Manifest

by Cody Whitfill

  YOU HAVE SUFFERED 9 PROJECTILE DAMAGE!

  YOU HAVE SUFFERED 12 PROJECTILE DAMAGE!

  A little anticlimactic, he thought, but sure wasn’t complaining. His transformation must have given him an increased armor rating! He tried flipping off the large imp in defiance, but he fell over once he raised his right leg. His new form had its perks, but being limber was certainly not one of them.

  He picked himself up in time to see the lone imp make another pass at him. The other was nowhere in sight. The imp wasn’t holding a ball this time, just the two wicked looking daggers coated in green poison. Gitch came to the intelligent conclusion that he would not want to be struck by either weapon, let alone both.

  The imp was dipping and dodging at random to avoid being hit with Gitch’s toad acid. Unfortunately, it was really effective. He kept trying to spit at the flying imp, but it wasn’t like he had ever practiced this before.

  He kept drawing closer, but Gitch just couldn’t land a hit. He had just hopped over a particularly large fallen log when an idea struck. He may no longer have wings, but he did have a new set of powerful legs! He bent low, and with amphibious strength, launched into the air. He cleared 20 feet without breaking a sweat!

  His ascent was exhilarating, but he had very little control over his speed or direction. He tried paddling towards the surprised imp, but didn’t really get too far. He shot a glob of spit at his foe, who subsequently dodged and rushed him. Gitch was still rising and soon lost sight of the imp as he passed into the canopy of a nearby birch.

  He knew even now the imp must be preparing to deliver the slash of death. He closed his eyes, waiting for the splitting of flesh and nasty poison flooding his veins, but it never came. Instead, he felt a new sensation, one he was all too familiar with. He began to fall.

  As quickly as Gitch shot into the air, his decent was even faster. He fell back down to the forest floor in half an instant. Maybe quicker. The landing didn’t hurt at all, in fact, it almost seemed natural. There was a strange feeling coming from his flank, though. He gave two small hops and turned to see what he had landed on.

  The imp looked like a fly under a swatter. His insides leaked out of his body, and his eyes had exploded from the pressure. Gitch saw an arm twitch and then lie still.

  You have slain level 5 Imp Scout

  Experience points received: 45 (35)

  Death by frog booty. This NPC deserved a Darwin Award. Gitch had to admit, it was awfully convenient, but he was now very much looking forward to giving his backside a nice wipe. He had chunky bits of imp clinging to his booty, but it could wait. There was still one more enemy to deal with. The imp leader still hovered over 40 feet in the air.

  He spat at the large imp, who didn’t even try to dodge. The acidic glob made it 30 feet before leveling out and falling back to the ground. It whistled through the air for a few seconds before exploding against the ground.

  It landed near his remaining allies, but thankfully all of those still alive were left unaffected. He knew he wasn’t going to try that attack again. The chance for friendly fire was too great. He would need to find another way, but he was running out of time. He checked his timer and saw just over three minutes remained. Whatever he was going to do, he needed to do it fast.

  The imp wagged his finger at Gitch, and began raining down fire ball after fire ball. His mana pool must have been immense, and the three second cooldown was just ridiculous! To make matters worse, the imps that had previously retreated were now back. Seeing their leader rain down death and destruction on the helpless foes had invigorated them to the point where they were now coming out of hiding. Besides the large imp, there were 10 more imps now surrounding and cheering him on.

  Alpha gave a soft whimper, which somehow gained the attention of Chitt. He left his game of chicken with Wasi and flew as fast as he could towards the fallen wolf. There were several imps chasing after him, but he outflew them all. He landed next to Alpha and laid both hands on her side. Gitch was some distance away, but he still saw a glow emanate from beneath Chitt’s hands as Alpha‘s wounds began to heal! Gitch was flooded with relief, she would live! He stood watching flesh magically sewn back together. It was fascinating. Alpha continued to whimper, but her voice seemed to grow stronger as time went on.

  A blast of heat suddenly hit his right side. He had been standing there for too long, and the large imp had tried to capitalize on his lack of awareness. Again. The imp’s poor aim had been his saving grace. Gitch still lost another 5% of his health, due to the area of effect damage, but it could have been much worse.

  He hopped away to dodge another attack. The huge imp sent a few more fire balls Gitch‘s way before switching back to target the grounded wolves and gnome.

  Gitch looked back, and what he saw made his blood freeze. He tried to croak out a warning, but it was too late. The imps that had been following Chitt had finally caught up to the yellow fairy. His scream ended in a gurgle as one of the imps tore open his throat. The scent of blood drove the imps into a new frenzy, and several more came to join the feast.

  Dwik bellowed his anger and slung a stone at the horde of imps surrounding the fallen Chitt. A few scattered, but most remained. Dwik reached for another stone, but his hand came away empty. He may be out of rocks, but he wasn’t going to give up on Chitt.

  He bull-rushed the dark pile. The imps all held daggers, and Dwik was severely outnumbered, but one look at the terrifying pink aberration was enough to send them all into a state of utter fear. The imps shrieked, and took off into the air. Dwik quickly searched the ground for the light-hearted fairy, but all he found was an arm and two wings. No other evidence of Chitt’s life, or death, remained.

  The imps had left Alpha alone, but the loss of Chitt was hard to bear. Unfortunately, there was no time for mourning. Not yet.

  Gitch hopped around in an effort to try and not get hit by fire. He wasn’t sure whether his time would expire, or the flock leader would run out of mana, but he had the inkling of a plan. He needed a distraction, but seemingly everyone was occupied with not dying. The surviving fairies were busy with the deadly imp warriors near the ground, and he knew Dwik was out of stone ammo. In fact, Dwik had pulled out his old hatchet and was swinging at any imp that came close to him or Alpha. The weapon’s edge must have been dull, as he was doing much more bashing than cleaving.

  Gitch began to despair, but Kraznik chose that moment to make his presence known.

  Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, Kraznik had slunk away from the battle. He slowly made his way up one of the tall trees, careful not to use his wings lest he draw undue attention to himself. Using his long talons, he climbed, and climbed, and then did some more climbing. His stamina bar was near zero by the time he made it to the leafy canopy, but at least he was hidden and could move about freely. He pulled some materials from his bag and began making one final bomb. This one was different than the ones he had made in the past. The battle had increased his skill level to five, and he found that he suddenly knew how to create time-released explosives! Well, kind of. It actually was more like dynamite, but he could adjust the length of the fuse as needed. His bombs had worked well for him in the past, but they all exploded on impact. This wasn’t practical for a target 40 feet away that could simply dodge. Even the explosive he had given Dwik had only worked due to the imps’ close proximity and Dwik’s excellent marksmanship. That wouldn’t work now. The imps were too high, and Dwik was occupied. No, what he needed now, was flak.

  He attached the fuse to the bomb, lit it with some flint, and let her fly. He silently prayed he had approximated the length of the fuse correctly. Explosives, he knew, were an exact science. Trial and error was not recommended, but there wasn’t exactly a manual he could consult. A fuse too short, and the explosive would either kill him, or give away his position. Too long, and he risked hitting his allies on the ground. They were jerks, but they were the only allies he had. They had bled together, and there was no coming back from that. Besides
, if he died, he sincerely hoped they would launch a rescue attempt for him. An imp could dream.

  Gitch was staring up at the raucous imps, who were busy laughing and jeering at their dancing prey on the ground below, which is how he saw the small object fall from the leafy canopy high above. He at first paid it no mind, thinking it was some nut or bit if bark that was knocked loose from the fighting. It was far away, but the more he stared, the more he came to understand that the thing was not of nature. A long tail trailed behind it, and the tip appeared to be flickering. A bomb? That was all he could think of. Nice one, Kraz!

  The explosive continued to fall, and the imps were blissfully unaware. The fuse continued to shrink and shrink, until the device itself detonated just a foot above the unsuspecting imps.

  The resulting explosion was massive. It hurt Gitch‘s eyes just looking at it, but he wouldn’t turn away; not until he knew for sure they were dead. He checked his timer. Less than 45 seconds remained before, well he didn’t really know. Probably something horrible and life altering. Having low luck sucked.

  The smoke began to clear, and he saw that many broken bodies were already falling to the ground! The day was…. Not quite won. Behind the smoke and falling bodies, one figure still remained. The large friggin imp was still flying. He looked battered, bruised, and douchey, but very much alive… and pissed.

  He saw the imp grab something out of his bag. Gitch could just make out a murky-brown vile. A health potion! If Gitch didn’t end the battle now, they were likely done for. Sergeant Pinaki must have thought the same thing, as he saw a magical green beam shoot into the air, but the imp simply dodged out of the way. The distance was too great, and they couldn’t leave their grounded companions to fend for themselves. Magic wasn’t the answer here, and they physically could not take him out. He was just too powerful. That left Gitch.

  “Not ttttttoday, junior!” he shouted. With his ginormous polliwog legs, he hopped into the air once again. This time there was no holding back. He soared passed his previous 20 feet mark and continued upward. The imp looked puzzled, but not particularly concerned. The health potion he had brought out was quickly put away so that he could cast his fire spell. A cone of fire issued forth from his hands, straight for a rising Gitch.

  He felt the flames wash over him, and saw his health plummet. He was down to 20% by the time he finally began to stall, roughly 35 feet into the air. The imp was only another five feet away but still out of reach of his short, flabby arms. He spat his acid twice, but couldn‘t land a hit. The stall had caused some serious vertigo, and his aim was shot.

  The imp must have realized he was in the clear. He waived farewell to the stubborn toad before bringing his hands together with a savage grin.

  He only had 25 seconds of toad-time left. Gitch could switch back to avoid being hit, but he had one more weapon at his disposal. A weapon that was fighting to be released. He opened his mouth and his tongue shot forward. It was three feet wide and easily stretched the distance to the surprised imp. There were hundreds of miniature puckers on its surface, much like an octopus‘ leg. Or arm. He really had no idea which it was. Regardless, the tongue gripped the imp leader and retracted back inside his mouth like one of those old-fashioned tape measures.

  The imp wasn’t able to finish casting his fire ball spell. His arms were spread wide and his mouth had been puckered shut. His eyes were still visible, and for the first time, he was registering fear. His wings still functioned, but they weren‘t strong enough to pull away. He was utterly trapped and soon entered Gitch‘s gaping maw.

  Gitch lacked teeth, but his powerful jaws crunched down on the disabled imp. It wasn’t a death blow, just enough to cripple and take some of the fight out of his enemy. Throughout Gitch’s fall to the ground, he allowed his acidic saliva to do its work. It was an agonizingly slow death, but he would show no mercy to the one who had hurt his beloved Alpha.

  He kept a careful watch on his timer. Gitch didn’t know what the consequence of letting time lapse while still in toad form, but he knew he didn’t want to find out. He spat out the half-disintegrated corpse shortly before he touched down. He didn’t want to change, only to burst from having a massive imp inside his stomach. Physics might dictate a sudden and bloody explosion. Better to play it safe. He reactivated his polymorph spell and returned to his own beautiful un-toady self.

  You have slain level 9 Imp Captain

  Experience points received: 276 (300)

  HARK! You have manifested to level 5! Continue on this journey to realize the furthest depths of your true self!

  You have gained 1 attribute point to distribute.

  Health increased from 82 to 103

  Mana increased from 348 to 435

  Stamina increased from 213 to 266

  What was left of the imp flock took off into the trees. Their leader dead, they lost all motivation to continue the fight. Gitch hoped they were truly retreating, and not just gathering strength. Only time would tell.

  Chapter 16

  Gitch took stock of his surroundings. The once luscious forest floor was stained red and black with blood. Dozens of bodies littered the ground, not all of them imp.

  He saw Jiri’s broken body several yards away, but there was no sign of her head. The giant monstrosity that Wasi created lay on the other side of the tiny battle field. It was surrounded by several imp corpses, and he counted at least three daggers sticking out of its chest. That had been a powerful, but freaky as hell creature.

  Half-Tail lay on the ground, unmoving. Blood pooled around her body from where her underbelly had been split open. The consummate warrior, she had bit and pawed at any imp that dared fly near. She was able to take out another four imps before a diving imp latched onto her back and severed her spine.

  Both Patch and Runt were also gone. Only Goldie was left standing among the wolves. Alpha was still laying on the ground, trying to find the strength to get up. Goldie crept up to Alpha and gently licked her wounds. Chitt‘s healing magic had done wonders, but she was not even close to full strength, and he could see a green ooze still seeping from a wound on one leg. She must have been struck with one of those poisoned daggers after all.

  Sergeant Pinaki was scouring the ground to confirm if any imps were wounded or feigned death. Both received the same treatment. Occasional screams would pierce the now-still forest as the sergeant would bring his trident down on yet another faker.

  A tense moment arose when one imp came flying down from above. Sergeant Pinaki readied his spell and was about to let loose before realizing it was only Kraz. The faithful imp was returning to them after all. The sergeant gave him a small nod of approval.

  Gitch saw Dwik lay a hand on Wasi and tell him of his friend‘s death. The once joy-filled fairy was visibly shaken, but didn’t say a word. He stood and listened to how his friend had died saving another’s life. The measure of comfort it brought was little, but it was something.

  After roughly ten minutes, the sergeant called everyone to himself. “Wasi, it‘s time. Please perform the ritual so that we may all be at peace.”

  Wasi nodded his understanding and began chanting. Gitch didn’t understand the words, but they were full of sorrow. Wasi continued in that strange tongue for a full ten seconds. As he did so, the forest around them began to darken and a tiny silver wisp was drawn from each of the corpses of their fallen comrades.

  The wisps slowly made their way to a space in front of Wasi where they began taking shape. The chanting began to crescendo as their features became more defined. Wasi finished with a cry before slumping over. The spell had taken a lot out of him. At that point, Sergeant Pinaki stepped forward and bowed low before the translucent figures. After several long seconds, he straightened, looked each in the eye, and spoke solemnly.

  “Greetings hallowed warriors. We thank you for your service, your dedication, and your love. You will not be forgotten, and your loved ones will know of your great deeds. Please, let there be no ill will between us. If there
is any message you have for us, or for another, please speak now. Your words will be carried with the utmost reverence and respect.”

  The sergeant bowed low once more before stepping back to join the surviving members of Beet Team.

  The first spirit to step forward was Jiri. She didn’t utter a single word, but instead simply pounded her fist above her heart three times and nodded respectfully at her sergeant. Pinaki returned the gesture, but continued to hold his fist above his heart. His jaw was set, but Gitch could tell he was near tears.

  She stepped back, and Chitt moved forward. He beckoned Wasi forward and spoke softly into his ear. Gitch couldn’t hear the exchange, but he saw Wasi give several nods and even tear up at one point. They eventually pulled apart, but Chitt remembered something at the last second. He leaned forward, whispering again to his friend alone.

  Whatever he had said made the purple fairy blush deeply. That said something, as Gitch had personally heard the pair share more than a few raunchy jokes. Neither fairy would ever be confused as being modest. He was very curious on what Chitt had said, but he would never ask. The sergeant had been very clear. These words were sacred.

  When the two finished, Half-Tail stepped forward and spoke to the waiting crowd.

  “I SPEAK FOR THESE TWO WOLVES BEHIND ME! WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE DIED FIGHTING WITH ALL OF YOU!” She paused for a second before looking directly at Kraznik. The imp looked guilty and was having a hard time meeting any of them in the eye.

  “EVEN YOU IMP! YES! YES! WE CAN BE FRIENDS NOW. WE SEE YOUR HEART. IT SHINES BEHIND YOUR UGLY FORM! YES! YOU ARE GOOD IMP. BE TRUE TO YOURSELF! BE GOOD TO OUR KIN! BE MARKED NOW SO ALL MAY KNOW! YES! YES! YES!”

  Kraznik suddenly let loose a howl of pain as a trio of green dots appeared on his dark forehead.

  She turned away from Kraznik, who sat now in quiet contemplation. He was sweating profusely, and his breathing was labored. Gitch could tell a prompt had appeared for the imp, as his eyes went hazy, like he was reading something only he could see.