By the next morning, we had not gained much sleep, but it was enough that we could continue. Our machines fed us food pills and another pill that helps with tiredness. As long as we had rested for more than four hours, the pills would work with our bodies to keep us at peak potential for one day. We were only meant to take two in a week, as any more could possibly kill a person.
The effects were not as devastating in non-Pariah, but I did not want to take that chance. If there was a slight possibility that I gained powers during this time, I did not want to die without having created a safe place for my father. I needed to survive. I popped the pill into my mouth and wiped myself down with a cloth that was meant to clear any smells.
I then replaced my clothes with new ones that were near the books and rubbed myself down with an ointment to mask my aroma, so I smelled like trees. I passed the ointment to my comrades who did the same. If there were any beast-type Pariah, this would also help so they could not sniff us out. Some beast Pariah were exceptional in their tracking skills. Some on land, others on water - and if they were of a sub-species or a flying type, there was no way a person could hide themselves unless hidden underground from their prying eyes.
"Non-Pariah! It is already the second day and we should keep moving. By my count we have already made a good distance into the triangle, as we missed many of the officials. The other students by my estimated guess are still behind us, although a few may be ahead of us. We should also heed the warning of the Pariah capable of flight through his bat wings as he will come back for us. It is best we plan now."
"Thank you, 4536. I am guessing by your demeanour that you are not the full consciousness of yourself. Am I correct?" I asked.
"That is right, Jared. He is resting for now. I shall help you with whatever your needs may be. Shall we go? I fear there are officials who have passed our current camping ground overnight and may double back. They seem to be the two that you - dare I say, bested? Yes, bested at the school the other day. Shall I plot our trajectory?"
"That would be satisfactory, 4536. Thank you." I replied, quite pleased.
"We need to be careful as these officials really do not want us to win. Especially you Jared. We have to remember that this is not a game," Shaki said as she laid her hand on my shoulder.
I turned to her and nodded as I fixed my Guandao's on my back and waited until the other two had prepared themselves. We did not know what we would see once we came out of the safe zone. Maverick rushed over to the door and pressed the button. We watched and waited as the door began to lift and swivel to the right. I was the first to step outside to a scene of carnage and destruction. The trees and their branches were all broken and strewn over the field.
It looked like a strong wind had blown them all over. I turned to my comrades and placed my fingers over my lips, keeping low. I edged towards the scene, using the broken limbs and leaves as cover. The ground was torn up and there were red flags where students had been captured for the third time in the day. I counted a total of thirty, but Carlos counted thirty-three.
It did not matter. We just needed to stick together and focus on reaching our goal. We finally reached an area where there was better coverage in the forest, and we began cautiously making our way over. Maverick and Shaki remained in front while Carlos and I watched the back. We continued to watch the skies and it did not seem like there was any danger. Shaki nor my machine had sensed anything for miles.
"Looks like we are safe," Carlos said with a sigh.
"Looks like it," I replied.
"We can't say that just yet. There is something moving towards us. It's just in that clearing up ahead of us," Shaki warned.
"I do not see anything," Carlos said puzzled.
"Because you can't sense it," Shaki said as she looked around.
"Yes! There seems to be some sort of anomaly up ahead. It seems to be outputting an enormous amount of ether. The Tech type, I believe. It may be...yes, it is. Carlos, it seems to be related to you".
"No. It can't be," Carlos replied in horror.
A man appeared before all of them. He was short in stature and skinnier than most people I have seen. It looked as if he had not eaten in weeks. He stepped out from the boundary of the forest into the plains, and from the trees, a dog-like robotic creature appeared as well. It was carrying various metals which it laid out on the ground beside him.
"Oh...no...not this skinny dude. It can't be!" Maverick said as he laughed hysterically. "Y'all officials crack me up. Carlos here was acting like you some big baddy and here you are, looking like you could use three meals and a biscuit per day. I could probably smash you with my right pinky after it was broken."
"Hermano... you do not want to do that..." Carlos said as he pulled out a weapon cautiously.
"Chill, Carlos. Look at this dude. Looking like a twig blowing in the wind. I bet five new meals that I could crush this dude without even trying. Y'all take his dog. I'll take him," Maverick replied as he pointed at the new challenger. The air became increasingly cold and Maverick began sliding across the grounds towards his intended target. I was surprised by how fast Maverick was moving. I honestly believed that Maverick had the upper hand. Even the dog or android, whatever it was, would be a simple task. I was sure Shaki could take it out.
What happened next was like a slow animated dream. As Maverick moved swiftly towards the assailant, I noticed that the pieces of metal that the android dog carried immediately began to cover the body of this Pariah official. It was not a slow, gradual change but one that happened in an instant. Maverick took off in one quick burst of speed and threw himself at the man who almost teleported behind him, slamming his elbow in Maverick's back.
There was a sound like a breaking tree branch, a snapping of twigs and then Maverick lay there lifeless. No, not lifeless. I noticed the green light covering his body and he seemed to be moving just slightly. I quickly retrieved my Guandaos and spun them in the air over my head, changing into a Mai Thai stance. I stared at the man then changed positions quickly to one that favoured Kung Fu, with one Guandao horizontal with my eyesight and the other near my waist.
They were both parallel to the floor. My knees were bent, and I faced my opponent with a new vigour. I turned to my right and Shaki was already covered in her black aura. She was in a stance that I recognized from judo training, a form of martial arts that I hadn't used often. My father knew it as well and had taught it to me. Carlos was also in the same stance, but he had a laser in his hand. It did not seem useful at all, but after how Maverick had been handled, I felt like anyone who could hold a knife would be of some use.
I turned my gaze towards the Pariah whose armour of metal seemed to flow over him like a liquid, covering every piece of his body. I looked towards the metal dog creature that was now standing beside Carlos, but it did not seem like it had plans to stay. The creature was covered in a burst of blue light and lifted off the ground. I watched as it hovered over us, then took off at a speed that was too fast for my eyes to keep up with. Just a blue metallic blur.
"You're sending away your guard dog?" Shaki said grinning, "You should probably call that thing back because you will definitely need the help," Shaki said as she dug her feet deeper into the mud beneath, her fists glowing with fire.
I noticed as the liquid changed for a moment and then the Pariah before us smiled. The liquid metal returned to cover over his face and a tendril of metallic shards shot forth. In the same instance, both Carlos and Shaki retaliated. Carlos shot a laser beam that slowed down the metallic shards and I noticed the steam flow upwards as the two attacks collided.
Shaki shot a black ball of flames up into the air that seemed to hone in on the official. The man shot another tendril of metal up in the air that blocked the balls of fire which exploded immediately upon impact. There was intense steam as it cleared up. I found both Carlos and Shaki still standing near me and the man continued to smile through the liquid metal as it shifted and moved slowly across his body.
"Yeah, not sure what to do here," I whispered to my comrades.
"I do not know either, but it looks like in the commotion Maverick got away. Not sure where he went though," Shaki replied coldly.
As if on cue, I noticed a change in temperature, a chill in the air and then heard crackling, like the sound of ice in the winter when it falls. Like that sound from the icicles that fall from houses that have been building up for a long period of time. Yeah, that is what it sounded like. And that is when I noticed it. A tree that was covered in ice began to fall forward, as if in slow motion. It fell on top of the official with a loud booming sound.
"We beat him!" I heard Maverick cry from within the forest.
"Nice job," Carlos said as he began to relax.
At that moment, the tree covered in ice shattered and the man appeared before us as if no harm had been done to him. He continued to smile behind the veil of metal that covered his face.
"What the hell?" Maverick exclaimed.
The official put his hand forward and small metal spikes began to form on his arm and hands.
"GET DOWN!" Carlos screamed.
We all jumped out of the way as metal spikes flew towards us. I felt one shard hit my arm and it immediately went numb.
"What the heck was that?" Shaki screamed.
"He can create a poisonous metal that numbs whoever it hits. It won't last long as we are getting healed," Carlos yelled back.
"You could have warned us," Shaki barked.
"I have an idea, guys," I said.
"What's that?" Carlos asked.
"Well, my weapons should be able to go through his metal. If you two can hit him with your strongest attack, I might be able to come around from behind him and thrust him through with my Guandao," I said enthusiastically.
"Sounds like a Kamikaze attack. Just do not die," Shaki said nonchalantly.
"I'll try," I said with a smile.
I turned my gaze to the official covered in the flowing, liquid metal and smiled. He did not smile back.
"You ready?" I whispered to my comrades.
"Ready!" they both nodded in my direction.
I sprinted forward, screaming with what was my version of a war cry and noticed the Pariah Official raise his hand again. I watched metal spikes form on his hands. The spikes flew at me and I dodged a few, knocking one spike down with my weapon. I raised my Guandao high and noticed a laser beam and a wall of black fire shoot past me at high speeds towards the official. Before the two attacks hit, I noticed the Pariah move his hand by his side and the metal hardened.
Steam immediately rose from his body, and I felt the heat push me backwards. I continued to run at full speed, but the heat was unbearable. Against my better judgement, I threw a Guandao at him like a spear. The second wave of attacks from my two comrades came rushing through pushing the Guandao forward and it continued to fly until it was lodged inside his body, stuck in his abdomen. I stumbled back as the steam burned my skin and I fell to the ground in agony. I began to drag myself away because of the burning sensation.
The skin on my arm immediately turned green. I could feel something over my body as the pain left, and my arm began to heal quickly. I tried to pick myself off the ground and fell back down. My leg, there was something wrong with it, but it felt numb. Most likely an effect from the spikes that were thrown at me.
It would be healed, but I still needed to drag myself away, and I did. The steam was too much. I finally reached my comrades who were still shooting an onslaught of attacks. I was unsure how I got to them so fast but somehow I did. I had clearly moved a large distance quickly by only crawling. I looked towards the assailant and my mouth dropped. He still stood there. I could only see a glimpse of his face. But he stood there, and it seemed like he was smiling.
"I don't think it's working, guys," I screamed.
The other two stopped their attack and the steam stopped as well. As it cleared, we found ourselves tired and outmatched with a Pariah standing in front of us with no signs of visible injury. I looked to the right and saw that Maverick had found his way to us as well.
"This doesn't look good," he said aloud.
"No. No, it...doesn't" Carlos replied, exhausted.
"What do we do now?" Maverick asked.
"I.... am....stumped. And tired. We need to deal with him quickly!" Shaki replied. "Wait a minute. How did you get here so quickly?
"Guess I was scared and desperate to get back," I said with a shrug. "Right now, we just need to figure out how to beat this guy."
"Stand up!" Shaki growled. "We need to figure this thing out or we will all lose."
"We might have time," I replied menacingly as I slowly and painfully stood up. "He seems to not be taking this fight too seriously."
My body was shaking as I leaned on my other Guandao. I knew my body was not entirely healed, but I had no idea how we could beat this opponent. He seemed to be a much more difficult adversary than I had expected. And my weapons could not do anything. If only I could break through that hard shell.
"Wait, guys. I have another idea," I screamed.
"You may want to not scream out your plans and moves before you do them," Carlos mumbled, "This is not some kind of make-believe world we are dealing with here."
"Shut up and listen," I snarled.
I had all of us gather in a circle and I explained my plan. They all seemed to nod their heads in agreement. I looked at Maverick who would be essential; he nodded in return. I looked back towards the tech Pariah who still stood there, surprisingly calm. He was only trying to slow us down. We needed to move fast. He might be waiting for others.
"Alright guys, you know what to do," I said.
We all got into positions as Carlos and Shaki stood together, with Maverick and I on either side. Our opponent just stood there as the liquid metal continued to move over his body with a slight grin on his face. I smiled back this time. If this plan worked, we may be able to beat him. Carlos and Shaki began their onslaught of attacks again and Maverick and I ran from the other two ends.
I threw my guandao at the assailant and the same thing happened. Absolutely nothing. He raised his hand as the steam began pouring out over him towards me. Good. I had his attention. At the same time Maverick was able to slide towards the official and latch on to him. He moved around behind him slowly like we planned.
I could see the official was struggling to get him off, but it was not working. Even with the metal spikes protruding from his body Maverick was holding on to him like a mountain lion with its prey. He was not letting go. It must have been the ice barrier that was stopping him from being injured and his whole body going numb. The air immediately became incredibly chilly and the liquid over the pariah official began to slow until it no longer moved. He was encased in the metal.
"Now!" I screamed.
Maverick was able to slide and glide away from the official, slower than usual and before he had gone a few feet, Carlos was shooting his laser gun at the enemy and Shaki had shot three balls of a white fire that created a huge explosion on impact. The heat from the white fire was intense. It made the steam from earlier feel like a cool spring day in comparison. Metal shards flew everywhere and so did Maverick.
He was not injured but seemed to be saying a few choice words I would not repeat in front of my father. The type of language that could get you beat no matter your age. When the steam cleared, the official was laid out a few feet away from where he originally stood. A green light was over him. There was plenty of blood and shards of metal everywhere. Carlos continued to look on as Shaki found my two weapons and returned them to me.
"Yeah, that went well," I said.
"You know you could have been killed. I understand why you needed to distract him and I am glad the plan worked but we would never do that in a real-world altercation. You have no powers. I do not desire for anyone on my team to die," Shaki snapped.
"Sorry. I just could not think of anything else," I replied.
"We should probably get moving," Maverick said as he limped over to put his hand on Carlos. "Don't want any of the officials to come after us now."
"Good idea. For once," I replied with a grin.
"Better than your half-wit suicidal plans," Maverick replied with a smirk.
I decided that we should lay low behind an uprooted evergreen tree as the green light bathed over our tired and broken bodies. I could feel the ether deep inside me as my body began to heal and the numbness from my leg slowly subsided. I was only glad that it was not so numb that my movements were restricted. I took in my surroundings and noticed the trees and land were beginning to reassemble themselves.
The land that was once destroyed with heavy craters was now returning to its normal state. I was beginning to believe everything that I saw may be a mirage like what we had seen above ground, like the buildings that were not there. Or it could be this whole forest was created by a tech-pariah and was not at all organic but metallic. If only Carlos knew how to use his powers well, this might have been an advantage for all of us. I felt something rub along my back and realized it was the tree. It was beginning to stand erect.
All four of us pulled away from the tree and once it stood tall, we rested our bodies on its cold metal frame. It should have been much warmer as the artificial light was still beaming over us but... well... Maverick. I looked over at Carlos who seemed to be tinkering with his laser gun. I was amazed at its uselessness. He did not have a power that I would desire of a comrade that would fight in any battle with me, but he could probably say the same thing about me.
"What are you doing over there, Carlos?" Maverick asked.
"Trying to figure out a way of making this weapon more powerful," Carlos replied as he continued tinkering with his weapon.
"It still did what it needed to do, bro. Although weak, it was good for what it was," Maverick retorted as he shrugged.
"Man, it's cold out here," I said as I turned to Maverick.
"Can't help it," Maverick replied as he turned his attention towards his own injuries.
I turned and watched as a few students passed by. They were clearly all in a hurry. We only had a few days left to reach the other side of the triangle. I decided to raise my leg again. Good! It was moving perfectly fine. The itching sensation after the numbness was completely gone. Whatever was in that poison would have been a problem if the healers were not around.
I just hoped we would not come across any more officials. I knew eventually we would. Officials were everywhere. I turned to the right and saw another student running at light-speed. It was interesting watching him as he tore through the field with a swiftness like a fast-moving hover motorcycle.
Nothing that seemed to be out of the ordinary. Other than Shaki, everyone's powers were basically a waste when it came to the Pariah Officials. Perhaps five-on-one, the students may have had a chance; but one-on-one? It was lights out for any student. The officials were far too powerful.
Using my machine, I looked over to where the official we had defeated still laid. The tech Pariah was still knocked out cold with a green aura hovering over him. Then like a flash, his android dog appeared out of nowhere as if it had torn a hole in reality, appearing at his feet. It then draped the pariah's body over its own frame and created another hole. On the other side, I could see the Dean of the school as he watched the fight on a screen. Both the android dog and the Pariah disappeared through the hole, somehow able to teleport. It was not a power I had heard of or seen before.
"Should I mention what I saw, or did you also notice it, human?"
"Yes! Yes, machine, I did notice," I replied.
"What do you think you should do, Non-Pariah?"
"If we get the chance, we need to overpower his android dog. And have Carlos or even you take a look at it. There may be a chance we can warp ourselves all the way to the end and win this thing," I said as I turned to look at my comrades.
"How will you do that?"
"I will have to figure that out. I am surprised you haven't been insulting me lately," I said as I turned my attention towards him.
"Yes! Normally I would have. I seem to have noticed something that is quite peculiar, and I am somewhat disturbed by it."
"Was it the dog that is bothering you?" I asked calmly.
"No. Not in the least. Have you not noticed those whose powers awakened on the field? Have you not noticed the lack of Garwayways around?"
"Well, they are not that powerful, so I guess they are not meant to be in the King's service," I replied hastily as I looked towards where the android dog used to be; hoping for him to return.
"Hmmm ... I seem to have forgotten you have no sensory or sense."
"You seem to forget a lot of things, 4536," I mumbled.
"Well, I do sense that an incredibly powerful Pariah has awakened. But for some reason I cannot pinpoint its location. It is as if it is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It is troubling."
"One of the students?" I asked.
"No. Like I said. I cannot tell where the power is coming from. And now, it has completely disappeared. The data shows that Pariah cannot hide their Ether. This is troubling indeed. If I were connected to the system, it would be my duty to tell the officials. But I shall remain quiet. You should as well. Do not let any person know I sensed anything today."
"If I could get you thrown in the scrap yard, I would gladly speak up," I said with a grin.
"Hmmm... well, for my sake and yours, please remain quiet until I can figure out what this data means. It may take time but eventually I may be able to sort this thing out."
"Alright, 4536. I will keep quiet. I may need you anyways for information on my family. Don't want you dead yet, I suppose," I replied.
"I do recall telling you machines cannot die but I guess your adolescent brain is incapable of remembering such easy lessons."
"I swear ... one of these days!"
"Hey Shaki. What's the plan?" Maverick interjected.
"Am I the leader suddenly?" Shaki responded angrily.
"I was just asking a question? Man, y'all are so touchy," Maverick muttered.
"I don't have any idea what the next step should be. What about you, 4536?" Shaki asked as she turned her attention towards my machine.
"Thank you for asking, Shaki. Well, you three have made it a good way so far. I figure in three more days, all of you should find yourselves at the end of the triangle. Although there are many adversaries that you will have to face. Some that I doubt you can overcome unless you work together."
"What do you mean by that? I mean you saw the way we tore up that last mess just now. We got this, right Shaki?" Maverick exclaimed as he almost slid across the field towards us.
"Maverick...! Don't talk to me!" Shaki said as she looked further away down the field.
"I was just trying to be friendly," Maverick replied as he slid closer to Carlos, avoiding Shaki entirely.
"So, what should we do 4536?" I asked.
"All of you need to remain focused. You are awfully close to the end. Also, if you haven't noticed, Shaki, there is something coming this way."
"Damn it! I did not even notice it. Damn it!" Shaki exclaimed.
I bowed my head towards where Shaki was looking, then back at Shaki who looked incredibly uncomfortable. Sweat beaded down her forehead and her hands were shaking. She was already in her Judo Stance. Then I noticed it. It was as if my skin were being pricked by thousands of needles. Pain seemed to sink deep within my bones. And fear gripped my heart. What was this?
"RUN!!!"
It was Maverick. He was already running towards a safe zone on the far right. Carlos was not that far behind him. I grabbed Shaki's arm and began running as if we were running for our lives. I looked back and noticed lighting covering the trees and floor. The light was brighter than the white light from the Dean. Hundreds of students were thrown up into the air and another blinding yellow light shot up into the sky.
I fell to the floor immediately and grabbed at my eyes. The pain was unbearable. Something cold slid against my back and I felt myself being grabbed by warm hands. I was hauled by something powerful for quite a distance, unable to see or hear anything. After a few minutes, my eyes began to adjust, and I was in another safe zone. The other three were sitting on the couch at the other end. They all looked exhausted, breathing heavily.
"What happened? Why did you tell me to run?" I asked as my voice shook. I could tell I was afraid as my body quivered like a leaf in the wind.
Maverick looked up at me, then towards our other two comrades.
"You going to tell him?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah...so you saw all that lightning earlier?" Maverick questioned.
"Yes...I was blinded by it," I replied.
"Well, I told you I have a brother. That was him," Maverick replied slowly.
"He is that powerful?" I asked nervously.
"More so. If he really went all out, this whole forest would have been destroyed," Maverick responded.
"So, what do we do now?" I asked.
"Just wait it out for a bit and recover from injuries. We still have two more days and a few hours left," Carlos responded hastily.
"We need a plan to beat him. That guy is way too powerful. I won't run from someone like that!" Shaki said as she rubbed her fists together, a confident beam upon her face.
All three of us just looked at Shaki then looked down towards our feet. We were all still shaking. It was great that Shaki had so much self-assurance, but poise was not what we needed right now. I remembered my father always telling me to just have faith, that everything would turn out alright. Even after my mother died, he used to say this same useless phrase. That faith would help us. But faith still allowed my mother to die.
"As of now, I am only speaking to you. Listen carefully Non-Pariah." A voice rang out that only I could hear.
"What? And how are you doing this? It's as if you are speaking directly into my mind," I replied.
"What are you hiding from me, human?"
"What? Did you drop your circuits somewhere, 4536?"
"You ok over there? You seem to be talking to yourself," Carlos said confused.
I looked up at Carlos and stood up immediately. I went into a small room that held foods, water and an assortment of drinks. Seasoned foods! I would have to tell the others once I came out.
"Explanation, you dirty liar!"
"You need to calm down 4536. I do not know what you are talking about," I replied angrily.
"Your Ether. I noticed Ether pouring out of you. Are you holding back?"
"I have no powers 4536. Stop this!!!" I growled.
"You probably will die first before everybody. I hope you do, you lying scumbag of an organism."
"I am done with you," I shouted while pushing 4536 aside.
I came out of the room and opened the door wide for my comrades to see the food inside. They did not speak a word but bowled me over and began their lip-smacking enjoyment. I did as well. I needed the sustenance after the last attack I endured. We would need to plan out how to beat Maverick's brother. I turned to Maverick and he turned to me. Carlos and Shaki also looked up from eating and we all smiled. We could do this if we worked together. Somehow, we would win.