A figure in a black cloak passed by many stands in a marketplace of a small village. The people in charge of those said stands gave them wary gazes. However, the person didn't seem to mind it much.
The person scoured through the marketplace, finding several foods at the different stands, and bought them. They paid for it using gold-colored crystals that were the size of a ping pong ball called tharite.
The owners of the shops each had the same reaction. Surprised to see such a wealthy element, they traded the goods without trouble. It was no problem for the person dawning the cloak. They had plenty of tharite to spare.
Soon enough, they seemed content with the amount of food they purchased. Finally, they began making their way out of the village: Dawn Village.
They passed some buildings. In their small trek to leave, they received some more looks from the villagers but paid them no mind. That was, until one of them, a big man that was double his height, stepped up to him. He was wearing a button-up brown short-sleeved shirt with long black pants.
The man couldn't see their face underneath the cloak, but it didn't stop him from speaking to them. "Would you mind a word, please?" He asked.
The sounds of a fist hitting a face could be heard in a forest nearby.
The man towered over the cloaked person, raining heavy punches nonstop until his arms grew tired.
"Dang creep." He said in his gruff voice, finally stopping his assault. "I don't want my daughter walking around our village when someone unfamiliar is lurking around. Especially when the Other were freed the other week. Understand me?."
It was then he finally got a good look at the person under the cloak. Of course, after all those punches, the hood flipped back, but he didn't take a look until now.
The man stood in shock, a loss for words. He stared at the young boy for several seconds. Analyzing his white hair and chipped tooth.
He stuttered a few before regaining his composure and putting on a stern look. "Don't come back." He said simple and clear before heading off.
Lincoln sat there in silence. He rubbed his cheek. It wasn't bleeding, but instead, a sparkling blue mist escaped his wounds.
The man's steps escaped his hearing. He sighed, picking himself up and dusting his cloak off. He went over to his small black pouch that was smaller than a coconut. He dropped it when something abruptly pushed him against a tree.
He continued the trees, the song of the forest filling his eardrums as background noise. It made him feel at ease.
Walking for about an hour, he finally reached his destination. In the middle of this immense forest was a minor field of light green grass. And in the middle of the area was a two-story log house with a chimney. It was larger than his old home back in Royal Woods.
The gorgeous scene made him feel welcome. He walked across the small stone walkway to the front door. Opening the door, he stepped inside entering the living room.
Walking past this room, he went to the kitchen towards the back of the house. There, he dropped his pouch on the countertop and opened it. The bag was empty save for a blue hue, with some small beams of blue light escaping out of the bag.
Lincoln reached in and grabbed the food he had bought earlier. He seemingly pulled it out of nowhere from inside since it looked like it couldn't hold much. Dropping the various items on the countertop, he went over to a kettle standing not too far over. He turned it on to let the water inside boil and went upstairs. He went into the bedroom and took off his cloak. Underneath was a ragged shirt and pants. He also wore a band on his left arm. He changed out of the tattered clothes and put on some light, comfortable pajamas. Unlike at home, it wasn't in his signature orange or his backup greys. Instead, it was a light red set of wear.
Heading back downstairs, he ignored the foods he bought not too long ago and went over to his pantry. He pulled out a sweet named meso, which was like chocolate. It was in the shape of a bar, so he broke it apart and tossed it in a cup, where he then poured some of the boiled water into it. The Meso melted and mixed with the water, and Lincoln helped by twirling a spoon. He then got some cold milk from his fridge and mixed that in, completing his homemade hot chocolate. Or rather, hot meso.
Walking back to the couch, he sat down and sipped his drink. Sighing in bliss.
He closed his eyes and tilted his head up towards the ceiling. "It's been a week, right?" He asked himself with a sigh. "Since they left."
It was one month ago when the incident happened. It was a story he'd rather not get into, but at the end of that fateful day, right before he fell asleep, he arrived here.
He didn't know where "here" was, but he knew one thing about it.
This wasn't planet Earth.
The first thing he did was take shelter in an abandoned mineshaft, which looked endless. He would later find out that it was an infamous mine known all around. It was named the Death Mine. It consisted of five-hundred levels of mines that were deeper than one could imagine. The reason for the scary name was evident for most. Once you head deep enough, you aren't coming back alive.
Only a few others were living in the mine, but they weren't human. They were monsters, as he would put it. It was frightening at first, but most of them didn't pay Lincoln much mind. They were pretty friendly, in fact. Only one of them, a spider girl, tried to eat him at one point. Thankfully, he managed to escape before she had the chance. It was more due to luck than anything. Ironic.
Lincoln even befriended one of them. A sturdy rock golem named Dorn lived most of his life sleeping away. The living rock was nice enough to give some pointers to survive in the dangerous cave. The boy wouldn't call him a father figure or mentor personally, more like a friendly neighbor.
With Dorn's help and his wits to aid, he survived down there for nearly a week before he left. After that, he had the intention of returning to Earth.
However, after some weeks on the surface, he found out he didn't arrive alone. He was almost seen by two people he knew from Royal Woods back on Earth. Thankfully, the bustling, chaotic mall he was walking around in helped him stay hidden. However, after some investigation, he discovered that those two weren't the only ones from Royal Woods arriving at this place.
The entire population of his old home had been transferred here.
He wanted to go up to them. So that they knew he was alright and maybe make amends with them. Ultimately, he decided against it for personal reasons and left that city as soon as possible.
He avoided the people from Royal Woods entirely. He decided to stay away from them until he found a way home, acquired some way to go invisible, or they left. He went to some places and met other fantastic and friendly people during his journeys.
He learned many things. This place or world, whatever it was, is unnamed. The current land he was on was the size of one of the states in America, surrounded by a large body of water. It essentially made it a large island. There were also rivers, lakes, and ponds in the lands. Everything past the oceans was unknown territory to the locals. He named it "World Island" to make it easier on himself.
The intelligent life here acted the same as back home. There were villages, cities, and even a kingdom scattered across the lands. And it was an advanced civilization too. It had technology that was even a little more advanced than Earth.
He also learned that this world had "rules." It worked differently.
For one, he couldn't feel pain. Instead, there was just… pressure.
He realized this far before when he was escaping the spider lady. His arm got sliced in half, but there was no pain, not even any blood. Only a sky blue sparkling mist of particles where his blood should have been. As well as an enormous amount of pressure as if someone was pushing against his wound. It was his Life, and when he was wounded, it would seep out of the injury. This was one of the many things he learned firsthand.
After just a month of avoiding the people from Royal Woods, he returned to the Death Mine to lay low. He chose to live there until further notice.
Dorn told him that he heard word about the "earthlings" finally leaving six months later. Word spread about their journey to free the "Other." An ancient nation of people in the far lands down South. Once the earthlings released them, they got transported back home, never seen again.
Hesitant at first, Lincoln left the mines once more. He saw no sign of any fellow earthling for days, but he wore a cloak that hid him just to be safe.
With the help of some people he befriended, he built a house for himself in the west quadrant of World Island. A powerful crystal, Lilianine, powered it. It could endlessly power the machines he brought to the home. The house looked amazing inside and out. It had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and even an extra empty room just because. It was perfect for him to live alone until he found a way home. He had this all to himself.
Now, a week later and no sight of another earthling, it seemed that he was the only one left. He didn't have to wear that stupid cloak anymore, looking like some old traveler trying to trade you for sketchy items.
That was the gist of it. In six months, he hasn't done much since he's arrived. But with the other earthlings gone, that would now change. He was tired of staying in one place at a given time.
He sipped on his hot meso once more, relaxing on his couch and getting healed. The damage from those punches he took earlier didn't do much. His natural regen would have been fine, but the drink tasted terrific. The healing was just a bonus.
He was exhausted. He didn't sleep a wink for the whole week, looking for any sign of fellow earthlings. He felt like dozing off right here on his cozy couch.
His thoughts got interrupted when his front door got busted open.
"Found you!" Someone yelled, a manly voice filled with excitement.
Lincoln didn't jolt or flinch even a millimeter when his front door got destroyed. It landed in his living room, all cracked by the hinges. He looked over with his mouth slightly agape only after a second passed.
On his doorstep stood two people.
One was a man wearing heavy-looking dark green armor with a unique-looking "O" imprinted. He was larger than the one who was punching him earlier today, around three times his height. A helmet of the same color blocked his facial features. Beside him stood a slim woman. She had long black hair, stood two-thirds his size, wearing a tight-fitted light-purple shirt and skirt also with that same strange letter "O."
"Huh?" The man stuttered. "There's only one of them." He sounded disappointed.
"Hm…" The woman said, her voice very soft. "Strange, I thought there would be more lurking around in such a large house."
Lincoln didn't respond and just stared at them in confusion.
The man suddenly flared his nostrils and smelled the air. "What's that…" He sniffed again. "What's that delicious smell?" He walked over to Lincoln and bent down, taking the mug of hot meso out of his hands. He took a sip of it.
Lincoln and the woman waited in silence, then the next second ticked.
"AMAZING!" He yelled out. "We don't have anything that tastes this good back home!"
Lincoln just kept staring with a confused but tired look.
"Cael." The woman spoke. "Let's just get the job done already. We have to get back to Emulate."
"Ah, come on. You should try this, Dalia." He said, handing the mug to her.
She stared at the cup for a couple of seconds before reluctantly taking a sip. She widened her eyes as the sweet drink touched her taste buds. "This is wonderful!"
"Told you!"
"What is this?" Dalia asked, turning to Lincoln.
"It's uh… Milk with meso and hot water. Back home, we call it hot chocolate?" He answered tiredly.
She leaned in closer to him. "You must be an expert at making drinks."
"Um…" Lincoln blinked. "No, it's simple to make."
"Oh, man!" She moaned. "I think I want to spare you now!"
"No problem?" He said, then putting on a surprised look when he fully registered her sentence. "Wait, what?"
"Us, the Feared Four of the Other army, has been tasked with eliminating any earthlings that we find." Cael explained.
"E-eliminate?" Lincoln asked. "Woah, hey, you're the Other, the ancient clan that they freed?"
"Yes, sir." He said, taking the mug from Dalia and giving himself another mouthful of the drink, making her pout. "And their reward for freeing us is to be eradicated. Call it mercy, if you will. They won't have to suffer from our might and will be the first to go. Dalia and I are high-ranking officials, Generals of the Other army."
"Generals… I never thought the Other would be this… evil. I thought they'd be like monks or something."
Suddenly, they both turned to him and gave smirks. "Now then. I think it's time we got the job done." Cael said. "But because you let us have your delicious drink, and because I'm in a really good mood, I think I'd rather play a game instead!"
Dalia giggled.
"A game?" The boy asked.
"Yes, kid. You're in luck. I don't play games with many people. And if you win, I'll let you live. How does that sound?"
"Uh… If you help me get more wood for my door, sure."
"Deal." He said. "For context, there is an aura currently around me. It weakens anyone afraid; up to seventy-five percent of their power will be drained. The rules for this game are simple. We'll take turns hitting each other. The loser will be the one who either flinches, blocks, or runs away."
Lincoln blinked. "And what happens if someone dies?"
"Well, that just sucks then, doesn't it. We'll call it losing by default."
He gave a blank stare. "Oh."
"Don't worry. I'll take it easy on you. But that's the last favor I'm doing for you."
"And what happens if I don't want to play?" He asked.
"We'll just kill you on the spot then, I guess." Cael said, scratching his head.
He blinked with his tired eyes once more. "I… guess I'll play then-"
"GREAT!" Cael said, pushing him over.
Except the push was a little harsher than expected. Lincoln slammed into the wall and fell onto the floor.
"Now it's your turn. Come on, give me your best shot!" He said.
But no one replied.
"Hm?" He looked down to see Lincoln face-down on the floor. "Is he dead?"
"Knocked him out, it seems." Dalia said. "Shame, I wanted another drink from him."
"Well, the game isn't over yet. Have to wait for him to wake up, I guess."
They sat down and laid back on the couch.
Several hours passed with the two of them relaxing and Lincoln lying on the floor. What was early morning became midday.
Cael kept looking down at Lincoln to check on him, but he was never awake. Soon, in one of his scans of the room, his eye caught something across the room. Intrigued, he got up and inspected it.
On a stand against a wall near the fireplace were twin swords. Along with them, a piece of bright white clothing he didn't recognize was being hung up. "Hm… What an amazing set of gear." He said, reaching forward and grabbing one of the swords.
But once he unsheathed it out of the stand, the tip dropped to the floor as if it was the heaviest sword in the world.
"What the-?" He strained as he tried to lift it. "It doesn't look heavy at all. So why can't I pick it up?"
"Of course you can't pick it up. It's mine."
They hadn't realized it, but Lincoln was giving off soft snores on the floor where he slept the whole time.
In a fraction of a second, both the sword in Cael's hand, the one on the stand, and the piece of clothing got pulled away. The man turned and saw Lincoln standing straight. The boy gripped both swords together to make a lower-case letter 't' with the blades.
"Alpha and Beta; two divine swords that are ever so sharp, enchanted so only I can wield them. Someone with no morals like yourself could never wish to dawn these."
He was awake for some minutes now, and he's been thinking of a good line to use.
Bringing his swords down to his sides, he continued. "Unfortunate. The only part of this sword you'll ever be able to touch again is the sharp edge." Not wearing his pajamas anymore, he now sported the set of clothing on the stand; A tight-fitted v-neck short sleeve shirt and long pants, with black line outlining. Two white belts with black stitching stretched out behind him on both of his short sleeves, one on each collar and one on his upper arm. This was his armor. It may not look that protective, with the look of ordinary clothing, but the material used was a special kind. Elastic and stretchy but durable as well. It could tank the worst of hits.
His lines sounded cheesy, even to him, but dang, was it fun to say them.
On the other hand, Cael noticed his voice and demeanor sounded completely different. Rather than the tired and frail voice he received before, this was confident, empowering, and a bit arrogant.
Dalia laughed. "Now, where is this all coming from? Who are you, young man?"
"There's no way you're the same kid." Cael said. "Unless you aren't an earthling. You're different from before."
"I'm an earthling. However…" He rested the blunt end of his right sword on his shoulder, his left arm staying slack at his side. "I'm separate from the others."
Both Dalia and Cael gave curious looks.
Lincoln pointed a finger up to the ceiling with his left hand still holding the sword. He finally looked back at them with a composed look, speaking in a calm voice. "I'm the Man With The Plan, Bringer of Bad Luck, the Earthling from Royal Woods, Lincoln."
Dalia laughed once more. "Man with the plan?"
Cael pointed at Lincoln. "Separate from the others? You're one cocky child for sure! What makes you any special compared to the others?" He laughed hard to the ceiling. Lincoln laughed with him.
And then back-hand slashed with his left sword in a blink of an eye, cutting Cael in half.
"My curse."
Dalia's smile dropped instantly, replaced with a horrifying look.
Cael's upper body dropped to the ground with a loud thud, and his lower body soon followed.
"One… slash…" Dalia said in disbelief. "I guess you aren't such a normal earthling after all." But a smile, a small one but one nonetheless, returned to her face. "I'm afraid the game isn't over yet, though."
Lincoln watched as Cael's Life flowed out of his upper and lower body parts where he sliced him. Following that, tendrils of his life connected and pulled his slashed body back together. He was seemingly repaired. "Don't think that you can kill me, a General from The Other army, so easily." He said tauntingly. "As long as I am fearless, I will keep standing up."
"Well, that's good!" Lincoln said. "The game wouldn't be fun otherwise."
"You're glad?" Dalia asked. "Arrogance can also be seen as foolishness. It's a weakness."
"You know, this might actually be interesting." Cael said with a smirk.
Then Lincoln's house started to shake, and the source was Cael himself.
Dalia put on a surprised look. "You're using your Spirit?"
"Dalia, you better stand back. I don't want to hurt you as well."
Lincoln just stared at him.
Cael also had a weapon, which Lincoln didn't notice he was holding until now. It was a long two-handed axe. "My gut is telling me there's something wrong about all this. So I'm not going to hold back anymore!"
"Wait!" Lincoln said, putting on a scared look. "Can we take this outside? I really don't want to make a mess-"
Cael's body glowed bright red, and massive amounts of his red energy erupted. It blew in all directions around him.
Lincoln reached an arm out to some of the stuff on his table. His mug, some plants, and the stand he had for his swords and armor blew back into the kitchen. Unfortunately, he didn't get to grab them in time. He only sighed with his outstretched arm and gave a defeated look.
Meanwhile, Dalia was explaining Cael's power to Lincoln. She didn't notice he wasn't paying attention. "While he makes others weaker when they are frightened, the opposite applies for Cael. The braver he is, the stronger he becomes. When he's in the midst of battle, this special ability is to its limit. He's multiplied his normal strength several times by now."
"I apologize, young man!" Cael yelled. "But I'm not holding back anymore!" He raised his axe to the side and yelled out his move,
"HISSATSU TENGI: GUARANTEED CRITICAL!"
He swung towards Lincoln with intent to kill.
The attack landed, and the force from the impact blew all the windows open. Thankfully for Lincoln, they didn't shatter since that type of glass was special. Although, it wasn't easy to get either.
The force even traveled far beyond the windows. It hit all the trees surrounding the house and made their branches and leaves flail from the sharp winds.
Dalia covered her eyes at the blow, and Cael's armor took the hits of debris for him as he smiled maniacally.
But then, as the dust settled inside the room, he stared at where his attack landed. It barely pierced Lincoln's skin, with only a hint of Life dripping.
Lincoln sighed, sounding bored. "You blew up my house… for this?"
"Im…possible." He said in shock."My strongest attack… Impossible!"
"Cael!" Dalia screamed at him. "This isn't someone we should fight! Let's retreat!" Cael instantly declined, frustration beginning to swell within him. "No way! Cael The Brave doesn't run from a fight!" He took back his axe wedged slightly in Lincoln's arm, and with spirit in his voice, said, "It's your turn! Give me your best shot!"
"I guess it is." Lincoln said, raising his right sword. He then glowed in his bright orange "Spirit," as they called it. He now wore a dark glare. "HISSATSU TENGI:"
Carl stared up at the glare, the power he was feeling within the boy was unreal. It was too much, too overwhelming.
Suddenly before he could strike, Cael gave a very girlish cry and zoomed out his broken front door.
Lincoln's glare vanished when he realized he ran away and sighed. "Well, that's it then."
Dalia gave a humble look before closing her eyes in some sort of respect.
Where Cael once stood was now a cloud of his Life. The sparkling blue mist slowly rose high to the air, fading into nothing until it completely disappeared. His armor and weapon dropped to the ground. From what Lincoln knew, only he could see the gear that dropped from the dead. He didn't know if it was an earthling thing or if he was a particular case, but it wasn't the only thing. He could also perceive some residue of the energy from the person that died. It would always be the color of their energy, in Cael's case bright red, that if he walked over, he would absorb. Doing so would make him a little stronger. He was proud to say he gained his strength exclusively from unintentional training. It seemed that once you died, you would leave behind a bit of your strength for someone to pick up.
Bracing his swords on his shoulders once more, Lincoln said, "I guess I win. I didn't mean to scare him that badly. Didn't have the chance to use my dominant hand either. Sad the game worked like that, though. He seemed like a funny dude." He turned to Dalia, the two standing silently over the rubble in his house. "Now then, I'll cut you a deal. If you help me clean up around here, I'll let you off scot-free. Sound good?"
She stared back at him with a smile. "For one thing, I don't really agree with you. Cael was the most annoying person I ever had to deal with. As for your house…" She cracked a sinister smirk. "I couldn't care less." Then, putting her palms together, she teleported away.
Lincoln sighed, assuming she ran away. "Too much to ask for, I guess-" He suddenly gasped for air. He couldn't breathe. It felt like he was paralyzed.
"HISSATSU TENGI: SPIRIT DEVOUR!"
Dalia had her hand placed on Lincoln's back. A stream of Lincoln's Life sucked into her palm. "That's too bad. If only you knew I could directly feed on you. You wouldn't have wasted any time and gotten rid of me taking no risks."
It wasn't long until the stream finished, and Dalia smiled next to the immobile boy. "Thank you for your services."
Suddenly interrupting her cocky smile, she felt immense pain in her stomach. Putting both hands to her stomach, it started to feel like acid was eating her from inside. As if she engulfed the most poisonous edible thing she could have found. "W-what is this!? This power… this monstrous Spirit… What's happening to me?!" She screamed loud as she burned, her entire body dissolving into Life and rising into the air.
"Bad Luck!" Lincoln spoke proudly, standing tall and completely fine. "My curse!"
Her life faded into the ceiling, and Lincoln could no longer see it. She was finally gone, finished off for good. Having no armor or weapons, nothing dropped from her defeat. Except for some light purple energy that once belonged to her.
Lincoln put on a sheepish smile. He scratched his head and continued, "Actually, that was just a spell cast on me to protect my Life. And why don't you guys just call it 'energy?' It's so much simpler…" He trailed off, looking around the room. "...Oh, right. They're gone." After looking at the ground before him, he walked forward a few steps. The dropped bright red and light purple energy flowed into him, and he glowed orange for a second as it did. As powerful as he was now, he felt it make nearly zero difference to his overall strength.
Spirit, Force, Ki, Essence, Magic, Super Powers. It had many names. Everyone had some at their disposal and could train to strengthen it. Not only by stealing the fallen's excess power but also by just doing regular training. Lincoln kept it short and simple for himself and called it energy.
While in the Death Mine, he not only grew stronger mentally but physically as well. The challenging living conditions alone trained him to become the powerhouse he was now.
With those two gone, he was alone once more. The sounds around his home were the only things ringing his ears. He looked around his wrecked living room, putting his hands on his hips in defeat. He had to clean this up now.
He looked towards his broken door frame.
Well, he might as well get some fresh air by going out and getting a new door.
He went upstairs to his bedroom and changed out of his battle gear into some more ordinary clothes—a thin dark blue hoodie with long grey pants. Once back downstairs, he stood up his armor stand and put one of his swords and armor back on it. He decided to take one of his swords with him, just because why not.
He went outside to stand in front of his house, proceeding to take a huge whiff of the air and smelt the sawdust of his door. Then, he strapped his pouch on his waist, what he called his Inventory. After that, he began his way through the forest, the wildlife music starting to play through his ears.
He pulled back the sleeve of his left arm, and his armband lit up. It was a touch screen, and the band was a smart device. Lincoln acquired it when he met someone knowledgeable. They knew the technology of this world exceptionally well and worked with it a bunch. So he trusted him.
Whenever he charged energy in his left arm directly under the smart band, it would power it, turning it on. Which he just did. A menu appeared, and he tapped on the map app. On the map, there was a built-in feature to detect two things:
Atomosinc was a useless material to most people, but for Lincoln, it was something he was eager to have. He already owned a little of it. Their mysterious properties would allow him to travel back home if he got enough of the stuff. He talked with the same techie he met. With his help, they figured out he would need around two thousand pounds of the material. Then they could make a portal back to Earth. Now the other earthlings were gone. He could start looking for more of them without any worry of bumping into them.
The other thing the map would detect was energy. Right now on his map was a ping north from his house in Dawn Village for a huge source of energy. Though if Lincoln concentrated, he could feel the energy too. Still, the smart band was more practical for longer ranges over a wide scale. In short, sensing energy using his own senses gave him a more accurate position. In comparison, his smart Band could detect it over a much larger area from a longer distance. Lincoln hoped the energy's owner was friendlier than the two that appeared at his doorstep.
Dawn Village was the only civilization close to Lincoln's home, yet it was still a one-hour walk away. He remembered Cael calling themselves two members of the Feared Four. Which meant the other two were nearby with someone called Emulate. It sounded like he was their leader.
He'd have to move fast if he wanted to stop any potential violence.
Currently, the village is in chaos.
An unknown large man with a dark green metal mask covering his lower face snarled. He was in the middle of continuously kicking a poor villager below him. The same strange "O" was on his mask. "What a hero." He spat, his voice muffled inside the mask. "Pathetic." He gave him one last big kick, slamming him into the side of a small building, causing him to yell out in pain. The villain walked over to him. "There's your final warning." He said. "Hand over all of your food and supplies, or we'll take it from you by force. Then you will come with us."
A large group of villagers stood close by, watching the horrific sight. They just shook in fear, unable to do anything.
"Don't… listen to him…" The fallen man said, making the one standing narrow his eyes down at him. "We built this home… I won't let him destroy what we created!" He attempted to stand, but the one standing above him stepped down hard. He planted his boot firmly on his back, making the man yell out in pain once more.
"Hmph! How stupid of you." He lowered his hand, and his dark green energy charged within his palm in the shape of a ball. The energy pulsed multiple times and grew more substantial and unstable by the second.
The sound it made was petrifying for the onlookers.
"No, please!" A villager yelled.
"Spare him!" Another screamed.
Just as he was about to fire his energy, a little girl wearing just a red skirt ran up to both of them. She was probably no older than eight years old. The girl kneeled and hugged the fallen man's neck tight.
"Stop!" She yelled. "Don't hurt my daddy anymore! I beg of you!"
"Kyra…!" The man rasped out.
The masked man didn't falter, however. "If you want to go together, be my guest."
The girl named Kyra whimpered but didn't let go of her tight grip.
He was getting ready to fire his energy, but he got interrupted again. An old lady with a walking stick went up to him with a frown. She wore a long green loose dress that hung free from the shoulders. "How dare you?!" She yelled.
The large man turned to the woman, intrigued and slightly amused that she would oppose him.
"You step into our village, unprovoked, uninvited, and you have the audacity to threaten us?!"
"Ms. Pia!" A villager tried to call out, scared for her safety.
Ms. Pia ignored them. "I should splash some water in your face so you could come to your senses. Unforgivable that you would hurt our innocent people!"
The man in the mask didn't seem to care. He scoffed and said, "If it pleases you, old woman, I'll make sure you don't have to watch your people foolishly suffer." He aimed his hand at her instead.
"NO!"
"STOP!"
The villagers cried out, but it was the same as silence to this ruthless man's ears. Instead, his energy charged brighter, pulsing louder every second.
Ms. Pia tapped her walking stick on the ground. "Now, why would I ever back down from a coward like you."
"Ms. Pia!" The little girl yelled from below the man, still holding her father.
"Don't you worry, Kyra." The lady spoke. "This is how you stand up to bullies." She smirked. "Everything is going to be alright."
Abruptly, someone grabbed the man's arm and pulled it upward. Shocked, the man ripped his arm away and hopped backward. Then, with the energy still charged in his palm, he fired it towards the unknown person.
The white-haired boy backhanded the blast so that it wouldn't hit him or any of the nearby villagers. He just stared at his enemy afterward.
"Who are you?" The masked man asked.
"Took you long enough." Ms. Pia said with a smile.
"Sorry." Lincoln grinned back. "Some people held me up."
"It's you…"
Lincoln looked down at the girl and her father. He recognized the man as the one who was beating him up earlier. He currently had a shocked look on his face.
He gave a cheeky grin and said, "Just leave it to me." Then he turned to the villagers watching and told them, "One of you should come and take these two to safety."
"I don't know who you are, kid." The masked man said, causing Lincoln to turn back to him. "But it's rude to interrupt someone." He said before charging more energy and firing a large beam towards him.
Lincoln stood in front of the two and took the hit. He surrounded his body with energy and blocked the attack. After that, he once again turned to the villagers. "Come!"
Two men ran up and quickly grabbed both the daughter and her father.
Frustrated that his attack wasn't working, the man ended his attack and charged towards him. He threw a flurry of punches which Lincoln dodged easily, the boy following up with a back arm thrust. It hit him in the ribs.
The father was speechless. While getting carried away, he couldn't let his eyes leave the view of the fight.
"Name's Lincoln, by the way." He said as his opponent skidded backward due to his thrust.
"You're no ordinary boy." He replied in a calm tone. "I'm Gareth, a member of the Feared Four of the Other army." He introduced, narrowing his eyes. "I never thought I'd meet someone so dangerous in the middle of nowhere."
Lincoln raised a brow. "You're not serious, are you? Me? The dangerous one?"
"It doesn't matter, though." Gareth continued. "I'll deal with you using my specialty."
"And what would that be?" He asked.
Behind his mask, Lincoln could tell the smirk forming on his face.
"Turn-based combat!" He claimed.
Lincoln blinked before smirking back. "Okay, I'm down for that."
Suddenly, a large blue ring surrounded the two.
"Prepare to fall!"
The two locked gazes and took their battle stances.
The ring around them turned into a dome and encased them, and the battle began.
Lincoln had the choice of attacking first, which made Gareth widen his eyes. He was in shock. There was no possible way this boy was faster than him.
He had the options to Attack, use Items, Guard, Interact, or Run. He chose the attack option and walked up to use a basic punch.
Winding up his fist, he waited for the right moment before punching him in the gut.
Much to Gareth's anger and shock, he took out half his Life displayed in a bar in front of him. "Unreal…"
Lincoln went back to his side of the field.
It was Gareth's turn now. He fired a fast beam at Lincoln, which hit its mark. Unfortunately for him, it only took down a sliver of his Life. With his turn up next, Lincoln chose the attack option once more. However, he didn't perfect his punch this time, leaving Gareth with only a few Life remaining.
"Enough playing around!" He yelled in frustration.
For this turn, he decided to attempt one of his strongest attacks. Putting his fists together, he punched forwards, directing a giant laser towards Lincoln.
To his chagrin, Lincoln dodged the attack by jumping high over it.
The boy's turn was up once more, and this time, his mind hovered over the Interact option. He chose to try it and said, "You can still back down, you know, no one has to get hurt anymore."
"..."
Gareth didn't respond, and that was the end of his turn.
The masked man repeated the attack from before. Like the first, Lincoln timed a perfect jump to dodge the attack.
Sighing, he chose the attack option one last time. He walked up to him and gave him a nice punch. When he walked back into position, Gareth started to shake.
"Well done…" Gareth said with respect in his voice. Then, he burst into Life violently. His armor and excess energy dropped on the ground right after, signaling his defeat.
The dome disappeared, and Lincoln sighed. He put his fists on his waist and absorbed the energy involuntarily. "I guess it had to be that way."
Back with the villagers. They watched the whole battle unfold. And they were questioning the father about Lincoln.
"Radek, is that really the person in the cloak?" One asked.
"He's just a child!" A woman exclaimed.
"Yes, that's him…" Radek confirmed. "I saw him under the cloak when I warned him not to return." He said.
Ms. Pia laughed. "I told you not to judge a book by its cover." She then walked over to Lincoln, patting him on the back. "We are ever so grateful, Lincoln. Why don't I properly introduce you to everyone?" "Wait, you know him, Ms. Pia?" One of the villagers asked, catching on that she knew him by name.
"Of course!" She said happily. "He would often join me for tea. He's quite the gentleman."
Lincoln smiled with a blush, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks. While I would love to stick around, there's still one more of these guys somewhere. I had to deal with two others before heading over here." He explained, pointing a thumb towards his home. "I better go track the last one down to make sure he isn't up to any trouble. And with their track record so far, it seems they're likely up to no good." He turned and was about to head off until a voice called out to him.
"Wait!"
He turned back to face the man who was beating him up earlier. He looked in bad shape himself but was going to live.
"Lincoln, was it? If you were so strong, why didn't you fight back?"
Lincoln blinked. "Oh, that?" He waved a hand. "You were just concerned for your daughter and your people." He said seriously, soon putting on a smile. "Besides, it didn't really hurt at all. So don't worry about it."
Radek grunted and walked up to Lincoln. He stared down at him for a few seconds with a serious look, despite his injuries. Then, he went on one knee and dipped his head, bowing to him.
"U-uh…" Lincoln didn't know how to respond.
He looked at the dirt beneath their feet as he spoke. "My name is Radek Archard. And from this day forth, I am indebted to you, Lincoln…"
Lincoln stared at him for a couple of seconds before saying. "Radek, continue being the best father you can be." He smiled. "That's all I want."
"Do you… have a surname by chance?" He asked, raising his head.
"...Nope, just Lincoln." He said before walking off.
"Hold on for a moment, dear."
Lincoln turned to Ms. Pia, who was walking towards him. She held an open glass bottle of something with a spoon in it.
"You must be hungry after fighting those hooligans. Have some of my pudding. I had some left from earlier today."
He gladly took the pudding, thanking her. "I'll be off now, but I'll be back later."
Ms. Pia waved, along with Radek's daughter, Kyra.
Radek watched him leave with an expression full of respect. "Take care of yourself out there."
Now trekking in the forest alone, he took a spoonful of the pudding. Before he even took the spoon out of his mouth, his eyes widened.
The pudding was amazing!
It was one of the tastiest things he's eaten in a while. The last thing he could remember having that came very close to comparison was a close friend's bakery.
The light winds that blew through the trees of the forest hit Lincoln, but he didn't mind it in the slightest. It was calming, actually. His hood blew a tad, and the cool air was soothing. Spring was nice with days like these.
As he took spoonfuls of the wonderful pudding, he looked around for anything suspicious. He didn't know where the last of the Feared Four was, but he was going in this direction anyway to get some wood for a new door.
He was sure the village was going to be okay. He didn't feel any energy close by other than Gareth, and these Other were fuming with energy. He only got caught off guard when the first two showed up. Ever since then, he was keeping his senses dialed up to the max, and he was currently still doing so. He even felt an odd presence, as if someone was watching him, but he ignored it, believing it to be nothing.
Suddenly, Lincoln felt palpable energy coming from his two o'clock. He didn't even need to check his smart band. The direction was nowhere close to Dawn Village, so he was in no rush. He turned in that direction and kept pace, happily enjoying his snack.
It turns out the energy he was detecting was also heading towards him. So he jumped up on a huge boulder and stood on it.
He only waited a few seconds before someone appeared flying in their neon green energy.
They landed on the other side of the boulder, and Lincoln took in their features.
It was a tall and slender bald man, fitted with neon green armor with that same "O." A lime-green orb was centered on his chest plate below the "O," glowing brightly. Now seeing that symbol for the fourth time, Lincoln presumed it was the Other's symbol.
"Sup." Lincoln said with some pudding in his mouth, taking another spoonful of the desert soon after.
"Hello." The man greeted in a deep voice, smiling at the boy.
"You're Emulate, I'm guessing?" Lincoln asked with some food still in his mouth.
"I am." He verified. "And you must be the one who took out my squad."
Lincoln shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I offered to, like, you know, not finish them off and all, but they insisted on finishing what they started."
"Hm…" Emulate stared at Lincoln intensively. He was thinking about something.
"How did you find me, by the way? I was sure I was keeping a low profile." Lincoln asked, engulfing more of Ms. Pia's pudding.
"My ability to sense energy is unmatched. That is my forte." He laughed. "It is the same reason I'm able to tell you're a part of that despicable Loud family."
Lincoln nearly choked on the pudding at that declaration. He took a second to regain composure and held back a cough. Then he said, "No idea what you're talking about."
Emulate didn't care. He clenched a fist and looked at the ground angrily. "I can tell that pattern of energy anywhere…" He seethed. "If only I were faster…"
"Hm?" Lincoln had the spoon in his mouth as he tilted his head.
"I would have had those twin brats crying for mercy at my feet."
Lincoln stared at Emulate. He took the spoon out of his mouth and dropped it back into the bottle. He then placed the bottle on the boulder and then inhaled slowly.
Emulate turned to him, feeling Lincoln's energy swell.
The kid then exhaled and yelled out.
Clenching his fists, he put his anger to good use and powered up.
While he was screaming, Emulate smirked. "What's wrong, kid? Was I right about you being a part of that pathetic family?"
With no time for him to react, Lincoln rushed up and punched him square in the jaw. It sent him flying back through a couple of trees.
Lincoln took a deep breath, putting on a smirk. "You just flipped the Brother Switch."
Where he landed, Emulate picked himself up and rubbed his jaw. "How about I show you then." He said. The green orb on his chest glowed, and he stomped his foot on the ground.
Lincoln felt the boulder shake.
"Lana's Creation: Earth Convulsion!"
A part of the boulder jumped up underneath him, nearly hitting his chin. Caught off guard, he wasn't able to dodge the second one directly under his feet, catapulting him off the boulder.
He did a flip and landed near Emulate next to some trees.
Emulate didn't waste any time. He charged towards Lincoln and stretched his hand out to the side mid dash. The green orb glowed again as a familiar long item formed within green energy in his palm.
"Lori's Creation: Hole In One!"
He swung the generated golf club at Lincoln, who blocked it with his arm. The swing still damaged him, though, shown by the energy he was leaking out of the same arm.
"So that's your gimmick? You steal abilities?" Lincoln asked as he landed a few feet away from his opponent. "I copy them, yes." The golf club he was holding disappeared in a green flash. "Why not use your enemy's greatest weapon against them?" He used Lana's move once more, putting his hands flat on the ground.
"Lana's Creation: Earth Convulsion!"
Lincoln prepared to dodge the dirt below him, but instead, Emulate was the one propelled. He used the soil below to travel on a rising cylinder dirt platform.
The orb glowed another time as he outstretched his hand once more, this time using a different person's move.
"Luan's Creation: Trickster's Box!"
He slashed towards Lincoln's head, but the boy just stood there with a blank face. Then, when he hit his target, he gasped when he realized what had happened.
Instead of a nice weapon, he was holding a balloon sword.
Lincoln tapped the balloon with a smirk. "Looks like you don't know how to use the powers you copied." Then punched him deep in the gut, causing him to lose air.
He growled and punched his fists towards the white-hair.
The punches were pretty fast, but Lincoln dodged them all easily by simply moving left to right. "Maybe if you actually worked on your own abilities rather than copying others, you might be able to hit me no problem." He grabbed one of the punches and kneed Emulate to the chest before throwing his body away with a pulse of energy.
The copycat caught himself on the ground and turned to Lincoln. Then, without missing a beat, he slammed both his fists on the floor.
"Lynn's Creation: Boiling Blood!"
His body started to steam, with a tint of red over his green armor and skin. Lincoln could feel the heat from where he was standing.
Emulate charged Lincoln once more, and the boy could tell he was faster now. He assumed it was one of those simple techniques to increase their speed and power in return for some stamina. He's seen abilities like these before in a lot of fiction he's read and watched in his life.
Still, the enraged man got close and tried to land some kicks and punches. Which Lincoln again managed to dodge most. The ones he didn't avoid got blocked instead. He was undoubtedly faster, but not fast enough.
Lincoln jumped backward, landing a couple of trees worth away.
Emulate paused his assault as his orb glowed, getting more frustrated by the second. The steam and red tint vanished.
"You can only use one ability you've copied at a time." Lincoln speculated.
"Jordan's Creation: Undodgeaball!" Two Energy balls the size of dodge balls formed in his palms. He threw both at Lincoln, one after the other.
Lincoln ducked against one and rolled to the side for the other. They hit the trees behind him, creating large holes in them.
"They're no joke!" Lincoln said, looking at the impact.
Emulate kept conjuring more dodgeballs and hurled them.
Lincoln kept swerving between trees. He used the forest to stay out of his line of fire. He dashed behind a tree, waiting for a chance to move forward, then proceeded behind another trunk when he saw an opening. It was kind of fun.
Once he got close enough, Emulate's orb glowed for the umpteenth time.
"Sam's Creation: Final Wave!"
A guitar got mustered in his arms. He took his fingers and attempted to play it, but instead, the instrument's tune ended abruptly.
Lincoln got up to him, pulled the guitar down, and socked him in the cheek, sending him flying backward.
Once he landed, he gave off a quick yell while slamming his fist into the ground. "That was supposed to be a powerful soundwave! What is going on?!"
"You can't just hit the chords as hard as you can, dude." Lincoln explained with a grin. "I tried to tell you. You can't just use powers you've copied."
"You think you're funny?!" He yelled.
"Call me The Joker." Lincoln said with a toothy smile.
"Fine!" He got the high ground on a small hill. "Have anything funny to say about this?!" He cupped his hands together and brought them to his side, bending down.
"Loud's Creation: Loud Cannon!"
"Well, that's something." Lincoln said with a smirk.
He fired a powerful yellow beam at Lincoln, who stood completely still with arrogance.
Back in Dawn Village. The villagers were getting their heads together after the most exciting and horrifying day in their lives.
Suddenly, they heard an explosion coming from a far distance. They also felt the ground underneath tremor, which scared a few.
Radek hugged his daughter close.
"Is he gonna be alright, daddy?" Kyra asked.
He knew she was talking about Lincoln. She couldn't stop gushing earlier about how much of a hero he was and how he was so cool and strong.
"He'll be alright, sweetie." He replied, looking towards the forest where he headed into. "I'm sure of it."
Dust was everywhere in the forest near the battle.
Emulate pushed off a tree trunk that landed on top of him. Grinning at the damage of the biome, he could only imagine what kind of suffering the boy had taken.
"That's the Loud Cannon?"
He opened his mouth in shock. As the dust cleared, Lincoln appeared unscathed, his orange energy flowing around him.
"Dang, how embarrassing. How could you just disgrace their moves like that?"
"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
He rushed forward in rage.
Lincoln chuckled. "That's the spirit!"
In his fury, he was too obvious with his attacks. As a result, it was easier than ever to dodge his strikes.
He dodged one of his higher punches by bending backward and landing on his hands. Then he kicked with both of his feet to send Emulate high in the air.
As he was screaming mid-flight, Lincoln jumped up and around him to punt him back into the ground. When he impacted the land, he made a large crater.
Lincoln landed not too far from the crater that Emulate's body made. He watched as the man slowly climbed out of it.
Emulate was breathing for air. He stood up and saw Lincoln was standing across from him entirely fine.
"Curse you earthlings and your odd powers I can't use properly!" He said, his orb lighting up.
"Uh, do you have anything else to show me? Or… can we call it quits?" Lincoln said. He was beginning to become bored.
"In a matter of fact…" He heaved. "I do."
Lincoln prepared for another attack. But, instead, green petals fluttered around Emulate, and his body glowed a soft green. This new move was healing its wounds.
"Leni's Creation: Courteous Mending…"
Lincoln sighed. "Listen, if you promise not to bother anyone and leave quietly, we'll call this a day. How about that?"
"The only one I'll tolerate getting rid of you besides me would be the king himself." Emulate chuckled. "One last attack." He jumped up high in the air, and Lincoln only watched with an unimpressed look.
Staying afloat in the air, Emulate spread his arms and legs wide and started to yell. He concentrated in both his palms and soon was glowing with green energy. The force of his energy blew the surrounding trees back. Even the clouds above didn't seem fond of staying around.
Two green balls of energy formed in his palms. They pulsed and cracked with lightning, looking unstable.
Lincoln gasped with shocked eyes and turned around.
Emulate looked down and noticed Lincoln was jogging away from him.
"It's no use! There's no escaping me now!" He yelled out.
Lincoln jumped back onto the huge boulder and found the bottle of pudding Ms. Pia lent him. He grabbed it and took a seat at the edge of the rock, swinging his legs and happily taking a spoonful.
Emulate laughed, the spheres of energy becoming stable. "That's right! Have your last meal before your death sentence!" He slammed his wrists together, combining the energy into one more giant ball.
Lincoln didn't hear him, happily eating his delicious desert. But he was watching. Lightning started to strike out from the massive amount of energy condensed in Emulate's hands. The lightning was even close to hitting Lincoln sitting on the boulder but dragged its way around him.
Emulate grinned. "Goodbye, you little brat."
"ROYAL WOODS' CREATION: ROYAL APOCALYPSE!"
The energy in his hands shot out, covering an enormous radius as a blast of light. On the way towards Lincoln, it wholly fried the trees and grass.
Lincoln was still gladly eating his pudding. He left the spoon in his mouth and pulled out his sword from its X-shaped sheath sitting on his back. The other part was empty as he left his other one at home.
With the spoon still occupying the inside of his mouth, he blabbered in a tone that showed not one hint of stress,
"Reverse Parry."
With a wave of his sword and the sound of metal clanking, the attack got repelled with no effort.
Emulate widened his eyes and screamed as the mighty attack came back at him like a boomerang. His screams reached the heavens, echoing throughout the forest.
The move engulfed him, and slowly the shadow of his body disappeared in the light. Lincoln could barely see the blue mist of Life rising to the skies and fading away. His armor, excess energy, and the green orb that lost its glow fell to the ground as items for picking up.
The boy sighed in sympathy. "I hope you find peace wherever you go… I guess."
Lincoln knew if he had dodged or avoided the attack. The energy would have traveled far past him and hit the village directly behind him. Even if he had blocked the attack, he wasn't going to take any chances. Some of the excess energy could have somehow gotten around him. He wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened he could have prevented.
Sheathing his sword, he stood up from the rock. "Glad I brought you." He said, holding the grip and looking at it.
What was once a battlefield was now a quiet forest once again. Albeit a little damaged but a forest just the same.
Taking the bottle of Ms. Pia's pudding, he noticed he was one bite away from finishing it. He put the spoonful in his mouth and moaned out. "So good~!"
He left the spoon in the bottle and opened his Inventory. He tossed the empty bottle and dirty spoon inside and closed it.
Looking to the skies, he knelt and jumped high forward. But, unlike a typical jump for a human being, he kept going forward, flying in the air with a trail of his orange energy covering his legs.
He was thankful he learned to fly. It was several times faster than running. It was also why he made it to Dawn Village in time to save the villagers. Once Dorn told him he could gain the ability to fly using his energy, he wasted no time. It only took him one month straight of practicing before he got it down pat. But, boy, was it worth it. He compared it to learning how to ride a bike, but an adult would tell you it was closer to owning your first car.
He flew past the forest and over a valley. His total flight time was around ten minutes above the valley before he finally reached where he was heading. If he had walked at a steady pace, it would have taken him a couple of hours at best.
In this distance was a new forest, where the trees had red velvet leaves and golden-colored wood. It was appropriately named the Golden Velvet Forest.
He landed before the plantation and took a gander.
The wood these golden-velvet trees had was not like any other. They were non-flammable, more sturdy, and never rotted. Stronger than the strongest of steels. It could handle rain, snow, and even a lightning strike or powerful energy. They were the best material for a house, and Lincoln's was made of the stuff.
All he needed was enough wood for a new door, so he went inside the forest to look for a smaller sized tree. There wasn't any point in taking down a larger one.
He walked for minutes peacefully through the beautiful trees. Fresh air took over his sense of smell, and the natural wildlife was calling out to him. He spotted some critters you couldn't find back on Earth. Some cute ones that acted and looked a bit like squirrels he was sure a certain sister would have loved to meet. There was even a tiny stream of water that reminded him of the trails back in Royal Woods.
It didn't take him long to find the size he was looking for. The small tree was good enough, but he was sure there would be some wood leftover.
Before doing anything, he climbed the tree and inspected it. He made sure he wouldn't interrupt any animals living in the branches. Luckily he found none and dropped down.
Unsheathing his sword, he slashed the tree at the lowest possible point in a microsecond. Then, after a couple of seconds, the tree tipped over and fell. He ran under the direction it was falling and caught it with the arm not holding his sword. He didn't want it to crash land onto the ground and cause damage.
Dropping the tree gently on the dirt and sheathing his sword, he went over to the tree stump and grabbed both sides. With little effort, he pulled it out of the ground. However, there were still some roots still tugging against the soil. So he simply cut them with his sword.
This forest was open to the public. Anyone was allowed in. But there was one unspoken rule you had to follow; Replanting any trees you took.
So, finding some large acorns, he planted a few. He made sure there was space between each one so they wouldn't interfere with each other. From what he's heard, it only took a few years for them to grow fully.
Once he finished, he balanced the tree he cut down on his shoulder and made his way out of the forest. When he was out of it, he started to fly, choosing to carry it with his arms under his chest.
Not far from here was yet another forest. These trees had less dense leave branches, and their trunks were much taller. They also had bright green moss growing on the ground and along up the bark of the trees. Lincoln named them the skyscrapers of trees.
He made a landing and carried the golden-velvet tree into this new forest.
It wasn't long until he heard a familiar tone of voice.
"Oh my log! It's Lincoln!" A very high-pitched voice exclaimed in a happy tone.
Looking down, a living piece of a light brown wood chip stared up at him.
Lincoln looked down with a bright smile. "Hey, bud! I have an order I need to make."
"Sure thing! Right this way, sir."
He led Lincoln deeper into the forest until they arrived at a tiny town. Well, more specifically, the literal size of the town was small. The population, on the other hand, was pretty high in number.
Little pieces of wood, the chippies, lived in Wood Chip Town. There were small houses littered on the moss ground in a very organized fashion via rows. More homes were arranged into columns on the side of the large mossy trees.
When the two entered the tiny town, hundreds of thousands of chippies looked Lincoln's way. The boy heard many happy cheers of joy of seeing an old friend. He gave a wave with a toothy smile.
He was careful in his footing. He didn't want to give someone's house an unexpected renovation accidentally. Making his way through the town, he went towards the center. He passed many friendly faces, trying his best to say hi to as many of them as possible.
Soon, he reached the town square, where a tall wooden tower stood only half his height.
Balancing the log on his shoulder, he lightly tapped the roof of the tower. A couple of seconds passed before the top opened up, and a chippie with a wooden mustache looked out.
When he locked eyes with him, he said in a high-pitched voice, "Ah, Lincoln! Long time no see."
Lincoln waved back. "Good to see Birch."
"What can I do for you?" Birch asked.
"I need a new door. Think someone can help me out?"
"I'll get some of us working on it right away. In fact, I'll help with it myself." He put two of his wooden fingers in his mouth and whistled. "Alright, boys!" He yelled towards the bottom of the tower. "We got a job to do!"
A bunch of chippies gathered at Lincoln's feet like a swarm of insects. Then, using each other as leverage, they took the log from him and carried it away. It always fascinated Lincoln how well they worked together. They were always in sync. It was something called a Linked Mind, that was what their Elder called it anyway, speaking of which…
"Why don't you go have a chat with the Elder?" Birch said. "We should be done in less than ten minutes. Same dimensions, right?"
He nodded. "I need the frame too. It's a little bit damaged."
"You got it!" Birch gave a thumbs up.
Both he and Birch walked in opposite directions away from the tower. Soon, Lincoln reached another tall building that looked like a tower. But unlike the one Birch was residing in, which looked more like a factory, this one looked homier.
"Elder Bristle?" He knocked on the roof. "Are you home?"
There was a little balcony on the roof of the tower. The doors opened, and an old dark brown-looking wood chip stepped out.
"Lincoln!" He shouted happily. "It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you been?"
Lincoln took a seat in front of Bristle, ensuring not to sit on anyone's house. "It has been a while. I'm doing fine. What about you?"
"As good as this old bark is." He said with a chuckle, walking up to his balcony's railing. "So, what brings you to our town?"
"Oh." Lincoln looked towards where Birch took the tree he chopped down. "Brought some golden-velvet wood. I need a new door, so I came to the best carpenters I know."
"Oh my." He said with a gasp. "Whatever happened to the other door we made?"
"Ah." Lincoln said. "A couple of people from the Other came knocking down my door. They weren't… the friendliest."
"And what did they do afterward?"
"Let's just call them really stubborn." Lincoln said. "There were two others. One of them was tormenting the village I told you about the last time I was here."
"Yes, I remember. You helped them out, I reckon?"
"Of course I did."
Bristle laughed. "A hero as always, eh?"
Lincoln shrugged. "Just doing what's right."
The old chip scoffed. "Like you needed to help us with the wood termites? We were nothing but strangers to you, yet you helped us out a ton."
"It was nothing, really." Lincoln waved off, blushing a bit.
"What are you talking about, boy? Not only did you help us solve the conflict. You managed to get a peace treaty between the chippies and termites. Using the wood that we don't end up working on given to them as a peace offering. Truly brilliant!"
"Well, I had a different point of view for the situation." Lincoln said. "It was easy to find a solution. But forget about that stuff. How has the town been since I left?"
"Oh, just wonderful!" Bristle said with a smile. "We have finally begun business with a few small villages nearby. And at the rate we're going, we'll be able to expand even more. We've never been able to get so much work done. Before we had too much time on our hands, it was truly boring around here."
"Well, if you keep working yourself too much, you'll wish you had some time to relax." Lincoln warned.
"Nonsense." Bristle shook his head. "Us chippies live to work. It's our desire to build using wood. It shall be for generations."
"Speak for yourself, old man!" A random chippie yelled out from somewhere.
"Bah." Bristle rolled his eyes. "Most of us anyway."
"Mr. Lincoln!"
The boy looked over to Birch, who talked from up top a house.
"It is finished."
Behind him were the other chippies that helped make the new door they were carrying. They collectively brought it to Lincoln.
The white-haired child picked himself up. He took both the door and frames from the chippies, thanking them profusely.
"You take good care of yourself out there, Lincoln." Bristle said, catching his attention once more. "If the Other already has some of their members attacking innocent people, there could be more out there."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Lincoln said with a sad smile. "You take care too." He waved him off goodbye, taking his new door set.
Bristle, Birch, and the other chippies waved back, shouting farewells.
He carefully made his way out of the tiny town, and once he was clear of the forest, began his flight back home.
Landing in front of his house, he sighed at the sight of the mess those two Other left behind. More specifically, the shouting one. His armor and weapon were still on the ground. He'd probably have to trash it.
"Someone has to clean this up." He said to himself.
Looking up to the sky, there was no sun. Just the bright blue sky fading to orange and red like back home. Which meant it was nearly nighttime.
He wondered how it worked without a sun. Was he even on a planet? Where were the light and heat coming from? Whatever it was, he hoped to figure it out someday. Maybe there was a library with the answers.
But those were questions for another time. It was better not to worry about such things. Right now, he had some work to do. Some tiring, tedious work that shouldn't be required in the first place. Oh well, that was just his luck.
This is a story about how Lincoln tries to overcome his curse of bad luck. How he would meet and attempt to make all sorts of new friends and travel this unknown world. And how he would pursue the truth to his hardship.