Elemental Wars: The Exiled Element

Chapter 10 - Flight, Definitely Flight

A piercing scream filled the air. My scream. An arrow sprouted in my hand and a splash of blood stained the ground. Pain shot up my arm like a bullet as I bellowed. The Fire Elemental widened his eyes as another arrow went straight through his head, dissipating him into smoke.

I jumped into a bush as another whoosh sound flew past my left ear. 

A crunch of a leaf underneath a metal boot made me freeze. The shooter was close.

It spoke.

"Hello, James Dalton," a mechanical voice said. It came from the direction of the shooter. It sounded different from the Scourgers. Its voice felt more disdainful, more alive. "My lord Andras has been very eager to meet you."

I gave a panicked shout and thrusted out my hand. No fire came out. My eyes widened in fear. I tried to focus on my emotions, but screamed again when another arrow sunk into the ground next to me, sending dirt flying into my face.

"No playing with fire now," the shooter taunted. "I haven't been able to hunt an Elementalist since the Twenty-Eighth War, and I am seriously dissapointed how easy it is. I was expecting so much more out of you-"

BANG! The deafening sound of a bullet fired ripped through the air. 

I expected to hear a howl of pain. Instead, the shooter chuckled.

"Ten seconds, not bad. Your guards are here. Be my guest, hide behind them. Flee this planet. Try to escape me," the shooter gave a blood-chilling howl. Like a werewolf at the full moon. When it spoke again, it sounded crazier this time, more unhinged, more like spitting out saliva than talking.  "It's always more fun when they run!"

BANG! BANG! BANG! The shooting was closer now. My ears were ringing. 

"Later, Dalton," the shooter said in glee. 

Just then, five heavily-armed Seropian guards burst out and surrounded me, assault rifles at the ready. 

I waited for them to let their bullets rip, but...

"Son of a bitch! Where did he go?!" one of the Seropes yelled in frustration.  I cautiously raised my head above the bushes, still whimpering from the boiling agony in my hand. 

"Team Viper?" a crackled voice came from one of the Seropes' pockets. The Serope took it out. It looked like a walkie talkie. 

"This is Sergeant Ronan, Team Viper. We have our Fire Elementalist. The bastard that attacked him is still running amok in the forest. Do your drones have eyes on him?"

"Drones are scanning the area...we got nothing, Sergeant."

Sergeant Ronan looked uneasy. He geatured his soldiers to get back. One of the Seropes picked me up from the bush and gently snapped the arrow's point off and pulling it out by its shaft. I bit my cheek to prevent myself from screaming. Blood filled my mouth with the metallic taste of blood.

"Sergeant, I see nothing on the drones. The treelines, the paths, the mists...nothing. Whatever that thing is...it just dissapeared...like it doesn't exist."

A drone flew overhead as the Seropes put my arms around their shoulders and carried me back to the base. 

"I assure you, Lionide, that whatever that asshole is was very much here. That howl wasn't made by a kitten."

"Yes, Sergeant. Twenty more reconnisance drones deployed."

"I don't want to know how many eyes you got, Lionide. I want to know how many uglies your eyes see out there."

"Yes, Sergeant."

Still being propped up by the soldiers, I lumbered along as fast as I could with three of the Seropes behind us.