By Mercury Miller

Chapter 2: The Struggle

2

Chapter 2: The Struggle
A device beeped on Nightshades Belt. He had to pick the
best hiding spot away from the citizens: In the library. He hid
behind the first bookshelf nearby, peering all around to make sure
he was alone and answered the device. It resembled a
communicator.
What is the meaning of calling me in the middle of a mission
Ritsuko? He pressed a couple buttons and a screen displayed the
other line, revealing a girl with light green hair to her shoulders
and bright yellow eyes. She felt sympathy for him.
Because Leader is very mad at you She replied. You
should have finished your mission days ago.
Nightshade gave Ritsuko a serious look.
I had to be properly equipped before I started this. Do you
know how hard it is to do this?
Do you realize youre talking to an eight year old? She
giggled. Nightshade didnt think it was funny.
Leader can be as mad as she wants but let her know, I will
finish my mission soon.
He turned off his communicator and grabbed a book from the
shelf called Our World and opened to a random page. He scanned
the entire book, looking for a diagram or any picture showing the
entire earth. He heard a loud nearby, decided to put the book in
his cloak, and escape. His right hand turned entirely black and he
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touched a poster of Uncle Sam on the wall. After a few seconds,
the poster slowly disappeared and a small gap formed in the wall.
Afterwards, his hand was flashing black and white.
I got to get rid of this matter. But I dont want to destroy
anything that will catch attention. Im just going to have to do find
something that isnt noticeable to destroy.
Suddenly, a man came up to him with an assault rifle in his
hands. He was ready to open fire but noticed Nightshade in the
building.
What are you doing in here? he shouted from a distance
said You know its dangerous out here! Go home to your parents!
I should have known someone would come here. Nightshade
thought in his mind. He carefully walked to the man putting his
hands up in the air, waiting for him to drop his guard. Hey, a
better question is, why are you here?
The man still held his gun against his chest and aimed at him
still. You dont seem very familiar, where did you come from?
I came fromuh Nightshade paused to think Gerrik City.
I shouldnt have stuttered; now he might be on to me. If that is
the case, I must destroy him.
I guess I just wanted to read. Nightshade stopped in front
of the man and gave a smile that asked Do you believe me? The
man ceased his aim and held his assault rifle in one hand.
Jeez you kids these daysAlright take this The man tossed
him a shotgun and about 50 shells. Nightshade caught them both.
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W-whats this for? Nightshade asked questionably.
Whatd ya mean whats it for? Were gonna kill that alien!
Oh okthanks. Fool.
Now lets go get im!
Yes sir! Nightshade said.
When the man led them to the outside, a big crowd of people
were waiting. This made Nightshade feel mischievous, but when he
saw them smile, he felt he had to smile back.
Sorry everyone, there was a kid stuck in the library. Hes a
little beat up, but hes here to help us kill that alien! Nightshade
tried to smile at them, but it would be hard when you had a gun in
your hand.
I want our world to be brought to justice! Chrome said.
The crowd started cheering and shouting louder than the cracks of
gunfire.
By the way kid, whats your name? The entire group was
curious to know as well. They all watched him in silence.
My names Seth. Im 16.
Great! Im the leader of the Bash Clan. And just call me
Chrome. Nightshade smiled and noticed the time. Then he looked
at it more closely and frowned. Damn it! Its Midnight! I dont
have time for this. I have to kill them now! Nightshade took out
Gekkou Kiba and sliced Chromes head off.
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Hey! What are you doing?! asked one member. Nightshades
eyes had a lust for blood. He laughed.
I want your blood! He killed the rest with a black explosion
with the matter he charged up. A white light blinded them and an
explosion followed. Rubble and debris fell from the sky. All the
bystanders focused their attention on Nightshade and started
shooting. As Nightshade made his escape, he was panting. He
tried to find another hiding spot.
He spotted bushes about ten feet away.
Once he climbed in the bushes, he tried his best not to move
or something would find him. He took out the book Our World
again and tried to read in the dark. Fortunately for Nightshade,
the book could glow in the dark. It was one of the few books in
the library that could. When he skimmed through it with his
finger, he noticed a picture of earth with the different layers.
He saw the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core.
So this planet has a fiery core He said to himself. Why
does she want this place? At that moment, he saw why.
He saw a list of materials and earths many resources such as
crude oil and diamonds. He couldnt find most of this anywhere
else. Then he knew how important his mission was. He smiled
greatly. Out of nowhere, his communicator rang.
When he answered, he found Ritsuko again.
Nightshade, its time to return. She said in a serious voice.
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But Im not done here yet! Why am I going back? He
yelled.
Listen, she said. As she began her next sentence,
Nightshade noticed three people coming his way. When they
started shooting, he quickly evaded.
You still have time to do whatever you want, but be prepared
to leave soon is what Im saying. Theyre leaders rules.
ok I get the message. He told her as he hung up. Im
not leaving without those riches. But the hard part is where do I
find it all? I need three diamonds and some fuel.
Nightshade hurried to the library again. He needed more
information. His arms swayed back when he ran. He jumped on a
building and kept running. The town was a lot quieter than before.
He didnt hear gunshots every second, but every minute. When he
reached the library, he stopped and looked in shock.
The giant building full of knowledge was on fire.
Nightshades shock turned into anger as his eyebrows lowered
and he made an unpleasant grin.
Damn it! He yelled as he turned and ran. He checked his
communicator for the time. Im gonna have to find the next
town.
It was 12:36 AM.
Nightshade thought he didnt have enough time. He put the
shotgun down, and then noticed something coming after him.
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Nightshade rolled off of the building and an explosion was made
behind him that blew up a tree, leaving the embers flying through
the air.
What was that? he said.
Another one fired as he side-stepped and blew up more parts
of the small forest. Then more bullets followed as he performed a
series of back flips.
Was that a missile?! He paused as he quickly sidled in a
narrow alley between two buildings. To the right of one building
was a burning forest that he didnt notice. He looked up to see if
they fired from the roof, but no one was there. Nightshade put
his sword in his mouth and pulled out two identical pistols from
both sides of his cloak. They were pitch black and took a very
strange shape. The bottom of them was curled and the other end
had spikes coming out. There was a part that could be pulled open
on the side to refill the bullets.
Suddenly, a bunch of shots fired into the building on the left
and made it collapse. Nightshade jumped out and looked around
him. He caught a glimpse of a shadow on his right, where the fire
was, and fired the gun in his left hand. A hissing bullet spun in
circles like a wild firecracker and exploded. The enemy shot
repetitive bullets from the sky into the ground. As Nightshade
evaded, one cut through his face. He saw the figure jump back on
the ground with their gun straight out about 20 feet away
straight. It made several shots as Nightshade charged, dodging
every one.
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Once he was close enough, Nightshade swung the sword in his
mouth cutting its chest doing damage. The enemy managed to
shoot Nightshade in the leg, making him get on one knee. However,
he didnt fall. As the enemy tried to get further distance by
running with their back to him, Nightshade took the gun in his right
hand and shot it in the back of its head. Instead of a spinning
bullet, a rainbow bullet leaving a trail of smoke, hit the back of
their head, curved and hit the chest, then curved and kept going
through the several other body parts in a very fast motion.
After the bullet made many holes in the body and ceased
when the body hit the ground, Nightshade walked over and smiled.
You were worth fighting. He said as he put the guns away
and put his sword back in his right hand. Looking closely at the
body, he noticed a necklace and a ring on the person. Both of
them contained a diamond about 12 carrots each. He smiled and
took the items from the person.
This will do. He said. Before walking away, Nightshade
took out a regular card with N on it. On the back of it was a
message that read:
Fear himor this will be you.
Nightshade remembered he put the shotgun down on the roof
and wanted to get it back, but he felt he didnt need any more
equipment.
The road was in an L formation and Nightshade headed
toward the city border. He ran foreword, hoping to find new
materials. Nightshades leg didnt stop him from moving, until he
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accidently stumbled. He realized, he had to get the bullet out of
his leg, so he took his sword and cut a hole big enough for him to
remove it. To stop the bleeding, he took out some bandages and
covered the wound the best he could. He also put some bandages
on his face.
Now they wont be able to find me because of my blood.
He said softly. I have to get better with my shooting.
Nightshade noticed he was leaving the borderline of New
Kielem and headed to Gerrik city. It had four times the population
of people in New Kielem. Nightshade was running in the middle of
the street scanning for buildings. Only this time, the buildings
were much bigger and there were more of them. Unlike New
Kielem, there werent a lot of grass spots and houses. There were
many companies and restaurants.
The closer Nightshade got to the city, the more gunfire.
They all missed him.
Are humans really this stupid?
Thats when he noticed a missile was heading straight toward
him. Instead of dodging, Nightshade cut it in half and the
explosion was in two. Nightshade used his sword to deflect a rifle
shot in the back of his head. A person tried to stab Nightshade in
the chest, when they thought he was most vulnerable, but he
grabbed the head of the person and stabbed them with Gekkou
Kiba straight through the heart. When the person stopped
struggling, Nightshade threw them to the side.
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Well, this crowd is dangerous. I like it. He said as he put
his sword over his shoulders.
Nightshade was hit by several bullets as a spotlight from a
helicopter shone on him. Nightshade was hit 4 times in the right
arm, 3 times in his right leg, and 6 times in his left leg. His legs
started to go numb. He needed his sword to keep him up. There
werent any places for him to hide. Also, the gunmen blocked
every exit. There were snipers on rooftops and others had AK-
47s and pistols.
Alien! A man with a megaphone spoke in the helicopter.
Weve blocked every exit for you! There is no escape!
Nightshade was panting as the spotlight was shining in his
face. He pulled out the gun on the right side of his cloak with his
undamaged hand and shot it at the spotlight. As it was shot, the
bullet made a loud crack and made several holes in the helicopter in
seconds. Then finally, it exploded. The pieces of the helicopter
flew in all directions killing some of the men. Others got killed by
the explosion. As the explosion created a distraction, Nightshade
looked for an alley to squeeze into.
As he found one, he limped as fast as he could before he was
spotted again. He was almost dragging his left leg. When he was
successfully hidden, he chanted the same spell and went into what
he called the first dimension. Nightshade sighed of relief and sat
against the wall. Just a quick rest then Im going back to the
hospital. He thought to himself.
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After ten minutes, he felt better until he had to walk. In
the time he was resting, he put more bandages on his wounds.
Most of them bled right through because they were too deep.
Each step felt like walking on needles to Nightshade.
Damn it. He thought to himself. I have to make sure I
dont go too far next time.
Nightshade had about another hour of walking before he
reached the hospital. The spell only made him invisible for a half
hour. It was 2:16 AM according to Nightshades communicator.
Nightshade ignored the stick figures that went past him each
minute. Then he spotted the sign he saw earlier that said:

Welcome to Gerrik City

The only thing Nightshade cared about at that point was to
make sure he didnt dawdle. The quicker he got to the hospital,
the more he could sleep the pain off.

Somewhere deep in outer space, a young woman sat in her
throne made of bones and skulls. Her left eye seemed to be
covered with a bone-like material as well. She had her hand on
her cheek and was bored. She yawned very quietly, and noticed
the door was opening slowly. Her eyes grew open in excitement,
although her expression stayed the same.
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It was Ritsuko the girl Nightshade communicated with.
They both smiled.
Nice of you to drop by Ritsuko. Tell me, why are you here?
Ritsuko felt worried for Nightshades sake. She planned to
ask her when he was coming back.
Leader, when is Nightshade coming back? She said as she
twiddled with her fingers.
Although the older woman wished she didnt ask. She sighed
of boredom again.
You didnt come here to talk about THAT did you?
She asked.
Y-yes She muttered. As the older woman grew furious,
Ritsuko tried to say something to make her feel better. But we
could talk about something else if you want!
Listen Ritsuko, Im Xela Queen of the universe. Xela said
with feeling and pride. Im a very busy person! I cant just
squeeze in one conversation when I feel like it!
But youre about to fall asleep on your throne Ritsuko
thought. Xela stuck her hand out and her index finger was
straight up.
Ill talk for one minute. She lowered her hand. Right now
Nightshade should be gathering the last bit of information before
we invade. You did contact him saying hes leaving soon?
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Y-yes your h-h-highness! L-l-like you said Ritsuko
stumbled with her words when talking to higher class people.
Good. Now go to bed!
Yes Leader! Ritsuko said as she bowed and closed the giant
door.
When the door was fully closed, Xela felt relaxed and bored
again.
He has a week to get back here. Or else, he will be
punished.

After a while, Nightshade saw the mysterious world fade
away. He began to see everything around him go hazy the closer
he got to reality. His hearing became louder and louder. When
reality hit him, he coughed up blood and fell to the floor. He
struggled to get back on his feet.
Damn it all. He said. I forgot the pain hurts more here
He used his sword as a guide to getting back up. Luckily,
nobody was around. In the distance, Nightshade could see the
hospital. The only problem was how does he get in without being
noticed? He couldnt use the spell until night came around again.
What am I going to do now? Im definitely going to be
spotted now. Even if I make it to the hospital, unless I can-
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Nightshade remembered something and smiled. He closed his
eyes and was in deep concentration. On his back, something
started growing.
They were wings.
Nightshades wings ripped through his cloak and sprouted. He
jumped high in the air and took flight in the sky. He was higher
than all of the skyscraper buildings. Regular guns couldnt reach
him, but a helicopter could. Five helicopters surrounded
Nightshade.
Damn it! Dont these guys ever quit?! Nightshade soared
underneath the helicopters and was now being chased. The
helicopters lined up in a horizontal formation and attempted to
shoot. Nightshade swerved and gained momentum. He reached for
his spiraling gun. Then, he flew down, went upwards with great
speed, and looked at the helicopters upside-down. He shot one of
them and watched it as it exploded. The one next to it got its
propelling blades stuck and exploded on the ground leaving three
helicopters. Nightshade turned and looked in front of him. He
couldnt enter the hospital until he was completely out of sight. He
tried to be as far away as he could, but close enough for him to
get in.
Those helicopters are a huge problem, and Im almost out of
bullets. Nightshade flew as high up in the air as he could. I only
have one choice He said with his eyes closed. Im going to
have to do that. The higher he went in the air, the colder he
felt. He felt his wings freezing. Its too hard to fly now. I
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better turn around. Nightshade faced the other way and dove
straight down at the helicopters that were still searching for him.
He put his arms in front of his face as he was about to collide with
the three helicopters. He was going so fast, he couldnt see
anyway.
This is it. I can feel it. I feel death coming, but at the
same time, I know I wont die. The coin of fate is flipped.
Nightshade shot through all of the helicopters in seconds
leaving nothing but explosions. Nightshade was glad innocent people
werent there because he didnt want to hear them scream for
once. Covered in blood, he tried to fly on top of a building.
I cant die here! I have to make it! He thought. His vision
was very blurry and he could only see out of one eye. Suddenly,
his wings stopped and he fell straight to the ground, leaving a hole.
Blood was covering his entire body. As he was lying on his right
side, he felt he couldnt move at all. He took one last look at his
surroundings and finally closed his eyes.
Right in front of his face was a man who put a gun straight to
Nightshades face. His forehead had a stream of blood on it and
looked at Nightshade with a straight face.
It looks like the end. He said. The world would finally be
at peace with you gone. Remember when youre in hell that the
man in the helicopter killed you. Then finally, a bullet was shot.
The man looked at his chest and saw the blood coming out.
Impossible! He said in shock. You shouldnt be able to
move!
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Nightshades hand was shaking with the gun. He raised his
head, and looked at him. I told the world I wasnt ready to die.
Nightshade smiled. When he saw the corpse fall right beside him,
he tried to get up himself.
Man, my body is really screwed. I really cant move at all.
Maybe I can fake my way to the hospital. Unfortunately, I cant
change the way I look, but its the only way.
Nightshade used his right leg to push off and he began to
move like a worm.
This is so embarrassing. He thought. Nightshade managed
to get a glance of the sky, only to see it was still dark. When he
thought it was still around 2:50 AM, he realized it was 4:10 AM.
He couldnt make it to the hospital by himself. Someone had to
carry him. He couldnt rely on other people to help him unless his
life depended on him. Thats when he saw a woman on the other
side of the street. It was a police officer, but Nightshade
couldnt tell. He heard her coming to him, making him rush.
Nightshade did his best to hide his wings. When her footsteps
stopped, she started speaking to him. He couldnt hear her
clearly, but he heard her talking about his family.
Im sorry lady but I thought I could go see my brother at
the hospital. He said in a raspy voice. He was still trying to move
away from her, but she still wanted to help.
Youre in terrible shape yourself! YOU should be getting
treated! Look, dont move. Ill get help.
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Noplease carry me He paused and coughed up blood. Id
feel better. Plus its not that far away.
Okbut dont complain if it hurts. She examined his body
first looking for a damaged neck or back. When she examined his
back, she noticed the two holes in his cloak. She thought he
sprouted wings at first, but then thought she was crazy. Finally,
after a quick body search, she picked him up and carried him like a
baby.
Hmmthis is comfortable. Nightshade said. The woman just
stared at him.
By the way, Im Candice. She said. Whats your name?
Seth Edahs. He said as he went to sleep.