MATTHEW'S POV
There may be fog, but that didn't stop me from seeing Samuel waiting at a nearby tree.
"You're here." He whispered. "Be very quiet, who knows when a ventifio could be near us."
"Okay," I whispered just as lowly. "So, what do we do now?"
"We hunt. The minimum ventifios we need to destroy is three."
"Really? Just three?"
"Don't say it like that. Fighting ventifios is really hard." He paused for a moment to think. "Well, it should be easy for you, I guess. With your level and all."
"I doubt it. What's the use of levels when I'm scarce on experience?" I frowned.
"Don't worry, we can fix that right now." Samuel said as his eyes focused on something. I followed his gaze to see a thin ventifio roaming about. It looked like the creature was all alone.
"Watch me first, okay? Then you follow." Samuel went and did a demonstration. He smirked at me before mouthing the word, 'focus'.
I did. I watched as he pulled out his gun and shot the ventifio. The loud sound caused me to blink and flinch. The bullet hit the ventifio on its back. Red liquid dripped from the bullet hole on the creature's back and landed on the ground.
The ventifio swayed back and forth, it seemed to be dizzy and was losing its balance. Samuel took this opportunity to summon his soul protector. He snatched his red button from his sleeve and squeezed it in his hand. He threw it up high in the air. As the button was flipped, a white light briefly shone from Samuel's eyes. The red button was pulled in different directions. It got bigger and bigger until a figure appeared.
Like all soul protectors, Samuel's had the same features as him - except that it was a shadow figure.
Samuel's soul protector stood threateningly before the ventifio. The red-eyed creature recovered from the attack and roared at Samuel. I think I heard myself whimper. I looked at my companion to see that he looked unfazed by the ventifio's screech.
The two counter-parts charged at each other. The ventifio raised its hands - all six of it - and claws came out. The soul protector somehow knew that it was coming, as it dodged when the ventifio brought its hands down to scratch its enemy.
The soul protector hoisted the ventifio up in the air. The dark figure maneuvered to a position where the ventifio was at the bottom of its feet. When both landed back on the ground, the ventifio cried out as it was crushed by the soul protector. The dreadful creature laid flat on the ground, lifeless with blood starting to pool underneath it.
'How quick and agile...'
Samuel's soul protector had blood splashed on its face. The figure turned to look at its summoner before transforming back into a button.
I stood there, wide-eyed and amazed by how easy and gory the scene was. But the blood made me a bit nauseous.
'That looked so easy.' Or so I thought.
Samuel's eyes lowered slightly, he put his hands on his knees and panted. Beads of sweat rolled down from the side of his forehead. After a huff and a puff, he bent down to pick his button up. He didn't re-attach it to his sleeve yet, just rested it inside his hands.
He spun around to meet me. He smiled tiredly. "Did you pay attention?"
"Y-Yeah. Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. The stunt his soul protector pulled off was crazy. Crazily awesome.
He waved it off like he was fine. "Yes, this is normal - to feel tired every time our soul protector goes into action. You see, we can't control the way our soul protectors fight. But we can make them stop or retreat by simply communicating with them in our minds. I'm sure you already know that." He grunted. "Soul protectors revert to the button whenever it's seriously hurt or after every fight to regenerate their strength. Good for them."
I learned more and more with the help of Samuel's knowledge about those extraordinary beings. Samuel said that soul protectors know whenever their master was in danger or hurt. When that happens, they would abandon what they were doing and would do anything to rescue their summoners. We were their top priority.
'Well, we're sharing a soul, after all. I have to be careful. If I die, you will die too, Matt.'
I̶ a̶p̶p̶r̶e̶c̶i̶a̶t̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶f̶u̶l̶n̶e̶s̶s̶, m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶.
'Anytime, Matt.'
We went back to ventifio hunting. I was so wary and paranoid that I made sure every action I made was as quiet as a mouse.
"You know, you look like you have back problems." Samuel chuckled at my posture. I was crouching so low and my knees were bent. "Are you a grandpa? Are you older than the moon?"
Samuel continued in making fun of me. I wasn't listening though. The moment he said 'moon', pins and needles shot through my back - the lower part to be specific. Because of this, I stood up straight and my shoulders were tense. I held back from releasing a groan.
'Is that rash acting up again?'
My effort wasn't needed. A ventifio spotted us from behind and let out a blood-curdling scream. Samuel and I jumped back at the horrendous sound. It was more deafening than a gunshot.
The reason for the scream being so loud was because the ventifio who made it was the size of a sumo wrestler, unlike the one Samuel fought earlier that resembled a twig.
"I think that ventifio wants you, Matthew." Samuel gulped. I looked at him incredulously. The captain sighed and readied his red button to summon his soul protector.
I stopped him before he could do what he was gonna do. He turned to me, confusion written across his face. The ventifio in front of us howled and dashed towards us, all six of its hands had sharp claws coming out of it. Out of panic, I fumbled with my gun to draw it out of its holster. I wasn't thinking - I didn't even aim properly. I just pointed the gun at the ventifio and pulled the trigger.
Luckily, it hit the ventifio on its chest area. The ventifio wavered unsteadily. I looked back at Samuel and he had the same expression as me - mouth agape with a smile and eyes wide open.
'I can't believe I just did that! So much for using it only to escape.'
Having no time to be impressed by my actions since the effect wouldn't last long, I pulled my button off my sleeve.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. I looked at the wobbling creature.
'Now, Matt!'
My entire body felt warm - it wasn't painful, rather, it was relaxing and comforting. Then it was followed by a slight prick in my heart. I tossed the button up. I let out a cry as my soul protector emerged from the red button.
Not wasting any time, my soul protector bolted for the creature. The shadow figure moved with such speed, it left a trail of golden glow behind. Matt knocked the ventifio off its feet and the creature was sent flying. The ventifio slammed on a tree. Now, the tree was the one who got knocked off its roots.
Sharp pain exploded in my head. My hand flew up to my forehead at the sudden feeling.
Matt, who was quick enough to attack again, grabbed the ventifio from its feet. The terrifying creature wasn't having any more of it though. Once Matt took ahold of the ventifio's feet, the creature suddenly jerked forward, kicking Matt away from it.
As if I was feeling the pain my soul protector felt, I doubled over and clutched my stomach, having the air momentarily kicked out of me. I took deep breaths to endure the ache.
Matt rolled over and got up from the ground before the ventifio could pin it down. Since the ventifio was already on the ground, and its attempt failed in trapping Matt down, the soul protector grabbed the creature by all six of its hands and pulled them off.
My hand covered my mouth as I watched how brutal my soul protector was with the ventifio, also because I felt sick.
"Damn, how violent." Samuel sucked in a breath. "But it's their job, I guess." Droplets of blood spattered on the ground near my feet. Even though it was in front of me, I knew the blood didn't belong to me.
I stared in horror as the ventifio writhed in pain on the ground, screaming and flopping around. My soul protector just stood in its place, watching its enemy suffer. After a few minutes of agony, the ventifio stopped moving.
I looked at Matt. The soul protector didn't feel any remorse. Instead, I got the feeling he was proud. After eliminating the threat, Matt went back to being a red button. I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over me. I leaned onto a nearby tree for support. I inhaled and exhaled, struggling to catch my breath and to stay awake. The world around me seemed to spin.
I remembered the words of the principal.
'When you're close to the other elites, your resistance to fatigue increases.'
Samuel was here with me, and yet it was so hard already to keep my eyes open already. Is this what I was lacking? The ability to resist fatigue? I turned towards Samuel to see him in good condition, not like earlier where he looked like he couldn't breathe.
'That was fast.'
Even a minute had passed, I still felt tired. Samuel went over to me and helped me straighten my posture. "I told you to skip for today," He frowned. "But you didn't listen."
"I'm fine, Samuel." I told him. "It's just the first time that I've fought seriously."
"Let me guess, you wanna keep going?"
"Yes."
Samuel produced a sound like a frustrated tractor. He picked up my red button for me. "Stay close. You don't want to be ambushed by a ventifio."
It was too late. We weren't exactly ambushed, but we were surrounded. Around 6 or 7 ventifios ganged up on us, growling and roaring in a sinister manner. Their razor-sharp teeth gleamed despite the place being so dark.
I kept turning around and around just in case a ventifio decided to pounce on us. My heart was beating fast in my chest. I had never felt so scared and nervous in my life. Death stood so near us, just waiting for the creatures to do their job.
Samuel cursed. He shoved me my red button and threw his own up in the air. Samuel's soul protector shielded both me and its master.
"Rio, call for back-up!" Samuel ordered. 'Rio', also known as Samuel's soul protector, raised both of its hands. Then, it brought its hands forcefully on the ground. It created a small and short earthquake.
'Is this how to call for reinforcements?'
The ventifios were pushed back a little, but its plan to annihilate us remained. They were less than 6 feet apart from us when a soul protector, that wasn't ours, came out of nowhere. The dark figure had an outline of hair that stopped at its waist, it's eyes glowed an ocean blue. The soul protector kicked a ventifio out of the way and captured the other ventifios attention.
"Brother!" A voice boomed from behind us. Samantha stood there, gasping for air and sweat slid down her forehead.
"We're here!" Another voice said. It was Ashley. Behind the black-haired girl were the other elites. They all summoned their soul protectors. Seeing all of their eyes shine white simultaneously was both startling and fascinating.
Wanting to join them, I also summoned my soul protector. Matt and Ashley's soul protector golden eyes stood out from the crowd. Ashley's soul protector stood beside Matt. Just two of the gold-eyed soul protectors standing so close to each other was enough to make the creatures hesitate and the other elites to gawk at it.
A few minutes of silence passed. None of the soul protectors nor ventifios attacked first. They all just stood there, staring at one another. Then, a ventifio who was brave enough to lead its friends roared and dashed towards the soul protectors. What happened next was a complete bloodbath.
Ventifios clawed against soul protectors. Some shadow figures flew in the air and met the ventifios on the ground. A ventifio was kicked backward. The other elites' faces were scrunched up due to pain. Red liquid - blood - was everywhere. Blue, green, purple, and a hint of gold were the only colors in this dull and lifeless place.
I couldn't properly focus on what was unfolding. Headaches, chest pains, stomach aches, and all kinds of pain overcame me. I couldn't take it anymore and screamed. It was all too much. I could have handled a headache or chest pain, but to feel it all over my body got me kneeling on the ground.
The 6 or 7 ventifios never seemed to lose, as soul protectors still fought with all their might. Other elites either knelt with me or leaned onto a tree. Samuel was the only one standing. But his furrowed brows and gritted teeth told me he was also enduring the pain.
I could see why he was a captain. Not only was he strong and smart, but he wasn't like the others. He didn't want to show any weakness in front of his fellow elites. He wanted to show that he was capable of being a captain. Even though it was okay to scream and kneel on the ground, he didn't want to. Instead, he showed that pain wasn't something to make us kneel. I didn't know what others think of him, but he earned my admiration and respect.
He had something that I didn't have - pride and honor. He was a level below me, yet here I was screaming and kneeling. I didn't want to lose to him. I wanted to show him I was capable too.
To do that, I need to pass through this burning sensation of pain inside my body. Ignoring the screams of the other elites, I put a hand on the ground.
'Slowly, Matthew.'
I raised a knee.
'You got it.'
I raised another one. Now, I was crouching down with my knees bent. A sudden wave of pain hit me. I gritted my teeth.
'Don't back down.'
I balled my hands into fists. I grabbed Samuel's shoulder for support. He whipped his head and looked down, shocked that he saw me attempting to stand. He smirked.
'He still has the mind and energy to do that? '
"What are you doing, Matthew? Need help?"
I glared daggers at him. "Shut up, captain. I got this."
He chuckled but got cut off as he winced and clutched his chest. "Rio, won't you slow down?"
No one spoke back to him, but his expression showed relief. "Thank you."
Samuel helped me stand up properly by pulling my arm up. "Rio said-" He groaned in pain. "-That there are only three ventifios left."
I looked at the bloody scene. Multiple ventifios laid on the ground, their eyes no longer glowing crimson. As if replacing that glow, a darker shade of red pooled underneath them, staining the dirty ground. I felt like I was going to faint again.
All of our soul protectors were chasing the remaining three ventifios. We didn't follow them, we were all tired to.
'Hey, Matt. Can you take it easy? I don't think you need to go all out right now. There are only a few of them left.'
A̶s̶ y̶o̶u̶ w̶i̶s̶h̶, m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶.
Then, with one last wave of excruciating pain, the underworld seemed peaceful. How ironic, given that multiple strange creatures just caused chaos a moment ago. We traced the steps where our soul protectors were, and there we found several red buttons laying on the ground. They finished their jobs.
I picked one up and attached it to my sleeve. I let out a tired sigh, a headache still lingered, though it was faint. Sleepiness came and almost took me away, but I fought it off.
"That was... Intense." Ashley commented, taking deep breaths. "I think we can call it a day."
The other elites nodded, agreeing with her. They looked at Samuel, their captain.
"Yeah, let's go back."
They summoned their soul protectors. Then, the shadow figures carried their masters and jumped disbelievingly high in the air. A purple portal appeared from above, where they were all sucked in.
'Oh, so that's how they go back.'
I summoned Matt as well. Again, he carried me like a sack of potatoes on his shoulder. A surprised yelp escaped my mouth as my soul protector decided it was his turn to jump. It was weird jumping so far up from the ground. What an experience today has been.
I was jerked forward by a sudden force. The next thing I knew, I was standing by the school gates, my red button sitting on my shoulder.
I looked over to my fellow elites to see that they were about to drop dead.
"Good to see you are all okay." The principal clapped. "All of you did a good job. Get some rest."
The elites went inside the limousine followed by the principal. It was only me who was standing at the school gates.
I was dozing off, lost in my mind. I didn't know what and how to feel. There was one thing that I know though - I felt alive. Sure, it was dangerous and nerve-racking, but it made me feel things I never felt before. All sorts of emotions - both negative and positive - overwhelmed me, making me more tired.
I put a hand on my chest, only to feel I had forgotten my scarf back in the elite building.
Oh, shoot!
I looked for the principal and asked for permission to go inside the elite building.
"You can go, but hurry back. The others seemed tired."
I nodded and sprinted to the elite building. As I ran, I realized something.
'Is my stamina not enough? I built it up for seven years, yet I seem to easily get tired whenever summoning Matt.'
I plucked my red button off my sleeve when the elite building came to view. I put the round object on the scanner and said the password. I climbed the stairs and saw my black and yellow scarf sitting on a table on the third floor. Doing what I came here for, I picked the scarf up and exited the building. When I arrived outside, I couldn't help but got a glimpse of a quick movement from the corner of my eyes. I turned towards the direction of the mysterious movement, only to find nothing.
'Guess I'm that tired, to the point I'm seeing things.'
Wrapping my scarf around my neck, I rushed back to the school gates. Unbeknownst to me, a silhouette of a person watched me from a distance. Her brown eyes glinted with wickedness, before changing into a crimson color.