Fell stood, voice soft but charged with triumph. "There he is."
Yuli planted his feet and raised his hammer with both hands. The air around him rippled; he swung into empty space with a thunderous crack. A concentric blast of wind roared outward. Post intercepted it with a single, graceful arc of her axe, cleaving the gale in half.
Velt reacted instantly—he thrust his palms forward, sending a sleek black arrow spiraling around Post. It curved toward Yuli, who dodged nimbly.
"What the—Velt, is that you?" Yuli's voice trembled with confusion.
"Yes," Velt replied, arrow ready.
"Are you really working with them?" Yuli's tone sharpened. "Have you been one of them all along?"
"No," Velt countered. "But now I know your hidden past—"
"Don't believe their lies!" Yuli shouted.
"Why shouldn't I?" Velt released two more arrows. Yuli shattered them in mid-air with a single sweep of his hammer. At his feet, the guild's men rose, some already advancing on Yuli.
"Damn it," Yuli muttered.
Post's voice rang out: "It's over for you. We've been waiting."
Yuli bared his teeth, a bead of blood trickling from his lip. "When all seems lost… bring hope to the void!" With that, he barreled forward through the mob.
Post swung her axe—only for Yuli to catch her wrist mid-swing, cheeks flushing with surprise. He offered her a fleeting, rueful smile before flinging her aside. Then, he grabbed Velt's face in a vice-like grip.
"We need to talk!" he growled. Velt's muffled scream ended as Yuli raised his hammer and vaulted through the ceiling, Velt still in hand. They hurtled across the roof before Yuli dropped Velt into the forest. Velt shattered on impact, then reformed instantaneously.
"Alright, so—" Yuli began, but Velt closed the distance and unleashed a flurry of kicks. Yuli dodged with inhuman speed, though two of Velt's punches struck his chest, drawing blood. Yuli paused to heal, palms glowing.
"Calm down!!" Yuli roared, smashing Velt's head with a brutal punch. Velt shattered once more, then reassembled with a groan.
"Why should I listen?" Velt spat. "After everything you've done, you're a monster!"
Jabs of frustration laced Yuli's reply. "You flip sides too quickly."
"You act like you're not the psycho here!"
"I—I'm not!"
"Don't lie!"
"I'm not! Just… relax!"
Velt jabbed a finger into Yuli's chest. "Then tell me the truth!"
Yuli's shoulders slumped. "Fine! If you want the truth—Post and Fell framed me."
Velt's eyes widened. "What? How?"
Yuli ran a hand through his hair. "It's a long story. But in short—Post is my girlfriend."
Velt staggered back. "What?!"
Yuli shook his head. "I should be asking you that. I wondered where you went last night—so I searched. And found their… hideout."
Velt balked. "Still doesn't explain why you attacked them!"
Yuli's gaze darkened. "She was being mind-controlled."
Velt frowned. "Mind-controlled? She didn't seem it."
Yuli's voice dropped. "I believe she was."
Suddenly, a massive wolf-man crashed through the trees—drool mixed with swirling pink smoke around his maw, a spiked collar at his throat.
"Velt, don't attack me!" Yuli warned, but the beast lunged at him. Yuli ducked, and its claws slit a tree in three. He countered with a thunderous punch, sending the wolf-man tumbling unconscious.
"They know where we are," Yuli panted.
"They know where YOU are," Velt corrected.
Yuli scoffed. "Quit being annoying. If I were the monster they say, I'd have killed you already."
Velt backed away. "Your story still doesn't add up. How do I know you're not manipulating me?"
"Dude, you're the one being manipulated by them!" Yuli barked. Then dozens of armed men burst from the treeline.
"Great," Yuli groaned. He swung his hammer, a gale hurling the men skyward. "Trust me!" he shouted, grabbing Velt's arm and charging deeper into the woods.
"Let go!" Velt yelled.
"Not yet!" Yuli leveled a glare at him. "Tell me you'll believe me—what did I do to become a criminal?"
Yuli skidded to a halt behind a massive oak, crouching. "It's too long—"
Suddenly, a glowing cartridge emblazoned with Yuli's name materialized above his shoulder.
"What is that?" Yuli whispered.
Velt reached out. "A memory card—it holds your player history."
Yuli's jaw dropped. "How did it get here?"
"Your profile shared it."
"Subconsciously?"
"Yeah."
Yuli's eyes widened. "How does that even work?!" The cartridge dissolved and vanished.
At that instant, Post emerged, axe poised. "Velt, are you helping him?"
Velt stammered. "I… don't—"
Yuli's voice cut in: "Yes, he is."
Post's eyes narrowed. "Is that true?"
Velt raised a hand. "I just need to figure this out—"
"What is there to figure out, Velt?!" Post's shout echoed through the clearing. Before she could advance, Yuli bolted into the undergrowth.
"It's a losing fight—they'll overwhelm us soon!" Yuli called back.
"Keep up, Velt!"
Velt sprinted after him, breath ragged. "You better be telling the truth!"
"I have no reason not to—" Yuli's voice faded.
Then, abruptly, he vanished over a precipice.
"Yuli—" Velt gasped, stumbling to the cliff's edge—and tumbled after him.
Post burst through the trees moments later, skidding to a halt at the cliff's rim. She peered into the darkness below.
"Damn it… they got away." She lowered her axe, voice heavy with regret. "We'll find you soon, Yuli."
With that, she turned and slipped back into the shadowed forest, leaving the chasm—and its secrets—echoing in the night.
Yuli's fingers curled around a gnarled root, his powerful arms hauling both himself and the stunned Velt back up from the precipice. With a fluid pull, they tumbled into the shadowed mouth of a hidden cave.
"Good call, bud," Yuli said, dropping onto a flat boulder. Dust motes danced in the dim torchlight as he leaned back, resting against the cool stone.
Velt staggered to his feet, heart hammering. "Okay, okay, just—what the hell is happening here?!" His voice echoed off the cavern walls.
Yuli closed his eyes and exhaled. "You've got my memory card. Use that—it'll answer everything." He rested his hands behind his head and let his shoulders loosen.
Velt stared at the chunky cartridge in his hand as if it were a rattlesnake. How does this thing even work?! he thought. Do I smash it? Do I swallow it? Do I have some secret cartridge slot buried in my body?
Yuli cracked one eye open. "You still figuring it out?"
Velt swallowed. "Uh… I don't know how to use it."
"Ever tried crushing it?" Yuli suggested, voice lazy.
Velt hesitated. "No?"
"Go on—give it a squeeze."
He lifted a finger to protest. "Feels like something you'd, you know, mash. But it's a giant cartridge… memory card or whatever."
Yuli chuckled. "Why isn't it called a 'memory cartridge,' then?"
Velt shrugged. "Knowing some folks, they'd struggle spelling—pronouncing 'cartridge.'"
Yuli nodded solemnly. "Fair point. What about eating it?"
Velt's eyes widened. "No way. Doesn't look edible." He thought about that too—darn him.
Yuli sat up enough to study Velt's face. "You got a slot anywhere? Maybe in your—"
"Up my ass?" Velt cut in, mortified.
"Or your mouth," Yuli offered helpfully.
"I'm not eating the damned thing!" Velt muttered, heart pounding.
Yuli pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh. They might hear you scream."
Velt huffed and returned his gaze to the small cartridge. He closed his eyes—and with a decisive snap, he bent the plastic in two.
In an instant, the flickering torchlight vanished. The cave walls dissolved, leaving only inky nothingness. Everything around them faded to black.