Chapter eighteen: The Stranger
"I had to cauterize the wound many times, but due to the lack of resources… I could never actually care for it…" Shiro was saying as the story continued...
Shiro awoke to Zarkon's face flashing across his mind! 'Was he here?! Was he back? And did he really have the Black Lion? But how was that possible? It was back with Keith and the Paladins; safe in the Castle?... Or was it?' He attempted to shift positions, but seethed at the inferno that exploded in his left side. He breathed through his teeth in an attempt to force himself to calm down again; he brought his hand up to where he could see it and activated its glowing power. Bracing himself, he laid his hand in the center of the most affected area; his cries echoing for miles. Plopping back against the wall, he picked up a piece of ice at his side, and gently touched it to the newly burnt handprint on his side; jumping only slightly at the sting it created. He felt the dampness of sweat at his neck; which also plastered loose hairs from his white floof to his forehead. The distant heaviness of his fever, still nipped at his brain. The wind howled through the canyon outside, earning his momentary glance. Remembering the device, he quickly took it out of his side pocket and activated it's transponder code. The little screen flickered on, but fizzled out just as quickly. 'Must be too far underground.' He guessed to himself, then looked straight up ahead of him. The darkened shapes of shadows indicated a groove in the ice, which concealed something of an opening. Forcing himself up using the wall, he followed it with his hand all the way around to where the darkness really began. Around the corner he peered, down a long icy hallway. The darkness both tempting and intimidating to enter; but looking back toward the drop right outside the cave, he found he didn't really have a choice.. other than to advance into the unknown territory that was laid before him. So with that decision in mind, he headed on down the corridor; immersing himself in the, for now, docile beast of midnight which awaited him as his journey continued.
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He seemed to have walked forever.. his thoughts being the only company other than the complete darkness. Just now remembering that his suit contained a gauntlet light, he activated it and shone far up the cave in front of him. His light searched what it could see, in giving Shiro some idea as to what was ahead; which he hoped didn't involve anything having to do with a drop or a rise for him to overcome. But to his despair a wall rose up to block his path; as his heart began to sink. Taking out the device again, it didn't even flicker this time. He was on his own for this one too. His eyes scanned the area, when they spotted a very subtle ledge running up to another tunnel about ten feet up. This ledge turned out to be about half the length of his own foot but he knew he didn't really have another option. Pressing his back to the frigid wall, he began the shuffle up the steep slope; minding the fact that everything was made of slippery ice. About more than halfway up, the ice crumbled under his weight and his foot slipped. Grabbing for a handhold, he sadly couldn't get one and he free-falled down the jagged rotunda to the hard ground below. The dizzying feeling returned in a heartbeat; his injuries were piling up.. and he could feel it catching up with him. Coughing from losing his breath for a brief moment; he lay there only a second longer before gingerly forcing himself to roll himself up again. Starting on his knees, he heavily muscled his knees up to lift himself to his feet. He stumbled and nearly fell over, due to the unsteadiness that hit him in a wave of disorienting light-headedness. Regaining control of himself again, he stepped forward to study the wall in front of him. Placing a hand to it he found that it was completely smooth; any divots in the glacier would not suffice as a firm hand or foot holds. At least not unless he wanted to hit the ground again; possibly even harder than he did just moments ago. He squinted up at the opening above him, the gentle glow of light coming in through the ice far up at the top of the small, cylindrical space; giving off only enough detail for him to understand the difficulty of his task. He thought hard for a solution when something hit him. Looking to his right hand, his bayard suddenly summoned to it. Holding it up to look at it.. he became determined. Activating it, the weapon of its own choosing, appeared and somehow, in that moment, he knew what to do with it. Pointing it up just right he shot the blade from it; revealing the cable weapon(which resembled Pidge's) that it secretly was. The purplish-pink blade caught a hold far above him. Then touching a hand to the plating of the weapon it materialized the second one; which he shot just below the mouth to the ledge and looped the end of it from his weapon for his foot to go through. Activating the retraction, the ascension began; slow and grueling it proceeded on. He reached the top of the ledge and put his free foot to the edge. As he shifted his weight, however, his ankle rolled and his blade was pulled loose. Catching his knee on the edge, he hit the floor face down digging his blade into the ground to stop his fall; which he found worked quite well, and he pulled himself all the way up. Turning his body to sit down, he tested his ankle; swelling already becoming evident by the lack of motion and incredible pain. Turning to look down the mouth of the cave behind him, he noted the strange way it sloped down. 'A slide?' He wondered. Testing his ankle once more, he knew he wouldn't be walking on it any time soon; so there was only one thing to do. Swiveling himself around he took the plunge and, indeed, he found a slide that wound around like a rollercoaster all on its own. Left.. then right.. the a drop.. then a bump. Finally it sloped up and spit him out into a thick blanket of snow. The chill against his skin made him shiver, but at the same time it felt good; even his ailing ankle felt better from it. His eyes caught sight of something and he looked up. A forest lay before him now. He found that he'd landed in a small clearing, where the forest encircled him against the side of the glacier. 'I can't wait around here.' He thought to himself. As he sat there, he found that his ankle felt better. 'Maybe I can manage.. for a little while anyway.' he finally plucked up the courage to stand which succeeded only at the cost of his balance; which had become quite obscured. Limping terribly, he managed to make it to the edge of the trees where be funneled into an opening; much like a small hallway. The snowy canopy let in only a small amount of light, giving it a gentle blue glow that didn't seem at all eerie. Instead it made it feel rather comforting; like a blanket of warmth in the chill of loneliness, that surrounded him in icy crystals. A terrible limp sapped a huge chunk of his energy, and he had to wait for another burst to come before making the next one. He braced himself against a tree for support, and heaved a heavy breath. Sweat still moistened his brow; and could feel the nip of the cold against his skin, as it nibbled on him some more. 'I need.. To get back to the team.. But where are they?.. And where am I?' His limping walk turned more into a stumble, as he trudged on barely making any progress. Finally his energy was spent and he hit the ground on his knees; his hands finding the ground to catch himself, a fire burning through his side and out across his body from there. The heaviness weighed heavier than it had ever been, almost to the point of crushing him beneath its metal-weighted foot. He wanted to ride and continue, but his body paid no mind to his mind's wishes.
"You've got a lot of determination in you, that I'll grant you." A strange voice said as Shiro looked up frantically to find the owner of the voice. "But you'll need more than that, if you hope to survive out here all alone." He finished, as Shiro managed to find the strength to stand; bracing a hand to the tree right beside him and holding his wounded side with the other. His delirium and blurred vision obscured the stranger's features; but couldn't fully mask the purple skin and white hair that defined somewhat of an image to which he appeared.
"Wh- who are you?" Shiro questioned, a bit nervous and a bit hostile.
"No one to be of concern to you." The stranger replied making no advances. "For now, I mean you no harm."
"Can I be expected to trust you, for saying that?" Shiro wondered I bit coldly.
"Do you have a better alternative to your current state?" The stranger replied matter-of-factly. Shiro's brow furrowed intensely; his fist clenched and glowed to life.
"Doing this would be ill advised." The stranger warned. Shiro stepped forward, but the burning in his side halted his desired action; and he grimaced, dropping to one knee. "You do not possess much of your right mind, do you?" The stranger noted. His face shifting in a nod to the four figures gathered with him. Two of these figures approached him and he felt this unfamiliar sense of helpless to resist their touch. Taking both arms, they pulled him up to his feet; but not at all in a hostile manner it seemed. In his delirium, he could tell something was off about their overall presence; but couldn't quite place it, as to what it might be. They led him through the forest for a distance, before the sunlight intensified; indicating an exit. His blurred vision caught sight of an odd shape that looked to be a ship.. one he didn't recognize. The strange pattern of colored plating defined its features, somewhat painting a picture of how it looked as a whole. The inside of the ship, he could tell, was quite dark. Panels added light to the small room as if on command; thinking their thoughts before they did. The strangers set Shiro in a chair at the center of the room. Through his glossy vision, he could see the shapes of the five strangers all bustling about their own business, which remained completely unknown to him. As he sat there his distant feeling weighed in and out on him; scattering his thoughts once again.
"Your passion to get to where you're going is most admirable." The main stranger complimented, a hint of offness in his tone.
"I know where I belong is all." Shiro responded lightly, barely moving at all; and keeping his head laid back against the back of the chair.
"I imagine if that is true you have someone looking for you." Shiro the stranger continued, and Shiro could tell he was questioning him.
"I'd imagine so too." The Black Paladin replied simply. The stranger's eggshell brow furrowed.
"You seem to worry little about your current situation; as though there is no problem with aimless wandering." He said.
"Worrying about what is going wrong won't solve anything.." Shiro returned wisely. "Staying focused on changing it is what matters."
"Sir.." One of the commanders mumbled, so Shiro could barely hear. "Is this really necessary?" She asked leaning in closer to mumble the rest to him.
"We simply need to find out his intent… necessity.. isn't the point." Her leader responded.
"I.. appreciate you getting my out of the cold.." Shiro spoke up again. "But.. why are you helping me?" Shiro's question would seem ungrateful to the naive.. but to him and the stranger he was questioning.. it was an inquiry of the mind.
"There as many ways to answer that, as there is ways to execute it." The stranger ventured. "One good deed should follow another, and therefore be rewarded; regardless of how it is done."
"But how did you find me here and what convinced you to do something?" Shiro questioned further.
"No one is without purpose." The strange leader returned. "And my actions do not prove nor disprove this fact. But you have given me all that I desire. And so for that.. I shall grant you your desire." A stick in his left arm inside the elbow spread veins of greenish light, in a rush that surged his heart; then a heaviness soon followed, dropping him in darkness and he fell deep into the abyss. Seemingly to his death…
How's it going, everybody?! Finally got another chapter done for you guys! And I'm sooo excited to hear your thoughts on it, and I can't wait to see how you guys like what comes next!! Thx!!!