Skeletal fingers hung from the trees, long since barren of fruit and leaves. Shriveled, dried husks that were once leaves laid on the ground, in piles, dead and forgotten. Light rain fell, poking at the husks. They danced across one another, before ultimately getting stuck in the mud, doomed to take the sky's fury, however light, until they broke down entirely.
Hollow sighed and stared up at the bleak sky, allowing the rain to hit his face. Thunder boomed in the distance, and the undead shambler closed his eyes, breathing in the damp air. He thought that he might come to like this, the quiet and the cold. Now that he had boots, he didn't mind the mud anymore.
He twirled the axe between his fingers. Had he used one of these in his past life? It felt natural in his fingers, the haft slithering through his grip like a snake. He sighed as he tried to pin down that past with little success. All he could manage was that who or whatever he had been had made him adept with tools such as this.
Awakening in a battlefield was rather compelling evidence that he had been a solider of some sort, whether honor or fortune he had yet to decipher. Lost in his thoughts, he continued down the long and winding road, navigating with sense only a native should have.
Hours passed, the rain relented and began anew. If the sun rose or set, Hollow couldn't tell. The clouds were much too thick and oppressive yes, but he had found that he had no interest in such things. They had no hold on him.
It was somewhat warmer now, enough so that low mist crawled across the mud. He kept a close eye on it, fearing it may try to eat him again. While he knew that normal mist and fog didn't do that, he couldn't help but shiver at the memory of the thick vapor holding him fast, dragging him back into its damp maw.
That clown, Sarem. Just what was he? Rather than speculate off of name and appearance, Hollow turned and looked behind him, where his shadow lay. The Sinner's emerald eyes stared up at him, and a small smile broke out across the ashen man's face.
"You look puzzled. What's wrong?"
"Sarem. You talked to him like you knew you him. So, what do you know about him?"
"Ah... I was wondering when you would ask me about that. Well, I suppose I have no reason not to share. Short story long, men like Sarem have a hundred faces, and a hundred names. They can only succeed as long as no one knows which is the true one. In Sarem's case, this is somewhat more literal than with one like me. He seems to draw his powers from whichever mask he is wearing at any given moment, and of the God Fist, he is the most cunning without a doubt..."
The Sinner trailed off and ducked back into Hollow's shadow. Before Hollow could say anything, a gray hand shot from the shadow and covered his mouth. Another sprouted in the shadows of the tree line, and beckoned Hollow over.
Hollow ran over to the tree quick as he was able, and the second he stepped foot under its branches, he was yanked down into ground, no, the shadow itself. Darkness filled his vision, and he suddenly found himself face to face with The Sinner's glowing eyes, which illuminated a simple and solemn look on his face.
"What the hell? That scared me!" Hollow exclaimed, red rising in his face as he tried to look away from The Sinner, only to find that the confined space did not allow it.
"There's someone else on the road. They haven't seen or heard us yet, but they were about to. Also, if you shift over to the left a little bit, you'll be able to get off of my lap." He spoke quickly and calmly, while gesturing to a space that was at most a dozen centimeters wide.
Hollow looked at the space and tried to imagine cramming himself into it. With a dismissive shake of his head, he decided to stay put.
The Sinner raised an eyebrow but kept silent on the matter. Instead, he opened a small hole in the shadow, allowing a small amount of gray daylight to leak in, followed by the sounds not only of wind blowing and rain falling, but also two men speaking.
"Doctor, I'm beginning to tire of your games. We're in dangerous territory and if this is just another one of your flights of fantasy, I swear I'll make you regret it." His voice was smooth as silk, with an edge like a blade.
"The fact that you still think this is a game is exactly why you'll never understand anything, you one eyed idiot. Perhaps part of your brain was scraped out when The Weaver pulled it from your worthless skull. That said, you are rather pretty so I suppose I'll ignore your ignorance for now. Just keep an eye... sorry, your only eye out for any trouble." The second man's voice was raspy and smug, yet carried an air of confidence that demanded attention.
The first man only growled in response. Hollow could make out a stream of low, mumbled curses. He looked back to The Sinner, who looked on edge. He raised an eyebrow and gave a quizzical look, though the Sinner only shook his head, and placed a finger on both his own and Hollow's lips.
The footsteps faded into the distance. The pair waited a few seconds, which turned to a minute and then two minutes. Nothing but the soft patter of rain and low bellow of wind. Hollow and the Sinner both let out a breath they'd been holding since the footsteps first faded.
Wordlessly, the pale pinprick of dull gray daylight broadened until it was large enough for Hollow to slip out. He looked back at the Sinner, and considered how to get out. Jumping out should have been easy, but given that he still sat on his friend's lap, he wrote off that idea so as not to hurt him.
So instead he wiggled off of the Sinner, and quickly climbed out of the hole, grunting slightly as his fingers made contact with the cold and damp mud. He pulled himself free, and wiped his fingers on his cloak before turning back to the Sinner, offering him a hand to pull him from the shadow.
The Sinner's face was flushed a darker gray that usual, and he looked rather troubled, a puzzled and hazy look in his eyes. Hollow snapped his fingers, startling the Sinner, whose head snapped towards him with a shock. After a second of eye contact, the Sinner broke his gaze and took Hollow's hand gingerly.
"Are you all right? You're a bit darker than usual." Hollow noted as he pulled his friend from the pit.
"Ah, uh... I'm fine. Just a bit hot is all. It was hot in the pit. Hotter than usual, since there were two of us... I'll be fine once I get some air." The Sinner stumbled over his words, two of his hand fiddling with different parts of his robe as he spoke.
"I see. It was rather stuffy, but I didn't mind. I honestly thought shadows would be colder." Hollow remarked, before turning on his heel and making his way down the road, following the two men. The Sinner hesitated for a few seconds but soon followed, his pace far slower than before.
Hollow looked back when he couldn't see any part of his friend from the corner of his eye. Typically he walked behind him, but slightly. Now, he was a good two meters or so back walking slowly and swaying slightly every few steps.
"What's wrong partner? Are you all right? You aren't normally this slow." Hollow stopped, having turned around fully now. A small ember of concern sparked behind his eyes as he walked towards his friend.
"Can you walk? It's far too dangerous to rest here, you know." Hollow placed a steady hand on his friend's shoulder, holding him fast to stop his swaying.
"I'm afraid that this is as far as my body will take me. I extended far beyond my limits, and I fear that if I sink into your shadow that I'll sink too deep and be lost forever." The Sinner grunted out between labored breaths.
"Dammit, that's no good. What can I do? If rest is all you need, then I can assure you that nothing will touch you."
"No, though it may help, it's only a stitch on a lost limb. I need to eat and it'll be hard for me to do that out here."
"You don't look like the sort to eat grass, so perhaps I can hunt something? Or you could eat my arm... yes my left arm, as I can always grow another." Hollow said, flexing his lean bicep as he spoke.
"No Shambler, I do not eat flesh. As my name might suggest, my very being is tied to the sins of the world. Of man. I must consume sin to survive. You're innocent as of yet, so unless you suddenly slaughter innocents or rut with a demon, you won't be able to help me." The Sinner explained slowly, several of his hands clutching Hollow's shoulder and back to support his own weight.
"Leave it to me to make friends with such a troublesome fellow. Seriously, what the hell is that kind of diet? I can't allow you to die yet, as I do not know the way to the capitol! So I'm afraid that I'll just have to find some bad men to get you a meal. Thankfully, they aren't that far ahead, so we should be able to catch up, provided I carry you. I pray you don't mind." Hollow said, hoisting his friend onto his back without waiting got a response from his friend.
"Hold on tight now. If I can't even save you, then how could I save the world?" Hollow asked, flashing a casual grin back to his friend.
The undead smile illuminated the Sinner's flickering vision.
"So you really can smile. I think I like it". He thought as his eyes closed.
***!!?***
"Ah, how noble. Friendship or love, I'm not quite sure, is a moving thing. Even my cold heart skipped a beat at that little speech. You must be a hit with love junkies and idiots... or both. You let your guard down." The second man spoke, stepping from behind a tree in front of the duo. Shaggy and wild silver hair coursed down his back like water, pale eyes staring wide from behind a pair of round glasses. A manic smile split his fair and thing face in half, white teeth glaring at the pair.
Hollow's axe snapped into the air, raised with such speed that it would be invisible even to the trained eye.
"Damn it to hell! You wasted our ambush to taunt them?! You're so stupid! I can't for the life of me understand what the Weaver sees in you!" The first man raged, stepping from behind the opposite tree and crossing the road towards his partner. His hair was pulled back into a long and neat ponytail, bleached a similar white to Hollow's own hair. A single pale blue eye glared at the silver haired man, his other eye covered by a black eyepatch. A black hat with a white plum sat on his head, the feather quivering at the man's rage.
"If you keep talking like that, you won't have any life left to waste trying to comprehend me. Do you not see who he's carrying you idiot?! You utter imbecile! That's The Sinner! That stupid berserker can wait! I must speak with this man!" The second man spun towards the first on his heel, one finger extended. He stabbed it into his partner's chest, who's chest swelled up in rage. He turned his head to look at the duo, eye widening at the sight of the pair before them.
"Doctor Viktor... What the hell is that?" He asked, pointing directly at Hollow, his finger long and sharp with accusation.
"Well, Lord Ludwig, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. That." He said, pointing at Hollow. "Is a sign that we should have had a chat with the Sinner much earlier. He's finally shown his hand and put his best piece on the board. That, is an Unhallowed. A God slayer."
Viktor's wicked grin spread wider, until it was all Hollow could focus on.
"He is without a doubt proof of the Hand's world is coming to an end. And within our lifetimes. Hell, perhaps even in the next three years. He is also the only think stopping us from getting out hands on the highest priority target we could possibly bring in. What do you think?" Viktor asked, a vicious gleam in his eye. Ludwig cracked a smile, his rage disappearing with his new understanding.
"Surprised you asked my opinion. I think I can hold him up close for thirteen seconds at best. Run."