Chapter 42

"UGH!" I spat out water, swimming, jolted awake by the sudden impact and the cold. "Damn...!"

"Argh!" shouted Shulk. A thud from above and a clang as something clashed with something else.

I can't fly... or morph, or anything... I thought.

"MIND BLAST!" screamed a voice. A screech followed afterwards, and a cry of pain, that sounded distinctly human.

"Melia!" yelled Dunban, before I sensed something being ripped out of his chest. "ARAGAGHAHERGH-"

The following sound was if someone was capable of throwing up an entire gut.

I gasped, struggling to keep afloat in the fast-moving water. What in the hell is-

"Dundun!" shouted Riki. "That not good."

"Ugh...!" gasped Shulk. "Everyone, we..." He paused. "Oh, no. There's nowhere to go... RRGH! PURGE!"

"Head Shot!" declared a certain sniper, and she let out a harsh grunt. "Heal Rou-" A loud gasp. "NO! Why... does it have to overheat now?!"

They're losing... but I can't help them! I stared up the cliff face.

"GWAH!" Shulk let out a scream and he slammed into a rock. "UGH!"

Dunban's ragged breathing rang out despite all the other sounds. "Geh..."

"Summon Aqua!" shouted Melia. "Dunban, are you al..." The words died in her throat. "Ah..."

"YOU CAN DO IT!" yelled Riki.

"Light Heal!" shouted Shulk. "Dunban, you're going to be fine!" He grunted as he blocked an attack. "Ugh..."

Sharla let out a grunt. "There...!" The loud sound of a rifle shot, and the heavy gasps of pain faded away.

I blinked. Wait... where's Alvis?

"Well?" He was behind me, standing atop a rock. "Are you going to help them?"

"Like I can," I replied. "I can't fly or do anything. The Ether flowing around up there is too much."

"So you would give up because you believe you can't do anything."

"Yeah. I can't even get out of this damn river!" I spat. "It's like, over 4 metres deep!"

"Well, Outsider..." He breathed out. "The start to your powers is to believe there is merit to them."

"Oh yeah, sure there is."

"UGH!" yelled Shulk, slamming through a rock. "Hah... hah... SMASH!"

"Do you wish to see your friends?" he spoke. "Helping them will aid you in that journey."

"Yeah, I want to help them, BUT THERE'S NO GODDAMN WAY I CAN!" I roared.

"SO SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GO TO SLEEP ONE NIGHT AND WAKE UP IN A WORLD YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IN BEFORE, HAVING TO FIGHT FOR YOUR VERY SURVIVAL EVERY SINGLE DAY!" A growl etched itself on my face.

"OR WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ALMOST BE DEAD AND THINK TO YOURSELF THAT YOU'RE NEVER SEEING THEM AGAIN!"

I panted. "Hah... so just... leave me alone. I bet they can handle it without me anyway."

"Andrew!" panted Shulk. "Are you alright down there? And Alvis, can you give us a h-WHOA!" He used Stream Edge to just nullify an attack. "Ugh...!"

"I'm fine." I sighed. "I just..." Any strength I had left in me wore away. "I'm just done."

Alvis, silent, was gone, and the Telethia screeched as he presumably slashed it.

I groaned, closing my eyes, keeping afloat.

Why did I enter Xenoblade anyway? I sighed. What caused it... and what was the purpose?

A shout from above and I looked up, seeing Dunban nearly struggle off the cliff.

"RAH!" he roared, slashing hard enough to tear off the entire front limb of the beast, which reared back and howled in surprised pain.

"Hah... Air Slash!" shouted Shulk, and the green aura of Jump surrounded his shoes as he leapt in the air. "STREAM EDGE!"

"Manifest yourself!" declared Melia, and a bolt of lightning anchored the fearsome Telethia to the ground. "Huff... go, Riki!"

"LURGY!" shouted the Heropon, and the helpless monster roared loudly. "Grr... HERO TIME!"

I stared as I sensed them all beat up on the foe, when it regrew its limb and tore out the bolt.

It flew up, out of range of most attacks.

Then it fixed its beady eye on me, and screeched as it lunged with alarming speed.

I could only stare.

"No!" grunted Shulk, though he flinched as the Jump Art wore off. "Ah..."

The Telethia flew down, and lunged once it was parallel with the water.

"Ah... Summon..." Melia faltered. "It can't..."

"Rrgh...!" Shulk gasped as his eyes pulsed blue. "No... NO, THAT IS NOT HAPPENING!" He leapt off the cliff. "Speed!" he shouted.

The Telethia seemed to smile as it opened its mouth to swallow me whole.

I grunted. Guess this is it, huh?

Shulk growled as he fell, not fast enough. "Ugh...! Speed 2!"

Gonna be eaten by a bird... great.

It rushed by, and pain rang out through me as it took me to the air, my body within its mouth.

Something cracked in me, and I yelled out.

Never... seeing my friends again.

I glared, finally drawing my sword. "You..." With Stab Strike I plunged my blade into its eye.

The Telethia's other eye widened as it roared with pain, yet refusing to drop me.

"Andrew! You can do it!" yelled Shulk, stabbing the Monado into the cliff face to watch. "Ugh... Melia! Get the Telethia!"

"Ah... right! Mind Blast!" she shouted, the bath of Ether missing me by an inch, striking the Telethia.

The Telethia clawed me, and the pain flashed through me.

The pain made me feel angry, but I was incapable of tearing out my sword.

The Telethia's remaining eye seemed to shine with triumph and victory as its claw sunk into my stomach.

"UGH...!" I gasped out, spitting out blood.

"We... we have to help him somehow!" shouted Dunban.

"I can't... it's too fast," cursed Sharla. "And... its flight pattern is unpredictable... I can't shoot it."

"If... hah... if Sharla's shots cannot get it... there cannot be anything I could do... ah! Summon Aqua!" she declared. "This... shall hopefully aid him, even if just a little..."

"There's... nothing we can do?!" exclaimed Shulk, using Speed to get up the cliff.

"Shulk..." Despite the wind rushing through my ears, I heard Dunban's grave voice. "If you use the Monado to try and help Shulk... you risk hurting him too."

Shulk gritted his teeth. "But... there has to be something..."

"Trust him. Andrew... he can do this."

I was so distracted I didn't notice that the Telethia had impaled me on a spike against another nearby cliff until the pain flashed through me.

"GUH!" I felt myself black out from the pain, which then woke me up again as the Telethia impaled me on another spike. "Ugh!"

"No! I..." Sharla raised her rifle, though slowly lowered it again as realization passed through her. "I... can't even heal him... because it would heal the Telethia if I miss..."

The Telethia then dropped me in the air, and let me slam into the cold water of the river below.

"Andrew!" shouted Shulk. "Hold on, I'm AGH!" He was thrown back by the Telethia slamming a claw down, releasing a shockwave that forced every party member to the ground.

"Ugh!" yelled Dunban, his sword flashing by to cut his left arm.

I stared, and the Telethia lunged for me again, breaking something in my left arm as it roughly grabbed the limb by the beak. "Ugh...!"

The monster flew skywards, and then moved over the ground, before spiralling downwards to copy Charizard's Seismic Toss move.

I felt a growl on my face again. I will not die...

Not until I see all of my friends again... and go back home.

The ghost demon manifested just before the Telethia slammed me into the ground.

Dust blew up as a familiar, warm, sticky liquid splashed on my body.

"Andrew?" I heard someone speak out. "Are you..." A quiet gulp, and an apprehensive feeling spread through the air.

The dust cleared, and the Telethia's other eye finally rolled back.

"Hah..." I panted, groaning with the effort to rise with just my right arm.

A dying croak sounded from the Telethia now cut cleanly in two, guts starting to spill out.

I wheezed, using my foot for leverage to help me take the sword out of the eye. "Hah..." I wiped blood away from the metal, and slung it over my back as the ghost demon faded away into the air.

I then fell over as the exhaustion overwhelmed me, on my back. My sword almost pierced me, though I managed to avoid further injury.

"Ugh," I winced at the pain. "Sorry, guys. I feel too tired to move..."

Sharla shot a healing round into me, sighing. "Well... we're all tired... and it is already late afternoon... so how about resting here tonight?"

"Next to Dinobeast?" questioned Riki.

I closed my eyes with a groan. "Whatever... I just..." I yawned, and everyone else but Alvis yawned as well. "Ugh..."

"Well... we're not gonna be able to go too far with the injuries we have right now, so let's rest up here tonight and continue tomorrow, guys!" spoke Shulk.

With that, I let myself relax.

Though sleep usually came with some effort, slipping into sleep this time was instantaneous.

Thank you all for reading!