"You will die by which you live, you flaming abomination!"
-Heard by General Oak on number 2,101.
Green swerved between the claws of two War Shadows. He dropped, dodging a claw from claiming his head, then swept the War Shadows leg. Green's leg passed through the monster.
So he bolted from his position, running at speeds no human could match for an extended period.
Three War Shadows crept up from the ground, as if they were sprouting. They formed into their humanoid form, then swung.
Green immediately curved, running at full speed he slid his feet on the ground. He achieved a ninety degree turn while keeping his momentum, and bolted to the right, evading the Shadows.
He continued, but he couldn't last forever. He needed light, and couldn't start a fire in his current situation. So he aimed for the trees, and jumped at the next one, and began to climb.
It didn't take long for the War shadows to follow. They poked halfway out of the tree and were moving with him. One swung, Green tried to evade, but climbing a tree made it difficult to do anything else. The claws dug into his back.
Green gritted his teeth, that blood was worth spilling. He grabbed his pistol and shot, the War Shadow froze. Seven, Green thought, he had seven more shots. And blessedly the pulx worked on these things, Green had bet his life on it.
He continued his climb until he reached the first branch. The moment he got higher however, a War Shadow appeared on the side.
Green quickly let go, landing on the branch. The War Shadow looked down at him, half of its body inside the tree and facing down, as if gravity had no effect on the thing.
They stared at one another, and for a moment, Green felt as though it was smiling at him. The War Shadow faded back into the tree.
Green looked up. Though he no longer had the ability to increase his vision, he could see the shadow's frame with his right eye. The eye that saw the spirit, rather than the body.
The sun was up, and the War Shadows likely knew that. They had no intention of letting their prey get away.
Green bolted across the large branch. If the War Shadows wouldn't let their prey get away, Green simply needed to cease being prey.
He landed with a roll, and shot the first War shadow that appeared. It froze, and Green ripped out the red eye, causing it to melt back into a shadow. Green smiled. The answer was obvious.
War Shadows rose up from the ground, shifting and forming into a human-like figure. Green raised his gun. He had six shots and there were maybe twelve Shadows. He either had to kill a few without freezing them, or kill several and intimidate the rest.
Green's smile turned to a grin and lifted the War Shadows eye to his lips, then bit into it. It tasted like nothing, not bland, not like air, it just didn't taste. He ate the rest then looked up at the group of Shadows.
They stepped back when he looked, his right eye glowed more powerfully, and for a moment, Green felt energy surge within him. And through the glow of his own eye, he could see the phantom's.
The world's spiritual side only Elves had ever seen, it outlined the shadows.
How similar we are, Green thought. These were creatures of both spiritual and physical existence.
"Let's see how accurately I can mimic you," Green said, his teeth showing through his grin as he squatted down with a forward lean.
He bolted, his pistol in one hand, his knife held in reverse grip in the other. He slid underneath the first War Shadows swing, swinging his knife to pierce through its eye as he ran by.
Green turned, not having felt his blade come into contact. The War Shadows form had been smudged for a moment, but went back to normal.
Not quite, Green thought. He turned from another War Shadow, then fired his pistol behind him, hitting another. He ran to this one and divided his blade into its eye.
The sensation of stabbing something shot up Green's arm. The now dead War Shadow melted, but Green couldn't revel in this victory as more Shadows swarmed his way.
He shot one, then another. He evaded the rest as best he could, but with the arts now gone, he would be hit.
The fight continued, and Green could feel the War Shadows getting nervous. They were in much better shape then he was, but six of their numbers had been killed. And Green doubted they'd ever fought something that could put their own lives in danger.
Zachry didn't think, you couldn't think when living in a nightmare. Thinking made you hope, thinking made you desire. But worst of all, thinking made you look at a nightmare and decide it was not worth staying. So Zachry didn't think.
He set his burden down. The large piece of dead wood, along with what he'd collected previously would keep his fire going for the next while. He sat down, then unpacked.
He soon had a second fire on the floor—he didn't care if the forest burned—then carefully took out his food. Bags of Rocker mucus he'd harvested earlier, his hand was still a little numb from that. Then he put it in a pan to boil.
He sat there, waiting for the mucus to boil, trying not to think. Yon lad, the thought shoved its way onto his mind. Why could he stop thinking of him? Was it because it was so far from his regular? Or was it because he hadn't seen another human being in who knows how long?
Except he wisnae human, Zachry thought. He'd been around long enough to tell. The boy was definitely humanoid, but he wasn't human.
Coud he be a shadaw? He discarded the thought. The boy had sat at his fire, eaten his food..
Zachry shook his head, his thoughts turning to the darkness. That void inside him that urged him to give up, to put out his fire. He put his hand to his neck, where his necklace was.
His thoughts calmed, and he looked down at the pot. The mucus finished boiling—the heat burning away all the toxins. He poured himself a bowl, rid himself from his thoughts, then began to eat.
Green ran. He had one shot left and despite his initial attempts to intimidate, the War Shadows somehow knew he was almost out. If Green was correct in them being pulxed creatures, it made sense that they'd know.
He had been sincerely beaten. With the arts gone, and his gun out of ammo, he couldn't do anything else but run. He passed a herd of Borxt, which drew a few War Shadows attention.
Green needed an edge, and the only thing he could think of at the moment was either a light, or mana to refill his pistol. He ran past some morphel vines and looked behind him. The War Shadows moved right past it, as if it didn't matter.
So it doesn't affect them, Green thought, though the information was useful, it didn't help his situation. Small lights have no effect, I need an ember. Green swerved to the right much like he had before, wasting no momentum.
As an elf, his agility and stamina were greater than that of any human, even without the arts. But that didn't mean he could run forever, indeed he could feel himself slowing.
His lungs began to burn, to the point that it became painful to breathe, that didn't stop him however. There were three pursuers, and more were likely coming after they finished with the Borxt.
Green heard a thud, and immediately turned to its direction. He didn't know what it was, but if it would draw the War Shadow's attention as the Borxt had, Green wouldn't let the opportunity go.
He broke through a wave of wild grass and was nearly blinded by a fire. He stumbled, going into a roll. When he looked up he saw a man standing with hand on a hilt.
His name was Zachry right, Green thought, then quickly looked behind himself. The War Shadows hid behind the tall grass, they didn't come any closer.
Green sat back, taking a breather. The man, Zachry, looked at Green in slight disbelief, though not much showed.
"Yer alive?" Zachry spoke.
Green looked at him for a moment, his breath still ragged. Despite him sounding shocked, he still held that numb expression. Green's eyes widened, Zachry had something on his glove, a glowing pattern encased in a circle.
"What is that?" Green asked, getting up and taking a few steps forward, Zachry pulled back, so Green did as well. "Look, I'm not here to fight, I just want to see what's on your hand." Green held out a hand to shake Zachry's.
"Whit are ye?" Zachry asked. "Ye're no human." He unsheathed his blade halfway.
Green paused, letting the words hang. Then after some consideration, he pulled back his long hair to reveal his pointed ears. Normally he wouldn't have even considered the action, but he doubted this man would be able to spread word.
Green's ears were much shorter than normal Elves—Carrie's being nearly twice as long. But these should do
"Ye're an elf," Zachry stated, sheathing his blade.
Zachry reached out his hand, taking Green's. Green used the moment to glance at the glyph pattern on his glove. A fire glyph, one of six glyphs that belonged to the core power pulx.
His ear twitched… of course, he thought.
"You have pulx?" Green asked.
Zachry hesitated.
"You have pulx, that glyph is a pulxed glyph," Green said.
Zachary looked at his glove. Green brought out his pistol, then handed it to Zachry. Zachry took it with obvious confusion, then his eyes widened.
"This is a pulxed pistol," Green said, "if you put mana in, it will refill. Can you do this?"
Zachry held up the pistol, "where d'ye git this?" Zachry asked, his tone had risen slightly, and the fire next to them became larger.
"My brother," Green replied simply, "he gave it to me."
"Dinnae lia tae me," Zachry growled, "Whaur did ye get this? Wha did ye tak it frae?"
The fire cracked loudly, as if a small explosion went off. The flames had become larger, it was almost as tall as Green.
"I told you," Green said, taking a step back, "my brother made it. He gave it to me."
"You, ye're no frae ma hame!" Zachry shouted, raising his hand with the fire glyph. "Wha did ye kill tae steal this!?"
Zachry's shout raised the fire, shooting the flames straight up, high enough to reach the low branches. Then, the fire went out.
Both men looked down at the pile of ash, then looked up. Red eyes, one at a time appeared around them. They were surrounded.
Green's right eye spotted the phantoms immediately, though his left still needed to adjust. He reached for his pistol. Either Zachry was too stunned to move or his eyes didn't have the time to adjust, but Green had no problems taking it back.
Green put his back to Zachry's, Zachry tried stepping away, but stepped right back against Green. He fears these things, Green thought, Zachry was shaking slightly, but stayed on his feet.
Green had no idea what he'd been through, or how long he'd been tormented by these things, but right now he needed to focus on living.
"Look I know we weren't exactly in agreement before," Green whispered to Zachry. "But how about we fight after we dodge death, huh?"
Zachry looked at Green from the corner of his eye, then nodded. The War Shadows crept closer, weary of Green's pistol. Curiously, they didn't immediately jump toward Zachry either.
"You controlled the fires before, can you start one again?" Green asked.
"Ye dinnae jist use the navvi like that." Zachry replied, "Ah can mak them stronger or weaker, but Ah cannae start them with nothin."
So he just needed a flammable source. The War Shadows were on them a second later.
Green swung his blade at one's core, of course it passed right through. He weaved between the things claws, Kaisher didn't just let you play pattycake with your colleagues.
It was designed for Paipites, created for their smaller, faster figures. Green may have learned it, but he'd never been able to master it as a Paipite could, he was too big. Though he had mastered the techniques before any his age.
Green swung at another, he'd given up his past, he didn't need it, nor did he care for it.
Eventually, he shot the War Shadow, then ripped its core out. The Shadow wilted. Without warning, Zachry grabbed his upper arm and pulled him to switch places. Green felt the Shadow's core being swiped out of his hand during the maneuver.
Zachry smashed the core to the ground, then put the glove to it. Flames burst from the liquid that splattered on the ground, and the War Shadows retreated behind the bushes and long grass.
Zachry quickly grabbed dried pieces of wood and threw them into the quickly burning flames.
"Ye killed the shadaw, hou?" Zachry asked.
In response, Green tossed his pistol to Zachry. Zachry caught it then asked the question he had before.
"Whaur did ye get this?" Zachry asked.
"My brother," Green replied, "He's a crafter, he made it to help with my… disability."
Zachry fooled around with the pistol for a bit before pulling the trigger. Of course nothing came out.
"It's out of ammo, it can't shoot," Green said, sitting down.
"Ammo?" Zachry asked.
"It's what lets me kill those War Shadows," Green answered. "But without mana, or I guess you call it navvi, it can't work."
"Ye asked me tae reload it afore," Zachry commented, "if Ah dae, ye'll be able tae kill shadaws?" Green nodded, so Zachry kneeled down next to him. "Tell me hou."
Green was surrounded by darkness, he knew what would come and was scared. He would admit that to himself. If a man wasn't scared of doing something that could end his life, he wasn't a man, he was foolish. This was one of his master's most important lessons.
A man who gave up his fear was no longer capable of fighting. You needed fear, you needed to be afraid, that was the only emotion that told someone he or she saw value in themselves.
However, the difference between a man and a boy in this context was whether or not you let that fear control you.
They moved around him even while his mind caught up, shadowed figures darted this way and that. One eventually moved from the ground, growing like a plant, only hundreds of times faster. It thrusted its claw forward, aiming for Green's back.
Green dropped to a squatting position, then jumped back as he shot the War Shadow, it froze. Another figure appeared behind the shadow, stabbing it straight through its core. The shadow melted, turning into some kind of goo.
Green maneuvered out of the way, shooting this one as well.
"Ye can fecht, eh?" Zachry said, "An' here Ah thought ye'd just use that weepon o' yers."
Green didn't reply, when did Zachry get so talkative?
"Thae were some weel-practiced maneuvers. Wha taught ye?" Zachry asked.
"It's called Kaisher," Green replied. "It's designed for more nimble users, so I'm…"
Green trailed off when several War Shadows formed from out of the ground. Green and Zachry put their backs to one another.
"Ah cannae kill them wi'oot that weapon o' yours," Zachry said.
"Yeah and I can't use it when it's gone," Green replied.
"Ah'll gie ye mair navvi when it's oot." Zachry said.
"Then I'll keep shooting them," Green replied.
Green shot the three Shadows that charged, pulled his knife then weaved a claw. He stabbed through a frozen Shadow and caught Zachry cutting through the other two in the corner of his eye.
He's good, Green thought, reaching out to shoot a few more near Zachry. He left the two in front of him alone for the moment. He swept his blade between the two, targeting their bodies rather than the core.
He kept going at it, turning every once in a while to let Zachry kill more while his blade kept passing through.
It was difficult to fight more than one as it was difficult to get in the martial art's rhythm if he couldn't harm his queries.
Eventually however, his hand slowed slightly when he went through a frozen Shadow. Not his blade, but his arm. Green backed away immediately, grinning. His gun was almost out of ammo however so he took the last War Shadow's core, then smashed it on the ground.
"Fire!" Green shouted.
Zachry bolted to put his hand to it, causing one to burst from the War Shadow's core. The War Shadows immediately backed off. Green tossed his pistol to Zachry, who began refilling it.
"This taks a lot o' navvi, ye ken," Zachry complained.
"I'm not wasting any shots," Green replied.
Zachyr tossed his gun back to him and Green set it to its low setting.
"I want to try something," Green said, the fire was nearly out.
"Ah'm aw lugs," Zachry replied.
Green raised an eyebrow at him. Zachry just pointed at his ears.
"I'm only going to shoot the ones right next to us," Green said. "My gun's effects will only last a few seconds, you have that long to kill it. So stick by me," Zachry nodded.
Green fired his pistol, four shots left. Zachry was right there a second later, killing the war shadow. How many are there, Green thought, they'd been going for just over a quarter hour now, and Green was starting to wonder if they'd ever get out. There had been thirteen before, how have they become hundreds?
Green's train of thought was interrupted when he noticed a figure forming right behind Zachry. Green grabbed Zachry's arm, then pulled, switching their positions, allowing Green to fire at the now War Shadow. Green grabbed the War Shadow's core, smashing it against the ground.
"Fire!" Green shouted.
Zephyr turned, then made the liquid inside burst to flames.
"Navvi awready oot?" Zachyr asked.
"No," Green replied, sitting down with Zachry. "We haven't been killing them." Zachry looked up sharply.
"Whit dae ye mean," Zachry replied. "They've been meltin' left an' richt."
"They're melting, yes," Green said, "but dying, no, I don't think they are. Dim the fire, enough to get a good look at them."
"Whir, are ye aff yer heid!?" Zachyr replied with shock, "ah'm no gonnae—"
"Just do it."
Zachyr hesitated, then sighed. "Aw richt, it's yer burial."
The fire dimmed, and the War Shadows moved closer as a result, close enough to kill.
"Push them back," Green said hurriedly, Zachry did so, the fire getting larger. "Twelve," Green said.
"Twelve?" Zachry asked.
"Twelve," Green replied, "twelve, where there should be hundreds." Zachyr cocked an eyebrow. "There were thirteen when I first encountered them, I killed one, then went after the rest. I got overwhelmed, ran, then bumped into you." Zachyr looked at him strangely, "how many would you say we've killed?"
Zachyr shrugged, "a few hundred right?"
"Three-hundred and forty-three," Green replied. "How many are standing in front of us?"
"Aboot ten," Zachry replied.
"Twelve," Green said. "The same number that was chasing me, they only lost one."
"Sae we killed ane at some point," Zachry added.
"Yes, but how?" Green asked. "We've taken them down the same way each time."
Zachyr shrugged, putting some dry wood in the fire to keep it going. Green then inspected the pistol's barrel, it was smoking on one side.
His heart dropped for a split second until he realized the smoke was seeping from some kind of liquid. He wiped it off, then brought it up to his nose. It didn't smell like anything.
"Hey Zachry," Green said, Zachry grunted. "What's this stuff?" Green asked, showing Zachry the barrel.
Zachry took the barrel, then touched the stuff. He rubbed it between his fingers, then shrugged.
"Some o' the liquid that's in the War Shaddow's cores," Zachry replied, giving the gun back.
Green watched the liquid smoking, then, running on impulse, he licked it off. Something groaned behind Green, causing him and Zachry to jump onto attention. It was a War Shadow that had wilted slightly.
The dots began to connect, Green got up and started walking. He set his pistol to the highest setting, then entered the darkness.
"Whit are ye daein'!?" Zachry asked in alarm.
A War Shadow jumped at him, Green drew and fired. The War Shadow froze, Green smiled, then reached over to grab its core. When he pulled it out, the Shadow melted, as they always had. This time however, Green bent down to inspect where it melted.
The Shadow's remains were lumped up together, and when Green attempted to touch it, his hand fazed through. Green bit into the Shadow's core, its remains began boiling, and as he finished the core, the War Shadow completely evaporated.
Green smiled, "we've been doing it all wrong," Green said. When he turned, Zachry looked at him in disbelief. "Let's turn the hunters into the prey shall we?"
Zachry smiled back, then stood up, and put out the fire. Green jumped into action, moving through the War Shadow.
What brought a thrill through him however, was when he caught the wrist of a Shadow that came out of nowhere.
That shadow had paused, then back away, seeming confused and slightly afraid. Green smiled, he was getting closer.
He jumped back however, avoiding another War Shadow's claw coming from the ground. Then he immediately curled up, rolling on the ground backwards to avoid a swing from another Shadow standing up.
Green created openings for the Shadow's, then closed them a second after. Ensuring they would aim exactly where he wanted them to.
One, Green counted in his head. Two, he felt his pistol, and set it to a mid setting. Three, Green fired over his shoulder, a red light froze there. A hand tore into it a moment later. Zachry threw the core towards Green as he shot two more.
Green bit into the core, and watched as Zachyry pulled two cores out. He smashed one into the ground, setting it on fire, and tossed the second one to Green. Green ate the rest of his first, then started on the second.
"Why don't you eat one?" Green asked.
"Ye think Ah'm daft?" Zachry replied. "Ah should ask hou ye dare. Thae things arenae creatures, they're navvi, pure navvi. It maun be because ye hae nae connection wi' navvi that ye can eat thae. But a man like me wad be overrun, ma power wad become distorted."
"What do you mean?" Green asked.
Zachry paused, thinking it over as he tossed in a log for the fire.
"Navvi is pouer," Zachry explained, creating a white light from pure energy, and letting it hover above his hand. "It's pouer that we're born wi', that navvi is oors, yin wi' whit maks ye, ye. D'ye see? But when somebody tries tae influence that pouer, it'll become distorted." Zachry created a second light on the other hand, this one was red. The two lights got closer to one another, and both began to shake. "Ower muckle distortion will cause it tae break."
The lights touched, then shattered. Green felt the energy in both, when they collided. They had destroyed one another, their energy's too different to accept one another.
"Thae things," Zachry waved his hand, "Thae things are monsters o' navvi. If they mix wi' mine, Ah'll be destroyed frae the inside. Ma navvi turned against me, until Ah break."
"So then why don't I break?" Green asked.
Zachyr shrugged, "Yer an elf, ye tell me."
Green nodded, Elves had the arts, and were incapable of using mana. Just like a pulx is for humans, the arts were a constant source of power for the Elves. Not using it didn't necessarily mean it wasn't in effect.
Mana is raw power and energy, and Pulx is what guides it. It is what gives humans life, it is what gives them function.
Elves however, were given life through their spiritual bonds. One reason why Elves have such long lifespans was because their bodies were mostly spiritual. And the arts were partly what kept them bound to the temporal world.
But in the case that a single being had both mana and the arts, Green thought. Wouldn't the distortion of one break the other?
The fire went out. Green snapped to attention, and felt the warmth on the side of his pistol, six shots left, Green thought. He and Zachry pushed off from one another and ran in separate directions. Green pulled his dagger out and shot a War Shadow behind him.
He shoved his hand through the Shadow, and it backed away slightly when it realized Green could touch it. He grabbed the core however, the Shadow unable to move fast enough.
While he did however, two War Shadows came from the side, and swung. He avoided one, but the other hit his arm. Blood sprayed from three deep gashes in his arm.
He shot the one that had hit him, and let the other retreat. Green knelt, holding his bleeding arm. He heard footsteps however, and when he looked over his shoulder, he spotted Zachry dashing in his direction, three War Shadows on his tail.
Green aimed, his outstretched arm flicking blood, some getting on his pistol, then fired. The one hit froze, but the other two still dashed.
Green ran to Zachry, tossing the core in his hand forward, Zachry caught it midair. They passed one another, and Green dropped, avoiding the Shadow's swipe. Green slid on the ground for a moment before using his hand to pivot himself into standing. He aimed his pistol in the same moment he looked up, and shot twice.
A fire bursted next to Zachry a moment later. He used the core Green tossed him to start the flame. Green pressed his hands in the two Shadows and ripped out the two cores.
He bit into one, walking over to Zachyr as he tore out another core. He had no shots left, making that round the closest one so far.
Zachry held out his hand for Green to give him his gun, but Green hesitated. Zachry had to be low on mana. He'd been starting fires and refilling Green's gun for quite some time now.
Green didn't know exactly how much mana it took to refill his gun, but he did know that Grace had barely managed to fill it when they went on the raid last year.
"I'll hold onto it for now," Green said, Zachry shrugged, then sat down to rest.
Grace didn't have an extraordinary mana pool, it was a little less than average actually. But Zachry had refilled his about a dozen times now, and had started their fires.
He was getting sluggish. Green could see. Instead of standing and waiting to regroup, he was now sitting down to catch his breath. He didn't have much left in him.
Green finished the second core, then grabbed the third they'd collected. With this one they would have killed six out of the original thirteen, Green paused however.
Zachry had said these things were pure pulx, and while that was something Green was already aware of, the reminder did give him an idea.
The War Shadow's core had a thin hard shell that seemed to mimic some kind of glass, but was still flexible enough to be cut without cracking. Green used his knife to cut a hole in the thin shell.
He set the open core to the side, then inspected the gun. He looked for reasons as to how the pistol took in mana. Zachry must've figured out what he was doing when he grabbed the pistol out of Green's hands, then fiddled with it.
He tossed it back to him.
"Smàll hole oan the bottom," Zachry said. "Brings air directly tae whaur the energy gangs"
Green looked at the bottom of the handle, and there was indeed a hole there. He didn't know if this would work. He doubted Grace made the pistol to take in liquid mana, but until now, liquid mana hadn't existed as far as he knew. Nevertheless, he carefully poured the liquid inside the pistol.
After he was done, he felt at the side, nothing. Green sighed. He didn't think so. He handed the pistol to Zachry, he looked at it, then gave it back. Green took it confused.
"Aren't you going to fill it?" Green asked.
"It's awready fu'," Zachry replied.
Green raised an eyebrow, then felt at the pistols side, it wasn't warm like it would be while full. But if Zachry says it's full, Green thought. He put the pistol to its lowest setting, then fired at the ground.
The pulx that appeared however was a different color then normal. Rather than the regular black, it was a blackish-purple, the purple color came from the core power pulx. He put his pistol in its highest setting, and was ready to get up.
Looking up however, he noticed Zachry was still breathing heavily. Green paused, then sat back down, throwing another dried piece of wood in the fire. Zachry looked up, confused.
"I'll keep the fire going, sleep," Green said.
Zachry looked like he was going to argue, but decided against it. He laid down, and fell asleep.