mysterious as the dark side of the moon

It doesn’t matter how fast she runs, how high she jumps, or how deep she can thrust her weapons. It is always there, like some super fucked up, radiation-hopped, Marvel-universe mutant with all the battery power of the Energizer Bunny. Eventually Wessex falters, she tires, and begins to make mistakes. She’s only an Ascended, after all, and still fallible. When warriors say they’d rather die in battle than from old age, they probably don’t realize how much it fucking hurts to be disemboweled and torn to shreds while still alive. Imagine the worst pain you’ve ever felt: broken bones, appendicitis, post-tonsillectomy surgery, childbirth, knife wound - whatever - and then quadruple it. Quintuple it. It isn’t instantaneous; organs are viciously ripped out of place, blood (and an Ascended’s not-blood) gushes from multiple wounds, she gasps for air, for oxygen to both lungs and brain, pain neurons fire from every inch of her body, both phantom and real. For a moment, she thinks this can’t be happening. In the next, she’s cursing herself. And then all she can do is scream until the monster either tears the vocal chords from her throat, or her body gives out… and this is where she finds out that being an Ascendant really sucks. There's no room for last thoughts, a life reel, or even regrets, because the agony seems to go on forever, and ever and ev - until all of a sudden, she’s very, very, gone. All but immortal. Except against real-life monsters, apparently. Should have read the fine print. At least there’s very little for the clean-up crew to pick up. WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm