Post by wsxedcr08 on Aug 19, 2008 23:18:52 GMT -5
Okay, well thanks to Ryan for helping out with this chapter. Specially the fight scene and such, cuz i suck at them. (here's your mention jerk)
Yeah, I'm just gonna finish this story up cuz I like to write, and it gives me something to do. I kno a lot of ppl aren't really interested anymore, but still. -shrug-
Yian quickly burst out of his shadow form. I hopped onto his back and we blasted out of the door, easily smashing it off of the hinges. We tore down the hallways, running up on the walls to clear turns at top speed. We had run through this drill over a hundred times in our mind, so it was like second nature to us now.
It took us less than a minute to clear the two mile stretch to Hans' office. Two spearmen were standing guard in front of the door. As they saw us approaching they moved in unison to block our path.
“Hey, you can’t -”
The powerful blast of Yian's energy cut the guard's warning short. The other guard charged at us in response. I leaped off of Yian's back and met his charge with a fist of my own. He was out with one punch.
I made a locksmithing set out of my shadow and went to work on the lock. After three minutes of no success, I realized I could just break the door. I kicked off the door knob and pried the lock open. Yian dragged the unconscious guards into the office as I ran over to Han's desk.
Crafted into the wood was a metallic button, about the size of a space bar. I pressed it, and a small screen in the center of the desk buzzed to life. Turns out his computer was built into the desk. What interesting technology.
I quickly hacked into his account and opened in the inventory list. I had something specific in mind, and I had to know where to find it.
Got it.
There were four ship scrolls stored in a complex located right beside the docks. Actually, we had passed it several times on our way in and out of the school; I had just never known what to look for. It was heavily guarded, and with competent warriors too. This wouldn't be an easy thing to accomplish, but with help it was possible.
I grabbed the map I just printed out and hopped onto Yian's back. He shot another beam of energy into the ceiling, smashing a huge hole in it. I pushed away the debris as we took off and headed out to the surveillance free isle where the others were expecting us.
Yian's powerful wings got us there in no time, and we touched down for a landing amidst the crowd of my closest friends. Repty was the first to speak.
“So where are we headed?”
I opened the map of the school on the ground, pointing out several key locations.
“This here is our target.” The whole team shifted their attention toward the compound I was pointing at.
“In order to break in and retrieve the ship scrolls, we're going to have to take out at least seven of these guards. That works out fine, because there are seven of us.”
“Seven?” Inquired Raeken. He looked around the group. “I only count six.”
<I can hold my own in battle is that's what you're implying sir.> Yian projected his thoughts to a wide enough range so we all could hear.
“Oh... I'm sorry I just didn't-”
<It's okay. Now, while we only have to take out seven guards, there are at least twenty. And they're all very well trained, at least rank three and above. In order to pull this off we're going to have to be fast and deadly. Strike to disable your opponents, but if you can't do that you're going to have to kill.>
The group grew deathly silent.
<And we're going to need a distraction.>
“I'm not going to sit here and let an overgrown cat tell us what to do. Especially to kill innocent people! You crossed the line here! I'm fine with Echo here leading, but I refuse to listen to the crap coming out of your mouth.” Jin was obviously angry about this. While he put up a tough front, he wasn't ready to kill, just like the rest of us. Well... most of us. I had already done it.
“Look, Jin, I'm afraid he's right.”
He snapped his head over in my direction, eyes wide.
“After what you did?! Are you really willing to kill again?!” Now I was getting upset.
“Look here. Do you think I actually want to kill? Well just in case you're confused in anyway I don't. Not at all. In fact I would rather die myself. But think of all the thousands of people who are going to die if we don't do this. We're not ready to kill Eris yet. We can't protect anyone like this, and yet, we are the world's best chance of survival. If we die now, then everything we know, everything we love, will be destroyed. If the only way we can save everything is at the cost of a few people, I'm afraid we're going to have to look at the greater good.”
Jin punched the ground in anger, but he didn't argue anymore. I could sense he had come to terms with the task at hand.
“Okay, well we are going to need a distraction. Charles, I hate to ask... but could you?”
I didn't have to tell him twice. He struck forward with his dagger, and without further notice, his summoned band of thieves jumped down from thin air. Without a word, mostly because he was mute, he ran at supersonic speed over the water and towards the compound, knocking most of us off of our feet.
“Now the rest of you are going to have to back him up while I break in and get the scrolls. Technically we only need one, but I don't want a large enough head start and they can't have ships if we wish to accomplish that.”
“Have you ever considered that there are more than four scrolls?” Fye asked, and honestly I hadn't.
“No... but the inventory list only cataloged four... and why would they need more than four scrolls to power only four ships?”
“I guess...”
“Well... you should probably get going now. Remember rush in quickly and only attack if necessary. Back Charles up, I don't want any unnecessary deaths on my hands.”
Raeken formed the ice path again and the whole team was off. I took off on Yian's back, watching the progress overhead. Charles had already made it to the compound and was hiding behind the corner where a pair of spearmen and fighters were waiting. What he didn't see was the crossbowman on the roof, but the crossbowman saw him.
He was down on one knee, aiming right for Charles' head. Right as he released the bolt, several thin but strong needles intercepted it in mid-air, ripping it to shreds. It was Red, Charles' trusty female summon.
The sound of metal against metal alerted the guards to Charles' presence. However, as they rushed around the corner, they were intercepted by both Blue and Black. Blue grabbed a spearman and fighter by the head and smashed them into each other, knocking them both unconscious. Black used the flat of his blade to thwack the remaining fighter in the back of his head viciously, knocking him down in a small puddle of his own blood. Gold jumped over the violent scene and intercepted a blow from the last spearman, catching the tip of the weapon in one of the grooves at the tip of his staff. They were stuck in a deadlock, until Blue leaped practically out of nowhere and jabbed the spearman in the back a few times, causing him to drop to the floor in convulsions.
I quickly whipped out Necros, my trusty Black Crystal handgun, and charged some energy into it, activating it in the process. I cradled the trigger with my index finger. The cold metal felt familiar against my skin. The memorable sound of a vortex filled the air around me as I pulled the trigger. My shadowy bullet exploded on contact with the crossbowman’s weapon, shattering it into several useless pieces. He looked up to the sky, obviously astounded. Yian took me down at top speed and I leaped off his back, drop kicking the crossbowman in the chest. He fell backwards, entered a somersault, and flipped back up to his feet, barely looking phased at all. He drew a dagger on me, and lunged, barely giving me time to sidestep his attack. I grabbed his hand and twisted, easily breaking his wrist and causing him to drop his weapon. He screamed out in pain as I lifted him up by his injured arm and vaulted him over the side of the building and into the ocean.
Suddenly I heard a crash, and a blinding pain radiated from the side of my head. Instinctively my mind jumped from inside to outside, giving me an immediate overview of the area. Behind me stood a White Knight, uncharacteristically dressed in all black carrying a gigantic stone hammer in both hands. His outfit notified me of his enrollment in Obsidian; his weapon alerted me to his strength. He brought his weapon back to strike, but before he could complete his stroke Yian jumped in the way, taking the blow in my stead. He flung back into my chest, knocking the wind out of me and sending me crashing to the floor.
The warrior stood over me menacingly, holding his hammer in a downward striking position. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst, however, it never came. I gigantic fireball came blasting over my head, easily flinging the knight fifteen feet.
A cascade of ice fell over me, barely missing my legs. I propped myself up and walked around the ice, coming face to face with Jin.
“Wow that felt good. I take back what I said earlier, I like not having to hold back.”
I rolled my eyes dramatically. Raeken stepped out from the other side of the ice.
“Looks like you guys got here just in time.”
As I spoke, reinforcements poured out of the building, attacking the rest of my crew. Black and Gold were the only summons of Charles left. A caw of an eagle rang out, drawing our attention. Fye was sitting cross legged on top of his eagle, who was chewing something that was still bleeding. His bow was drawn, and when he got into view he released the arrow, skillfully destroying another one flying at Raeken’s head.
“Echo you probably should get going. We can’t hold all of these guys off forever . . .” Said Fye, shooting another barrage of arrows down at the crowd below, rattling some helmets and piercing a guy through the leg.
“Yeah, we got this.” Jin joined in, shooting a scalding wave of flame from his hand at the advancing enemies below. Several writhed in pain as their flesh burned.
“I’m not through yet!” came the cry of the White Knight on the roof with us, which admittedly I had forgotten about. He picked up the hammer he had dropped and flung it with all his might, right at my head. I took a defensive position, and as soon as I was ready to dodge, Jin stepped in the way. He wound his arm all the way back and released, delivering a devastating, fiery punch that shattered the hammer into several sharp shards. With one fluid motion he opened his hand, palm out, and unleashing a powerful jet of fire. The shards got caught up in the blaze and jetted back toward the Knight. The sharp, flaming shards of stone dug through his armor and into his skin. He screamed out in agony as he fell to the floor; his blood cascading down after him.
Yian got up from the floor and blasted a hole through the roof. The explosion was so loud and sudden that everyone kind of jumped a little bit. Raeken started charging up his staff.
“Go now.”
Yian jumped into the hole, me after him. As soon as we hid, several spikes of ice jutted into the building from the ceiling and front wall, followed by several screams outside of the building. Yian whistled, impressed, in my head.
Both of us tore through the shelving units, looking for the scrolls in question. Yian came up with nothing, but soon I stumbled upon a chest, stuffed in the back corner of the room. On top of the chest lay a long jacket, and a very expensive looking one. It was mostly black, with gold trim and two gold buttons on the front. The inside of the jacket was red velvet like material that felt soft in my hands. I ruffled through the pockets. In the inside pocket was a note that simply said:
“To my son, Lyte.”
I didn’t know who this Lyte character was, but whoever he was he must have been rich. Without really thinking about it, I slipped the jacket on. It felt surprisingly light, and extremely comfortable. Actually, I felt lighter than before. I removed Necros from my belt and tucked it neatly inside a pocked in the jacket.
Nifty.
The shadow piece on my neck began to glow, faintly at first then brighter and brighter. The trim on the jacket followed suit, soon illuminating the whole room. But, just as quickly as it started, the light vanished, leaving me standing there momentarily blinded.
<What was that?>
I don’t know . . . but something tells me we shouldn’t stick around.
I went to grab my shadow piece to form my knuckles, but it was no where to be found. I patted myself down, and checked on the floor around me to make sure I hadn’t dropped it, but it wasn’t anywhere. I checked my neck again, and the pendant was still there, but nothing else. It’s almost as if it vanished.
I shrugged. There was no time to look for it anymore, so I was just going to have to go one without it. I grabbed onto the lock and squeezed, crushing it in my hands.
<Whoa . . .>
Since when could I do that . . .
There really was no time to worry. I quickly inspected the inside of the chest and found all four of the ship scrolls.
Let’s get out of here!
Yian took a running start and I leaped onto his back midstride, barely even breaking his rhythm. He charged some energy in his mouth and released another powerful beam, smashing an equally large hole in the ceiling as the last one. I lifted my hand to block the debris, but as soon as we got close to any large pieces of wreckage they seemed to collide with an invisible force and roll away. When we broke into the light, I could see a very thin layer of shadow extending from my hand, producing a domed shield around both Yian and me.
“Hey are you guys okay, we saw some freaky lights comin’ from down there?” Asked Fye, fighting off an attacker with arrows while not really looking. His eagle was pecking at the helmet of a Dragon Knight, distracting him while Fye fought with the Fire Mage.
“We’re okay, but I suggest we all leave, now!”
Raeken sprung into action, shooting his icy path and gliding down it, picking up friendly units on the way. Fye rode his pet Eagle while Jin, Raeken and Repty rode the ice. Charles simply ran along side us, not fazed at all in the effort.
We reached the ship yard in record time. The rest of the party ran ahead of Yian and me, trying to find the most capable ship. Yian’s body began to warm and a slight growl emitted from his throat.
What’s up?
<You’ll see.>
I used the mind vision. My field of view grew, and grew, until I saw what the problem was. True to his word, Demitri stood at the top of the school building, watching the whole scene before us.
This is about to get interesting.
I gracefully dismounted from Yian and took a few steps toward the building. I crossed my arms defiantly, the wind playing gently with my hair as I stared up at him, and him back at me.
He leaped from the rooftop, easily a 300 foot fall, and landed with barely a sound in that classic action pose, one hand on the floor.
“Nice jacket. The whole pirate thing looks good on you.” He said, taking a few steps toward me.
“Get on with it Demitri, I know why you’re here.”
“Then I don’t need to tell you that I won’t let you leave here without a fight.”
“If you knew me better, you would have brought backup.”
“Look, we don’t have to do this. You can just give back those scrolls, and the jacket, and we can put this all behind us. We don’t want you to become a criminal, and I’m sure you don’t want to be one either.”
“What?”
“If you leave here today, we put out a bounty on your head. You’ll be branded a pirate, hunted by the navy and your own kind.”
“Well, I never expected getting out of here would be easy . . .” Demitri sighed.
“This is really what you want?”
“No. But it is what is necessary.”
“Then you leave me no choice.”
He rushed at me and swung at my head, something I wasn’t expecting. I ducked, but he kneed me in the chest, following through with a blow to my face that easily broke my nose. I rocketed backwards, landing face up on my back. Demitri jumped on my, punching my in the face time after time. I could feel my eyes swelling shut.
I could vaguely hear Yian let out a terrible roar. Since my eyes were practically useless I tapped into the mind vision. Yian flew right at Demitri, biting deeply into his shoulder and dragging him off me. He soared up higher into the air and ripped his head around, flinging Demitri through the school’s wall.
I used the opportunity and hopped to my feet, breathing heavily with the effort. I clutched the pendant in my fist, preparing to rip it off and end this once and for all.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Jin appeared behind me, fists ablaze.
“Jeez, what is it with you and the tendency to jump to the most drastic solution.”
“Well pardon me for trying to get the job done.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll finish this together.”
“Thanks man, but at least let me level the playing field.”
Again, I removed the seal between Yian and my power. The energy rushed into me, and Yian was sucked back into my shadow.
“Transform.”
All that extra energy rushed through my body, in place of blood. The energy passed through my skin, giving me a slight red glow. My once human pupils narrowed into the narrow slits of a Lucida. My canines slowly elongated into fangs. I was aware of the sensation, I had felt it before, but something was different. I was able to remain in control of my actions; Yian’s mind stayed separate from mine.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
My face was completely healed by the time Demitri emerged from the rubble. Upon seeing my transformation, he grinned.
“I thought I told you never to use that technique.”
“Too bad for you that pirates don’t do what their told.”
Demitri’s hands were glowing a yellow light.
“What the hell is that?” Said Jin, intensifying the flames around his hands.
“I think Echo knows . . .”
His whole body was enveloped in a golden aura. The energy surrounding his head stretched, making it look like he had very long, wild blue hair.
“Transform…” I gasped in disbelief. He had taught me the move, but I had no idea he could do it himself.
Demitri smiled in triumph. “Let’s do this.”
Demitri charged at me, arms trailing behind him. I rushed in to counter, Jin behind me charging up an attack. The Yian side of me worked to connect Jin and my minds, so we could coordinate our strikes.
We collided, sending a plume of displaced air flying outward, slightly rocking the massive airships in their perches. His elbow found its way into my grip. I managed to get my leg behind him, trip him up, and gain enough momentum to spin him around and toss him violently toward Jin, who was waiting for his opportunity.
He shot a massive fireball at Demitri’s flying body; the impact against Demitri’s powerful aura was almost as devastating as our collision. But he wasn’t done yet. Jin formed his whip-like blade in a matter of seconds, flinging it out and wrapping it around Demitri’s waist and stopping his fall.
I barreled towards him, connecting my fist with his aura. I leaned into it, putting all of my weight into the attack, and let him have it, sending him flying into the air, dragging Jin with him. They soared together, Demitri trying frantically to set himself upright to land on his feet. It didn’t matter. As soon as he landed, Jin fell in right behind him, closing his arch with a devastating comet punch. At least, that’s what he exclaimed when he was finishing his attack. Debris and heat radiated out from the attack. The best I could do was cover my face while I was pelted from all sides. When the dust cleared, Jin was next to me, maintaining the grip on his blade, which was still wrapped around Demitri.
There was a creepy grin on Demitri’s face as he grabbed the whip still surrounding him. He pulled, dragging Jin along with it. Jin flew through the air as Demitri whipped the blade around, throwing Jin’s body directly at me. He fell into me, knocking us both into the building with extreme force. Demitri wasted no time. He leaped into the air, slamming both fists into the ground on the way down. Small pockets of energy underneath the ground exploded, sending huge earthen spikes shooting through the pavement, heading directly for us. Jin’s armor would protect him, but all I had was a flimsy jacket.
The point of the spike surfaced right below Jin, sending him flying back up into the air. It collided with me next, sending me shooting off to the side. Oddly though, I didn’t feel any pain. I twisted in midair, to find that same thin yet dark layer of shadow shielding me from harm. Past the shied though, I saw Demitri flying after me.
I pulled Necros out of the pocket inside of my jacket I had stuffed it in earlier, and dispersed the shield. It took only a second to aim; he was approaching so quickly his chest was an ever growing target. I fired; the suction sound of the bullet leaving the chamber was dulled by the adrenaline running through my blood. The shot connected, slightly knocking back his shoulder, but other than that he was unharmed.
“It must have something to do with that aura.” I deduced out loud for some reason.
Demitri was getting closer, and I still wasn’t sure I could face him out in the open. I aimed again, and completely let loose, firing faster than I though was humanly possible. Bullet after bullet slammed into his body, knocking him back down to the ground with a huge explosion. Even as I continued to fall towards the open waters, I didn’t let up, releasing round after round until I felt my fingers were going to fall off. I few seconds later, I hit the water head first, causing a gigantic splash that didn’t hurt as bad as it looked.
I looked around wildly. I was clearly underwater, but I could breath, and I was . . . laying on something. I reached out, but my hand came in contact with a barrier. Touching it send a shiver down my spine. I knew that feeling, it was shadow that I was touching.
“How is it possible that I’m doing all these things without actually doing them?”
That isn’t an ordinary jacket Lyte. I gave it to you for a reason. It should help you get control over your powers.
“Who’s there?” I asked aloud, searching around my protective bubble.
I’m glad that you kept your scarf. Of course, it would have worked without it, but there are certain benefits . . . well I’m sure you’ll discover them later.
Slowly it dawned on my that I wasn’t hearing this voice, I was thinking it. At least, it was being thought into my mind.
Yian?
I designed it myself. I hope it’s enough . . . Lyte seek out the book. It’ll show you what to do. That’s all I can tell you. Good luck, I love you.
The voice faded. It defiantly wasn’t Yian’s, but I had no idea who else could be talking into my head. Unless Charles could secretly do it, but he wouldn’t leave me a coat, if he was in there he would have taken the scrolls, and he defiantly wouldn’t say he loved me. Also, why was the voice calling me Lyte?
That was beside the point now. I sat down cross legged inside the bubble and raised my hand casually. The bubble lurched forward in response, clearing the rough waves of the sea and revealing the severely damaged landscape. Even through the shadowy veil, my surroundings seemed clear and sharp. My eyes seemed to work better since I donned the jacket. Just another one of its positive side effects.
Jin was circling Demitri’s heavily damaged body. His aura was receded in several places, and in several more his clothes were visible underneath. All we needed now was an opening.
I leaped from the bubble, passing the barrier and plummeting toward the pavement. I unloaded another relentless barrage of bullets at Demitri. The first hit and he stumbled forward. He turned, enraged, right into the flurry of bullets following the warning shot. Jin took the opportunity to fling his blade around Demitri’s arm. He leaped into the air, bringing Demitri with him, and did a somersault in the air, smashing him down into the spot where my bullets were still raining down. Screams of pain erupted from the small crater created by Jin and my attacks. Jin was tugging on the whip, tightening the loop around Demitri’s arm and causing blood to splatter everywhere. His aura had almost completely dispersed. A few straggling wisps of blue remained around his hair, but no where else. His chest pumped up and down like a jackhammer, his forced breaths were irregular but strong.
I landed right next to his head, kneeling on one knee, with my elbow resting on the other.
“So we’re going to head out. Any messages you want delivered?” Demitri swore under his breath.
I stood up, releasing my transformation and returning to my regular self. Fye burst out of the cabin door of the leftmost, smallest ship.
“Guys what’s going on out here?! I heard a noise!”
“Nothing!” I shouted back, kicking Demitri’s limp arm back into the pit.
“Well come on, this ship is fully stocked, food, weapons, water, it’s all here. There’s even a sack of mesos! There must be over 250k in here!”
I looked back at Demitri, a small glint visible in his eye. This really was all for show. He was helping us get on our way. I knew I couldn’t thank him properly, not with Eris still watching. But one day I’d repay this debt. One way or another.
“Take care of yourself Demitri. Maybe next time you’ll follow my advice and bring some backup.”
He didn’t say anything. But I could feel he was content. In pain, but content. Jin and I ran to the boat, not looking back.
We both charged into the cabin, rushing down the stairs and into the belly of the ship. This area was mainly for storage, but in the front of the room, opposite of the stairwell’s mouth, was a steel door. It took both Jin and I to pull it free, the rusted hinges groaning under the stress of its burden. We got it open, and we both ran inside, me first, to the sight of a long control desk. On it were several buttons, levers, and knobs, accompanied by myriad of flashing indicator lights.
“Okay… well... how do we fly this thing?”
Yeah, I'm just gonna finish this story up cuz I like to write, and it gives me something to do. I kno a lot of ppl aren't really interested anymore, but still. -shrug-
__________
Pirates VII
Escape
Yian quickly burst out of his shadow form. I hopped onto his back and we blasted out of the door, easily smashing it off of the hinges. We tore down the hallways, running up on the walls to clear turns at top speed. We had run through this drill over a hundred times in our mind, so it was like second nature to us now.
It took us less than a minute to clear the two mile stretch to Hans' office. Two spearmen were standing guard in front of the door. As they saw us approaching they moved in unison to block our path.
“Hey, you can’t -”
The powerful blast of Yian's energy cut the guard's warning short. The other guard charged at us in response. I leaped off of Yian's back and met his charge with a fist of my own. He was out with one punch.
I made a locksmithing set out of my shadow and went to work on the lock. After three minutes of no success, I realized I could just break the door. I kicked off the door knob and pried the lock open. Yian dragged the unconscious guards into the office as I ran over to Han's desk.
Crafted into the wood was a metallic button, about the size of a space bar. I pressed it, and a small screen in the center of the desk buzzed to life. Turns out his computer was built into the desk. What interesting technology.
I quickly hacked into his account and opened in the inventory list. I had something specific in mind, and I had to know where to find it.
Got it.
There were four ship scrolls stored in a complex located right beside the docks. Actually, we had passed it several times on our way in and out of the school; I had just never known what to look for. It was heavily guarded, and with competent warriors too. This wouldn't be an easy thing to accomplish, but with help it was possible.
I grabbed the map I just printed out and hopped onto Yian's back. He shot another beam of energy into the ceiling, smashing a huge hole in it. I pushed away the debris as we took off and headed out to the surveillance free isle where the others were expecting us.
Yian's powerful wings got us there in no time, and we touched down for a landing amidst the crowd of my closest friends. Repty was the first to speak.
“So where are we headed?”
I opened the map of the school on the ground, pointing out several key locations.
“This here is our target.” The whole team shifted their attention toward the compound I was pointing at.
“In order to break in and retrieve the ship scrolls, we're going to have to take out at least seven of these guards. That works out fine, because there are seven of us.”
“Seven?” Inquired Raeken. He looked around the group. “I only count six.”
<I can hold my own in battle is that's what you're implying sir.> Yian projected his thoughts to a wide enough range so we all could hear.
“Oh... I'm sorry I just didn't-”
<It's okay. Now, while we only have to take out seven guards, there are at least twenty. And they're all very well trained, at least rank three and above. In order to pull this off we're going to have to be fast and deadly. Strike to disable your opponents, but if you can't do that you're going to have to kill.>
The group grew deathly silent.
<And we're going to need a distraction.>
“I'm not going to sit here and let an overgrown cat tell us what to do. Especially to kill innocent people! You crossed the line here! I'm fine with Echo here leading, but I refuse to listen to the crap coming out of your mouth.” Jin was obviously angry about this. While he put up a tough front, he wasn't ready to kill, just like the rest of us. Well... most of us. I had already done it.
“Look, Jin, I'm afraid he's right.”
He snapped his head over in my direction, eyes wide.
“After what you did?! Are you really willing to kill again?!” Now I was getting upset.
“Look here. Do you think I actually want to kill? Well just in case you're confused in anyway I don't. Not at all. In fact I would rather die myself. But think of all the thousands of people who are going to die if we don't do this. We're not ready to kill Eris yet. We can't protect anyone like this, and yet, we are the world's best chance of survival. If we die now, then everything we know, everything we love, will be destroyed. If the only way we can save everything is at the cost of a few people, I'm afraid we're going to have to look at the greater good.”
Jin punched the ground in anger, but he didn't argue anymore. I could sense he had come to terms with the task at hand.
“Okay, well we are going to need a distraction. Charles, I hate to ask... but could you?”
I didn't have to tell him twice. He struck forward with his dagger, and without further notice, his summoned band of thieves jumped down from thin air. Without a word, mostly because he was mute, he ran at supersonic speed over the water and towards the compound, knocking most of us off of our feet.
“Now the rest of you are going to have to back him up while I break in and get the scrolls. Technically we only need one, but I don't want a large enough head start and they can't have ships if we wish to accomplish that.”
“Have you ever considered that there are more than four scrolls?” Fye asked, and honestly I hadn't.
“No... but the inventory list only cataloged four... and why would they need more than four scrolls to power only four ships?”
“I guess...”
“Well... you should probably get going now. Remember rush in quickly and only attack if necessary. Back Charles up, I don't want any unnecessary deaths on my hands.”
Raeken formed the ice path again and the whole team was off. I took off on Yian's back, watching the progress overhead. Charles had already made it to the compound and was hiding behind the corner where a pair of spearmen and fighters were waiting. What he didn't see was the crossbowman on the roof, but the crossbowman saw him.
He was down on one knee, aiming right for Charles' head. Right as he released the bolt, several thin but strong needles intercepted it in mid-air, ripping it to shreds. It was Red, Charles' trusty female summon.
The sound of metal against metal alerted the guards to Charles' presence. However, as they rushed around the corner, they were intercepted by both Blue and Black. Blue grabbed a spearman and fighter by the head and smashed them into each other, knocking them both unconscious. Black used the flat of his blade to thwack the remaining fighter in the back of his head viciously, knocking him down in a small puddle of his own blood. Gold jumped over the violent scene and intercepted a blow from the last spearman, catching the tip of the weapon in one of the grooves at the tip of his staff. They were stuck in a deadlock, until Blue leaped practically out of nowhere and jabbed the spearman in the back a few times, causing him to drop to the floor in convulsions.
I quickly whipped out Necros, my trusty Black Crystal handgun, and charged some energy into it, activating it in the process. I cradled the trigger with my index finger. The cold metal felt familiar against my skin. The memorable sound of a vortex filled the air around me as I pulled the trigger. My shadowy bullet exploded on contact with the crossbowman’s weapon, shattering it into several useless pieces. He looked up to the sky, obviously astounded. Yian took me down at top speed and I leaped off his back, drop kicking the crossbowman in the chest. He fell backwards, entered a somersault, and flipped back up to his feet, barely looking phased at all. He drew a dagger on me, and lunged, barely giving me time to sidestep his attack. I grabbed his hand and twisted, easily breaking his wrist and causing him to drop his weapon. He screamed out in pain as I lifted him up by his injured arm and vaulted him over the side of the building and into the ocean.
Suddenly I heard a crash, and a blinding pain radiated from the side of my head. Instinctively my mind jumped from inside to outside, giving me an immediate overview of the area. Behind me stood a White Knight, uncharacteristically dressed in all black carrying a gigantic stone hammer in both hands. His outfit notified me of his enrollment in Obsidian; his weapon alerted me to his strength. He brought his weapon back to strike, but before he could complete his stroke Yian jumped in the way, taking the blow in my stead. He flung back into my chest, knocking the wind out of me and sending me crashing to the floor.
The warrior stood over me menacingly, holding his hammer in a downward striking position. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst, however, it never came. I gigantic fireball came blasting over my head, easily flinging the knight fifteen feet.
A cascade of ice fell over me, barely missing my legs. I propped myself up and walked around the ice, coming face to face with Jin.
“Wow that felt good. I take back what I said earlier, I like not having to hold back.”
I rolled my eyes dramatically. Raeken stepped out from the other side of the ice.
“Looks like you guys got here just in time.”
As I spoke, reinforcements poured out of the building, attacking the rest of my crew. Black and Gold were the only summons of Charles left. A caw of an eagle rang out, drawing our attention. Fye was sitting cross legged on top of his eagle, who was chewing something that was still bleeding. His bow was drawn, and when he got into view he released the arrow, skillfully destroying another one flying at Raeken’s head.
“Echo you probably should get going. We can’t hold all of these guys off forever . . .” Said Fye, shooting another barrage of arrows down at the crowd below, rattling some helmets and piercing a guy through the leg.
“Yeah, we got this.” Jin joined in, shooting a scalding wave of flame from his hand at the advancing enemies below. Several writhed in pain as their flesh burned.
“I’m not through yet!” came the cry of the White Knight on the roof with us, which admittedly I had forgotten about. He picked up the hammer he had dropped and flung it with all his might, right at my head. I took a defensive position, and as soon as I was ready to dodge, Jin stepped in the way. He wound his arm all the way back and released, delivering a devastating, fiery punch that shattered the hammer into several sharp shards. With one fluid motion he opened his hand, palm out, and unleashing a powerful jet of fire. The shards got caught up in the blaze and jetted back toward the Knight. The sharp, flaming shards of stone dug through his armor and into his skin. He screamed out in agony as he fell to the floor; his blood cascading down after him.
Yian got up from the floor and blasted a hole through the roof. The explosion was so loud and sudden that everyone kind of jumped a little bit. Raeken started charging up his staff.
“Go now.”
Yian jumped into the hole, me after him. As soon as we hid, several spikes of ice jutted into the building from the ceiling and front wall, followed by several screams outside of the building. Yian whistled, impressed, in my head.
Both of us tore through the shelving units, looking for the scrolls in question. Yian came up with nothing, but soon I stumbled upon a chest, stuffed in the back corner of the room. On top of the chest lay a long jacket, and a very expensive looking one. It was mostly black, with gold trim and two gold buttons on the front. The inside of the jacket was red velvet like material that felt soft in my hands. I ruffled through the pockets. In the inside pocket was a note that simply said:
“To my son, Lyte.”
I didn’t know who this Lyte character was, but whoever he was he must have been rich. Without really thinking about it, I slipped the jacket on. It felt surprisingly light, and extremely comfortable. Actually, I felt lighter than before. I removed Necros from my belt and tucked it neatly inside a pocked in the jacket.
Nifty.
The shadow piece on my neck began to glow, faintly at first then brighter and brighter. The trim on the jacket followed suit, soon illuminating the whole room. But, just as quickly as it started, the light vanished, leaving me standing there momentarily blinded.
<What was that?>
I don’t know . . . but something tells me we shouldn’t stick around.
I went to grab my shadow piece to form my knuckles, but it was no where to be found. I patted myself down, and checked on the floor around me to make sure I hadn’t dropped it, but it wasn’t anywhere. I checked my neck again, and the pendant was still there, but nothing else. It’s almost as if it vanished.
I shrugged. There was no time to look for it anymore, so I was just going to have to go one without it. I grabbed onto the lock and squeezed, crushing it in my hands.
<Whoa . . .>
Since when could I do that . . .
There really was no time to worry. I quickly inspected the inside of the chest and found all four of the ship scrolls.
Let’s get out of here!
Yian took a running start and I leaped onto his back midstride, barely even breaking his rhythm. He charged some energy in his mouth and released another powerful beam, smashing an equally large hole in the ceiling as the last one. I lifted my hand to block the debris, but as soon as we got close to any large pieces of wreckage they seemed to collide with an invisible force and roll away. When we broke into the light, I could see a very thin layer of shadow extending from my hand, producing a domed shield around both Yian and me.
“Hey are you guys okay, we saw some freaky lights comin’ from down there?” Asked Fye, fighting off an attacker with arrows while not really looking. His eagle was pecking at the helmet of a Dragon Knight, distracting him while Fye fought with the Fire Mage.
“We’re okay, but I suggest we all leave, now!”
Raeken sprung into action, shooting his icy path and gliding down it, picking up friendly units on the way. Fye rode his pet Eagle while Jin, Raeken and Repty rode the ice. Charles simply ran along side us, not fazed at all in the effort.
We reached the ship yard in record time. The rest of the party ran ahead of Yian and me, trying to find the most capable ship. Yian’s body began to warm and a slight growl emitted from his throat.
What’s up?
<You’ll see.>
I used the mind vision. My field of view grew, and grew, until I saw what the problem was. True to his word, Demitri stood at the top of the school building, watching the whole scene before us.
This is about to get interesting.
_____This is where I would end the chapter if I could. But some people have a problem with short chapters so I’ll continue._____
I gracefully dismounted from Yian and took a few steps toward the building. I crossed my arms defiantly, the wind playing gently with my hair as I stared up at him, and him back at me.
He leaped from the rooftop, easily a 300 foot fall, and landed with barely a sound in that classic action pose, one hand on the floor.
“Nice jacket. The whole pirate thing looks good on you.” He said, taking a few steps toward me.
“Get on with it Demitri, I know why you’re here.”
“Then I don’t need to tell you that I won’t let you leave here without a fight.”
“If you knew me better, you would have brought backup.”
“Look, we don’t have to do this. You can just give back those scrolls, and the jacket, and we can put this all behind us. We don’t want you to become a criminal, and I’m sure you don’t want to be one either.”
“What?”
“If you leave here today, we put out a bounty on your head. You’ll be branded a pirate, hunted by the navy and your own kind.”
“Well, I never expected getting out of here would be easy . . .” Demitri sighed.
“This is really what you want?”
“No. But it is what is necessary.”
“Then you leave me no choice.”
He rushed at me and swung at my head, something I wasn’t expecting. I ducked, but he kneed me in the chest, following through with a blow to my face that easily broke my nose. I rocketed backwards, landing face up on my back. Demitri jumped on my, punching my in the face time after time. I could feel my eyes swelling shut.
I could vaguely hear Yian let out a terrible roar. Since my eyes were practically useless I tapped into the mind vision. Yian flew right at Demitri, biting deeply into his shoulder and dragging him off me. He soared up higher into the air and ripped his head around, flinging Demitri through the school’s wall.
I used the opportunity and hopped to my feet, breathing heavily with the effort. I clutched the pendant in my fist, preparing to rip it off and end this once and for all.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Jin appeared behind me, fists ablaze.
“Jeez, what is it with you and the tendency to jump to the most drastic solution.”
“Well pardon me for trying to get the job done.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll finish this together.”
“Thanks man, but at least let me level the playing field.”
Again, I removed the seal between Yian and my power. The energy rushed into me, and Yian was sucked back into my shadow.
“Transform.”
All that extra energy rushed through my body, in place of blood. The energy passed through my skin, giving me a slight red glow. My once human pupils narrowed into the narrow slits of a Lucida. My canines slowly elongated into fangs. I was aware of the sensation, I had felt it before, but something was different. I was able to remain in control of my actions; Yian’s mind stayed separate from mine.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
My face was completely healed by the time Demitri emerged from the rubble. Upon seeing my transformation, he grinned.
“I thought I told you never to use that technique.”
“Too bad for you that pirates don’t do what their told.”
Demitri’s hands were glowing a yellow light.
“What the hell is that?” Said Jin, intensifying the flames around his hands.
“I think Echo knows . . .”
His whole body was enveloped in a golden aura. The energy surrounding his head stretched, making it look like he had very long, wild blue hair.
“Transform…” I gasped in disbelief. He had taught me the move, but I had no idea he could do it himself.
Demitri smiled in triumph. “Let’s do this.”
Demitri charged at me, arms trailing behind him. I rushed in to counter, Jin behind me charging up an attack. The Yian side of me worked to connect Jin and my minds, so we could coordinate our strikes.
We collided, sending a plume of displaced air flying outward, slightly rocking the massive airships in their perches. His elbow found its way into my grip. I managed to get my leg behind him, trip him up, and gain enough momentum to spin him around and toss him violently toward Jin, who was waiting for his opportunity.
He shot a massive fireball at Demitri’s flying body; the impact against Demitri’s powerful aura was almost as devastating as our collision. But he wasn’t done yet. Jin formed his whip-like blade in a matter of seconds, flinging it out and wrapping it around Demitri’s waist and stopping his fall.
I barreled towards him, connecting my fist with his aura. I leaned into it, putting all of my weight into the attack, and let him have it, sending him flying into the air, dragging Jin with him. They soared together, Demitri trying frantically to set himself upright to land on his feet. It didn’t matter. As soon as he landed, Jin fell in right behind him, closing his arch with a devastating comet punch. At least, that’s what he exclaimed when he was finishing his attack. Debris and heat radiated out from the attack. The best I could do was cover my face while I was pelted from all sides. When the dust cleared, Jin was next to me, maintaining the grip on his blade, which was still wrapped around Demitri.
There was a creepy grin on Demitri’s face as he grabbed the whip still surrounding him. He pulled, dragging Jin along with it. Jin flew through the air as Demitri whipped the blade around, throwing Jin’s body directly at me. He fell into me, knocking us both into the building with extreme force. Demitri wasted no time. He leaped into the air, slamming both fists into the ground on the way down. Small pockets of energy underneath the ground exploded, sending huge earthen spikes shooting through the pavement, heading directly for us. Jin’s armor would protect him, but all I had was a flimsy jacket.
The point of the spike surfaced right below Jin, sending him flying back up into the air. It collided with me next, sending me shooting off to the side. Oddly though, I didn’t feel any pain. I twisted in midair, to find that same thin yet dark layer of shadow shielding me from harm. Past the shied though, I saw Demitri flying after me.
I pulled Necros out of the pocket inside of my jacket I had stuffed it in earlier, and dispersed the shield. It took only a second to aim; he was approaching so quickly his chest was an ever growing target. I fired; the suction sound of the bullet leaving the chamber was dulled by the adrenaline running through my blood. The shot connected, slightly knocking back his shoulder, but other than that he was unharmed.
“It must have something to do with that aura.” I deduced out loud for some reason.
Demitri was getting closer, and I still wasn’t sure I could face him out in the open. I aimed again, and completely let loose, firing faster than I though was humanly possible. Bullet after bullet slammed into his body, knocking him back down to the ground with a huge explosion. Even as I continued to fall towards the open waters, I didn’t let up, releasing round after round until I felt my fingers were going to fall off. I few seconds later, I hit the water head first, causing a gigantic splash that didn’t hurt as bad as it looked.
I looked around wildly. I was clearly underwater, but I could breath, and I was . . . laying on something. I reached out, but my hand came in contact with a barrier. Touching it send a shiver down my spine. I knew that feeling, it was shadow that I was touching.
“How is it possible that I’m doing all these things without actually doing them?”
That isn’t an ordinary jacket Lyte. I gave it to you for a reason. It should help you get control over your powers.
“Who’s there?” I asked aloud, searching around my protective bubble.
I’m glad that you kept your scarf. Of course, it would have worked without it, but there are certain benefits . . . well I’m sure you’ll discover them later.
Slowly it dawned on my that I wasn’t hearing this voice, I was thinking it. At least, it was being thought into my mind.
Yian?
I designed it myself. I hope it’s enough . . . Lyte seek out the book. It’ll show you what to do. That’s all I can tell you. Good luck, I love you.
The voice faded. It defiantly wasn’t Yian’s, but I had no idea who else could be talking into my head. Unless Charles could secretly do it, but he wouldn’t leave me a coat, if he was in there he would have taken the scrolls, and he defiantly wouldn’t say he loved me. Also, why was the voice calling me Lyte?
That was beside the point now. I sat down cross legged inside the bubble and raised my hand casually. The bubble lurched forward in response, clearing the rough waves of the sea and revealing the severely damaged landscape. Even through the shadowy veil, my surroundings seemed clear and sharp. My eyes seemed to work better since I donned the jacket. Just another one of its positive side effects.
Jin was circling Demitri’s heavily damaged body. His aura was receded in several places, and in several more his clothes were visible underneath. All we needed now was an opening.
I leaped from the bubble, passing the barrier and plummeting toward the pavement. I unloaded another relentless barrage of bullets at Demitri. The first hit and he stumbled forward. He turned, enraged, right into the flurry of bullets following the warning shot. Jin took the opportunity to fling his blade around Demitri’s arm. He leaped into the air, bringing Demitri with him, and did a somersault in the air, smashing him down into the spot where my bullets were still raining down. Screams of pain erupted from the small crater created by Jin and my attacks. Jin was tugging on the whip, tightening the loop around Demitri’s arm and causing blood to splatter everywhere. His aura had almost completely dispersed. A few straggling wisps of blue remained around his hair, but no where else. His chest pumped up and down like a jackhammer, his forced breaths were irregular but strong.
I landed right next to his head, kneeling on one knee, with my elbow resting on the other.
“So we’re going to head out. Any messages you want delivered?” Demitri swore under his breath.
I stood up, releasing my transformation and returning to my regular self. Fye burst out of the cabin door of the leftmost, smallest ship.
“Guys what’s going on out here?! I heard a noise!”
“Nothing!” I shouted back, kicking Demitri’s limp arm back into the pit.
“Well come on, this ship is fully stocked, food, weapons, water, it’s all here. There’s even a sack of mesos! There must be over 250k in here!”
I looked back at Demitri, a small glint visible in his eye. This really was all for show. He was helping us get on our way. I knew I couldn’t thank him properly, not with Eris still watching. But one day I’d repay this debt. One way or another.
“Take care of yourself Demitri. Maybe next time you’ll follow my advice and bring some backup.”
He didn’t say anything. But I could feel he was content. In pain, but content. Jin and I ran to the boat, not looking back.
We both charged into the cabin, rushing down the stairs and into the belly of the ship. This area was mainly for storage, but in the front of the room, opposite of the stairwell’s mouth, was a steel door. It took both Jin and I to pull it free, the rusted hinges groaning under the stress of its burden. We got it open, and we both ran inside, me first, to the sight of a long control desk. On it were several buttons, levers, and knobs, accompanied by myriad of flashing indicator lights.
“Okay… well... how do we fly this thing?”
