"I hope you drown in the north sea!!"
-Heard by a fisherman in Kullbarry on number 486.
The third Paipite struck. Green smacked its hand aside and countered, but was deflected by one of the others—the second palmed the back of his head, jolting his vision. The third slammed his stomach. The first kicked the back of his knee.
Green grunted and collapsed to his knees. He was bloodied, panting, and barely holding consciousness. He'd lasted just over a minute. That was longer than expected—longer than Mark could have. But it didn't feel like a victory.
The first two Paipites grabbed his arms behind the elbows and pinned him upright. From this position, Green could only watch helplessly as the third moved toward Careless.
He growled low, struggling—but their grip was iron.
The third Paipite tied Careless up in his own cloak and slung her over his shoulder. Her face pointed away from Green.
"Finally," someone said.
Green looked—
The gunman had recovered and now pointed at the Paipites holding him. "You two—tie him up and go after the others. They went into the adjacent car."
No other passengers…? Green realized it at once. Mark must've moved them to the next car. But the train cars weren't just separated by a door—you had to jump to cross.
The gunman stepped forward, reaching for Green's glasses. Green jerked back, but the Paipites held him firm.
"Let's see who you are," the man said.
He removed the glasses. Then froze.
The Paipites did too.
Terror flooded their faces—like a glass overfilled with blood.
The gunman stumbled back, eyes wide, lips trembling.
"Ah—ahh—NO! No!!"
He dropped the glasses, fell on his rear, and threw up a shaky hand as if to hold off a monster.
The Paipites weren't much better—completely motionless, frozen in a horror that bordered on religious. One could have sworn a Septaroth was growling behind them.
Green moved.
In a flash, he reached for the knife tucked behind his belt. Slashed the twine binding his arms. And lunged for the third paipite.
It dropped Careless and jumped aside. Green caught her mid-fall, turned, and ran for the shattered train door.
Without slowing, he jumped.
Green fell head first through branch after branch, squeezing his eyes and clenching his teeth. He held Careless tight with one arm around her waist and the other around her head.
They fell into a tree, though the end of the branches weren't strong enough to hold them. It did slow their descent as they landed from one to the next. Eventually, Green realized he was near the bottom.
He adjusted his hold on Careless to princess carry, then kicked his leg back, spinning himself to land feet first on the ground. He grunted, falling back and landing on his backside.
He immediately clutched onto Careless and brought out his pulx pistol and aimed it at a tree in front of him. Except it wasn't a tree. Green aimed at a colossal, forty-foot beast sprawled across the earth.
its arrow-shaped body held parallel to the ground by five legs thick as trees. Four on the sides, one in the center.
Its tail narrowed like a blade that gleamed with lethal sharpness. Spiked ribs jutted outward, able to carve stone and deflect the heaviest blows.
From its massive reptilian head, three predatory eyes on each side glared, and when its maw opened, it revealed rows of teeth meant for only one purpose—tearing flesh from bone.
Septaroth, Green thought, he'd only fought these things a handful of times. Each time he thought he'd die. That was before he fell out of practice. I have a new way to fight now, he gripped his gun tighter.
His pistol was made with the separation pulx from the core breaker pulx. He himself couldn't use mana, so he needed Mark to fill his gun.
He felt at the side of the barrel. He could tell by where the warmth ended that it was almost completely full, that meant he would get eleven shots.
"Careless," he whispered.
"Hm," she replied.
"Shhhh." He said as he began untying her, "I need you to slowly and quietly move behind the tree."
She looked up, and froze. She could see it despite the darkness and the beast's camouflage—Elves didn't only see by light. Even in mid-day the forest was pitch black. With thousands of three-hundred foot trees that were covering the place.
They were like a suffocating blanket that nearly blocked out the sun completely. The wind blew, causing the enormous trees to make a humming sound that—if you listened closely—sounded like the forest was laughing at you.
There were many stories of men going mad, stuck in a pitch black forest that was laughing at them, all the while cowering in fear of the enormous monsters that were the Septaroth.
"Take the cloak with you," Green whispered. "Cover yourself and no matter what you hear, stay hidden. I will come for you."
She looked at him, then back at the Septaroth, then nodded. He began to stand, but she grabbed his arm. He looked back.
"I-I," she couldn't speak. "I can't move," she looked down at her legs. "They won't move."
Green began to move her but froze the moment he heard breath. He looked up to see the Septaroth's nose inhaling right above them. Septaroth's nose was on their chin, and was highly sensitive. Hiding wouldn't be enough.
Green scooped Careless off the ground and flung her out of reach. No time to check if she landed well—he sprinted the other way, forcing the Septaroth to follow him. Hit and run. Nothing else would keep it off her.
He jammed two fingers in his mouth and blew a whistle sharp enough to split the air. The Septaroth's three eyes swiveled toward him. Its head twitched, ribs rattling, and then it came gliding forward—not with steps, but with its legs twisting and unspooling, propelling its bulk in a grotesque, almost silent shimmy.
Green bolted, cutting a wide circle. The thing's joints moved with a speed that didn't fit its size. Its bladed tail lashed out, and Green had to throw himself flat as it sliced through the space where his chest had been.
He rolled to his feet at the sound of a deep creak, his ear twitching. Everything slowed. The tail blurred forward again, faster than a whipcrack. It punched through the edge of his shoulder, ripping cloth and flesh.
Green didn't flinch. He darted under its belly as it spun, and by the time its head wheeled back around, he was already at its flank. His hand flew to the rifle strapped to his back.
Boots skidding, he pivoted, let himself fall, and slid across the dirt chest-first. The rifle came level, sights locking on the monster's exposed joint.
He whispered, steady as stone:
"Bang."
The fifty caliber bullet lodged itself in the beast's leg causing the thing to scream and lift its center leg. The earshattering scream paralyzed Green a moment. A moment too long as the leg dropped.
The ground shook, and Green was bumped into the air. He landed, still dazed from the scream, but still gritted his teeth and aimed for another shot.
The Septaroth finally turned around to see Green fire yet another shot directly into its eye.
"Bang," Green whispered the moment he fired.
It screamed yet again, but Green ignored the sound, instead grabbing his pulx pistol and shooting the tail.
The tail froze up, stopping it from pulling it back in. What was left was a black pulx circle, the separation pulx. They didn't freeze by ice, they simply locked in place, refusing to move.
Apparently however, the pulx only stopped it from retracting, and its tail swung at him a moment later with a devastating force.
Green jumped in the same direction the tail was swinging. He curled up, putting his arms and legs up in defence.
The tail hit and Green felt a sharp pain in his right arm where the bulk of the tail was. Luckily, while the beast's tail could shoot out with great speed, it couldn't swing from side to side with an exorbitant amount of force.
A large beast was a large beast however, and limited movement didn't mean it didn't do any damage.
Green was thrown to the side like a ragdoll, and could only be thankful he wasn't stopped by a tree mid flight. He shifted to face forward and stuck his hands out to roll when he hit the ground
When he finished rolling, Green looked up to the growling beast. They normally never made noise. Even the stomp earlier was unusual.
He ignored that however when he saw his chance to shoot the head from underneath, and fired. The pulx stuck and Green's body relaxed.
That was until the beast turned its head to look at him. Utter confusion filled his entire body. That shot should have completely incapacitated the thing.
Confusion cost him. The Septaroth's head whipped forward like its tail, a brutal headbutt that carved the air from his lungs, and Green felt a distinct crack in his ribs. The pulx had apparently locked the beast's jaw however, preventing it from swallowing him outright.
Mid-flight, spinning, he barely registered the tail striking his broken ribs before the world blurred to static.
"Ah!" Green wheezed out.
His eyes shot open when he did and he found himself hitting and rolling on the ground. Not having enough time to soften the blow, Green felt the agonizing pain of several broken ribs being hit yet again.
He felt the imbalances in his body from having broken bones. Adrenaline didn't kick in like it was supposed to. Green's mind didn't speed up. In fact, it slowed down as cold logic told him how to kill this thing.
The bottom of the head doesn't stop the subconscious. Green thought. Meaning the nerves connect somewhere else.
He stood up, wobbling slightly. Though his body cried out in pain, he bolted again, trying to get in closer. If he didn't know where the things nerves were, he'd just have to guess.
While he wasn't one to leave things up to chance, this was his best option. Continuing his run, Green snapped off a rapid burst from his pulx pistol.
The shots hit the legs, stomach, tail, and head. It wasn't until the gun ran empty that Green stopped. The Septaroth immediately went into a panic, an organ or two must've stopped as it flayed about and began ramming into the nearby trees.
A floozy grin crossed Green's face as the quiet satisfaction of watching such a creature die settled inside him.
That pleasure was set into a panic when Green noticed that the tree the Septaroth was banging against was the one Careless was near. He started running as soon he saw the beast's tail whip the ground next to her.
His cold calculation stopped instantaneously. Mind froze, his body kept on. He'd been in a situation like this before hadn't he? Green almost shouted her name, not Careless's.
Primal instincts involuntarily replaced reason and took his body, causing him to drop his gun and bolt.
Speed, he thought, beginning to run at an inhuman pace, almost a blur.
The Septaroth's tail was swinging again, weight, strength!!
It got close and… Green caught it.
He caught the tail with both arms, grappling it like a tree trunk. His veins burned, threatening to snap, and he swore he heard the insides rip some, but he caught it. The tail was mere feet away from Careless, who was curled up with hands over her ears, terrified.
Green thanked Chreign for Careless's eyes being shut. Because if she opened them, she would see glowing lines of red spread across his body, showing even through his clothing.
His veins should have burst by now. He'd only seen them glow on one separate occasion, and the after effect wasn't something to be desired. The Septaroth fell a few moments later, causing the ground to shake once again.
Its tail went limp in Green's grip, prompting him to drop it. He collapsed, exhausted. He stayed like for a moment, limp. Catching the tail had only made his ribs worse.
He began dozing off, that was until Careless grabbed his shoulder. Green opened her eyes to her staring down at him.
She was shaking, "Is it dead?" she asked.
He looked at her, numb, not physically, he could feel every bit of pain his nerves were sending to his brain. But mentally, he was going to pass out. He shook his head, we have to leave, run. He thought he said it out loud, but she didn't react.
"We," he let out a few short breaths, then breathed in.
He focused on breathing for a minute. His mind felt muddy, like he couldn't read his thoughts unless he exerted himself. We have to leave, now. He didn't know if he thought it, or said it, but he didn't care. He grabbed Careless's wrist and forced himself up.
He started pulling her in a random direction. Hopefully, the Septaroth that comes will be preoccupied with the dead one long enough for them to… There were moving tree trunks ahead. Green stopped, flame it, he thought. He couldn't fight another one of those monsters, not now.
There was no chance it wouldn't catch their scent. My gun, Green thought, I dropped it, when did I drop it?
He only now noticed he was leaning his back against a tree with Careless in front of him. He could barely see, and not only because of the darkness. His blood flow was off and his eyes felt like they were swollen, but he could see her expression.
She was scared, but she had put her trust and her life in his abilities. By the name of Raphael, he thought, I have to. He forced himself to turn around to look at the Septaroth. He was still leaning against the tree, his strength was still mostly gone.
The strange feet of the beasts shuffled, and Green could hear its nostrils breathing in, smelling for prey that might be lurking around. It might catch us, it will catch us. He was certain of that.
"Care…less" Green let out with a breath. Who knew speaking took so much energy.
"What?" She responded.
He groaned softly, then went for the knife at his belt. He dropped it, so tired, that thought betrayed him. His energy was draining even further, overwhelming him to the point of madness.
Green looked down at the knife, now on the ground reflecting Green's face faintly. Is that me? He thought. His veins were visibly showing, reddened from him activating the arts earlier.
Green was again reminded of his time in… Get over yourself, he thought. He forced himself to forget, putting his focus on the situation. He looked up, noticing that Careless was still looking at him, waiting for his next words.
"I-I need," speaking was getting more difficult for him, but he forced his next words out. "You to cut… m-my wrist."
Careless was taken aback, "I can't cut you, why do you want me to cut you?" She asked.
Green's mind muffled further, and he thought he saw her in Careless's place.
Green had to let out a heavy breath each time to speak. "Too much blood," he had to swallow to take in his next breath, he would pass out soon. "Need it to be released… please."
Careless hesitated, then jumped when the Septaroth growled. She quickly picked up the knife, moving to cut his wrist, but hesitated again before looking up at him.
His eyes were almost closed and he felt a heat rushing to his head and core. His mind was slipping and his body was going limp. Rest, just rest, he thought, falling to the ground.
He woke up with a shock of pain in his arm that made him catch himself before falling to the ground. His mind began racing, it would shut down again soon. He knew it would. Move, don't think, just move! Green thought.
He grabbed Careless and his knife, then bolted. He wasn't very fast, with his guns, Careless, as well as his muscle fatigue, he ran at the same speed as a Borxt.
A Borxt, Green thought, an idea popping in his mind. Sense, Green's senses immediately heightened to a ridiculous degree. The dark forest became like a fairly lit room, his ears heard every step like a pan banging into a pot, his touch became more sensitive to his clothes.
But out of all his senses, the only one he cared about now was his sense of smell. He smelled the blood of the dead Septaroth, the breath and odor of the one chasing them, but more importantly, he smelled a scent stronger than the others.
He ran in the direction of the mind rotting scent while decreasing his senses back to normal to keep his lunch inside him. He wanted to increase his speed, but his body wouldn't allow it. He had so little energy left. The knifing made him lucid, but that didn't give him energy.
In the worst possible moment however, Careless hunched over and started to gag. This slowed them, and Green glanced behind them to find the Septaroth right on their tail.
We don't have time for this, Green thought. He scooped Careless up, and increased his stamina, though doing so would make his exhaustion much more dangerous later. It let him temporarily increase his speed.
He saw his salvation ahead, about six large spherical boulders clustered together. He went among them, holding his breath from the stench, and letting himself fall back to lean against one of the boulders, sliding down to sit.
The grimy mucus began flowing down his shoulder, causing Careless to quickly cover her nose with her hands. She was still being held in princess carry while Green was sat down, but she spun face down while in his arms before throwing up.
Green felt the vomit pool around him, but compared to the mucus it felt like water. He heard the Septaroth's nose smelling around for them, then quickly breathed out its nose to get the stench out before shimmying away.
Green let out a sigh of relief, something he immediately regretted. With his body now relaxed and the Borxt's mucus numbing his body, darkness consumed him.