"Shit."
Verdant skidded to a halt, his breath ragged as he fought to steady himself. 'The old fart was already enough trouble, why did she have to get involved?!'
Kairo squinted up at the sky, his arm raised to shield his eyes from the blinding glare. "Why do her wings have to be so stupidly bright?" he groaned, the light making his head throb.
"I don't have time for this, Alexa! Let us pass before that old bastard catches up!" Verdant shouted at the winged figure above.
She drifted effortlessly, long white hair streaming behind her like a banner. Her orange eyes burned with an unnatural fire, and her enormous white wings stretched across the sky, glowing as if lit from within.
She looked like an angel. Unfortunately, she was the devil in disguise.
"You've really done it this time, Verdant!" Alexa's voice rang out, sharp and piercing. "Master Ashura's had enough. He sent me and the teacher to deal with you personally!"
Kairo jammed his fingers into his ears, wincing. "God damn, why is her voice so annoying? It's like someone's scraping metal with a fork."
"Kidnapping kids now, Verdant?" Alexa smirked, ignoring Kairo's comment.
"Tch, broccoli boy could never kidnap me," Kairo announced proudly.
Verdant, already annoyed, just kept running, only for Alexa to suddenly appear in front of him, a sleek black pistol pointed squarely at Kairo.
"Move and I'll shoot the boy," Alexa said coldly, her finger already on the trigger.
Verdant's expression remained unchanged. "Do it. He means nothing to me," he answered, matching her tone.
Kairo, still wrapped in Verdant's arm, looked between them. "Uhh, how about you don't pump me full of lead?" His voice cracked just a little.
Seeing that no one seemed to be moving or responding, Kairo stayed still, hoping Alexa would somehow forget he was there.
Then, a sudden, prickling sense of danger crawled up the back of Kairo's neck. "What the hell was that…?" he muttered, his pulse quickening.
A faint rumbling sound echoed through the forest, slightly shaking the ground beneath their feet. Kairo's confusion lasted only a second before his eyes widened in horror.
"BROCCOLI DUDE, THE SLUDGE GUY!"
Verdant's eyes darted behind him. The massive, writhing mass of sludge, his so-called teacher, was barreling toward them, tendrils lashing out, trees blackening and dissolving in its wake. The smell of decay grew stronger, choking the air.
"Shit, I almost forgot about him," Verdant muttered, his grip on Kairo tightening.
A twisted smile curled on Alexa's lips as she floated higher, the gun still trained on Kairo.
"Can't you do something about this?" Verdant whispered to Kairo, who looked far more panicked than before.
"Why the hell are you asking me that question? Aren't you the adult?" Kairo hissed back, his voice shaky.
Verdant's grip tightened further. "Right now, you're the one with the weird 'telekinesis' superpower, kid."
"Okay, okay, I'll try something, but if I die, I'm haunting all of you for eternity!" Kairo quickly pointed both hands at Alexa.
In response, she tried to pull the trigger, only for it to jam. Slowly, the gun began to crumple, not just bend, it was as if the space around it was twisting in on itself. Metal squealed as it warped under an invisible force.
"Now run, you idiot!" Kairo yelled, sweat beading on his forehead and running down his temples.
Verdant simply nodded as he dashed below the airborne Alexa, who was still staring at her crushed gun. "That was a gift from my mother, I'll kill you!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with fury.
Verdant ran like the wind, his boots pounding against the forest floor, bobbing and weaving between trees. Rotting logs, sent flying by the sludge villain's advance, crashed around them, splintering and sending up clouds of dust and mold.
"T-thanks," Kairo panted, his chest heaving. Crushing the gun had taken more out of him than he'd expected, his arms felt like lead, and his vision swam for a second.
"For what?" Verdant asked, his expression flickering with concern before he hid it.
"For not moving. I didn't really feel like getting turned into Swiss cheese today, but I definitely could have stopped the bullet if she'd fired," Kairo said, his voice embarrassed at first, then quickly turning cocky.
"Mhmm, sure you could, bud...and you're welcome. Anyways, you still haven't told me where the nearest body of water is."
Kairo groaned, his head lolling back as he caught sight of the sludge villain surging ever closer. "I—I think I saw a creek just past those trees," he managed between gasps. "But that thing's gaining on us!"
Verdant's jaw tightened. "Then hold on tight, kid. We're not out of this yet."
With a burst of speed, Verdant veered left, dodging a falling branch as the sludge villain's roar echoed through the woods. Kairo's stomach lurched as they leapt over a tangle of roots, the stench of rot thick in the air.
Ahead, through the thinning trees, the glint of water caught the sunlight. "There!" Kairo shouted, hope flaring in his chest. "That's the creek!"
But just as they neared the water's edge, a shadow loomed from the side, Alexa, her wings spread wide, her orange eyes burning with fury. "Not so fast," she hissed, blocking their path.
Without a second thought, Verdant whipped his free hand toward her, releasing a torrent of green flames. Alexa flapped her wings and dodged to the side, barely avoiding the blast. "I'll kill you, bastard!" she screeched, flying toward them with her hands outstretched.
Verdant dodged swiftly, continuing to run along the water's edge. He fired more blasts of green fire, but Alexa kept dodging, her movements erratic and furious.
"You have any ideas to take her down?" Kairo asked, his voice slightly panicked. He had almost fully recovered from exerting himself, but a dull headache still pulsed behind his eyes.
"I've got an idea, it's also going to involve the water. I need you to splash her."
Kairo paused and looked at him with a straight face from his position in Verdant's arm.
Verdant looked confused for a few seconds before realization dawned on his face. "I meant with the water!"
"Oh...yeah, sure. I think I can do that," Kairo replied, a mischievous glint in his eye as he raised his hands toward the creek. He strained for a few seconds, brows furrowed in concentration—then his arms fell limp in disappointment.
"Can you hurry up!?" Verdant yelled, narrowly dodging as Alexa dove toward him, her wings a blur of white fury.
"Well, I'm sorry that I can't focus when you're running like a madman!" Kairo retorted, his fingers twitching as he fought to steady himself. Then, an idea sparked—dangerous, but maybe just crazy enough to work.
"Hey, broccoli boy!"
"It's Verdant."
"Yeah, yeah, I don't really care. I've got an idea, throw me at her." Kairo flashed a confident smirk, as if this was the most reasonable plan in the world.
Verdant just looked at him incredulously, his expression a mix of shock and reluctant amusement. "You want me to what?!"
"You heard me. Toss me at her! I'll handle the rest." Confidence practically oozing from his voice.
"Fine, it's your funeral," Verdant muttered, skidding to a stop with Kairo still wrapped in his arm. He gave Kairo a skeptical once-over, the kid's smirk was downright reckless, but there was no time to argue.
Alexa swooped in for another attack, her wings a blur, her orange eyes locked onto them. "You're both dead!" she screeched.
Verdant took a deep breath, braced himself, and with a grunt he hefted Kairo up. "Don't blame me if you die," he warned, then with a mighty heave, launched Kairo straight at Alexa.
Kairo's stomach lurched as he hurtled through the air, wind whipping past his ears. He threw his hands out towards Alexa as his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"You're mine, brat!" Alexa hissed, twisting midair to intercept him.
Just as she reached for him, Kairo's fingers twitched toward Alexa, and for a split second, the air between them seemed to ripple, as she was yanked sideways, sending her hurtling toward the creek.
Kairo, meanwhile, tumbled through the air, his power barely cushioning his fall as he splashed down into the water with a yelp.
Verdant sprinted to the bank, green flames flickering at his fingertips. He reached down and hauled Kairo out by the scruff of his jacket. "You alive, kid?"
Kairo coughed, his hair dripping, but his grin was triumphant. "Told you I'd handle it."
Alexa floundered in the creek, her wings dragging her down. "You little-" she spluttered, her fury undiminished but her flight for now grounded.
Verdant smirked. "Not bad, kid. Now let's get out of here before my teacher catches up."
Kairo glanced over his shoulder at the sludge villain's looming form, still barreling toward them through the trees. "Yeah, about that…"
The chase wasn't over yet.
***
Info cards
These are now the official look for the info cards. No more changes lol. I'll now only show things that have already been shown. No spoilers either.
Name: Verdant[REDACTED]
Flux Anomaly: Reanimation - Allows the user to self revive themselves on the verge of death or when they are already dead with the use of green flames.
Offensive uses - Weak flame manipulation
Defensive uses - Reanimation (Physical immortality)
Passive ability - None
Weakness - [REDACTED]