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Day 20 (Duel): Don't Blink

Silver climbed up the signage on the side of the building, quietly skirting past a security drone floating lazily through the air, its blue lens like a large eye watching over the city. He crept along the rooftop, sliding up against the ledge so it covered him, trembling with the effort of keeping silent as he exhaled.

I won't go back.

The young fighter surveyed the area below, panting and catching his breath. The elevator was about a malm away, its massive expanse glowing various pinks and blues that lit up and shifted as the cars came and went. It was like the beating heart of Everkeep; allowing access to any of the myriad districts and of course…the outside. And right now it was covered in people coming home from their jobs. The walk leading up to it was full of hundreds heading to and fro as they went about their business. Drones flew overhead, carefully watching and surveying the crowd; their telltale whirr making them easy for Silver to spot.

He slid down the side of the overhang, defeated. He coughed, his throat burning. His regulator continued its high-pitched whine and he was deeply grateful he wasn't within earshot of anyone who might be able to hear it. Up here on the rooftop he was relatively safe.

He shivered, curling up under the ledge. He was always tired. No amount of rest seemed able to restore his energy, and everything was sore. I'm pushing it too hard, he thought. Feral souls were a drain on the user, and he was obviously experiencing some payback for abusing his. He coughed again. His regulator continued to whine.

Is Minimas right? he wondered briefly. His compulsion to want to head this way had started to seem strange after their argument, even for him. It was like an all-consuming thought echoing in his head on repeat. The elevator. Get to the elevator. Head outside. Down the ravine. At the bottom of the ravine. He recalled how the lalafell had been so quick to insult him simply because he didn't understand. How he'd immediately undermined his thoughts just because he didn't agree with them. No. I can't trust anyone. That's always how it is. I shouldn't try. He stared at the people down below, another cough choking its way out of his mouth as he desperately tried to stifle the noise, his chest burning.

I'll sleep a bit and wait for nighttime. Less people will be around. But between the cough and the chill, he knew it would not be a restful wait until nightfall.

~~~

“I'm matched up with Silver tonight.” Minimas was sitting on his bed, staring out the window at the bustling morning commute and absentmindedly petting a fluffy white kitten. “Kind've ironic, isn't it? At least it's not an exhibition match I guess.” He looked down at the plush scrap of fur and his expression softened. He'd called her Nivea. Likely abandoned on the streets near True Vue because of her deafness; adventurers pouring in from the outside to buy and sell their goods in a new market not wanting anything to do with a defective product. She had wandered, dirty and hungry until he'd taken her in. Minimas ran his fingers over her soft ears as she made a loud, cooing purr.

Aside from Nivea's vocalizations, the room was fairly quiet. In the corner of the living area he had a record spinning idly; its music long over and waiting for him to pick up the needle. Nivea's water fountain trickled near the catsfoot plant he'd bought that she would occasionally daintily chew as if she were royalty. His dirty clothes lay scattered around haphazardly on the bathroom floor, and beside him on the bed was a fresh swatch of bandages. His gaze wandered outside the window as the kitten continued to loudly purr next to him, her big blue eyes closed with contentment.

Minimas sighed heavily, looking tiredly at his arm and beginning to wrap it back up. He had gotten home at some point the previous night and sleep had all but eluded him. It might be time to grab a bite to eat…

There was a gentle knock on the door, and without turning around Minimas called, “Come in.”

The sound of a woman's voice resounded through the entryway. “I came to speak with Minimas?”

“Who…?” he turned towards the door puzzled, not recognizing his guest.

The lalafellin woman wore a yellow jacket, her brown hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her blue eyes were warm as she said simply, “My name is Krile. I wanted to speak with you before your match later.”

“Look, if you're a fan or something - which I seriously doubt - I'm really not interested in a chat. It was a long night and I'm pretty tired, so do you mind just waiting until afterwards?” Minimas lay down on his bed with a grunt, falling into it and facing the dark tiled ceiling, his arms stretched out to both sides.

“I do,” came the answer from the doorway, still polite. “I would speak with you now.”

Minimas sat up again, scowling. Nivea hopped off the bed and wandered over to Krile, her big blue eyes blinking as she chirped loudly. She rubbed against Krile's leg, who reached down to pet her. Her purr sounded like the drone of a hoverbike - the girl couldn't possibly be more oblivious to noise. Minimas groaned, putting his head in his hands and mumbling through them, “Ok what's it about?”

“Silver.”

Minimas snapped his head up, leaning backwards. “You're with them, aren't you?” His body language was immediately defensive, his hand poised over his regulator.

Krile waved her arms, “Calm down, I don't mean you any harm. I don't know if you mean ‘them’ as in my colleagues, but we have some questions we'd like to ask you before the two of you fight today.” Her voice was measured and relaxing. Minimas lowered his hand.

“Your colleagues attacked him,” the fighter growled. “Why?”

“If it makes you feel any better, Y'shtola was attempting to capture him without violence.” Krile pointed her finger to enunciate her position. “She used a sleeping spell.”

“Well, I don't know how I could possibly help you. He's not coming back. He wanted to quit. I doubt he'll even come to the match today, he's probably long gone.” Minimas was surprised by how much disappointment he felt as the repeated rebuttals poured from his mouth. He swallowed the words bitterly.

“He came back this morning.”

“…What?”

Krile nodded, her expression serious. “He will be there. But we need to talk to you about what you know.”

“He never told me anything,” Minimas murmured, looking down at the bed.

Krile seemed empathetic. “He probably doesn't understand anything either, if I had to guess,” she ventured, her words careful.

Minimas looked at her as she continued standing in the doorway. She seemed genuinely concerned, and her words echoed what Silver himself had expressed. His own words: “I don't know,” as he'd stared at the sheer drop below, his eyes distant and sad. The words rattled in Minimas’ head as he wondered what he was thinking back then. His bizarre fixation on such a simple task as heading outside. Why would someone who doesn't know anything feel compelled to go anywhere?

Minimas sighed. “I may know a thing or two you don't. If you could…find a way to help him…” he trailed off.

Krile looked just as sad as he felt. “I don't know, but we'd like to try.”

Minimas nodded. “I'll go with you.”

Silver's jaws snapped just shy of Minimas’ wing as he leapt up in the air, snarling. He fell to the ground far below, tumbling into the dust, the battlefield modeled after the mountainous desert outside. Minimas hovered high above the jutting spires of stone as he looked between them. So many places to hide - so many shadows. The arena was definitely better-suited towards his opponent, and as he watched from above: Silver disappeared between the stones, melting into the darkness.

“We watched him on one of the drones,” Alphinaud said, clicking a remote to a single screen. “We had to stay fairly far away. He seemed good at hearing them.”

Silver's howl echoed between the spires, scrambling Minimas’ ability to accurately locate him. Both fighters had incredible hearing, though Minimas prided himself in being better. The false moon of the hologram was full and bright, and a breeze kicked up sand from below. Minimas darted between the stones, hiding himself in the shadows. As an opponent, Silver Bullet got his name from the speed of his attacks and his characteristic silvery coat of fur. He could manipulate shadows, but aside from his natural power and agility he lacked any other magical abilities. So long as Minimas was within a shadow and not the light, another shadow could not touch him. Another howl resounded mournfully into the night scene.

“He seems really sick,” Minimas murmured, watching him slink to the elevator, coughing. The sound was tinny from the distance but Minimas could pick out his gasping breaths as he leaned against the wall a few dozen yalms away. “His regulator was going crazy but it didn't seem that bad when I was with him. When was this?”

“Only a few hours after you split up,” Krile responded. “He seemed to get worse the longer we followed him. I'm not sure I understand it, either.”

Not a trace of any sort've sickness remained as Silver jumped at Minimas again from the darkness, his massive claws scraping off the stone as he leapt off. Easily dodged again. Minimas flapped his wings to the side, pivoting through the air as his pursuer's jaws snapped closed on empty air and he tumbled down below once again. Minimas thought he spied a flash of red in the dark of Silver's fur, and his opponent seemed as healthy and strong as ever. He needed to be cautious. Stall for time.

“Did you follow him into the elevator?” Minimas asked as Silver vanished into the doorway.

“No, we couldn't risk getting the drone that close. Nor could we get into the system quick enough to follow him from within. The security is much tighter,” Shale piped in from her seat across the room. She seemed frustrated, sighing heavily.

The screen went dark as Y'shtola turned off the monitor. “Before we continue to share with you, you need to share with us,” she insisted, her voice stern. “Did he tell you anything? Anything at all?”

“Just that he doesn't seem to know anything,” Minimas replied, looking down. “I thought maybe he was just…lying? That he just didn't want to let me in on whatever he was doing.” His eyes met Y'shtola's, their pale stare seemingly looking straight into him. “I know he wasn't. I knew then, too. I'm sorry I left him, I was just…I was so frustrated. I just wanted…I don't know. I wanted to know more about him.” Minimas felt his throat tighten as he thought about what he'd said in response to Silver's confusion. The hurtful words had been so easy to reach for. So comfortable.

Alphinaud placed a hand on his shoulder. “Honestly I completely understand your curiosity,” he said with a faint smile. “He's very easy to want to befriend.”

“What happened to you!?” Minimas yelled into the darkness. Silver didn't respond as he hid from his opponent, likely trying to plan out his next attack more carefully. “Why would you come back!?” Minimas flew around the spires, careful to stick to the shadows. The moon shone down from above, painting the stones in soft white hues and harsh blacks. “This isn't what you wanted, right? What happened to wanting to see more of the world?”

Silver did not respond nor give away his position. Minimas continued swerving between the stones, desperately looking for clues to his presence. He spotted telltale clawmarks on a spire nearby, and tiny pebbles came rattling down the cliffside. Before he could get out of the way, Silver slammed into him from above, bringing both of them screaming to the canyon floor below. He used his full weight to slam Minimas to the ground as the smaller fighter gasped, the wind knocked out of him.

I need to take this seriously! His head spun as he tried to squirm out from underneath his opponent. Silver seemed much larger than previously somehow, his heavy frame crushing Minimas beneath him, facedown; his breath hot as he growled close to his opponent's ear.

“What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Minimas taunted, spitting out sand and recalling how much Silver hated his inability to speak in his transfigured form.

Silver reared back, clearly angry. He snapped at Minimas’ left wing, and this time he didn't miss on purpose. Biting down with such force that the other fighter thought he'd rip it off; Minimas screamed and the sonic blast sent stones and dust tumbling down from the spires above, some of them hitting Silver's back and forcing him to dodge away with a whimper. Minimas clambered onto his feet, knowing he was at a serious disadvantage fighting on the ground. The dust formed a smokescreen all around them and the loose stones peppered the arena floor with tiny shadows.

Well that's not good.

Minimas sat quietly, processing what they had told him. “So you're telling me he isn't…he's not the person I know at all? He's someone else?”

Alisaie chimed in for the first time. She had been quietly standing off to the side after her introduction, watching Minimas with a look on her face he couldn't describe. “No. That's not true. He is who you think he is.”

“Alisaie…” Y'shtola seemed to be offering a warning. A halfhearted one, anyway. Her eyes were downcast.

“No, I won't pretend like it isn't true just to make this easier for us!” She seemed furious, her blue eyes sparkling with anger and withheld tears. She turned to Minimas, “He's a person to you, right? A real person you know. Someone you care about.” Her words hit like hammer strokes, as if she needed to say them as fast and hard as possible.

“I…yeah,” Minimas admitted quietly, withering under her stare.

“We can't just take something because we think it belongs to us!” Alisaie rounded on the others, her voice quivering slightly. “It's…it's his soul. He can't exist without it.” She seemed to genuinely not know where she wanted to go. As if it was a thought without a resolution. The others seemed subdued, unsure of how to respond.

“This person you're all missing…he means a lot to you, doesn't he?” Minimas asked quietly.

Alphinaud nodded. “We've been looking for him. But if his life comes at the cost of your friend's…I don't think it's a fair bargain, either.” He looked down at the floor. “Silver deserves to be allowed to live. He seemed like his own person with his own thoughts and feelings when we spoke. But…I don't know how we can have both.”

“We cannot,” Y'shtola said bluntly. “We're going to need to make a choice.”

Minimas opened his mouth to protest but closed it again. He knew he was completely outvoted in this regard. The only one who might vouch for Silver's existence over his other self.

“However…” Y'shtola continued, her index finger hooked under her chin in thought, “We don't even know if Chiteni is still alive, at present. What sort've circumstances spawned this scenario - and to whom we might hold responsible for it…We are still too much in the dark. We do not have all the pieces to this puzzle.”

Krile looked at Minimas thoughtfully. “Your match with him today…do you think you could speak with him?”

Minimas shook his head. “He can't speak while transfigured. I could try but I wouldn't be able to understand his responses unless I'm going for a one-sided conversation.”

“Why don't we split our attentions, then?” Krile suggested helpfully. “I will go with Minimas to the match. The three of you can try to retrace Silver's steps. Something happened on the other side of the elevator to change his mind somehow. We'd do well to uncover what it was.”

Silver came leaping out of the cloud and Minimas jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being body-slammed. The lugarhoo's claws scraped against the surface with a screech as he ground to a halt, spinning around for another pass. Minimas braced himself to dodge at the last second again, watching his opponent through the murky air. Silver's lavender eyes gleamed, his silver and violet fur now trimmed with wisps of red. He let out a guttural bark as he charged, tail lashing, claws clicking along the stone.

Just before Silver leapt, Minimas began to dodge to the side again. Something caught his leg, sending sharp pain through his calf. He glared downward at a tiny, wolf-like shadow trying to hold him in place. Realizing he'd been tricked into the light, he turned to take the hit head-on, holding his clawed arms to his sides and flattening his ears. He screeched, sending a blast towards Silver and cutting through the dusty air like a pressurized cannon. The larger fighter dodged to the side, coming to a halt as he frantically pawed his ears.

“Why aren't you listening to me!?” Minimas shouted angrily. “I'm sorry! About what I said! I should've gone with you.” His whip-like tail lashed through the air, turning the little shadow wolf into dark mist with ease. Now freed, he approached Silver where he stood; staring at Minimas, panting.

Silver seemed confused. His head cocked to the side quizzically as he breathed heavily, his large furry ears flopping with the motion. His fur began to relax slightly, and his posture softened. Minimas approached him, looking up at his friend. He was definitely larger and stronger, his legs longer and chest broader. “What happened to you?” Minimas asked, putting a clawed arm on his foreleg. Silver didn't react, only stared. As if he didn't understand the question.

Suddenly his regulator started to trill, red sparks issuing from it. He reeled back, letting out a guttural whine as he shied away, holding his head to the side and pawing at the device to no avail. He thrashed and spat, his mouth foaming; slamming his head into the nearest spire in a panicked motion.

“What's-” before Minimas could finish the thought, Silver whirled on him, eyes red and teeth gnashing. He bit and snapped like a wild animal, clawing and biting. Minimas deftly swung his tail like a whip, leaving red lashes all over the other fighter's face that trickled blood as he mindlessly pressed forward, seeming to ignore the pain. Saliva dripped from his slavering jaws as he growled, slamming into Minimas and sending him into the dust.

He got up with a grunt, wishing he could fly to maybe buy some more time. Silver eyed him from a few feet away, pacing like a predator stalking prey, his motions jerky and erratic. His regulator sizzled and crackled, sending red sparks into the dark. His tail lashed and he snarled, exposing his rows of sharp teeth, his red eyes glowing with somekind've madness. I don't think I can stall anymore, Minimas admitted to himself.

He whirled on Silver, shrieking; sending a sonic blast through the air. Silver dodged easily as dust once again exploded into the night scene, the shot striking a stone spire and sending more rocks and sand tumbling to the floor. Using it as cover, Minimas disappeared behind some stones, eyeing Silver's regulator. He rolled out of hiding and ran at the much larger fighter who was trying to clear debris from his eyes.

Grappling onto Silver's back with his tail and sinking his claws into his mane, he found a solid handhold. Silver rolled onto the ground, trying to crush him but Minimas simply jumped off, hopping back on as he tried to stand back up. He wrapped his tail around Silver's neck, forcing him to try and remove it from his windpipe while Minimas desperately clawed at his regulator, his tail squeezing tightly.

You're never going to let me win on my terms, he thought with a sad smile, slamming his clawed fist into the side of Silver's head. The regulator shattered, sparking. Pieces of electrope broke off and settled into the dust and Silver froze, his body jerking to the side as he collapsed. Minimas rolled away with a grunt as his friend changed back to his normal self, unconscious.

Nursing his wing, Minimas walked over and picked up the pieces of the device, staring at it. He looked back over towards his friend with a sigh and reached for his linkpearl.

“It's fine if he's not awake, right?”

Author's Note: These keep getting longer…I'd apologize but I'm not sure where to start and stop things organically otherwise. I HAVE to cut this one short here though because I have things to do. But!! I hope there are still plenty of questions you might have! I really have fallen in love with these characters, it's been wonderful getting to write them and see them evolve. Honestly I want to make sure the Scions in particular are characterized as accurately as possible: they're in a very difficult position and I spent some time wondering how they'd all react to it as individuals. So I hope I did them at least a little justice.

#ffxivwrite2024 #original character #silver bullet #jabberwocky #Minimas #ffxiv arcadion #day 20 #these keep getting longer #i had no idea theyd take up so much space on my phone #it is literally slowing down it's so full lmao

El CAV logra quince mínimas para los nacionales en Salamanca

Excelente debut en la temporada de los representantes del Club Atletismo Valladolid-UVA, en el control autonómico celebrado en la magnífica pista cubierta Carlos Gil Pérez, en Salamanca, donde lograban un total de quince marcas mínimas para los Campeonatos de España.

Sobresalieron los velocistas, en 60 estarán en el absoluto de Valencia David Sanz, con 6.94, Mónica Mendoza, 7.76, también mínima para el promesa de Salamanca, y Olga Macias, que con 7.79 tenía pasaporte para el juvenil de Antequera, donde le acompañarán Lucia Herrero, en 60, con 7.94,y los saltadores, de altura Sergio Sanabria, 1,84 y Laura Martín, l,61, y de pértiga, Héctor Martinez, on 4,25.

Para el Campeonato de España cadete, con sede en Sabadell, lograron el pase en 60 Haijun Nong, 7.61 y Sergio Rodríguez, 7.14, que también estará en 200, con 22.76.

En ese Campeonato de España promesa que se celebra en la pista cubierta de la Aldehuela estarán asimismo Mariana Montalvo, en 800, con 2.22.62, y en el júnior, en la nueva pista cubierta de Orense, estarán Guzman Caballero, con 4.07.65 en 1.500 y Alejandro Varas, en triple salto, 14,52.

Fuente: El Norte de Castilla

El CAV logra quince mínimas para los nacionales en Salamanca was originally published on Noticias

#logra #minimas #nacionales #quince #salamanca