Marco!!!
No, you can't be gone! This can't be happening!
I frantically begin searching through the darkness for my missing friend but there's nothing to be found. Not a single trace of him remains.
And then I hear it again, that same panicked yelp from when he was first taken, only this time it's deeper within the clearing.
Without even a hint of hesitation, I sprint as fast as I can in the direction of Marco's cry, holding my torch up high in the air as to pierce through the veil of darkness. Frustratingly, the torch only gives off enough light to barely see ahead of me, and the blasted thing is only getting dimmer as I run.
Damn it all!
At this point, I have a basic understanding of how to pull essence from within myself. Subconsciously I channel more essence into the end of my torch, but in my adrenaline-fueled state, I failed to realize and control just how much I was pouring into it.
A flash of blinding light is the only warning I receive before disaster strikes.
BOOOOOM!!!!!
The torch splinters into hundreds of pieces from the blast, and the shock wave that follows sends my body flying. I'm barely conscious when I crash against the forest floor, and enough still to feel each and every impact that followed suit.
Ears ringing, body pierced, and vision blurred, it's a miracle that I'm alive, even more so that I somehow remained conscious despite it all. A fact that's painfully evident in every way possible. Even breathing right now is a massive struggle, every gasp causing fresh waves of pain to course throughout my entire body.
You have to stay awake… Don't give up… You have to find…
Marco?
The explosion must have caused some of the clearing to catch on fire, as an ambient orange glow begins to expose the edges of the world once hidden under the shroud of night. And caught in that fiery glow is the unmistakable black coat of my companion now standing before me. His hackles are raised in challenging defiance, but to whom he's showing such a fierce side of himself, I cannot see.
I have to help him…
Mustering up what willpower I can, I attempt to stand, but find myself utterly crippled from all of the shock and pain. All I can do is watch helplessly as Marco suddenly lunges forward while I struggle to get control of my own breathing.
As soon as he leaves the perimeter of firelight, his black form becomes one with the night, and just like that, he's gone again.
A heavy stone forms in the pit of my stomach as I watch him go. Worse yet, I still can't hear anything with all this ringing in my ears. Being denied the ability to hear what's going on with Marco's battle is pushing my nerves to their absolute limits. But not enough for me to do nothing.
I know that my powers allow me to mend the broken and injured, and I'll be damned if I sit here while Marco risks life and death out there. Easier said than done however, as my injuries cause enough of a distraction to undermine my efforts. Even still, I try harder to direct essence towards the worst of my wounds. If I can't do this now while my adrenaline is keeping the worst of the pain at bay, it's going to be unimaginably worse when it wears off and the pain overwhelms me in full.
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It takes every ounce of my concentration to keep it together, but slowly I begin to feel the worst of my injuries mend themselves, leaving me in a state that is far more manageable than before. In the corner of my mind, I want nothing more than to continue healing myself, but every so often, I see shadows dance on the outer edges of the firelight, reminding me where my true priorities lie.
This time I'm at least able to stand up on two legs again, albeit the fact that I'm still disoriented and the ringing in my ears has only just begun to die down.
Just ahead, I can just barely make out the outline of Marco within the ambient light. Seeing him alive reignites the fires of hope within me. Just maybe, we can still make it out of here in one piece.
Running as fast as my legs can afford, I surge forward to give him my aid, letting out a call to let him know I'm coming.
A flick of his ears confirms he hears me, but before I can catch up with him, he dashes into the darkness once more. What are you doing? We need to fall back and fight where we can see! And just as I'm about to follow after him, I notice strange patterns on the ground. Several channels are carved into the soil, leaving countless scars scattered throughout the battlefield. Just what the hell are we even fighting?
Muted snarling to my left finally gives me some insight into where Marco dashed off to, and once again I find myself following after him. Except after covering only a few feet, Marco flies into my field of view. He slides backwards towards me, nearly taking me out with him if I didn't manage to sidestep him in time. Fast as he came into view however, faster still did he dive back into the night once more, however this time I managed to catch a glimpse of something new. Held within his serpent's mouth was what appeared to be some sort of gnarled branch, at least I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Beyond that, there wasn't enough time to see anything else.
The lack of workable vision is really starting to get to me at this point. I want to help, but dammit! I can't see anything out here!
Glancing back towards the fire I caused earlier, I begin to seriously contemplate whether or not I should just create more. At this point, the forest is going to continue burning, so why not just go all in? However, just as I'm about to commit more arson, movement near the flames catches my eyes. Several roots, wide as tree trunks, burst from the ground, and begin pounding away at the flames. Quickly, the flames lose their vigor and diminish in strength.
What in the actual-!
Before I can finish that thought, they entwine with each other, forming a massive woven blanket that smothers the fire, putting it out for good. The entire clearing once again, is swallowed in complete darkness, and deep in the very core of my being. I'm scared. Whatever that thing is, all my instincts scream out in unison. Danger!
[ …n ]
I try to push myself forward, however my legs don't respond. It's as if I'm paralyzed.
[ ..n..! ]
The ground beneath me begins to tremble and churn, growing in strength as I remain frozen in place.
[ RUN! ]
Just as the ground begins to quake beneath me, that sudden voice in my mind shakes me from my stupor. It's enough for me to finally comprehend just how dangerous my situation really is, and I flee as fast as I can. Mere seconds later, the ground erupts, and three of the largest roots I've ever seen in my life break through the ground and spear themselves in my direction. They get close enough to brush against my tail feathers before curling in on themselves, failing to secure their true quarry.
Under the cover of night I flee, thinking little else, but of my own safety. That is, until I remembered my companion, and the fact that I even considered leaving without him fills my mouth with bile.
I need to find him, and then we need to leave by whatever means necessary. And if that means I have to torch this entire forest to do so, then so be it!
Wasting no further time, I leave it to my subconscious to leave behind essence wherever I step, and at the command of my will, ignite the volatile puddles left behind. Sure enough, flames roar into existence behind me, creating a devouring wall of flames in my wake.
The veil of night shrouding the grove gives way when matched against my immense flames, and ahead, in the distance, I can see Marco fighting for his life. The "branch" that his other half was wrestling with is now wrapped several times around the back-half of Marco's body, stopping him in his tracks. Marco's main head has his jaws locked around the vine, and with an audible snap, manages to sever it in two, causing the felled half to unravel itself and fall harmlessly to the ground. Now freed from his assailant, he appears ready to dash back into the fray, but turns to look towards me as I get closer. That brief lapse of attention is all it takes for two vines to emerge from out of view, and wrap themselves tightly against him, forcing a heart-wrenching cry out of Marco.
NO!
Before I can get to him, the vines effortlessly lift him several feet into the air, next to a humanoid creature that can barely be seen in the field of light. It's an ugly, malformed creature, hunched over in a way that is completely unsettling. A single misplaced yellow eye pierces through the layers of plant-like growths that cover it in entirety. While it has its two large vines constricting Marco, it has several smaller ones that hover at the ready, each stemming from a different part of it's body in complete unorganized fashion.
The two vines pull Marco closer, holding him up within arms reach of the creature. Without breaking eye contact with me, it takes one of its wretched hands and holds a twisted finger up to his head.
Rage consumes whatever rational thoughts that possibly remained, and I charge at the monster, causing an even greater inferno in my wake.
It just twists its head in a sort of demented glee and leaps from its perch, retreating away with Marco in tow. Not long after, the sound of laughter echoes in the clearing.
Chasing after it only fans the flames of my rage further, for whenever I get closer, it's already gone. It's as if I'm just chasing its shadow! It always manages to stay just out of view, that is, except for Marco. My companion always manages to remain in view, a level of torture that I previously never thought possible.
But then it suddenly stops running.
Perched clearly upon the lowest branches of an old sycamore tree, it wields a twisted wooden spear, held cruelly at the ready. Before I can even scream, it thrusts the spear deep into Marco's chest.
I failed.
I was too late to save him, and too late to realize it was all a trap.