Re: The Spreading Infection
Chapter 8: Into the Shadows.
The armies emerged from the blackened depths of the forest. Yellow teeth smiling as they had found the ones they had searched for. Blades drawn the two warriors awaited the worst possible situation. Stray rays of light lit up their faces, no worry, and no fear, only courage. Courage to the bitter end, fate it seemed worked in odd ways. They refused to fear, they accepted their fate and faced it head on. Above them a single raven flew across the sky unnoticed below.
“That’s the best you’ve got, we have been running this forest for hours from a few trolls? I was hoping for a better challenge.” The master of shadows grinned.
“You always where a one for words,” A voice shot out of the darkness, surprisingly familiar.
“It can’t be,” Tsuukai’s eyes grew wide as the man’s voice pierced through him bringing forth a long lost memory.
“But it is,”
“Ralph,”
“Ah you remember,” His voice heavily accented as he walked into the light, golden hair shining.
“My old childhood friend, what happened to you? You have become a prisoner.”
“Me you think I have become a prisoner,” He chuckled, “Look at yourself Tsuukai Ita, what are you now the Master Of Shadows. Long ago you where a good man, kind, and considerate. You gave it all away for power, now look at yourself, you are held by the chains of your own greed forever locked into the shadows you love.”
“Long ago I fell to temptation, like all of this world. I let my greed control me into things I normally couldn’t do. Do you honestly believe I like that I wanted power to change this world, to stop war. But to stop it I became a part of the problem a shadow of what this world really is.”
“You became evil corrupted by the hatred of this world. My queen seeks to end this hatred why stop her?”
“You are wrong she seeks to not get rid of hatred only control its power. I am not evil by any means I am merely a shadow of all people.”
“People are evil by nature, my queen will be the end to the evil,”
“Wrong again, old friend people are not evil. Once I believed as you do that the world is full of evil, but it seems my eyes are no longer blinded by greed. I see the love and kindness of this world that intertwines with the evil.”
“Sure now you see the kindness, where was thins when you betrayed our village,”
“Lost, I refused to see both sides but with some help I do now. You have not come here to argue with me on the nature of humans I know that. Tell me old friend why do you pursue me?”
“I seek to bring you peace,”
“You seek to imprison me with lies.”
“Its not like you had a choice,” An unearthly smile crossed his face as he drew his blade, “One more battle for old times sake,”
“It will end the same,” Tsuukai charged as the trolls surrounded the two leaving Maria on the outside looking in. Tsuukai swung high, as Ralph slashed low. Both blades missed there mark, but met together in the after swing. Ralph broke the connection with a push of his blade bringing the two to a stand still facing each other.
Ralph tried for an upward blow, but Tsuukai blocked at the bottom of the attack. Tsuukai raised his boot kicking the infected warrior away. Ralph spat on the ground, and grinned again. “Seems you still can’t beat me,” The master of shadows smiled.
“Seems you underestimate me,” The warrior raised his unarmed hand, a smile more devilish then the before across his face. A flash of light from a bolt of lightning lit of the forest. The shock sent Tsuukai flying into the air smashing into one of the motionless trolls surrounding him. The shadow raised himself to his feet with an odd smile.
“Nice,” He chuckled, “I didn’t see that one coming care to try that again when I’m expecting it,”
“You will learn the meaning of pain,” Was the infected warriors reply as he shot another bolt at Tsuukai. In a flash of a millisecond a cold blade was in the way stopping the attack to hit. The yellow energy swirled around the blade lighting up the face behind it. Pointing down he drove it into the ground rendering the attack useless.
“Metal conducts electricity, care to try again,”
“I am just getting started,”
“That’s good, I was afraid you would quit.”
“Impotent scum,” His face twisting into anger as he shot a ball of fire at the master of shadows. Calmly Tsuukai dodged the attack causing the ball of fire to hit a troll in the stomach. The angered troll lifted his heavy weapon in response hoping to crush the master of shadows. As he did his eyes grew wide, and his face tortured by pain as he stumbled backwards falling hard. Where the troll once stood Maria was present her sword drenched in fresh blood.
“What is going on? Who is that guy?” She pointed at the infected warrior.
“I’ll explain later,”
“There is no later,” Ralph, said smiling, “Only the light,”
“I wont kill you, I want to but its not your fault it’s Stacia’s she will die and you restored.”
“You wont defeat her she will win,”
“NO, she will fail you cannot change that,”
“I am growing tired of this, you die today,” He said pointing his sword at the two signaling the attack. The army of troll’s by that time about thirty strong surrounded the two blocking all light. Into the shadows, The one trapped spoke for the first time in a while. What about Maria I can’t leave her here? Tsuukai replied mentally. Take her with you.
Your crazy I barely have enough power for myself, and we don’t even know if I can take another Was his distressed response. What choice do you have, you could stay here and be infected or try this either way there’s a risk. Which one is worse is the question, . Fine your right I have no alternative
“This is the best you’ve got, you believe you can trap the master of shadows,” Tsuukai said in a laugh.
“What are you doing,” Maria whispered urgently into Tsuukai’s ear.
“Don’t worry I have a plan.” He whispered surprisingly calm. “Tell your Queen that the Master of shadows is upset with her. He expected better then this. Make sure she knows she can’t trap a shadow and that I will seek presence with her shortly. Now I must be going, another time we shall finish this.” He said aloud a stale grin across his face.
Grabbing Maria by the far shoulder he pulled her close, she was a little shocked at the action, but figured it was part of his plan. Grabbing his cloak he pulled it over both of their faces covering them almost completely. In a second the black figures hidden by the cloak shrank and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
Oddly enough Ralph did not look surprised he looked pleased like part of a plan had just unfolded.
* * * * * *
The two emerged from a shadow as if they where coming out of water, that shadow itself was that of a lone tree in the middle of the clearing. “Did we just...” Maria started to speak.
“Travel through shadows? Yes,”
“You knew you could do this,”
“Yes,”
“Then why didn’t you just do that in the first place?” Her voice showing signs of anger.
“It is dangerous I can only go to places I have seen, and I didn’t know if it was safe to take more then myself.”
“But…”
“We don’t have time to argue we are not out of trouble just yet. We’ll talk about this when we are safely away on your dragon…” He said turning around expecting to see a dragon. All he saw was a plain green field with a small yellowish piece of paper where a great dragon once was. “What the.” He shouted running up to the paper. He grabbed the paper harshly from the ground his eye’s scanned it quickly as he did his hand tightened to a fist.
“What…what is it,” Maria asked tentively expecting the worst.
“See for yourself,” he said passing her the piece of paper.
Dear Tsuukai
It seems I have underestimated you for you to even read this. If you had not guessed it is I Stacia’s messenger Ralph. Your little dragon put up a brave fight but we have captured him he is now on his way to my castle to the north. If you expect to get him back come and meet me, you where coming this way any ways. I will be waiting so we can finish this battle. It’s only a three months walk you’d better get started.
Your friend
Ralph
“I guess this means wither that old man was lying or not we still have to go there,”
“It seems that way,”
“But how will we get there? We can’t walk it will take too long,”
“I earlier days I was called the black rider, I wasn’t given that name by chance,” He placed two fingers up to his mouth and gave a high-pitched whistling sound. A brief rustling sound was heard, followed by soft stomping. Soon it grew louder, and louder till two figures burst out of the bushes. The black horses stopped in front of them fully saddled and ready for a journey.
“Well…that’s convenient.”
“I assume you know how to ride,”
“Of course,”
“Good we must make hast,” he said mounting his steed, Maria doing the same behind him. The two rode the dieing light to there side. From the side Tsuukai heard a faint voice almost covered by the loud footsteps of the fast moving beasts.
“Tsuukai,”
“Yes,”
“Thanks, you know for saving me back there all those time I must be helpless,”
“No you have just yet to unlock your full potential.”
“I guess, I will repay the debut before we finish this and go our separate ways,”
“Yeah,” Tsuukai said going into thought, “yeah,” he repeated, “Separate ways,”