pokenutter
Warrior of Time
It’s a very, very long time before anyone says anything. We’ve been wandering down here for several hours, trying to find the Shard, but none of us have been successful. I’ve tried to contact Chance to double-check that the Shard resembles the one I saw in Quest Plaza, but she’s remained completely silent.
Ampharos eventually breaks the silence. “So, Heath- please explain to me again what the Shard you saw looked like?”
I nod. “It was like a shadow that stood independent of a body. Vaguely humanoid, but completely pitch-black. But remember that-”
“Right, but I just wanted to double-check that, and not blunder headfirst into it.”
I nod slowly, and Julius shrugs. “Right. If we see anything like that, we’ll let you know.”
I’m about to try and move the conversation in a different direction when I feel an unusual chill down my spine. The others seem to feel it, too- Kim and Ampharos are instantly on guard, and Julius lets out a shiver.
“H-Heath? There was a feeling like this when Chance had us fight an imaginary one...”
I spin around, trying to catch sight of it. No such luck, and the lot of us begin moving very carefully into the dungeon.
We eventually arrive at a natural rock bridge over a deep chasm. I hear Kim sigh.
“Well, it’s either stick around and maybe get attacked, or cross a bridge that looks like it could easily collapse.”
Before any of us can chime in with our thoughts, we hear a loud shrieking sound, and we all spin around. Behind us is a mass of shadows- the Shard.
It moves as though it’s opening its mouth, and I hear it speak. Its voice is quiet, almost like a whisper. However, that whisper carries the weight of a shout, and it’s enough to freeze the lot of us in our tracks.
“I figured that might get your attention.”
It’s a few seconds before any of us moves. Julius is the first to take off, doing his best to run across the bridge. Kim and I follow next, with Ampharos taking the rear. I’m not looking behind me as I run, but I can’t hear him following. I don’t know if that means that he’s just watching, or if he simply moves silently.
We reach the other side of the bridge, and Ampharos turns his head around to look. It’s another moment before he slows to a stop, and turns completely around. “...Guys. He hasn’t moved.”
The three of us turn and look. Ampharos is right- the Shard stands perfectly still on the other end of the bridge. After a moment of silence, it speaks again. In spite of the distance, its voice hasn’t decreased in volume. “I don’t need to chase you just yet. Until you get to the later areas, I can pursue you at my leisure. Even if you get away from me this time, I know what your scent is, hero. I can follow you anywhere I like.”
My breath catches in my throat. It knows what I am.
I don’t know what to do. Do I endanger the group, and run with them? Do I instruct them to run, and stay behind to fight it? Do I ask them to join me?
Kim interrupts my train of thought by tapping my shoulder. “Heath. Let’s move.”
I numbly nod, and follow her. As I turn my back, I hear its voice again. “I’m not sure why you’re bothering. There’s really no point in doing anything but staying to fight. That’s the inevitable outcome- no sense in running from it.”
The four of us retreat a small way back into the cavern, and Julius begins guarding the path behind us while Ampharos guards the way ahead. Kim and I lean against a wall, and she sighs.
“Well, that wasn’t what I expected. Just let me know if you want to fight it. If you don’t, we can always leave.”
I shake my head. “I have to do this. If I don’t, Chance saw-”
“Chance isn’t exactly the most reliable person on the planet. If she’s sure she saw some kind of genocide out here, that’s what she saw, and your being out here may end up having no effect at all on it. For all we know, that thing will kill you if you fight it. If that happens, what does Chance do then? She can’t make another one of you, and she won’t pull a random human into this.”
I search for Chance’s presence in the back of my head, but I can’t sense her. I don’t know if she knows what happened, but she really should be told.
After a second of trying to reach her to no avail, I shrug. “I still have to try. You, Julius, and Ampharos are still out here-”
“And the shard is only interested in you for now. If we’re gone by the time this supposed genocide begins, we won’t come to any harm. Now, knowing that it’s really only your life on the line for now, do you still think it’s a good idea to try this?”
I’m about to nod when she shakes her head. “You know what? I know how you’re going to answer, so I’m making the choice for you.”
She pulls out her rescue team badge, and holds it out. “The three of us will finish the jobs for today. You go back to the house, and wait a while. After today finishes, we’ll pick you up, and get off of this mountain.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m staying here to-”
She sighs, and the badge flashes. “I just said that I’m making the choice for-”
Her voice cuts out as a second later, I find myself back at the house.
***
It’s a few hours before I hear any kind of sounds from outside. The door clatters open, and Ampharos charges in. “Heath! Grab anything you need to get down the mountain, and get moving as fast as you can!”
I raise an eyebrow, already moving. “What’s wrong?”
“That Shard we ran into didn’t take kindly to being denied you. Julius is unconscious, Kim’s carrying him back, and we’ve got about twenty minutes to an hour before the Shard follows us back here. Now, get moving!”
In five minutes, I’m prepared to go. The pair of us exit the house, where Kim is waiting, holding Julius unconscious on her back. She nods as we exit, and the three of us begin fleeing the scene.
A half-hour later, we’re on the road, taking turns carrying Julius down the mountain. It’s a slippery climb down, as it seems to have snowed heavily since we left this morning. I almost lose my footing two or three times, and Ampharos nearly falls of the side of the mountain on one occasion.
After a few hours of running, we reach a more or less level stretch of ground. I recognize it as the exact same place where I suffered my nervous breakdown on the way out here.
Kim places Julius on the ground, and motions for Ampharos to come over with his bag. He heads over, and places a tan seed in Julius’s mouth. There’s a blue flash, and Julius stirs.
He slowly struggles to his feet. “...Where is it?”
Ampharos helps him up. “We’re not 100% sure. We ran out this way- turns out that we’re all remarkably fast runners when our lives depend on it. Basically, we’re taking a breather right now, and getting you back on your feet.”
Kim nods, and turns towards me. “Look, Heath, I know Chance sent you out here to kill this thing, but you can’t fight it. We’ll lure it to the base of the mountain, get some passers by to help us out, and get rid of them while you absorb it.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Kim, we can’t do that! Who’s to say that-”
Kim cuts me off. “I don’t want to hear it, Heath! We can barely fight this thing, so there’s no way we’re letting you of all people fight it!”
I bristle. “You know that I’m stronger in close proximity to-”
“I don’t care! We’re not letting you fight it, especially not alone!”
I stride over towards her, and look her dead in the eye. “This. Is. My. Job. This is the whole reason I was created. You know that, don’t you? Since I’ve found that out, you’ve done nothing but try and get in the way! Why?”
She barely flinches as she answers, looking me dead in the eye. “It’s because I don’t want you to die.”
...This wasn’t the answer I was expecting. I don’t think I was expecting one at all. I pause a moment before answering. “Thanks for your concern, but it’s going to happen. Word of Arceus, remember? God himself has forbidden me from living past my second deadline.”
She maintains her stare. “That doesn’t mean that you get to charge off to your death early. I don’t want you to be killed before your time.”
I ready a retort, but she jumps in when I don’t respond imediately. “And don’t give me that ‘my job’ ********. You’ve been nothing but moody since you found off, not to mention the two separate mental breakdowns.”
I try to speak again, but she continues, somewhat louder now. “You shouldn’t be out here fighting things none of us completely understand! We should be back in Quest Plaza, surrounded by people we know and trust, not stuck on the side of this mountain, running for our lives from a piece of one of history’s worst monsters! I mean, tell me that you think you should be punished for all of Chance’s mistakes!”
I try to retort, actually a bit frightened. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kim like this. “S-She just-”
She begins to advance on me. “Just what? Created a person with an apocalyptic time bomb built into them, and didn’t bother to try and fix the problem, or even contact them about it? Heath, you should have your whole life in front of you! Instead, you’ve got a little bit more than four months left because some bumblingly incompetent demi-god made a mistake! There’s no way you’re okay with that!”
“Kim, please just-”
She’s shouting now. “Calm down? Why? I’m watching one of my close friends willingly traipse off to his death because some woefully inept chessmaster he’d never met before a few months ago snapped her fingers! Would you just take that if it were Julius? Or me?”
I think I actually feel some tears welling up in my eyes. “Kim, I...”
Julius steps up next to Kim, and grabs her hand. “Kim, you’re starting to scare me, too...”
Kim looks offended for a moment, but then takes a good hard look at my face. She takes a few deep breaths, and begins speaking slowly.
“Heath, please think about it this way. You’re a danger to the three of us. Meanwhile, the worst you’ve done to Chance is relay a message. Call her. See if she answers.”
I take a moment before searching for Chance. I get no response of any kind.
Kim nods, and the next thing I know, she’s hugging me. I’m caught off guard, and almost end up toppling backwards. She backs off after a second, giving me time to regain my balance.
“Now, tell me- who do you think is your friend here?”
I’m silent for a good long while, digesting this. After a few minutes, I nod. “Alright, but we’re not involving anyone unless we’re 100% certain that they could defend themselves against the Shard.”
Kim lets out a sigh of relief, and smiles. “Right. That works. Now, I’ll take point. Ampharos, can you take the rear?”
Ampharos nods, and Julius beams towards me. “I’ll stick by you, then. So, shall we get moving? I’d rather not fight that thing again just yet...”
Almost as if on cue, a loud rumbling sound comes from up the mountain. I turn to look, and am rooted in place as a wall of ice and snow comes barreling towards us, missing Ampharos by less than two feet.
“Run!”
I don’t even know who shouted, but it’s enough to get us moving before the next small avalanche lands where we were standing seconds before. I catch a flash of black farther up the mountain, and begin moving faster.
It’s not long before we reach the bottom. We tear our way through the trees at the bottom until we reach a reasonably clear area.
The lot of us collapse in a heap, panting. I’m exhausted, and I can tell just looking at the others that they’re no better off. If the Shard followed us down here...
A deathly cold begins to crawl down my spine as a swooshing sound fills our ears. The Shard dashes out of the trees, and slows to a halt.
The others can barely move. If they try to fight, they’re dead. If I run, they’re either hostages, or they’re dead.
My mind blanks on solutions as the Shard begins to advance.
...There’s only one thing that has a chance of getting them out alive...
I stand, and turn to Kim. “...I’m sorry.”
She looks at the Shard, evaluates the situation, and hangs her head. “...Please, Heath. Win.”
I slowly nod. “I’ll do what I can. Just please... Don’t watch.”
She nods, and the three of them look away. I turn to face the Shard.
Its voice sounds as though it’s right next to me. “Oh, good. I was beginning to think you’d never stop running. Shall we?”
I shake my head. “One condition. If I lose, you let my friends go.”
It scoffs, and my blood chills. “Why should I accept any deal you offer? You’re bartering for their survival, so you won’t leave them if I say no. Furthermore, if you’re dead, you won’t be around to stop me from killing those that kept my prey from me.”
WIthout waiting for a reply, it begins advancing.
No going back now. I take a deep breath, and approach.
Ampharos eventually breaks the silence. “So, Heath- please explain to me again what the Shard you saw looked like?”
I nod. “It was like a shadow that stood independent of a body. Vaguely humanoid, but completely pitch-black. But remember that-”
“Right, but I just wanted to double-check that, and not blunder headfirst into it.”
I nod slowly, and Julius shrugs. “Right. If we see anything like that, we’ll let you know.”
I’m about to try and move the conversation in a different direction when I feel an unusual chill down my spine. The others seem to feel it, too- Kim and Ampharos are instantly on guard, and Julius lets out a shiver.
“H-Heath? There was a feeling like this when Chance had us fight an imaginary one...”
I spin around, trying to catch sight of it. No such luck, and the lot of us begin moving very carefully into the dungeon.
We eventually arrive at a natural rock bridge over a deep chasm. I hear Kim sigh.
“Well, it’s either stick around and maybe get attacked, or cross a bridge that looks like it could easily collapse.”
Before any of us can chime in with our thoughts, we hear a loud shrieking sound, and we all spin around. Behind us is a mass of shadows- the Shard.
It moves as though it’s opening its mouth, and I hear it speak. Its voice is quiet, almost like a whisper. However, that whisper carries the weight of a shout, and it’s enough to freeze the lot of us in our tracks.
“I figured that might get your attention.”
It’s a few seconds before any of us moves. Julius is the first to take off, doing his best to run across the bridge. Kim and I follow next, with Ampharos taking the rear. I’m not looking behind me as I run, but I can’t hear him following. I don’t know if that means that he’s just watching, or if he simply moves silently.
We reach the other side of the bridge, and Ampharos turns his head around to look. It’s another moment before he slows to a stop, and turns completely around. “...Guys. He hasn’t moved.”
The three of us turn and look. Ampharos is right- the Shard stands perfectly still on the other end of the bridge. After a moment of silence, it speaks again. In spite of the distance, its voice hasn’t decreased in volume. “I don’t need to chase you just yet. Until you get to the later areas, I can pursue you at my leisure. Even if you get away from me this time, I know what your scent is, hero. I can follow you anywhere I like.”
My breath catches in my throat. It knows what I am.
I don’t know what to do. Do I endanger the group, and run with them? Do I instruct them to run, and stay behind to fight it? Do I ask them to join me?
Kim interrupts my train of thought by tapping my shoulder. “Heath. Let’s move.”
I numbly nod, and follow her. As I turn my back, I hear its voice again. “I’m not sure why you’re bothering. There’s really no point in doing anything but staying to fight. That’s the inevitable outcome- no sense in running from it.”
The four of us retreat a small way back into the cavern, and Julius begins guarding the path behind us while Ampharos guards the way ahead. Kim and I lean against a wall, and she sighs.
“Well, that wasn’t what I expected. Just let me know if you want to fight it. If you don’t, we can always leave.”
I shake my head. “I have to do this. If I don’t, Chance saw-”
“Chance isn’t exactly the most reliable person on the planet. If she’s sure she saw some kind of genocide out here, that’s what she saw, and your being out here may end up having no effect at all on it. For all we know, that thing will kill you if you fight it. If that happens, what does Chance do then? She can’t make another one of you, and she won’t pull a random human into this.”
I search for Chance’s presence in the back of my head, but I can’t sense her. I don’t know if she knows what happened, but she really should be told.
After a second of trying to reach her to no avail, I shrug. “I still have to try. You, Julius, and Ampharos are still out here-”
“And the shard is only interested in you for now. If we’re gone by the time this supposed genocide begins, we won’t come to any harm. Now, knowing that it’s really only your life on the line for now, do you still think it’s a good idea to try this?”
I’m about to nod when she shakes her head. “You know what? I know how you’re going to answer, so I’m making the choice for you.”
She pulls out her rescue team badge, and holds it out. “The three of us will finish the jobs for today. You go back to the house, and wait a while. After today finishes, we’ll pick you up, and get off of this mountain.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m staying here to-”
She sighs, and the badge flashes. “I just said that I’m making the choice for-”
Her voice cuts out as a second later, I find myself back at the house.
***
It’s a few hours before I hear any kind of sounds from outside. The door clatters open, and Ampharos charges in. “Heath! Grab anything you need to get down the mountain, and get moving as fast as you can!”
I raise an eyebrow, already moving. “What’s wrong?”
“That Shard we ran into didn’t take kindly to being denied you. Julius is unconscious, Kim’s carrying him back, and we’ve got about twenty minutes to an hour before the Shard follows us back here. Now, get moving!”
In five minutes, I’m prepared to go. The pair of us exit the house, where Kim is waiting, holding Julius unconscious on her back. She nods as we exit, and the three of us begin fleeing the scene.
A half-hour later, we’re on the road, taking turns carrying Julius down the mountain. It’s a slippery climb down, as it seems to have snowed heavily since we left this morning. I almost lose my footing two or three times, and Ampharos nearly falls of the side of the mountain on one occasion.
After a few hours of running, we reach a more or less level stretch of ground. I recognize it as the exact same place where I suffered my nervous breakdown on the way out here.
Kim places Julius on the ground, and motions for Ampharos to come over with his bag. He heads over, and places a tan seed in Julius’s mouth. There’s a blue flash, and Julius stirs.
He slowly struggles to his feet. “...Where is it?”
Ampharos helps him up. “We’re not 100% sure. We ran out this way- turns out that we’re all remarkably fast runners when our lives depend on it. Basically, we’re taking a breather right now, and getting you back on your feet.”
Kim nods, and turns towards me. “Look, Heath, I know Chance sent you out here to kill this thing, but you can’t fight it. We’ll lure it to the base of the mountain, get some passers by to help us out, and get rid of them while you absorb it.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Kim, we can’t do that! Who’s to say that-”
Kim cuts me off. “I don’t want to hear it, Heath! We can barely fight this thing, so there’s no way we’re letting you of all people fight it!”
I bristle. “You know that I’m stronger in close proximity to-”
“I don’t care! We’re not letting you fight it, especially not alone!”
I stride over towards her, and look her dead in the eye. “This. Is. My. Job. This is the whole reason I was created. You know that, don’t you? Since I’ve found that out, you’ve done nothing but try and get in the way! Why?”
She barely flinches as she answers, looking me dead in the eye. “It’s because I don’t want you to die.”
...This wasn’t the answer I was expecting. I don’t think I was expecting one at all. I pause a moment before answering. “Thanks for your concern, but it’s going to happen. Word of Arceus, remember? God himself has forbidden me from living past my second deadline.”
She maintains her stare. “That doesn’t mean that you get to charge off to your death early. I don’t want you to be killed before your time.”
I ready a retort, but she jumps in when I don’t respond imediately. “And don’t give me that ‘my job’ ********. You’ve been nothing but moody since you found off, not to mention the two separate mental breakdowns.”
I try to speak again, but she continues, somewhat louder now. “You shouldn’t be out here fighting things none of us completely understand! We should be back in Quest Plaza, surrounded by people we know and trust, not stuck on the side of this mountain, running for our lives from a piece of one of history’s worst monsters! I mean, tell me that you think you should be punished for all of Chance’s mistakes!”
I try to retort, actually a bit frightened. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kim like this. “S-She just-”
She begins to advance on me. “Just what? Created a person with an apocalyptic time bomb built into them, and didn’t bother to try and fix the problem, or even contact them about it? Heath, you should have your whole life in front of you! Instead, you’ve got a little bit more than four months left because some bumblingly incompetent demi-god made a mistake! There’s no way you’re okay with that!”
“Kim, please just-”
She’s shouting now. “Calm down? Why? I’m watching one of my close friends willingly traipse off to his death because some woefully inept chessmaster he’d never met before a few months ago snapped her fingers! Would you just take that if it were Julius? Or me?”
I think I actually feel some tears welling up in my eyes. “Kim, I...”
Julius steps up next to Kim, and grabs her hand. “Kim, you’re starting to scare me, too...”
Kim looks offended for a moment, but then takes a good hard look at my face. She takes a few deep breaths, and begins speaking slowly.
“Heath, please think about it this way. You’re a danger to the three of us. Meanwhile, the worst you’ve done to Chance is relay a message. Call her. See if she answers.”
I take a moment before searching for Chance. I get no response of any kind.
Kim nods, and the next thing I know, she’s hugging me. I’m caught off guard, and almost end up toppling backwards. She backs off after a second, giving me time to regain my balance.
“Now, tell me- who do you think is your friend here?”
I’m silent for a good long while, digesting this. After a few minutes, I nod. “Alright, but we’re not involving anyone unless we’re 100% certain that they could defend themselves against the Shard.”
Kim lets out a sigh of relief, and smiles. “Right. That works. Now, I’ll take point. Ampharos, can you take the rear?”
Ampharos nods, and Julius beams towards me. “I’ll stick by you, then. So, shall we get moving? I’d rather not fight that thing again just yet...”
Almost as if on cue, a loud rumbling sound comes from up the mountain. I turn to look, and am rooted in place as a wall of ice and snow comes barreling towards us, missing Ampharos by less than two feet.
“Run!”
I don’t even know who shouted, but it’s enough to get us moving before the next small avalanche lands where we were standing seconds before. I catch a flash of black farther up the mountain, and begin moving faster.
It’s not long before we reach the bottom. We tear our way through the trees at the bottom until we reach a reasonably clear area.
The lot of us collapse in a heap, panting. I’m exhausted, and I can tell just looking at the others that they’re no better off. If the Shard followed us down here...
A deathly cold begins to crawl down my spine as a swooshing sound fills our ears. The Shard dashes out of the trees, and slows to a halt.
The others can barely move. If they try to fight, they’re dead. If I run, they’re either hostages, or they’re dead.
My mind blanks on solutions as the Shard begins to advance.
...There’s only one thing that has a chance of getting them out alive...
I stand, and turn to Kim. “...I’m sorry.”
She looks at the Shard, evaluates the situation, and hangs her head. “...Please, Heath. Win.”
I slowly nod. “I’ll do what I can. Just please... Don’t watch.”
She nods, and the three of them look away. I turn to face the Shard.
Its voice sounds as though it’s right next to me. “Oh, good. I was beginning to think you’d never stop running. Shall we?”
I shake my head. “One condition. If I lose, you let my friends go.”
It scoffs, and my blood chills. “Why should I accept any deal you offer? You’re bartering for their survival, so you won’t leave them if I say no. Furthermore, if you’re dead, you won’t be around to stop me from killing those that kept my prey from me.”
WIthout waiting for a reply, it begins advancing.
No going back now. I take a deep breath, and approach.
