only a second to spare, Jinshin reached the breach in the doors. Jumping forward, she turned her body sideways midair just in time as she passed through the tight opening of the doors. Rolling forward and landing on her hands and knees, the sound of the doors were heard closing from behind them. She had done it, Jinshin had managed to escape the facility before the lockdown.

“You did it!” Benjamin had never felt so relieved. Even Liz finally opened her tearful eyes, and the two shared a sincere moment as Jinshin took a moment to rest.

“It’s not over yet, they’ll come for us, we need to keep going,” Jinshin informed them.

“Is there a vehicle we can take?” Ben asked.

“The garage will be locked down, we have to go on foot,” Jinshin relayed the bad news. “We’ll avoid the main path, and use the forest for cover.”

“Where will we go?” Ben asked curiously. “We could go to my place if you have nowhere else.”

“Absolutely not,” Jinshin responded. “Do you want to put your family in danger? They will expect us to do something so stupid. We have to lay low somewhere remote, a place they won’t think to look…”

“Then what?” Benjamin asked, realizing that escape didn’t necessarily mean freedom. “We just hide forever?”

“Avaramix has remained in his position for this long because of how carefully he handles his loose ends,” Jinshin explained. “Nobody even knows his real name. He just goes by Avaramix, not even I know why. He’s a very private, calculated and dangerous man.”

Liz decided to interrupt, attempting to sign to them both, but Ben and Jinshin only gave her a blank stare as the giantess’ escorted the two tiny passengers in her cleavage, rushing towards the treeline as the sound of the security door behind them now began to open since they had escaped before it could be closed fully.

“What’s she trying to say?” Jinshin asked Benjamin.

“I don’t know,” Ben sighed. “I’m sorry, we don’t understand sign language!”

Liz grew frustrated, signing more furiously and trying to be obvious with it. Ben just stared at her, as the two of them bounced up and down occasionally as Jinshin’s boobs bobbed up and down with her rapid movements and hasteful pace. Signing repeatedly, it soon became clear that Liz had no real way to communicate with either of them.

“We could use a shrunken notepad right about now…” Ben joked, but Liz didn’t seem to find that very amusing, and kept trying to sign with more obvious gestures.

“Why is she so frantic all of a sudden? What is she trying to tell us?” Jinshin ducked behind a big tree, and looked down to try and see what Liz might be trying to tell them. However, just like Ben, Jinshin found herself at a loss.

“They went that way! Branch out, do a whole search of the area!”

The sound of Deita ordering more security was enough to let Jinshin know it was time to keep moving. Using her prowess and inept ability to sneak, she made not a single sound as she quickly dove deeper into the forest. Having nearly an entire army at Deita’s command, Jinshin knew this would be a difficult endeavor to escape the woods in one piece. Having the advantage, however, would be the only factor that might save them yet.

Passing several trees and other massive bushlines, Jinshin sprinted as fast as she could deeper and deeper into the forest. Knowing that there was little chance of discovering her, all she could do was hope that somehow the three of them might lose Deita and the surrounding forces that would do everything in their power to hunt her down and bring her back to face punishment for her betrayal.

As the sounds of the men and women looking to capture Jinshin became increasingly distant, not once did she relent in her speed, maintaining a pace to create as much distance as possible between them and the enemy. As she felt Benjamin and Liz beginning to sink further into her cleavage, it was clear she needed to position them somewhere where she wouldn’t have to fear their harm and injury. Dipping behind a thick tree trunk, she began to fish them out from her boobs to place them elsewhere.

“I’m going to put you on my shoulders,” Jinshin instructed, scooping them up in her palm and lifting them to each shoulder.

“What if we fall off?” Benjamin had his concerns, as he stepped onto the right shoulder before Jinshin brought Elizabeth to her left.

“Hold onto my hair,” Jinshin answered, her lengthy black hair hanging more than enough over her shoulders to provide proper support.

“If you say so!” Ben shook his head, and before he got a solid grip Jinshin was already sprinting deeper into the forest.

This new position required more effort on the tinies end, as Ben and Liz held on for dear life as the enormous giantess of whom they relied on used her immense agility to make incredible pace across the erratic and unlevel terrain of the surrounding forest that concealed the nefarious trafficking facility they had all but escaped from. Several minutes sped by,  time flying as they felt as if they were experiencing a sadistic and nerve wracking roller coaster.

“You go any faster, we won't be able to hang on for much longer!” Benjamin shouted as he felt his body trying to fly off with the wind as Jinshin sprinted like a damned cheetah.

While Elizabeth couldn’t speak, Jinshin peered down at her left shoulder to see that she too was struggling, however Jinshin felt more fluidity in her movements without them crammed in her bosom, so she had to pray they were stronger than they were claiming to be.

“Just a bit further and we can slow down,” Jinshin shouted back, jumping bushes and weaving between the trees as all that her mind focused on was gaining as much distance in as little time as possible.

Suddenly, and without warning, the sound of her phone had begun to ring. Realizing she hadn’t left her phone behind, Jinshin came to a screeching halt and quickly dashed behind another tree. Ben and Liz managed to compose themselves now that they had come to a stop, looking at each other with concern as Jinshin pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked to see a restricted number on the caller ID.

“Who is it? It’s not someone that’s after us, is it? Can they track the call?” Benjamin was scared, honestly, and wasn’t sure it was a good idea to answer the phone.

“This number is restricted,” Jinshin answered. “I doubt they’d be calling me… But just in case… I suppose we should find out what they have to say.”

“Are you sure?” Ben seemed hesitant, but noticed that Liz was signing again with her hands. “Hey! Liz is trying to tell us something again!”

As the phone continued to ring, Jinshin turned to face Liz. “What is it? I know you must be frustrated, we can't understand you, but use your wits, little one! Try and convey what you are trying to tell us!”

Liz looked at the phone and pointed at it. She shook her head furiously, putting her arms in an ‘X’ shape to gesture that the call should be ignored. Jinshin frowned, and sighed as she realized these two were in agreement. Letting the phone go to voicemail, she shoved it back in her pocket, but before she could start running again the phone almost instantly began ringing again.

“Seriously?” Jinshin pulled it out again, the phone still showing the same restricted number. “Shit… I’m going to answer it, not like we have a lot of options right now anyway.”

“Fuck… Fuck!” Ben was beginning to panic, Jinshin had been right. There was no guarantee they were safe, they were in a serious predicament. Jinshin then answered the phone.

“Who is this?” Jinshin asked immediately.

“Jinshin?” The voice asked, and it wasn’t the sound of anyone that Jinshin was familiar with. This sparked her interest, and she grew curious.

“This is her… Who are you?” Jinshin asked.

“No time for the details, I’ve been monitoring you closely,” the voice of a man spoke. “You are carrying two tiny passengers on your person, a young man and woman, is that correct?”

Jinshin didn’t answer, and remained silent. It was unclear who this was, and how they knew anything about the three of them, and it made her increasingly concerned with her position.

“No matter, your silence has given me the answer to my question,” the man continued. “Jinshin, if you wish to survive and protect the two you stole from that facility, then you will heed my directions with the utmost interest and cooperation. Do you understand?”

“Tell me who you are first, and then maybe I’ll hear you out…” Jinshin responded sternly.

“You will head towards Valdez,” the man spoke, ignoring Jinshin’s demands. “I will text an address to your device. It’s a remote cabin on the outskirts of town. It is inhabited by my daughter. Avaramix does not know of this place, it will be safe for the three of you there. Once you settle there, and I must express this with the utmost sincerity, you are to seek out a woman named Annie, or as you may have heard, she also goes by Gullivette.”

Jinshin’s eyes burst wide open, a sweat forming on her head as she tried to understand what the hell was going on. It was happening so fast, who was this man, and how did he know so much about Jinshin and the rest of what he spoke?

“I don’t understand,” Jinshin answered. “Who are you!? How do you know all of this? And why do you want me to seek out Gullivette?”

“We are out of time, Deita is on your trail, I hope you are prepared, Jinshin.” The man said with a grave tone. “I hope one day I can explain all of this to you. Jinshin, when you meet my daughter, do not tell her you spoke with me. She may be better equipped to assist you with Gullivette, but you’ll know what to do once you meet her. I apologize for the secrecy, but the purpose of this call is for far greater things than you could ever fathom. If you truly seek to abandon Avaramix, and if what you have told Benjamin and Deita are indeed the truth, then you have gained my trust. It’s the only reason I’ve called you. Prepare yourself, Jinshin, protecting Benjamin and Elizabeth won’t be as easy as it has been this far.”

With that, the phone line ended, and Jinshin lowered her phone before seeing a text message arrive with the address in mind. Upon memorizing it with her refined memory, Jinshin then tossed the phone to the ground and stomped it, breaking it completely. It became clear to her that Deita might have been able to track them through the phone.

“Who was that?” Ben asked curiously, hearing some of the conversation himself.

“I don’t have the faintest clue,” Jinshin grew concerned, it was extremely disheartening to learn that this man had somehow gathered enough intel to know literally everything, including their own names. Was he a spy in the organization? Was someone infiltrating the facility? It was unclear, but somehow Jinshin knew there was no other option than to heed his guidance.

“So, are you going to follow his advice?” Ben asked, nervous whether or not they could trust this mysterious stranger.

“I suppose there isn’t much of a choice,” Jinshin admitted. “It can’t hurt to check this cabin out, after all…”

Jinshin grew silent, a crack in the woods alerting her attention as she stopped talking and began to listen intently. Benjamin and Liz took notice, and began to look around nervously as they feared that enemy forces were on their trail. They didn’t have to wonder for very long, as the culprit revealed themselves rather swiftly.

“Jinshin,” Deita spoke out loud. “I know you are here. I know you are behind that tree, I heard you. I came alone… Reveal yourself!”

Overwhelming dread filled Jinshin from head to toe, closing her eyes with a sense of failure. The last person she wanted to face now was Deita. There was a good reason for that also, something that nobody other than Jinshin knew personally. Realizing there was no other way out of this situation now, there was no choice but to face her sister again so soon after they had just escaped.

Coming from behind the tree, Jinshin pulled out her Odachi samurai sword and took a defensive stance. Deita was a couple of meters away, and that familiar grin had all but returned to her wicked face.

“I know you all too well,” Deita cooed. “I was hoping it’d just be the two of us. Admittedly, it was a surprise to see you actually managed to escape the building. It made me proud, I suppose all those years of training you worked out after all.”

“Sister…” Jinshin tried to speak, but Deita wouldn’t have it.

“Never call me that again…” Deita hissed, scowling now as she began to approach the three. “I came here to put an end to you, Jinshin. I already made the master’s shit list, and now because of you, his trust in me has wavered. I’m going to annihilate you, Benjamin and that damned cunt. I’ll bring your corpses and lay them before Avaramix, and perhaps then I’ll be forgiven…”

“If that is what you must do, then so be it.” Jinshin bowed her head, her eyes focused and body ready to strike in a moment's notice. “I will do everything in my power to stop you…”

“Stop me?” Deita gave a somber expression, as she reached up to her shirt and began to unbutton it. “Foolish woman. You cannot stop me. If you want to save those runts, and be free, then you’ll have to kill me.”

Upon undoing her shirt, it fell to the forest floor. Benjamin grew anxious, as Deita now revealed to be wearing a tight athletic top. Hidden by the sleeves of her shirt, were bronze gauntlets that she wore on her hands that spanned up her forearms. The edges then popped out, revealing sharp blades that etched the sides of the bronze gauntlets.

“Remember these?” Deita asked Jinshin. “All of those duels and you never managed to beat me. Have you forgotten who taught you to fight? To focus your wrath and rage of which you failed to keep in check?”

“I have not forgotten, Deita.” Jinshin brought her sword over her shoulder, aiming the blade towards her target. “I will always be grateful for everything you taught me. I only wish I didn’t have to utilize such skills in a battle of this nature. But I won’t kill you… I refuse… I couldn’t even if I wanted to. You are my sister, and I will always love you…”

Deita stopped in her tracks, only a dozen feet away from Jinshin now. Her heart nearly stopped, hearing those words for the first time, and from Jinshin herself. For a brief moment, it seemed as if Deita were about to shed a tear. Being told of love, from someone she thought as a sister, had appeared to affect her more than Jinshin had intended. But unfortunately, the damage of Jinshin’s betrayal had all but sealed the fate of their relationship.

“Love…” Deita began to clench her teeth, a rage unlike any other beginning to boil deep within her spirit. “Fuck you… I hate you, Jinshin… You traitorous, conniving bitch!”

Deita lunged forward, coiling her right arm back and preparing to deliver a fatal strike to Jinshin’s face. Jinshin was faster, shifting to the side to avoid the blow. However, to her incredible disbelief, it was all a part of Deita’s brilliant plan.

By shifting to evade her strike, Jinshin inadvertently lined Benjamin up for a direct hit. The bronze-clad fist struck him square in the body, his small form launching from Jinshin’s shoulder and hurtling through the air before hitting the dirt below.

“Benjamin!” Jinshin shouted, and this distraction would cost her.

With her attention wavering, Deita did a complete spin and struck the side of Jinshin’s jaw with the side of her gauntlet, the sharp edges ripping into her flesh, before Deita ripped it from her face. Blood splattered all over the two women, as Elizabeth lost her grip and fell backwards before tumbling to the earth and hitting the ground painfully.

“How fucking pathetic,” Deita cooed, as Jinshin attempted to swing the sword and slash at her leg, but it was not fast enough. Deita blocked the attack with her gauntlet, turning her wrist and grabbing the blade to lock it in place.

“I tried to teach you that love is a weakness,” Deita hissed, using her free hand to grab Jinshin by the throat. Lifting her off the ground, she held her midair before tossing her to the side like a ragdoll. Something that Benjamin and Liz soon found to be a horrifying truth, was the immense strength that Deita possessed.

Despite the woman’s perverse nature and acquired taste in stylish clothing, beneath it all was pure muscle of a machine of a woman. Only Jinshin had ever come to realize just how dangerous Deita could be in combat, and now her life depended on somehow surpassing the very mentor that trained her. Already Jinshin’s spirit was beginning to suffer, her face shredded and bloody as she laid on the forest floor in agony.

“I could see it in your eyes weeks ago,” Deita continued, leaving Jinshin to suffer on the floor as she began to walk over to where Benjamin had landed, passing the disoriented Elizabeth who gazed up at the evil woman as she walked over her without a clue.

“You fell in love with that pathetic insect,” Deita shouted angrily. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I see now I was a fool to dismiss it. You were always weak, Jinshin. It’s why you allowed yourself to be a slave for so long. It’s why you allowed Avaramix to turn you into his obedient, little puppy. It’s why you’ll lose this fight, Jinshin. You don’t have the strength nor will to do what has to be done! You never have, and now I have to punish you for your transgressions.”

Sputtering blood all over the dirt in her face, Jinshin desperately tried to get to her feet. Watching as Deita quickly approached the wounded and immobile Ben, she began to flash back to the past, when the similar scenario of watching the young boy get shot to death unfolded before her very eyes. Tears began to rain from her eyes, an overwhelming sensation of pain and regret filling her from the inside.

“Well, well, well…” Deita stood over Benjamin, his arm snapped in two places as he turned and looked up at her. She grinned at him with a wicked gleam in her eyes, but Ben refused to submit to fear any longer.

“Fuck you… You dirty bitch…” Benjamin spat. “You have… No fucking… Honor…”

“Honor?” Deita cackled, starting to lift her heel as she prepared to put an end to him. “There is no honor among thieves, or in your case, amongst an insect at my feet…”

Jinshin was helpless, starting to succumb to the hopelessness that plagued her mind. Then something peculiar happened, as Jinshin noticed that Elizabeth was standing on her feet again. As the tiny woman got Jinshin’s attention, she nodded and gave a firm smile, lifting her fist to her heart and posing for the wounded ally.

“Liz…” Jinshin whispered painfully, wondering why she seemed so chipper.

‘Jinshin…’ Liz thought as she continued to pose for the distraught warrior. ‘I have been trying to tell you, but it seems my inability to speak has yet again cursed my existence. Instead, I’ll have to explain through my actions. You see, I was broken through and through. I had lost all hope. In the moments leading to my rescue, I thought for certain that I was going to die in the most brutal way imaginable. I thought God had forsaken me. I thought that my future would only end up as some cruel and sick joke that the devil was playing on me.’

‘Then, for the first time since I can remember, even back to when I was a child, my very first prayer had finally been answered. My entire life I’ve prayed to have the future of my dreams. To save lives as a heart surgeon, get accepted into college and make a difference in this world. When all of that was taken from me, I thought my future was over. I thought I would never amount to anything, and never be able to communicate with anyone, that nobody would want to take the time to get to know someone who couldn’t even speak a single word. But then a man told me something one day, you know him, Jacob.’

‘Despite my hatred for Jacob, I see now that he is as broken as I am now. He told me that my future could be a multitude of things, all of which could end up helping people. Then as if in some poetic joke, that very same man was the one to snatch that future from me, when he surrendered me to Deita. Yet again I believed that God had forsaken me, that he was trying to tell me that my life was meaningless and forfeit, my only purpose was to satiate the insanity of this evil woman. Yet again my prayers went unheard, and I ultimately gave up on the idea that God would ever save me from this pitiful existence.’

‘But then, moments before my death, my prayer was finally answered. Jinshin, I don’t care what your past is. I don’t care why you were involved with these people. None of it matters to me, and that’s what I wanted to tell you. Because of you, there was a glimmer of hope for our salvation. Even if we lose now, I want you to know, through this final act, I hope it’s enough for you to save Benjamin… After everything you’ve done to save me, I must return this favor, I believe now that it was my purpose all along… Sometimes, God’s plan is beyond our understanding, and I hope you come to realize that one day.’

Smiling boldly at Jinshin, Elizabeth gave her a salute, before picking up something off of the ground and charging towards the heel of Deita while the other was looming above Benjamin. After witnessing the lengths her new friends had gone through to rescue her, she had felt worthless to help them. But now, it was clear as ever, and Liz knew exactly what needed to be done. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter in the end, but she refused to believe it.

‘Father… Mother… I love you so much… Please forgive me!’

With a fire in her eyes, Liz held up the sliver of a stick she had found on the ground. Approaching the toes of Deita at the end of her heel, moments before she came down with her foot to obliterate Ben, Liz jammed the sliver as deep as she could under her big toenail.

“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooouch!” Deita screamed, blood curdling, as she stumbled backwards. A jerk reaction caused her heel to kick forward, which struck Liz straight in the gut and sent her hurtling across the ground and colliding into a small rock, smacking her head and knocking her out.

“You little fucking pest!!” Deita screamed, completely ignoring Benjamin now as she turned to scowl at Liz who was passed out a few feet away. “I’m going to fucking kill you for that!”

Ripping the sliver from her toe, she groaned again, before charging over to an unconscious Liz. The rage inside of her was overflowing, as she leaned down and picked up a large stone before coiling her arm back and preparing to slam it down onto Liz’s body.

At this moment, something inside of Jinshin had snapped. Upon watching the emboldened Liz perform the impossible, actually managing to distract Deita and spare Benjamin at the risk of her own life, merely to bide a bit more time for Jinshin to recover, was something the woman never saw coming. Her eyes were weepy, her spirit waning, but upon seeing Liz moments away from paying the penultimate price for her act of heroism, Jinshin realized she couldn’t hold back any longer.

‘Then so be it…’ Jinshin realized. ‘Deita… If I must kill you to save them… THEN YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR FUCKING BACK!’

As Deita threw the stone, the incredible had caught her off guard completely. While distracted and having her back turned, Jinshin not only stood to her feet, but had already made the gap between Liz and herself. As the stone hurdled towards Liz’ body, Jinshin intercepted it with her blade, and slashed the stone into two clean halves. They hit the ground on each side of Liz, and the woman had been saved.

“Impossible!” Deita stepped back, unable to comprehend how Jinshin managed to cut the stone in half. Even if she had the strength, the blade should have broken, and yet it was as sharp as ever.

With her spirit rekindled, Jinshin had come to an enlightening realization. All of that rage, all of that wrath, what was it good for? All she ever seemed to manage was death and torment. All her wrath and rage ever produced was corpses on the floor. Yet something greater empowered her now, something that surpassed all understanding. Deita was right, Jinshin did love Benjamin, but that wasn’t the reason for her resolve. No, it was Elizabeth. Despite everything she suffered at the hands of Deita, she still chose to rise above it and save Benjamin’s life despite the cost.

“I understand now,” Jinshin exclaimed as she gazed upon her sister with a resolve of which she had never achieved. “Everything you taught me, was by your own failures. You taught me to unleash my wrath and rage, because that’s all you’ve ever known, isn’t it sister?”

“I… It’s all that matters in this world…” Deita answered hesitantly, sensing something different now with Jinshin.

“You are wrong, sister,” Jinshin argued. “All I ever did was submit to my misery and anger… Yet now, I have no anger or misery left to focus on. No, Deita, I pity you. You see, I never had the courage to turn against the very fabric that enslaved me. But just now, upon seeing that tiny woman fight to stop you despite the impossibility due to her size, that is a courage unlike anything I’ve ever seen. You were stronger than me, because I could never muster the courage to truly go against you. I lost by my own lack of will, courage, but I shall never falter again, ever.”

This time, Jinshin made the first move. Not allowing her sister any time to respond or act, the woman brought her blade and swung it towards Deita’s neck. Reacting hastefully, Deita brought her gauntlet up to protect her neck, but then suddenly the blade shifted, and instead slashed her across the hip.

“Fuck!” Deita lunged forward, preparing to deliver another blow, but Jinshin corrected the path of her sword and brought it up, slashing Deita again across the cheek. Frustrated by her sudden lack of awareness, Deita decided to get even closer. As she went to strike Jinshin in the gut, she twisted around to avoid the strike before bringing the sword across Deita’s left thigh.

‘She is so much faster now,’ Deita realized, ‘she has never been this fast! What the hell, I can’t lose, I can’t fucking lose to her!’

Jinshin then went to strike Deita directly, but the strong woman lifted her gauntlets, forcing the blade up and out of the way before charging into Jinshin and tackling her to the ground. With a cry of anguish, Deita began to pummel Jinshin straight in the chest. Feeling her collarbone fracture, and a rib snap in two, Jinshin grasped her sword firmly and swung it in front of her, but Deita blocked it with her gauntlet.

That’s all she needed, as Jinshin then used her small form to lift her legs and wrap her thighs around Deita’s throat. With one gauntlet blocking the sword, Deita only had a single free hand to try and remove Jinshin’s legs from suffocating her, but she had been outsmarted. Distracted with two attacks, Jinshin used her flexibility and lifted her torso, headbutting Deita and knocking her back to the ground by moving her legs downward.

Turning the tables on this fight, Jinshin was able to then mount Deita as she pinned her to the ground. Before the woman could attempt to fight back, Jinshin had already brought her sword into position, aiming it downward, and piercing it through Deita’s chest.

“Damn you!” Jinshin shouted, as Deita screamed in agony upon the sword piercing her body, blood seeping from her wound. “You were my sister! All you had to do was let me leave! I didn’t want this, dammit! I didn’t want to kill you! Why are you making me do this!? Why Deita!?”

“I… I was so angry…” Deita hissed through clenched teeth, feeling weak as her strength was sapped after being struck with a near fatal blow. “I was afraid… Afraid to lose you…”

“Well you have lost me, you have made certain of that!” Jinshin pulled the blade out of Deita’s body, and the woman gasped painfully. “That was an inch from your heart, you will live if you can keep the bleeding in check, but you’ve lost! It’s over, I’m taking Benjamin and Liz, and we are never coming back! Do not follow me… Do you understand? I will always love you sister, but don’t push your luck, if I ever see you again, I’ll fucking cut your damn head off! Do you hear me!?”

Deita groaned, grinding her teeth as she felt her vision become blurry. Nodding slowly, she understood completely.

“Good,” Jinshin stood to her feet, slowly walking over to where Liz was still unconscious. Picking her up gently, she then made her way over to Benjamin. His arm had been snapped back into place, as Ben stood to his feet and gripped his arm painfully.

“You fixed the break,” Jinshin was impressed. “Are you alright?”

“Are you?” Ben asked, but it wasn’t rhetorical. Jinshin smiled faintly at him, before picking him up as well, holding the two close to her bosom within her hand.

“Jinshin… Wait…” Deita sputtered, bleeding badly as she tried to turn her head and look at her sister one last time. Jinshin paused and turned, looking at her wounded sister as they met each other's eyes.

“What…” Jinshin said harshly.

Deita smiled with blood on her teeth, but for the first time her expression appeared to be sincere.

“I’m… I’m proud of you… You weren’t as pathetic as I thought you were… Forgive me…”

“You are forgiven,” Jinshin answered, as she faced her back to her sister for the last time and walked off deep into the forest.

Jinshin had won.