I woke up feeling weak, remembering that I had managed to make it inside one of the houses on the edge of town. My back was sore but it was a lot better than my left shoulder. I could still move it but not without a lot of pain; the wound must have been deeper than I thought. I found a mirror to assess the damage. Yup, it was deeper than I thought, but I didn't have anything to sew myself back up. The ripped piece of shirt that I had used to cover the wound was soaked in blood and I had to rip off another to patch it up again, but not before washing the wound and looking around for bandages. I couldn't find any, but I did find a clean washcloth, so I put that over my shoulder and wrapped it with my second piece of ripped shirt.

I evaluated how I looked in the mirror. Not good. The figure in the mirror was pale and looked like an easy target. I cleaned myself up as best I could, washing some of the blood from my body and finding a fresh shirt that was only a little small on me. Easing my way back into my jacket, I looked again. A little better. It covered the wound, but the cut made it obvious that something happened and I still looked pale. The fact that I felt weak didn't help my ego. If I got into another fight like this, I might be in serious trouble.

As if thinking about it made it come true, I felt the familiar chill of someone nearby. Muttering curses, I left the building and looked around. No one; yet. I didn't want to stay and fight, especially if it was a team. There was no reason for me to seek out whoever was giving me the chills, I had to run. The question was, where was I going to go? Zack warned me not to head towards this new fire user before he headed north, so I couldn't go that way. South would take me further into town, but southeast would take me to the fields where I had started. Deciding that was my best option, I ran towards the farmland.

The chills never left and I knew I was being chased. I darted around a few streets, trying to lose them but I was sluggish and they were probably gaining on me. After passing a few more streets, I saw the golden fields. Maybe I could still lose them. When I reached the crops of wheat, I ducked and rushed through, hoping they would disguise my location. I kept moving, hoping to lose the goosebumps, but expecting to be found.

While running, I started to smell salt in the air. The fields were separating and I saw a large cliff a short ways ahead on my left. Then I stopped when my leg got wet. There was no water to be seen. I was at the border of the map and one step ahead of me was the ocean. Running was one thing, swimming was another. I'd be an easy target and much slower. Taking a breath, I turned around, ready to face whatever came my way.

Two figures emerged from the fields, cutting down some of the wheat as they did. The man on the right held a machete and wildly swiped at the tall plants around him. He was fairly tall and appeared to weigh about as much as I did. I recognized him as a fairly new and inexperienced fighter, but didn't know his name. Like many, he chose an elemental power, but instead of the usual fire, or lightning powers, he had chosen earth. I did not recognize the man next to him, but he was smiling with crooked teeth. From his grey suit, down to his polished, leather shoes, he looked out of place, like he had been at work when he was taken. If we weren't in a death game I would have expected him to try to sell me something.

Hoping that they wouldn't notice my injuries, I stood up straight and summoned my sword, readying myself in a defensive stance. "Don't suppose you two are looking for allies." Maybe I could talk my way out of this. I took a deep breath and saw Machete Guy arch his blade in an attempt to strike down his ally. The businessman's eyes narrowed slightly and the next thing I knew, I was staring at him from where he had stood; he had swapped places with me. I didn't have enough time to evade the strike coming from Machete and I wouldn't be able to block with my sword. Instead, I put up my left arm to block and clenched my teeth as the blade bit down into my arm. It hit bone and I involuntarily shouted but that wasn't all that had happened. My sword saved me from a strike I hadn't seen coming. I felt the resistance and heard the clang of metal from another weapon on the other side of me. Someone was there, someone with the power to become invisible.

If their timing had been slightly better, I would have died before the fight began. Fortunately, the sword strike from Machete was a bit slow. I was also lucky that he didn't have the strength or speed to cut my arm off. Even luckier, my sword had been in the receiving spot for the unseen strike on my right. I didn't want to waste time and allow them to regroup to try again, so I kicked at the invisible man and inched away from the blade in my arm. With a quick upward strike, I cut Machete in the chest, but not very deep. I followed up, twisting my body and slicing again through his stomach. Then, he vanished.

I was concerned about the invisible man and my eyes darted around, searching. I moved towards the man that I had swapped places with and he ran to my left to avoid me. I stopped and looked around again. A flutter of movement caught my eye. It was like the air was rippling slightly and while I couldn't make out what exactly I was seeing, I knew it was my unseen opponent. I feigned stepping backward and as I saw the glimmer dash toward me, I dodged around him, then pushed him hard. I heard a splash and his frantic movements in the water gave his position away. The man was struggling, not expecting to have been thrown into the ocean.

I turned towards the businessman, expecting him to rush me with a weapon. He surprised me and ran past me, diving into the water. I stared for a moment, he was a fast swimmer and I dove after him, careful to execute the invisible man before having my sword vanish and swimming after the swapper. The saltwater stung but I pushed through, chasing after the man. With his allies gone, he fled to the shore. He was a faster swimmer than I was but maybe I could outrun him, I just needed to make it out of the water.

He wasted no time. As soon as he reached the beach, he started to run, water dripping down from his hair and clothes. When I made it out of the water, I sprinted as fast as I could. He was heading for the cliff. I had considered letting him go; my injuries needed attention. But I didn't like the idea of having someone with his power come back after me with a new team. It wasn't likely that I would get lucky a second time.

The cliff was steep, even at the base. The majority of the cliff appeared climbable, but there were man-made footholds on one side so someone could run to the top, though they would want to watch their step. The peak overlooked the ocean and stuck out far into the water, but a dive from that height would be treacherous, as there were many sharp rocks below.

The swapper was running upwards, on the side of the cliff that was easier to climb, but the extra effort was slowing him down, allowing me to gain more ground. Still, he had been so far ahead of me that he had no trouble reaching the top before I could get to him. When I finally did reach the top, he was on the far side of the cliff, facing the ocean, but his head was turned to look at me. I resummoned my sword but before I charged, he swapped places with me. With my momentum, I nearly ran off the cliff and I had to dig my sword in the ground to save myself. My opponent was already heading back down the cliff. I rushed to the edge and jumped down, intending to tackle him, but my aim was off and I slid down several steps below him, where I found flat ground. He changed gears, running up again, but this time, I was a lot closer.

The man realized how close I was and turned when he reached the far edge of the cliff. I readied my sword and took a step closer. "Nowhere to go," I said, breathing heavily.

Business Man laughed, "I can go whenever I want. All I have to do is get through you, or make you go somewhere else."

He didn't trade places with me at first. Instead, he jumped backward, off of the cliff, plummeting toward the water below. Then he swapped places with me. It was a long way down and I was about to panic but I saw the man appear from the face of the cliff. His ego wanted to see me fall to my death. I used my power to copy his and swapped places with him. He looked surprised but smiled and I knew I had to take a risk. To his shock, I jumped off the cliff. He didn't even bother swapping places with me again, he just dropped. I heard a shout of defiance, then, an instant later, nothing but the waves crashing below me.

My sword was out and I grasped it with both hands and drove it into the cliff's edge. I had been too low and the sudden change jolted me, my right arm dislocated from my shoulder. I nearly fell but managed to grab it with my left. It was painful but I had slowed enough so it didn't dislocate this time. Unfortunately, the sword came loose and I fell, hitting the water with a hard splash. One of the rocks cut my right leg open and I sunk down into the deep water. I was hurt, but alive. Somehow, I would keep going.

The salty water stung every cut on my body but I managed to make my way back to the surface of the water, then half float, half wade myself back to shore. It was time consuming, painful and difficult. When I finally reached shallow enough water to walk, I limped away, looking for a reasonable place to lie down. I was close to a small building that turned out to be a bathroom and I went in and found a small shower stall. I turned it on and sat with my back against the wall of the stall, letting the water rinse the salt out of my open wounds.

Bright red swirled with the clear water, circling the drain as I evaluated my situation. My right shoulder was dislocated and I didn't have the strength or the means to put it back. My left shoulder still had a hole in it and my left arm also had a deep cut. There were other injuries, but my arms were the main problem. I summoned my sword but in my left hand, instead of my right. This won't do. While I can use it, I'd be slow and weak. I wouldn't make it much longer.

It was then that I realized that I couldn't move. My body was too heavy and my eyes wouldn't stay open, no matter how much I told myself to stay awake. The adrenaline in my body was leaving and the water was warm and inviting. Sitting in the corner, resting my head on the wall and bleeding into the shower drain, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep, unsure if I would wake up until the next cycle.