//------------------------------// // In Death, We Find Answers, But Not The Ones We Need. // Story: Phantasm // by Debonair //------------------------------// It was difficult at first but I quickly got the hang of maneuvering in this new body, and apparently it showed. Chrys laid next to me on the cold cave floor, panting and a wide smile on her face. "You did great, for your first time." "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment." I chuckle. "You should, I haven't been run this ragged for thirty years." She propped herself on one foreleg. "It's strange that your scars. stay." She rubbed the tender spot on my side. I snapped my wing over her hoof. "Please, be gentle." "I'm always gentle, here have some of this." She pulled out some Mead and rolled it to me. "Without fingers." I thought for a second and tried something I saw in a movie. I grabbed the neck in my mouth and tilted back, I chugged the whole bottle as the sweet liquid turned tart. When I finished I set the bottle down, straight up. "You're good." "I get that a lot." "I bet you do, we better get moving." She helped me up and we went to find Chupa and the kids. "Wake up, guys." The others slowly got a feeling for their surroundings and woke up. Chupa led us deeper into the tunnels, as we walked in silence I could feel something was following us, but couldn't place it, or the fact that the Buster-scythe had disappeared and a picture of it appeared on my thigh, but I knew it was still by my side, waiting for the next chance to help. Death's letter was right it did have a mind of it's own, and it seems to like me. "I can tell there is quite a lot on your mind, Allegro, these ears aren't for show." Chupa broke the silence. "I'm just thinking about my father," "And?" "I've been having dreams about him, he's saying he's disappointed, but I saw another man who looked like me speak up. he seems dark and the strange feeling of restless spirits surrounds him." "He may be an alter ego, trying to guide you along the right path," "Are you sure you're a salesman?" "I'm pretty sure." He stopped mid stride and sniffed the air. "I smell something. It's alive but it has no soul." "Autómata?" "Could be but I can't say for sure without seeing it." "Could it be a plant?" Nina asked. "No Plants have very small souls but still souls, whatever this is it doesn't have one exactly." "Exactly?" "Well have you heard of Kachinas?" "The spirits of nature." "Yes, they each have a certain feel about them, but they never let themselves be seen for what they really are." "So they can mask their souls." "They may be, Kököles." "We are in the mountains." "What are Kököles?" Chrys asked, I guess some parts of my brain are still off-limits, "The Zuni believe they are spirits that live in the mountains, much like Apu for the Mayans, The Zuni say that some are restless souls of the dead that have not passed on." I explain. "Before I was bitten, I wouldn't have even considered the mystic mumbo jumbo that came from the mouths of chiefs, but my eyes have been opened so to speak." "So we're talkin' 'bout ghosts?" Manny asked almost scared. "Not exactly," "That's reassuring," "I don't understand Allegro," "What?" "Why do you walk this path, with them." "Well I'll answer with a question, what would you do if someone saved your life?" "Not many have that kind of thinking." "True, plus she's gorgeous," "Ella es un Caballo." "Have you even looked at me?" "I'm blind, my sight was stolen." "I didn't know." "No problema mi amigo," He stopped again and sniffed at the air. "Something's here, something big." He walked forward and that Death man sat on a outcropping, legs dangling and deep in thought. "He stinks of death." "Muerto!" I shouted, as I took my previous form. which got his attention. "Anton," He stood and hopped down. A ten story drop seemed like ten inches to him. "And you've found Juan." "Do I know you?" Chupa seemed unimpressed. "Why are we stopping?" Chys asked as she stepped through the opening. "Queen Chrysalis," He easily saw through her disguise. "Death, you can't touch me," "I can't kill you, though I wish I could. Immortality and eternal youth." "What brings you here, Death?" "I told you to stay away from her." "Well it doesn't help your case, when you threw me on her doorstep." I reply nonchalant. "You are every bit your father, he's annoying," "What did my father do to you?" "He stole from me, he stole his own soul." "Is it considered stealing if he ran away?" "It is when he sold it." Death grumbled. "Do I look like I care, I just want to find him," "When you find him you better tell me, or else," "Is that a challenge?" Something inside me wanted to fight him. "Bring it Bonehead." "You would die in two seconds." "Prove it," I felt like someone else entirely. "If I can last five seconds, I get one favor, if I lose consciousness, you get my soul." He took a moment to mull over my offer. "Well, I don't have all year," "You a make a tempting offer, but," "But you're too scared, to fight little old me," I laughed. "Death's afraid of losing to a human," "You have a deal, let's see if you fight like your father." He disappeared and a bony elbow shot into my gut, and I flew through the air and slammed into a wall. That's one, I cringed barely clinging to consciousness. This pain shot through me like a bullet from a gun, about a liter of blood oozed from my mouth. I struggled to move but my body was too trashed. All I could do was wait for the clock to run out. I budged out of the wall and gravity did what it does best helping me land with an elephant's grace face first on the cold floor. At the two second mark my left lung collapsed under his sharp heel. I gathered the strength to push myself up at the three second mark. I could barely keep my eyes open. I could see the look of surprise on his face, through the reflection in the crystal. The Fourth second I felt cold, and weak, just one more second, my body gave out but I had to stay awake, for them, for me. After a total of five seconds, my eyes snapped shut, and my good lung stopped working.