ETON

Chapter 4.

"A long story short mankind was under attack by monsters named Grimm, mankind was at a disadvantage, they found this thing called dust, dust was used to fight back and so on, got it?"

"I already know about Grimm." I replied harshly, "But that doesn't answer my question, what's dust?" I looked up at him annoyed.

"Power. Magic, that sort of thing. Listen tomorrow we're going to start the journey up the mountain, that's where the dragon lives."

"A dragon, really." I questioned him, knowing full well there couldn't be a dragon in the cave.

"A Grimm to be more precise."

"Oh,right. Well I could just stab it in the neck and cut out it's heart. Then we could make the trade and then you could point me in the direction of home and then I won't have to talk to you ever again. " I smiled at the thought of losing him, although I wasn't quite sure how tough the Grimm would be.

"Let's just say if you come out alive, you won't be going home."

"That wasn't a part of the deal!" I stood up hurriedly and he followed in suit.

"It is now. Do you want this back or not?" He waved my hairpin backwards and forwards in front of my face. I extended my arm out to grab it back, but he sensed my movement and had already moved meters away from me. "I don't like it when I have to repeat myself. Do you want this back, or not." he repeated louder. 'What kind of question is that, I wouldn't be here otherwise.'

I thought back to the day in the forest, the scenery is nothing like the vast open field we're currently standing in, but maybe if I can just focus on his pattern. It's a three step pattern. Back in the forest while I was taking one step to get to him he took three steps to avoid me. "How are you so fast?" I called over to him, testing my one step, three step theory.

"Practise"

"I've been running for a very long time, how could you possibly have had more practise then me." I spat back at him.

One. One, two, three.

"You, what a joke, you look like you wouldn't even know what blood is."

One, two. One two three, four five six. Interesting, it really is the speed, but how.

"Once again, how are you so fast." I tired to repeat the pattern, but with my one step forward he manged to take what seemed like six steps around me and was now by my side, but out of view slightly. I turned to look at him, but a sharp pain in my check prevented me from turning my head fully. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him pull Laae away from me and swing her around like she was just a stick.

"Nice weapon you got here, how'd you get it."

Images blinked through my vision and sounds pierced through my ears. Images of blood, people crying, running, the sounds of shouting, sobbing.

"Laae Is not for your personal use, now I suggest you give her back!" I tried to reply calmly although my voice changed pitch near the end.

"Laae, her?" He laughed as if I was mad for giving her gender pronouns as he stabbed her into the ground. "You shouldn't avoid questions it'll just get people mad, how can a little girl like you carry something like this around anyway?"

"Eden, take Laae and run, don't look back just run!" Not only sounds and images but a voice this time.

"You're looking awfully pale, maybe you should just give up on getting... Laae back and just."

"Stop with the questions, stop with the games, just give her back!" I shouted, interrupting him.

I lunged forward, shoulders back, head down. I was going for a faster approach. One, two, three. One.

"This is new." He chuckled to himself before blocking my incoming attack to his neck.

Hit, dodge, block, hit. It seems we're evenly matched in hand to hand combat. If I can just reach Laae. 

"Will you just give up, go home to your mum and cry already." After hitting him three times in his elbow joint  I dodged his attack as well as angering him further. The more I can anger him, the riskier his actions will become. "Look kid, this isn't just a game, this is the real world!" He reached for Laae and pulled her out of the ground, twirled her around his head and lunged forward at me. Shoulders back and head low. I dodged, sliding under his legs and standing back up.

"Just a game?" As he spun around to view me I placed my hand upon Laae and rolled back, ripping her from his grasp. A sigh of relief left my mouth as I felt her safely back in my hands.

"What game, I already know this is the real world!" I charged at him focusing on my movements and my surrounding. I took six steps towards, keeping low and out of the way for any sneak attacks, with him a meter away I spun Laae around extending her length. I swiped twice at his chest, dodged one of his incoming attacks and quickly spinning around to face his back, with Laae still in hand I lashed at his back.

"You bitch!" He was no longer joking around, he reached towards his shoe and grabbed a handgun out of his ankle holster, that I was previously oblivious to.

"I didn't even know you had a gun." I stated plainly standing up straight and resting for a brief moment.

"Not just any gun, one that uses dust and seeing as you know nothing about dust I'm at an advantage." He smirked at me, before shooting right beside my foot. I looked at the spike of ice beside me, confused. 'How did it materialize from a bullet to an icicle?' "Do you surrender yet?"

My grip on Laae tightened as I sprinted towards him. I was too slow and one of his bullets hit me in the leg, I looked down to the icicle, Laae changed length in my hand, shortening to her former arrow self and I quickly began to brake the ice. Now all that was left was a slither of ice covering a gash in my thigh. I charge forward at him again changing Laae back, this time finding angles to attack from, a bullet raced past my head as I dodged to the side.

"I don't see why I should surrender, but maybe you should shoot your back before you bleed to death. " As I said that another bullet hit me, this time hitting me on the arm that was carrying Laae. I broke the icicle off by hand and ignored the giant cut that remanded. "Maybe you should use something stronger"

I watched as he took out another gun, now duel wielding. I started sprinting towards him again dodging his ice bullets. 'Huh that's ..odd.' I looked down to my hip and my eyes widened.

"There's more than one kind of dust, smart ass!" My dress was singed around the area of impact, now there was a whole in my dress and my chest, fulled with blood and burnt skin. I looked back up to him and glared, I got up, slowly and sprinted towards him again, dodging every bullet in my direction. The pain in my side was now intensifying with every move forward.

One, two, three, four, five, six. One. Now directly in front of him I turned Laae around so that the side with the wings was behind me, I took one step forward and pierced him, nowhere it would be fatal, but enough to hurt. I pulled Laae out, at the same time as receiving and ice bullet to my previous burn wound, spreading chills through tut my torso before another burning sensation started up. I watched as he collapsed to the ground, I grabbed his ice gun off the ground and shot his wounds, none of them were fatal enough to kill him, but blood lose might.

I clutched my wound and watched as and my hand started to slowly freeze, my own blood dribbling through my fingers onto what was previously a luscious green field, now with blood spots, icicles and singed grass.

"I never surrender." I whispered as I fell to the ground.