Chapter Two

Readjustments

“Wha-Wha-What’s your name?” Claudius panted, barely keeping pace with Forest Boy.

“Don’t speak unless have something important to say.” Forest Boy said, completely untaxed by their sprint through the streets.

“I- might need to know- if- itmighthelpuscatchher.” Claudius sucked air in. “Unless you don’t mind me calling you Forest Boy.”

“I do not care what you call me,” Forest Boy said. The pair ran down the street, not into the Old Industrial District like Claudius suspected, then he realized that she wouldn’t have had to run in there; she thought he’d stopped chasing her.

They chased her, or rather Forest Boy chased her since Claudius had completely lost sight of her for some time, through more populated streets they rounded a corner.

Forest Boy suddenly stopping dead on the sidewalk. Claudius could barely slow himself enough to gently bump into him rather than knocking them both to the ground.

“Why’d you stop?” He asked.

“Nightweaver’s claws!” Forest Boy said, more to himself than in answer. It sounded like a curse.

“Do you lose her?”

“This city…I could have tracked her blindfolded for days through jungle or prairie, but here…I’m as blind as a mole.” Forest Boy scowled. “We have to find some sign of her.”

Find some sign of her? Did he want to ask around or search the street building by building? Either way would only cement her lead.

The street split into three paths, right, left, and center. He grabbed Forest Boy’s wrist and cut across the road to the right path.

“You saw some sign of her?” Forest Boy asked.

Claudius didn’t answer. Sometimes when you didn’t have time for careful thought, random luck would have to do.

He worried for a moment that he’d chosen wrong, looking through the sea of people walking the street, he did not see her among them until a thought occurred to him.

“Look low.” Claudius said, “Her leg is hurt, she might not be running right now.”

After a few moments, he pointed her out to his companion.

Sitting against a wall just down the street, sweating profusely with a pained look in her eyes, a few buildings down from an alleyway. Forest Boy gave him a look, not quite a grin, but a small measure of approval. “Well spotted. Anyone who can follow minute signs has the making of a great hunter.”

Claudius just took the compliment. “Right. Let’s get the medallion back while she’s not expecting us.”

“Wait.” Forest Boy said, “If she spots us, she might try to flee again. I will circle around and approach from the north, you wait until my signal and approach from the south,” He looked uncertain, “If only we knew what her abilities were.”

“Transmuter.” Claudius tapped his wrist. “She wears a bracelet around her wrist. She transformed it before.”

“You fought and she didn’t simply kill you?” Forest Boy seemed shocked. “When she could have easily made a knife and-”

“Must not be that sort of Transmuter.” Claudius said.

“Transmuters are formidable. Very adaptable.” Forest Boy said, “I’m a Naturalist; my disciplines are Earth, Fire, and Wind, but Fire might be too troublesome to use in this place. And you?”

Claudius pulled out his only remaining hummingbird and levitated to less than amusement.

“That’s it?”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s useless?”

“It’s distracting.”

“One stone bird is enough to distract her?”

“There were more until she broke them!”

“How do you know she will not break this one as well?”

“Fine!” Claudius said, “I’ll figure something else out.”

That was the problem with being an Animator. If someone broke your constructs, you may as well have had no vitality at all. He looked around for anything with channels in it; a toy left on the ground, a generic Animator tool, no such luck.

He looked skyward in frustration at the tree they were standing under. A tree with big, fat leaves.

“Let me see your knife,” He said to Forest Boy.

…

Forest Boy was in place, gave the signal, and began approaching from the north while Claudius came from the south. Thief was in the middle, completely unaware.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Claudius was a lot closer; if all went as planned, he would reach her first. His heart pounded in his chest; hoping that she would not look up and notice him.

They closed in on her but as they neared, she suddenly stood up, walking towards the alleyway before vanishing into it.

That couldn’t have been good.

Claudius abandoned any idea of stealth and ran towards the alleyway.

The alley ended in a brick wall it was empty except for Thief who had turned her bracelet into some kind of cane and was struggling to lift herself over it. The wall was too tall for him to climb, but Thief looked tiny against it.

Claudius pulled out a fistful of leaves into which he’d painstakingly carved channels into and channeled them.

It was a rush job; ugly work at best, but that was fine.

The leaves flew throw the air towards her and clung to her face. She fell to the ground, clawing off of her and tearing them to shreds.

She whipped around to glare at him with pure malice. Her face was clammy with sweat, “You again?!”

“Me again,” Claudius said.

In an instant her cane warped into a staff.

Claudius held his remaining three leaves behind his back.

If only someone here could throw fire and earth! Hurry up, Forest Boy.

“Meridian Academy would never admit a thief like you.” Claudius said, readying his leaves,

Thief’s face flashed with indignation, “As if I’d ever care about a place like that. A school full of idiots running around with more money than they know what to do with.”

“Then why did you steal my medallion?”

Thief rolled her eyes, “Because rich idiots will pay whatever I ask for it.”

Somehow that seemed worse than stealing it for her own use. “The least you can do is steal it for yourself.”

“You really don’t know anything, do you?” Thief said, “This is Meridian. When something slips through your fingers, you cut your losses and move on. That’s how we live. Next time you get a hold of something nice, hold it tighter.”

“Maybe I’m just not good at letting go.” Claudius said. He launched the remaining half of his leaves towards her, running behind them.

In an instant her staff sharpened into a broad, flat blade before slicing through the leaves. The return of his vitality nearly toppled Claudius but he kept running towards her, unsure of his plan.

One big swing of the staff, once again a staff, kept him at bay.

She tapered off the edge. Thief must not have wanted to be Murderer as well.

The staff came around once more and collided with his ribs. He grabbed it with both his hands to try and hold it in place but in an instant, it thinned and shrank to half its normal size than collided with his legs, sweeping him onto the ground.

“Curly-haired boy!” Forest Boy’s shouted from the mouth of the alleyway.

Took you long enough. “Quick, hold her in place!”

Thief instantly turned heel and began scrambling up the wall once again; her staff once again a large hook. She managed to pull herself over.

“Run towards the wall and jump on my command.” Forest Boy shouted.

“I can’t climb that!” Claudius said.

“I’ll blow Wind underneath to boost you over, all you will need is a running start”

Claudius couldn’t help the swell of excitement. He’d had no idea that Naturalists could do this, could make him fly. This was going to be incredible.

He sprinted towards the wall.

“Now!”

He jumped as high as he could, ready to soar to the top.

A gentle breeze ruffled his hair before he crashed into solid brick, and everything went black.

…

Claudius awoke with his skull feeling like a hastily assembled puzzle. Forest Boy knelt beside him with concern in his eyes while lightly slapping his cheeks.

“What the fuck was that?!” Claudius shouted.

Forest Boy cringed away, “I…That has never happened before. Lifting you was…simple. I don’t know why…”

Claudius smacked his hand away, getting up to his feet and cradling his throbbing head. “I’ve taken more than enough punishment for your sake. Consider us even.” With that he grabbed Forest Boy’s bag off his back and took back his medallion, facing no resistance.

He was halfway out of the alley before Forest Boy spoke again.

“Wait!” He shouted. “Nothing I do works.” Forest Boy strained himself, concentrating deeply and produced only a candle’s worth of flame. He pressed his hand to the ground and a small mound, akin to a bump on the sidewalk appeared. The same gentle breeze from before ruffled Claudius’ hair.

“I was stronger than this as a child. Something terrible is happening to me and you are the only one I can ask for help.”

“Why should I care?” Claudius said.

Forest Boy was silent for several moments, “I never wanted to come here. This city is nothing to me but noise and foul people and fouler air. I would be glad to never set foot here again.”

“And this is why I should help you stay here?”

Forest Boy closed his eyes and sighed deeply, “The man who raised me asked me to come here and go to this school. It’s the only thing he ever asked of me in fifteen years. That medallion has been passed down in my village for centuries, and he gave it to me.”

“And he’d be mad if you refused?”

Forest Boy looked like an entirely different person; one without his visible irritation or intense focus. Kneeling on the ground, he just looked sort of pathetic and pitiable, “He would not even blink if I refused. But he asked it of me. I can never repay my debt to him, but I’d like to try. You may not understand, but I I can’t go back home with nothing, I can’t go back home a failure.”

Where have I heard that before? Claudius rubbed his cheek. His entire face hurt.

“Fine, I’ll do what I can – I’m not going to work myself to death to get your medallion back – but I’ll help,” Claudius said.

“But why?”

“Maybe I’m just really nice.” Claudius said, “How long was I unconscious for?”

“A few minutes.”

“Then she’s definitely gone. There’s no way we can follow her now.” And I’m not sure we could do anything to her if we could. Claudius thought the last part.

“Then there’s no hope at all.” Forest Boy looked defeated, so unlike before. “And I’ll never return my people’s medallion to them.”

“Maybe we can’t follow her tracks like an animal,” Claudius said. “Not that it worked at all. But we still might be able to find her. Sometimes, you have to readjust your approach.” He cracked a small smile, “Maybe this isn’t a complete failure after all. We have so much more information now, what she will do, what she won’t do, what you can’t do. And now we can make a plan.”

“What do you suggest?” Forest Boy said.

Claudius turned the medallion over and over in his hand, thinking hard.