Chapter seven: The Color of Hostility
As the group walked through the Land of Canvases, Merle was reminded of the movie Sleeping Beauty. People were sprawled all along the streets, draped across the land as if they suddenly fell asleep. It was a little unnerving, having to step over them. All gray as well, the color and life sucked out. Husks of beings; it was a reoccurring thought.
The sun still shone overhead. A bright, white dot burning for no one. The warmth was that of a bright winter day. You can see the sun, feel the sun, but it does nothing to actually warm you.
Vermillion stumbled beside Merle. Her ankle was swollen and ever since the last fight she'd been limping. How many had they run across? Merle had almost lost track. It was like at every turn there was another one. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to sneak past them. At least they were in the city now as well. It was the one blessing that Merle could see.
"We're almost there," Vermillion grit the words out. Merle looked towards the castle. It was still far in the distance; no matter how much they walked it was always far off.
"Really?" Merle couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her tone. "It doesn't look too far off." She was simply too tired to curb the words, having walked what seemed like an endless desert.
"It may look far, but it's really not." Grif coasted along the air above. Their wings beat softly through the air as they flew to land on Merle's shoulder. "Like Vermillion said, we're almost there."
Maybe griffons had depth perception problems. No matter how much Merle looked and tried to judge the distance, it just wasn't adding up. Perhaps being on another planet with different spaces had something to do with it? What amounted to 100 steps at home could only be 10 here. Merle shook her head, trying not to think too hard about it. She needed to not get lost in thought.
"How come that gate couldn't open at the castle?" It was better to direct her curiosity to something that could procure answers. And to stop thinking about how sore her feet were.
"Safety procedure, no outward gates can enter the castle." Grif explained.
Vermillion stumbled again. Her gloved hand caught a streetlight and the group paused. Her entire weight seemed to be shifted on her good foot and the post
"Are you okay?" The question was met with a red eyed stare. Gaze dropping to her feet, Merle tugged at a coil of her hair. "Stupid question… I know."
"I'll be fine, Pretty Cure heal quickly when transformed." Vermillion pushed off the pole and limped forward. Despite the proclamation, she didn't look one bit better from before. Lifting her hand, Merle reached for the red clad cure's arm.
"Then… you should keep off your foot until then." Vermillion accepted the offered hand, leaning heavily on Merle. Even with heels on, Merle was still taller than her.
"I would love to, but we have no time. Dead-Colors could be gathering in the city or even worse, Monochrome himself." Vermillion delivered the news with a sour tone. She limped in synch with Merle, the two slowly making their way down the street. "It's… a little discomforting."
Merle didn't bother with a verbal response. Her eyes were drifting around the street, mind soaking in the images. The buildings; crumbling beneath their own weight; the weeds growing out of the cracked ground; the wilting plants that bend under their heavy heads, their petals scraping the pavement. It was all gray. Discomforting indeed.
Was this what her home would look like?
"We'll be careful then, stick to the shadows like before." Grif took flight from Merle's bony shoulder. "I can scout ahead if you'd like?" As soon as the words out of their mouth a loud scream pierced the air. The effect was immediate. Vermillion motioned for a small side street, practically dragging Merle towards it. The two hit the wall with heavy breaths, pressing their bodies into the thick shadows.
Something scraped along the stone roads. Heavy, thundering steps thumped over and over in Merle's ears. She sucked in a quiet breath. There'd been close Dead-Colors, but not one breathing down their necks. Literally. The steps thundered closer and closer. Vermillion crouched low and peered from behind. All Merle could focus on was her thundering heart and-
"MOVE!" Vermillion was a flash of red. Her arm wrapped around Merle's middle, dragging her to the ground. A deafening crack shattered the air followed by the cry of a breaking building. Vermillion's own cry was lost in the cacophony of falling debris and dust. But, the spell still took hold. Large, red ribbons blossomed like a bud around the trio, folding upwards. Merle cowered beneath Vermillion's body, waiting for the pain. But, it never came.
The ribbons bowed beneath the weight, threatening to break. Yet, they held strong. Vermillion shifted her body off of Merle and held the trembling paintbrush up. Through the casted shadow of remains, Merle could vaguely make out a shape. It was large and humanoid and getting closer! Again, Vermillion brought up the trembling brush, shouting the incantation. It seemed to bow beneath the weight of casting ribbons and paint, the wooden base groaning in complaint.
A painted nail dug into the ribbons, cutting through it like butter. The pavement beneath cracked and swallowed the black nail, barely making a sound. Merle didn't have time to scream. The red ribbons exploded forth, wrapping around the large hand. Vermillion shoved herself off and pushed Merle away from the fight. Chunks of concrete and plaster cut into her as she rolled across the street. Sooner than she had liked, Grif was pecking and forcing her away.
The building they'd taken refuge behind was gone. The upper half was cut away, jagged lines scraping the sky. A head poked from behind the torn building. The chalk white paint on its face hadn't changed with the transformation to a Dead-Color. The clown painting stood to its full height. It dwarfed the surrounding buildings, their tops barely reaching its shoulders. The droopy hat it wore bounced against its back as it danced out fully into the street, the cracked bells on its feet jingling as well.
Vermillion started forward, the pavement cracking beneath her heels. But, immediately she stumbled to the ground. The shadow stretched over her. Looking up with wide eyes, Vermillion barely heard Merle's warning. The Dead-Color slammed its foot down where she lay. Luckily, she had heard in time, rolling out of the way. Slamming her hands against the ground, she pushed back into a standing position.
"Merle! Grif! You two go ahead!" Vermillion waved a hand forward. "I'll deal with this!"
Merle nodded, her head jolting in pain, and slunk forward. Could she? Deep down, Merle trusted Vermillion, but she was injured. That and the Dead-Color was like ten times taller than her. Still, if she was telling her to go, then she'd go. Heart ramming against her ribs, Merle ran. The noise was drowning everything out; the only thing she could hear was the blood roaring in her ears. She couldn't hear the way the bells jingled ominously, or Vermillion's fists whizzing through the air. Only her heart.
The Dead-Color payed them no mind, its small, beady eye focused solely on Vermillion. It slammed its gloved hand down. The buildings shook with the force, dust fluttering to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Merle saw Vermillion dance out of the way. Her hands grabbed its wrist and yanked. The Dead-Color lurched forward. Giving a harsh yell it tugged back. Vermillion didn't give; digging her heels into the cracking street, she yanked more.
It was becoming a tug-a-war between the two. Yank and pull. Almost give, yank harder. Growing tired, the Dead-Color raised its other hand. Merle stopped running, turning fully to witness the fight. The hand whistled through the air. Vermillion leapt out of the way, the hand barely clipping her feet. With a yowl of pain she slammed into the ground.
"Vermillion!" Merle stepped forward. Grif tugged at her shirt, trying to yank her back, but it was no use. The sound of muscles and bones popping made the two slowly look up. The skin of the clown was twisting slowly, the bones popping with an increasing ferocity. It head turned a full 360, the beady eyes that once looked at Vermillion was now staring them down. The rest of its body soon followed.
Merle stepped back. It was hard to breath, like something was pressing down on her chest. Her whole body was still, but her brain was going a mile a minute. The Dead-Color swung its foot back.
The bells on its shoes jingled.
Merle was drawn back to reality.
"Pretty Cure! Primer and Gloss!" The twisted transformation wrapped around her in cool energy. The skirt and boots appeared, but the crop top and one glove don't show up; again. No time for catch phrases. The boot swung downward. She jumped. The wind roared around as she dodged the foot. Landing with a stumble, the sounds of another building crumbling met her ears. Clouds of dust and debris were kicked up, covering the street. Large chunks of concrete fell to the ground, thudding heavily in the air.
Grabbing Grif off her shoulder, Aero leaped outside of the quickly expanding cloud of dust. The particles clung to the two, little shards threatening to cut them.
"Why did you transform?" Vermillion stumbled to a standing position.
"I don't like to see you hurt."
"I can do this." Vermillion fixed Aero with a glare. "You need to save the energy." Before the argument could escalate further, the Dead-Color immerged from the clouds of dust. "Grif go hide." Merle let the griffon go.
The clown dipped forward with a growl. The two dodged the incoming attack, leaping opposite ways. Its head snapped to lock gazes with Vermillion. It never saw Aero coming. Propelling off a lamp post, Aero flung herself up, driving her boots into the clown's neck. It lurched forward and towards Vermillion.
She sprung upward, paintbrush in hand. With a twist of her wrist paint coated the air. The Dead-Color reached an oversized glove forward. The paint splatted against its palm, but it wasn't enough to slow its momentum. The hand slammed into Vermillion, flattening her in a spray of concrete dust and fragments.
"Vermillion!" The Dead-Color gave a jarring laugh; or as close as a monster could to a laugh. Its feet dug into the cracked street, pushing all its weight onto her. Aero screamed her name again. She dashed forward, summoning her large pencil. Already, the blue code was wrapped around the tip, an electric blue waiting to be fired off.
Red oozed from beneath the Dead-Colors glove. The liquid dribbled in heavy droplets, falling into a large puddle. Ribbons burst forth, spiraling in a torrent with no direction. Some spiraled around the Dead-Colors arm, others wriggled along the floor like snakes, and even more arced into the air.
"Aero Recode!" The code shot forward, lost in the waves of red. The Dead-Color gave off one last scream. Before it could fully disappear, the ribbons overtook it, wrapping around the clown like a red bud. The bands pulled back like petals and decayed midair. In the midst of the fraying paint fell Vermillion. Even from afar, Aero could tell her uniform was torn up. Leaping up, Aero gathered the frail girl in her arms, landing without falter.
She was gasping for air. Tears, blood, and pieces of the building clung to her cheeks amidst tiny cuts. Gently, Aero set her on the ground. Almost immediately the uniform pinged off. The red lights shattered like thin glass against the quickly repairing, gray street. The little cuts and bruises that littered her brown skin disappeared, but the large one remained. "Clancy are y-"
"I'm fine Aero." She sat up. Her lips were fixed in a deep frown, silver eyes not meeting the other girls. After a pause, she slumped forward. Her head buried into her quivering knees. "I'm… I'm not alright," her voice shook, "I'm not."
Heart heavy in her chest, Aero sat down next to Clancy. Even Grif landed, brushing a feathered head along her legs. The group sat on the ground for a while, each person occupied with their own thoughts. During this time, her transformation pinged off, leaving Merle to stare at the people. It really did look like they were sleeping; not shivering and lost like the kids at the soccer fields. This was what Clancy was fighting for. What Merle was supposed to be fighting for?
How could she have been so callous? Trying to rationalize that she had no affiliations with this planet and thus no need to help it. To help the people. Was that what a caring person was supposed to do? Just spout it wasn't her problem and hope it didn't become hers? Blindly turn her head away. Well, that's too far, Merle mentally grumbled. She was here, wasn't she? Transformed by the powers of a rock. Trying to justify to herself she wasn't that bad of a person.
Especially since she still thought this was just too much. That two people (and a griffon) couldn't possibly fight a whole army. Dead-Colors alone took the two of them, and they couldn't lay a finger on a general. It was like Clancy had said; hopeless. A real David and goliath fight.
Seeing the people of the Land of Canvases and state of this city had opened her eyes. Like someone had dumped a cold bucket of reality, freezing the nerves of the appendages open so she had to see the truth. That no one else could really help. Only Clancy could fix this. No. We can fix this, Merle's jaw tightened. Even if it was impossible, if Clancy was going to fight then Merle would fight alongside her. She'd be there to support her every step of the way.
"Merle? We're leaving." The sharp voice drew the girl out of her thoughts. Clancy was already standing up, reading to go. Grif was on her shoulder, crouched beneath her hair.
"Sorry." She was quick to apologize.
The group continued on in silence, not daring to speak. As they walked further into the city (and got closer to the castle), Merle's eyes couldn't help but dart around again. She was trying to soak in the images, imprint them on her retinas. They passed a young girl curled up on a park bench. She clutched at the air as if before she was holding something.
"Are they… asleep?" Merle finally found the courage to voice the question.
"They're shells. The real people are lost right now." Grif answered. "We can get them back, don't worry." Grif's attempt at optimism landed on deaf ears.
If they wanted to, Merle thought they couldn't have gotten into the castle anyways. The gate was bent and broken. The cracked metal twisted inward with a giant, black 'X' spray painted across. They passed through, entering an equally damaged courtyard. The grass was brittle, cracking beneath the lightest of touches; the potted plants over turned with sleeping guards set up behind them.
Another set of guards rested at the large doors, guarding nothing but an empty expansion. They still clung to their halberds and spears, a gray liquid marring the surfaces. Merle looked away. They entered the castle, a large, spacious room at the entrance. In the corner of the room was a stairway leading to a narrow staircase. The gray, cracked stones of the wall were the same color as the stairs themselves. Looking at it too long gave Merle a headache. No, wait that wasn't it. She really had a headache.
Stumbling up the next step, Merle pushed at her temples. This was just like last ti-oh.
"Merle? What's wrong?" Clancy stopped a few steps up.
"Headache," it was hard to grit the words out. It was like someone was splitting her head right down the middle. Black spots danced at the edges of her vision, threatening to overtake.
"Headache? But… oh." It was hard to hear Clancy over the pulsing pain. Merle had never gotten a headache this bad. Not even when she'd stayed up for three days or messed with her robots and coded for hours. Was there some kind of backlash with the Pigment? Was that what this was? It was hard to think straight. "There's a medic wing on the second floor, do you think you can walk?"
Merle managed a numb nod. The three continued to ascend. Every so often a small hole in the wall would show up, letting in thin, gray light. That's all there was. Gray, gray, gray. Merle was sick of the color. The headache was making her irritable. That is when she could focus. Going up the stairs was like an endless haze. Continuously they walked upward, the spiral never ending. But, of course it did end; a small broken door leading to an equally battered hallway.
Many of the doors were slightly ajar, letting Merle peek inside. Most of the rooms were immaculate like the whole castle hadn't been overrun in war. There were even some maids who were asleep on a table, books laid out before them. Finally, they reached the medical suite. The door was shut tight, but with a few bangs (and kicks) it opened.
Clancy was quick in locating the medicine. She opened the first drawer, rifling through the disorganized bottles. Merle sat on one of the many cots, next to a sleeping nurse. She was still, a blanket tucked tight by her shoulders. It looked like someone had placed the blanket on her. "You seem to know your way around here," Merle commented idly. She took the offered paper cup from Clancy.
"I spent a lot of time here," she confessed quietly. A nurse aid? Merle mused quietly. "I was always getting hurt in practice. Getting whacked in the ribs with a practice sword or hit in the head with a flyaway whip," she sighed almost good naturedly. Merle coughed on the last bit of water. Flyaway whips?
"What?" She sputtered.
"I was a magnet for disaster when I was younger." Clancy rummaged through the cabinets, stacking bottles neatly. "I make it sound worse than it was. It wasn't like I broke anything or got a concussion." She sighed again, leaning heavily on the marble counter.
"How is your head feeling?" Grif brushed up against Merle's arm.
"Fine. We can… get moving when you both are ready." The headache was quickly receding. Maybe it was the medicine, maybe it was just time, but as quickly as it came it was gone. Merle slipped off the cot and towards the door. Clancy shut the cabinet she was looking through, brows furrowed.
"Something wrong?"
"Nothing, its… it's just weird." Her hand moved to her Pigment, fingers brushing the sharp edges. "Some of the cabinets look like they've been rifled through."
Through the large windows to the left, Merle could see the whole castle. While it was still broken down and desolate there was a certain underlining feeling that assured that when fixed, it would easily be a beautiful building. How long have we been here? She eyed the sun high in the sky.
Clancy had barely spoken a word since the medic room. She'd been focusing solely on getting to the Chroma room and here they were; at the doors. Well, they were at the doors leading into the hallway that fed into the Chroma room. It was a confusing system of halls and doors that Merle hadn't even bothered to try and understand. What mattered was that they were close.
Guards slept at the base of the doors. Dried, dark gray liquid marred the wood and walls behind them. Merle pushed down the bile in her throat.
"This is it." Grif fluttered next to Clancy. They barely moved forward when the air buzzed. The windows to the side burst inward. Glass shards and metal slivers sliced through the air, raining down. Merle ducked with a scream. A flash of red filled the hall and a moment later Vermillion blocked most of the debris. From the new hole a Dead-Color rolled in. It stood and with dainty, white hands wiped glass shards from its dress.
"I told you they'd come." Tessur pulled himself from the window followed by Anneis. The woman scowled, landing with a heavy thump.
"Don't get all high and mighty," she crossed her arms, "all you did was predict their movement. Even I can do that."
"But you didn't." Tessur pointed to Vermillion. "Dead-Color kill her."
At his command it gave a twirl of its short dress and shot forward. In the small hallway there was only two directions to go. Forwards or backwards. Merle turned and ran back the way they came, Vermillion ran straight to it. The Dead-Color never got an attack in. The screech of metal and glass made Merle turn her head. Vermillion stood in the raining shards. The Dead-Color had disappeared.
She launched forward again, this time to Monochrome's generals. A loud yell echoed around the hall as she slung a fist forward. Anneis intercepted it easily, blocking with her forearm. Falling back onto her feet, she spun into a spin kick. Anneis blocked that as well, grabbing her ankle. She smacked Vermillion against the floor, but didn't let go. The red clad cure tried to yank her foot out, but it was no use. She was thrown out the window. Another scream echoed the hallway.
"One down!" Anneis let out a crow.
"Merle run!" Grif's claws dug into her shoulder. Reality snapped back into focus. She grabbed her Pigment.
"Pretty Cure! Primer and Gloss!" The transformation didn't take. No cool, refreshing feeling. No energy surging through the veins. Just cold, hard fear. "Pretty Cure! Primer and Gloss!" Merle's tone took a desperate note. Her palm wrapped tighter around the stone. Nothing.
The feeling of fear sent chills through her body. Starting forward, Anneis gave a booming laugh. Merle couldn't move. She tried to will her legs to walk, but they didn't respond. Grif pushed off her shoulder shooting down the hall. A resounding crack shattered the air. Anneis grabbed the griffon out of the air by the wing. Grif tried to maneuver their body to dig their hind paws into her, but it was no use. She gave them a rough shake. "Tessur I caught a bug!"
"Enough with the games, just finish this." Tessur gave a weary sigh. From behind, the Dead-Color pulled itself up from the window. Its dress was ragged, the mask on its face skewed showing one black hole where an eye was supposed to be. Merle felt like throwing up. She took another step back.
There was no way she could win. No way at all. She couldn't transform, she couldn't fight, and she couldn't do anything. Ripping the Pigment from her neck, Merle extended her hand to the side. The wind from outside cut against her skin. What am I doing? What can I do? Her chest heaved. Her heart threatened to spill from her throat.
Anneis stopped moving forward. "What are you trying to pull her Aero? Threating to kill yourself?"
"Do-Don't move!" Merle's whole body shook. "Or I'll- I'll throw it!"
"Huh? As if." A grin slipped onto Anneis' face. "You wouldn't." The woman stepped forward. Merle let the string slip from her grasp. Giving a shout of alarm, Anneis stilled. The Pigment stopped slipping.
"I don't… play around. We're high up. What would happen if I-I dropped it?" Neither General answered. The two shared a look, Tessur subtly nodded. The smell of paint hit Merle's nose at the same time as Anneis teleported. The Pigment slipped from Merle's grip. The grayscale woman reappeared outside, hand outstretched for the rock. Merle let out a shocked gasp, reaching out for it again.
Red overtook everything. Wet, painted ribbons enveloped Anneis. She gave a scream as she shot to the ground. Vermillion's black, gloved hand wrapped around the equally dark Pigment. She stood atop a large, curved ribbon. "Be more careful Merle." She dropped the Pigment into an outstretched hand. "There's thieves around here."
"Of course." Merle couldn't help but smile.
The Dead-Color gave a screech, effectively killing the mood. Vermillion hopped into the hallway, landing lightly. The ribbons from outside flooded inward. They were quick to wrap up the feminine Dead-Color, but it didn't stop there. They arced towards Tessur. The man gave a curse. Before they could ever touch him however, the attack stilled; becoming gray. Just like with the portal it seemed like the ribbons were stuck in time. The pallet knife (sword?) appeared in Vermillion's hands. "Pretty Cure! Vermillion Flash Point!"
She sliced through the ribbons with ease; gray and red alike. The sparks flew from the blade, licking at everything. The Dead-Color gave a screech as it burst into ashes. It wasn't the only thing to turn to ash however, as the ribbons did as well. It got hard to breath, Merle rose a hand to her nose. It didn't seem to affect Vermillion who continued on. She spun low, dragging the blade across the stone floor. Sparks bloomed from the blade. "Vermillion Flash Point!"
Tessur ducked at the last moment letting the blade arc over his head. It sliced through the door like butter. Vermillion had no time to move. From Merle's angle, she couldn't see what happened. One moment Vermillion was standing over Tessur, the next she was against the floor. Merle turned, eyes following a series of craters in the floor.
"Vermillion!" Merle ran towards her. She was dry heaving as blood spilt from her mouth. Merle called her name again, pushing back the red, styled bangs that hid her face. More blood dripped from her lips.
"I'm fine." Her eyes were focused ahead. "We need another way in." Merle could almost scream. She obviously wasn't fine! Her gaze shifted from the hall to the windows. "…I know you're afraid of heights."
"…What?" Merle didn't like where this was going.
"I won't drop you, promise."
"What?"
Vermillion stood on steady feet. Merle followed. They looked to Tessur who frowned as he dropped into a fighting stance. "We won't be getting pass him, we're- I'm too weak." She chocked on the words. "We need another way."
The plan clicked in Merle's head. The Paintbrush appeared with a flash.
"You won't get past with that." Tessur said.
"We don't need to." Vermillion replied. With a swipe of the paintbrush, red ribbons gushed out. The arced out the window and towards a spiral tower. Merle didn't have time to think before Vermillion scooped her into her arms. With a hope they were out the window. She couldn't tell who was screaming. Herself? Vermillion? Maybe Tessur? The girl clung to the cure's chest as the air ripped around them. It pulled at her dark skin and hair.
Vermillion landed on a large ribbon. True to her word she hadn't dropped Merle. Yet. She started to run.
"You don't need to cling, I promised I wouldn't drop you." She reassured. It did nothing to stop Merle's runaway heart. She was on the verge of dying or passing out; whichever one came first. But, the fighting didn't stop just because she didn't feel good. Looking behind Vermillion's shoulder, a gray blur jumped across the ribbon.
"Anneis is coming." Vermillion turned her head at the warning. Her boots clicked as she sped up. But, the grayscale general appeared in front of them, fist pulled back to punch. Vermillion jumped over the attack. She snapped a boot forward, catching the woman right in the eye. Merle winced at the cracking noise. Anneis howled in pain, clutching at the appendage.
"Anneis!" Tessur screamed his teammate's name.
They passed over the crouching woman, landing on the domed roof of the Chroma room. Vermillion's boots slowly slid down the curved edge of the roof. Merle bit back a scream, shutting her eyes tighter. Don't look down, don't look down. She repeated the mantra over and over. However, the ribbon stretched and steadied the cure.
"Time to let go, I need my hands." Vermillion let a shaking Merle out of her arms. She stumbled backward onto the ribbon. It was weird standing on it, like standing on a thin sheet. "Tessur is coming so I'm going to need you to step off the ribbon." Her voice had taken on that sharp, commanding tone again. Merle obeyed immediately and stumbled back onto the roof.
Both generals were on the ribbon. Anneis crouched and still clutching at her eye. Tessur had knelt beside her, hand on her shoulder. Before either of them could move Vermillion dropped the spell. It frayed, the pieces scattering to the wind. The smell of paint tinted the air. However, the two don't drop like wanted. Instead they teleport again. The sounds of boot clacking drew the two's attention across the roof.
"You'll pay for that you little wench." Anneis spat the insult out. Her hand dropped to reveal a swollen shut eye. Merle winced again.
"This ends here." Tessur shouted.
"My sentiments exactly," Vermillion muttered. "Stay here Merle." She sent a quick glance behind her before leaping into battle again. She spun in the air, slinging her leg forward. Tessur blocked easily, lashing out with his own fist. Merle couldn't do anything but watch. The two traded several blows. Vermillion dodged by mere inches every time while Tessur blocked all her attacks with ease. Wait? Where's-
A rough hand jolted Merle from her thoughts. Anneis slammed Merle into the ground. Stars danced before her eyes, the breath she was going to take forcibly left her lungs. Lying there dazed, she was only vaguely aware the Pigment was still in her grasp. That… that's good.
Anneis barely took a step forward before she was taken out by a red blur. Vermillion twisted in the air, feet planted firmly into the woman's stomach. She spun and launched her off the roof. Merle could only feel hope for a second before Vermillion was taken out in a similar fashion. Merle barely had time to roll out the way before Tessur's foot slammed where her head once lay. The shingles split under the force with a series of short cracks.
"I have to do everything myself!" He spun and grabbed Merle by the collar. "Give me the Pigment!" He was quickly losing his cool. Merle was brought eye to eye with the man. She stared at his spotted skin. Bright white against dark gray. What was that called? It was an oddly specific thing to fixate upon, especially since she was surely about to die, but all her frayed mind could do was try and recall the name.
"I said give me the Pigment!" His sharp yell drew Merle back to reality. Without thinking, she grabbed at his hand. With a snap, she yanked his pinky back. Tessur let out a howl, dropping Merle. "Son of a-" he never got to finish the curse. Vermillion sliced with her sword. Red dripped against the roof tiles. The blade was held back by a bloody palm. It shook with effort as Tessur tried to push it back.
"Flash Point." It wasn't said with the same energy as before. Sparks dripped from the blade as red energy built up. Light exploded. Merle ducked, the waves of heat washing over her skin. When she opened her eyes, Tessur was gone. The roof had caved in where he stood. Smoke and ashes billowed in the air from the spot. "Let's finish this quickly." Vermillion, again, scooped Merle into her arms. The girl couldn't get a word in; Vermillion jumped down the hole. They landed amongst the fallen roof and into the sparsely lit room.
Merle's brain was playing catch up. What… just happened? Her thoughts ran circles. Fight. Sword. Blood. Explosion. Was there something she was missing? It felt like she was missing something. "Merle don't zone out on me, I need you to focus." Vermillion set her down.
"I'm not." Merle weakly defended.
"Let's get that Pigment fixed and go…" her voice died down. Merle followed Vermillion's gaze to a pillar. No, a person. They leaned across the pillar, one hand cupping a cheek. Their hair was white and spiked to the sides of their head. Sharp bangs curled across one eye, while a lock of hair curled straight up over the other. A look of pure boredom filled their silver eyes. But, they quickly brightened up.
"Ah! Hello there!" They grinned brightly.
"Etihvv?" Vermillion hoarsely whispered.
Afterword: yaay done with another chapter. C:
Leave a comment, constructive criticism or review. I'd love to hear from the people who read and improve!