Important Note: Italics, and other special quirks have been lost in copy and paste. Sorry.
[Insert Title Here]
Prologue
The sky was black and cloudless, not even the moon was out on this darkest of nights. The forest was silent, the animals in it having the foreboding sixth sense of being able to see trouble ahead. Two men stood hidden among the trees, quietly whispering, and planning.
"... man named Thorn. Alright, now get going. You'll only have short while before they get here, and this is your one and only chance, you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, boss" Shadow saluted him mockingly. "I'm going in." He turned and briskly walked towards the pub before him, making sure not to glance back.
This was his first job, and he was not going to mess it up.
Chapter 1
Shadow silently pushed the doors open and let himself in. A few people sat at their tables, scattered about the room. No one noticed him as he sat down on a stool and ordered a bit of wine. He searched the room until his eyes fell upon a newcomer. The man walked over and sat two stools to his left, near a wall.
As his wine arrived, he looked at the man from the corner of his eye. Sipping slowly, he crumpled up the bill and threw it at a trash can near the other man. It bounced off the edge and fell easily into the man's hand. Shadows eyes widened as he watched the man's palm catch fire, turning the paper turn to ash.
"That was awesome" said Shadow, as he moved a seat closer.
The man raised an eyebrow as he answered, "Making a fireball?"
Shadow nodded excitedly, "Yeah, that was so cool, I wish I could do that."
He tilted his head a little, "I could teach you, if you want"
Shadow's eyes widened in joy, "Really? You think I can?"
The man smiled, "Nothing is impossible, my friend, as long as you have a fiery will and determination. Now what kind of creature are you?"
Shadow took another sip of his wine, "Mixed race"
"Please elaborate."
"Human, demon, wizard, and a bit of shape shifter blood. Its chaotic."
He hm'ed softly as he nodded, "Well, use your bit of shape shifter blood to harness the demon within you, and become one in appearance"
Shadow nodded once and stood up, focusing on the demon blood in him. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly through his nose. He felt his teeth slowly extend, sharp horns protruding from his skull, long wicked claws shinking out from his fingertips. He blinked open his deep black eyes then looked down at his skin which had become a dark red hue.
"Excellent, now let me see your hand" the man said with a smile on his face. Shadow extended a red hand as he watched the man position his fingers. "Tighten your muscles a bit. Good, now concentrate solely on fire, and push all else from your mind."
Shadow nodded, then closed his eyes and focused all his energy on flames. Clearing everything from his mind, he pictured a [raging] inferno, then suddenly his hand caught fire. He growled under his breath as the fire raged on within his palm. "Dont lose focus" he heard as a cold blanket of snow fell over him and the flame, almost extinguishing it. "Now, let it all out in one burst, and contain it."
Shadow clenched his other fist, which now flared up. He opened his eyes wide, a raging red burning within the darkness of them, then put his hands to his side, palms out. A wave of fire blew out from them, engulfing the two men, yet extending no further; a bubble of fire. The snow that had fallen over them had melted, then evaporated within the bubble. Suddenly the man moved his hand over Shadows, absorbing the fire away from him, and into his. The man's arm caught on fire, but he simply released his hold on it, and it burned itself out. The mans arm was slightly darkened, but he seemed not to mind.
"Your hands were begining to burn, but you'll learn to stop it later. Now do your hands feel burned or just overheated?"
Shadow blinked then looked down at his hands, just now realizing that they were slightly blackened by the fire. "Um, they just feel hot, and kinda numb," he replied.
The man nodded then put his hands over Shadow's, a dark blue aura swirling around them, and his hands returning to their orignal red. Starting to regain feeling in his hands, Shadow sighed refreshedly. A cool wind flew through him as the man raised his palms toward his body.
"There you go" the man said as he closed his eyes and dropped his hands to his side. Shadow tilted his head as he noticed a heart like symbol on his palm. "Where'd you get that from?" he asked as he pointed to it.
"This?" He looked at his palm, then closed it, turning away, "Just a birth mark." He walked to a table, motioning for Shadow to sit.
As he sat down, Shadow excitedly whispered, "Wow, that was so intense!" as the horns and claws retracted back into his body, his skin color returning to a more natural tone.
The man nodded in return, "You get used to it after a while.." He stopped for a second, contemplating something, then resumed, "You did well for a first timer."
Shadow smiled at him, humbled by his words, "Thanks, I hope to get used to it. Whats your name anyways?"
"My name's Thorn. And yours?"
Strecthing, he replied "Shadow. So where'd you learn to do that?"
Thorn coughed, then answered "My father taught me, back in Hell"
Widening his eyes in awe, Shadow asked "Wow, really?"
The man nodded "I'm a demon, like the rest in my family. Though I'm the only one who left Hell."
Tilting his head a bit, he frowned. "Why didn't the rest of your family leave with you? They didn't feel like travelling?"
Thorn shook his head, "Hell is ruled by the Demon Counsel, who would do anything to stay in power. They saw me as a threat and sent hunters to kill me."
"A threat? Why is that? Well, not that you don't look threatening and all, but, um, you know..."
The man raised a hand for silence, "They were afraid of my powers, which were new at the time."
"Powers? Like what?"
"I can affect the weather with my emotions, though i couldn't control it as a child. I didn't cause any major damage, but the Counsel was still deathly afraid of me and what I could become. So I left before the hunters could catch me in my home."
Deeply intriuged by his story, Shadow asked "Are there any others like you?"
Thorn shrugged, "Most of my generation were killed if they showed the slightest hint of it. There are very few besides me; I know of only one other who escaped." He sighed as he said this.
Shadow tilted his head slightly, questioningly, "Wow, you certainly are special."
He shrugged again, looking down. "No, I'm not, I'm just another person in the crowd."
"You don't seem like another person in the crowd. This Demon Counsel seems to agree with me too. Why do you think that?"
Thorn looked up, "That reason is between me and one other person." He smiled a bit. "Now enough about me, how 'bout you? Where are you from?"
Nodding in understanding, he responded casually, "Oh, just a small shack out in the country, nowhere near as cool as where you come from."
The man raised his eyebrow, "Shack? Is that where you were concieved?"
Shadow shook his head, "No, I don't think so... My adoptive parents found me there. I have no idea who my real parents are."
Thorn nodded, frowning slightly, "Have you tried tracking them down?"
Shadow nodded. "Yeah, that's what I left home for. And to learn new powers"
"Hm... Well what powers do you possess at the moment?"
Grinning, he closed his eyes and snapped his fingers at his side, disappearing and leaving a wisp of smoke in his seat. From the rafter he now perched on, he looked down at Thorn, dropping another crumpled wad of paper on him. In a single movement, Thorn was at his side on the rafter, holding the wad of paper in front of him, night black wings extending from behind him, a smirk on his face. Shadow took the paper from his hand, grinning sideways to him. "Nice. I think I still get places faster though."
Thorn laughed. "You're not the only one who can teleport, but flying gives me a chance to calm down."
Nodding slightly, he answered "Well for that, I could just do this." Closing his eyes tightly, he concentrates on the mighty wolf. Fur exploded all around his body as he opened his eyes, a low roar escaping his lips. He bent over, standing on all fours, deadly white claws extending from his hands, now paws. Grinning at Thorn, he flashed his long silver canines.
Smiling back at him, Thorn dropped down to the ground, his coat rising behind him. Shadow jumped down after him, his paws silently hitting the cold stone floor. Sitting back on the floor, his tail wagged as he watched the man with curiosity.
Thorn stared at the door, his fists clenched. Shadow padded over to him, looking at him questioningly. Suddenly, his arms wrapped around Shadow's body as he felt the room disappear. Blinking, Shadow looked around. They were outside the bar, near the back. Looking up at Thorn, he barked inquisitively. He held a finger to his lips, beckoning him to be quiet. Shadow frowned at him, but followed his instruction none the less. They huddled down behind a low wall as Thorn looked over the edge. Curious, Shadow peeked his eyes over as well. His eyes widened as he saw them.
Clad in long trenchcoats, the men carried dark crossbows around their backs, and wicked black blades in their hilts. There were at least ten of them, walking around and interrogating people. One of them looked in their direction and they quickly ducked their heads down. They heard his coat dragging across the ground, his footsteps getting ever closer to their hiding spot. In an instant, Thorn was up, a fireball already in midair, flying straight toward him. The man swiveled around, the fireball shooting past him and just missing another of his partners. He took his crossbow out, shooting a dark bolt at him, studded with a red stone. Thorn put his hand on Shadow's shoulder and teleported again, this time appearing on the roof. He growled, looking down at them, preparing a fireball in each fist. He threw them at the first man, who turned around at the last second, both fireballs whipping past him. Thorn growled as another black bolt grazed his cheek. Immediatly, he began bleeding from the long thin cut that appeared. Shadow stared up at him, and found a dark red defiance in his eyes. "We have to get out of here. Now." He nodded, and they teleported again, this time, into the forest near the bar, but out of sight of the hunters.
Thorn jumped up, letting out his wings and flying off in a direction away from the bar. He yelled back to Shadow, "C'mon!" Shadow crouched then raced after him, paws silently pushing off the dirt. Together they left the bar and the hunters behind them.
Chapter 2
Much later, the next morning, in fact, they were still running and flying away from the bar. Shadow looked up at Thorn and barked once at him. He flew down to Shadow, tilting his head, "Don't tell me you're tired already?" He laughed as he hid the sleepiness from his new comrade. Haven't slept for a whole day now. Shadow nodded, a bit annoyed. Sniffing the air, Thorn beckoned him to follow.
Eventually they came upon a spring, a lush fertile meadow growing around it.
"You're gonna need to know your nose if you're gonna be in that form a lot. Smell this water, and remember the scent." Thorn said, as he took a handful of it, and drank.
Shadow nodded, lapping up the water straight from the spring. When he had his fill, he took a few sniffs of the water, memorizing the crisp, clean smell.
"Ahh!" sighed Shadow refreshedly, back in his human form. He looked over at Thorn, who sat on a rock beside the spring, a grave expression on his face.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked the man.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. The hunters know someone was with me"
"Correction: The hunters know a wolf was with you. They never saw my face, did they?"
"They have ways of forcing the information out of people, against their will. If they catch me, they will find out what you look like, and eventually catch you as well. Those hunters are relentless, and won't stop until they kill us both."
"Or if We kill Them first, right?"
Thorn looked at him with a slightly hopeful expression, but then he seemed to remember something. "They're not that easy to kill. And besides, even if we do somehow manage to kill them, the Demon Counsel will just send more. And I don't think we can take out the entire Demon Counsel on our own." He sighed, looking away as he said the last few words.
Shadow ran over to him, "Hey. You've managed to survive with those hunters on your tail, haven't you? I'm sure I can live too. Maybe we could even find others like you and band together against them."
The man stood, putting his hand on Shadow's shoulder. "That's not possible. Any others out there would be extremely well hidden, like me. They'd find us before we'd find any others."
"What about the other one? You said you knew another one like you."
Thorn sighed, taking his hand off his shoulder and turning away from him. "I don't think she'll help. Kate was my best friend when we escaped from Hell. But when we got here... she met someone else. One night, she left with him. I haven't heard from her since, and I have no idea where she might be today. Or if she'd even want to see me." He looked back at Shadow sadly.
Shadow looked down, feeling bad about prying into the man's past. "I'm sorry."
He walked back over to Shadow, "It's fine. And, you know what?" He looked up at Thorn. "I think it might be time to find her again."
Shadow smiled. "That's great! Now where do we start searching?"
The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well, first things first, I think we should go back to where I saw her last. Its in the next town over, Phillysburg."
He nodded, "Alright man, let's go!" Shadow waved him over as he morphed into a wolf again, the only form he could become with a perfect balance of speed and power.
He padded ahead of Thorn, beckoning him to hurry. Thorn grinned, flashing his wings out, and rocketing past Shadow. He growled loudly and ran as fast as his paws could carry him, racing after Thorn.
After a while, they made it to the main road. Shadow looked both ways, the road seemingly empty.
"Hey, are you waiting for someone to hold your hand to cross the street?! Let's go!" Thorn called from above, as he flew over the road, and turned into the direction of the town. Shadow growled again, then jumped onto the road, ready to run after him, but was suddenly caught in a net. Before he could react, the net pulled him up and hung him high above the ground, from a tree. From inside the net, he began to howl, but then stopped, not wanting to seem the helpless maiden in distress.
He closed his eyes, focusing on another animal. The fur dissipated from his skin, becoming scaly. The sharp nails retracted into his paws, which started blending into his body. His body became long and he could feel his bones disappearing, replaced with pure muscle. His fierce wide eyes suddenly slitted, and he felt another, thinner eyelid closing upwards. He couldn't see well through the eyelids, so he hissed, sticking his tongue out. Through his tongue, he felt the vibrations of the net and found the gaps in it. He pushed his head through the gap, slithering his body through it, then fell to the floor. He thumped down hard, but came out unhurt. He hissed out a sigh, then suddenly became rigid as he felt other vibrations around him. Through his eyes, he hazily saw three figures standing above him. He hissed again then jumped at the nearest man, sinking his fangs deep into his shoulder. He then wrapped his body around the man's neck, tightening his muscles, squeezing the breath out of him. Before the man could pass out, either by the venom or the suffocation, Shadow felt someone cut into his skull, some substance now flowing through his bloodstream, parylzing his muscles.. He immediatly relinquished his hold on both the man's neck and shoulder, plummeting to the ground. Shadow could only watch helplessly as one of the other men walked over to him and slung his body over his shoulder. No matter how much he wanted to bite the man, his body simply would not respond.
Becoming desperate, he tried to concentrate on his human form. Tightly closing his eyes, he imagined his human body. Not feeling any change, he sighed as he opened his eyes. Suddenly, he noticed he was on the floor, and that he could see clearly now. Tilting his head slightly, he could see his arms and legs. He slowly got up, then looked at the men, whimpering slightly in fear. He clenched his teeth, then slowly moved his hands into the position Thorn had put them before. His hands burned with the fire, though he could not feel it. Slowly, he aimed the fire at the man who had picked him up, a burst of flame charging towards him. The man tried to shield himself with his arms, but it was no use. The fire swirled around the mans arms, then lapped at his clothes. His heavy trenchcoat caught fire easily, and the man promptly took it off, dropping it to the floor. Shadow stared at them, smiling darkly as he readied another ball of fire.
The men scurried away from him, as he warningly tossed it in their direction. They scrambled as they got up and ran in the opposite direction, screaming in fear. He laughed then heard Thorn calling from above "Hey, what's the hold up?" Shadow just laughed and turned away from the men, shrugging slightly to him. He jumped onto the main road again, in human from this time, walking along it. Thorn yelled at him "Hurry up, time is money here!". "And don't forget, silence is golden!" he growled back at him before morphing back into his wolf form, running along the road, keeping a steady pace with Thorn.
Chapter 3
He stared at the three men, examining them closely. They all wore patchy coats, except for one, who carried burn marks around his body; faded, ripped pants, and scuffy, torn shoes. One of the men had a snake bite on his shoulder, and a black bruise around his neck, hinting at recent asphyxiation. The one, seemingly lucky man who showed no signs of physical harm looked mentally distressed, and twitchy.
Blane warned them "Quiet your whimpering or we will be forced to slice your tongue out. Now, what did youe men catch in this net?" He rasied his fist, clutching an empty net, used to capture average sized animals, but seemed perfectly unused. Throwing it on the floor, he yelled, "Answer me!"
The man with the burns, slightly bigger than the rest, seemed to be the leader. He gulped loudly, his adams apple bobbing up and down his throat. "We caught some sort of Shape Shifter..."
Growling, Blane backhanded him across the cheek. "You did not just catch a mere Shape Shifter! Tell me everything you saw, and do not stutter, or your life will end horribly and miserably."
Breathing deeply and slowly, the burn man began to speak again, "He threw fireballs at us... and before we ran away, we saw this winged guy with him..."
"Winged..? Hm.... It could be Thorn... Now as for you three.." Blane looked back at the men. "You have overlived your usefulness." He waved a hand over them, a black aura reaching out from his palm. Gray shadows appeared above their skin, then moved towards his aura, merging with it. He closed his fist around the aura, feeling the strength, darkness, and memories flowing into him. Closing his eyes tightly, he looked into the most recent thoughts, with the winged man and pyro shape shifter. He looked through the memory as if it were his own. He remembered his comrade being bitten by the snake form, rushing up to help him, but then being burned by the human form. He thought of the running away, and his last look at the shape shifter, the winged man hovering behind him.
Blinking open his eyes, he recognized the winged man. With an evil smile on his face, he said, "Good.. I'm on the right track." He looked up to the trees, waving the rest of his hunters away, "I'll handle him myself. All of you, return to base." A near silent shuffling meant they had left.
"Thorn, you had better watch out, cause I'm coming for you." He took a step forward, then glided slightly above the ground, superspeeding out of the forest and on the road leading to Phyllisburg.
Chapter 4
Shadow let out a great sigh as he rested against an old wooden sign reading, "We--ome to P--llisbu--". A few of the letters had fallen off, and lay in the dirt in front of it. It seemed an old sign, the remaining letters tinged with red, already rusting.
"Hey, I think there are much better places to sleep than on that sign. Not to much mention more sanitary. Lets go look for the inn" Thorn said as he turned away from him and walked into the town. Shadow closed his eyes, shifting back into human form, and looked around the dusty desert landscape. He sighed at the heat, then rushed to catch up with Thorn.
As they walked side by side, they passed numerous bars and houses, yet not a single person was seen. The town looked empty, and the buildings were all run down, some even reduced to rubble.
They finally came upon the West Inn, but let out a sigh of disappointment as they noticed it was empty as well. Thorn calmly pushed the swinging doors open, ignoring the Closed sign on it. He strolled right in, and looked around at the desolate, lonely room. Shadow was about to call out, but stopped when Thorn shushed him. He motioned Shadow to lay low as he walked up the stairs leading to the rooms. Shadow grumbled to himself about being left behind, then noticed a slight movement, a soft creak from under him. He jumped backwards as a huge black spider burst out of the wooden floor. It hissed at him vehemently then spit out a green liquid at him. Sidestepping the flying goo, he saw it melt through the wooden wall behind him.
"Heyyy... Thorn!!" He yelled for his friend as he ran up the stairs to search for him. The spider rushed after him, slamming into the wall near the stairs, then charged upwards. Shadow jumped to the top of the stairs, aiming a plam toward the spider, and ejected a burst of flame at it. The spider hissed in response as it tumbled back down the stairs, landing on its back.
Shadow nervously ran away from it, and yelled for Thorn once more, "Hey! Thorn! Where are ya?!" He ran through the hallway, checking into each room, but still no answer, and still no Thorn.
As he reached the end of the hallway, his ears perked up at a noise behind him. He had no time to react as the spider tackled him from behind, taking him down to the floor. It hissed angrily at him, stabbing two of its long skinny legs into the back of his hands, pinning him down. Shadow forced himself up and pushed the spider off of him. It landed perfectly, immediatly readying another tackle. Shadow let out another burst of flame at the spider, yet it withstood the attack, and rushed straight through it. The spider pushed through the fire, and came close to Shadow's face, hissing angrily at him. Thing must be fire proof, he thought, as he jumped over it, the spider crashing into the wall behind him. He ran over to it, putting a hand to the spider's smooth black abdomen, and began absorbing its DNA. The spider calmed down as a rush of chemicals flowed through its body. When he absorbed the form of a creature, it became pacified for a while.
The absorption was complete, and he concentrated on this new body, the eight long legs, the huge abdomen and eight eyes, and slowly morphed into it. He hissed loudly, a bit of acid dribbling down his open mouth, then took a bite out of the other spider, pincers sinking deep into its abdomen. The other spider hissed in pain, then Shadow lifted it from the floor, and tossed the thing down the hallway. For his final attack, he concentrated the acid into a huge blob in his throat and ejected it at the spider, and watched the acid sizzle through its body. It let out a low gutteral(Sp?) sound, then turned onto its back, eight legs pointing upwards, unmoving.
With his enemy dead, he looked around for the last door in the hallway. Oh great, he thought, No hands, and the door's closed. I got it. He tensed every muscle in his legs, then jumped through the door, destroying it as he did. That was not my fault. They should've installed revolving doors.
He slowly balanced himself and got up, feeling more than a few splinters protruding from his body. Through his blurry vision, he couldnt see much, so he relied on slight vibrations in the room, which he picked up with the tiny hair follicles that surrounded his body. He could sense two figures in the room, one was wriggling in place, and very small compared to the other one, which was still and unmoving. Fight or flight. His instincts told him to flee the scene; with his spider senses, he knew the larger creature was another spider, and a bigger one at that. Though he had size to his advantage, Shadow had the human element of thought.
To issue his challenge, he hissed angrily at the spider. Through his foggy listening, he heard the other spider hiss loudly in return, which he took as an acceptance to the challenge. He charged at the spider, knowing it would try to charge back. Just as he thought, the other spider rushed straight towards him, but right before they collided, he hurdled over it, and turned to face the spider. The other one had not yet recovered, and was still trying to stop its charge. Shadow took his chance and spat his acid onto the spiders legs, causing it to tilt and fall over on its side. Hissing happily, he walked over to it and sank his pincers into the spider's abdomen, spewing acid deep into its body. The other spider hissed loudly in agony, a cry which slowly faded away as the spider fell onto its side and became still.
The hairs on his body stood on end as he felt the vibrations of the other creature once again. He charged towards it, ready to swallow it between the fangs in his mouth, but the human part of his mind was able to stop himself from doing so. Slowing down, he kneeled down on his front four legs, then felt them meld together into his arms, his hind four becoming two human legs again.
He opened his eyes, standing up and shaking his head clear of the spider thoughts. "God I hate doing insects. Just eat and kill mindsets" Looking around, he saw Thorn stuck on a spider web, his wings outstretched against it. Chuckling in amusement, Shadow said, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Ah, a Thorny meal, best served in webs, eh?"
"Just get me down from here!" Thorn yelled at him, not very amused.
Grinning, he pulled out a dagger from Thorn's side and cut him free of the spider web.
"Y'alright there, buddy?" Shadow said, still grinning.
Thorn merely stared at him in silence for a few moments until he said, "I'm fine, now lets get going."
"What, getting caught in a spider web wasn't in your mission log?" chuckled Shadow.
"No and you saving me wasn't exactly on the agenda, now c'mon. Something's happened to this place, and we have to figure out what."
Shadow blinked a couple times before asking, "What? How is this our problem? Why should we help the town?"
"I cant just turn a blind eye to other people's problems, Shadow. It's not right. Now lets go before any more spiders befall us." [How should i write that?]
Shadow sighed then nodded, "Alright, fine, I guess i can take a minor detour."
Once they were outside, Shadow asked, "So where to first?"
Thorn frowned in thought, then said, "We should split up. I'm gonna check out the mayor's house. Either he's in there, or something will be to help us figure out what's happened. You should go check out the other buldings, seems like you can handle yourself pretty well now, can't you?"
Grinning, Shadow replied, "You know it. Alright then, I'm out." he said as he phased into his Wolf mode. He barked to Thorn one final time before turning around and running off.
Chapter 5
-Shadow-
-Running- [better description?] past a few torn down buildings, he came to one he thought interesting. This one was very different from the others, it wasn't run down at all. It looked in great condition, as if it was newly built, and had a nearly fresh coat of white paint on it. He padded softly towards the building, poking his nose through the doorless entrance, sniffing lightly. He scrunched his nose in disgust, shaking his head to clearout the stench. Slowly stepping into the building, he whined softly as he held his breath. He looked around the room, inspecting everything he could see, even through the darkness of the room. It was a largely featureless room, with no furniture, besides one large desk at the back of the room. Place could use a home decorator.
He softly jumped onto the desk, checking behind it, but finding nothing. Frowning lightly, he thought, Why was this building so different from the rest? His ears perked up as he heard a small squish coming from behind him. He turned around, finding an odd spherical object. Quickly jumping off the desk, he examined it closely, peering at the moving surface. There semed to be some kind of creature inside it. He poked it gently with a paw, and it popped open, hundreds of small insects pouring out of the opening. Widening his eyes in surprise, he jumped back with a yelp.
He looked up at where the egg had come from, and his jaw dropped in amazement. Attached to the roof were thousands of wiggling little eggs, spiderwebs randomly coating a few of them. He looked back down, noticing all the little bugs skittering towards him. He stepped backwards slowly, then lightly bumped into something. He heard a soft hiss, and before he could turn around, he was on the floor, feeling something bite through the fur on his back. Slowly losing consciousness, he let out an extended, loud howl, a final cry for help before closing his eyes and fading out.
-Thorn-
Growling lightly, he stared at the empty space before him. The room where the mayor's office had been was now a collection of rubble. He stood at the center of it, at the center of what once had been the most majestic building in the town. Standing three stories tall, it was the largest one as well. Now, however, it's the largest amount of destruction in the town. He sighed sadly as he walked away from it. Frowning, he thought, Well, now what? Grr, looks like I'm gonna have to go find Shadow. But he could be anywhere, how can I- Suddenly, a loud howl pierced through the night air. Okay, never mind. The howl was suddenly cut off, and silence echoed throughout the town.
Quickly, he jumped up, flashing his ten foot wingspan, soaring towards the direction of his comrade's howl.
Searching through the town, he wondered where his partner might have gone. All these buildings all look the same. Where could he be? Then he came upon a clean building. Looks untouched, he thought, as he flew down towards it. Softly touching down in front of it, he looked through the empty doorway, at the darkness inside. He slowly walked into the room, then closed his eyes as he heard a soft skittering across the floor. His hand flew from his side into the air in front of him, clutching his dagger. As he opened his eyes, he saw his dagger, now endowed with a spider's dead body. Shaking it softly, the spider came off it, falling to the ground.
A bit of green fluid remained on the dagger, but before he could wipe it clean, it soaked into the metal, which now glowed lightly. He looked throughout the room, checking for more spiders, but found nothing. He glanced up at the ceiling for a second, yet saw nothing but a few broken spider webs. At the end of the room was a large gaping hole, behind a desk. He vaulted over it, landing in front of the open hole. Peering into the next room, he found a horrifying sight. Spiderwebs covered every inch of the room, and behind the webs lay all the missing villagers. Worse, he saw his comrade; the wolf was unfortunately behind webs as well. He flew over to him, toes lightly grazing against the floor, then suddenly barrelrolled to the right. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a huge spider charge straight through his intended path. This one was even bigger than the ones they encountered at the Inn.
And behind it followed thousands of tiny spiders, and more than a few medium sized ones. The large one hissed in his direction, the multiple eyes all glaring at him. He grinned lightly, throwing his dagger into one of the eyes. It sizzled into the spider, which hissed loudly in agony, taking a few step back. He tackled the spider directly, grabbing onto its head, pulling his dagger out, and stabbing out another of it eyes. It hissed more as it shook violently, trying to get him off, but he merely jumped around it, riding atop it.
At once, the spider stopped shaking. It hissed lightly, yet did not move. He scratched the back of its head softly, then stroked to the left, into the direction of the rest of the spiders, who merely stared back at them. He stroked the spider's head forwards roughly, and felt it charge against the crowd of spiders, who apperently looked up to this spider as the leader. This must be the queen, he thought, as he slammed into all the little ones, crushing them instantly. He grinned as he stomped on the spiders, biting into the larger ones. He tried to spew acid, like he had seen Shadow do earlier, but the queen didnt seem to have any. Thorn chuckled lightly as he thought, I bet this is almost as good as Shadow actually being one of these spiders. That reminds me, he turned back to the villagers after killing the rest of the spiders. Still riding the queen spider, he cut them all loose with his dagger, and stopped as he approched a certain strung up wolf.
"You get a little caught up there?" Thorn chuckled..
The wolf merely growled in return, unable to speak.
Thorn chuckled softly, in a mock voice, "Aw, what, was getting caught in a spider web not on your to-do list for today? I'm sure everyone enjoys a good lupine meal, served in webs."
Shadow barked back, annoyed at the irony of the situation.
Having had his fun, Thorn cut him out of the spiderwebs. Shadow dropped down on four paws, glaring up at Thorn, who merely grinned back. Slowly shiffting back into human form, he got up on two legs, and continued his glare. Laughing softly, Thorn rode out of the room, atop his huge queen spider. Before it got out of range, Shadow placed his hand softly on the spider's abdomen, absorbing its DNA. Might help later on, he thought. You never know. Then he followed behind the spider, walking out of the dank, musty building together.
Once outside, Thorn tied one of the spiders legs to a nearby tree, making sure the knot was tight.
As the crowd of villagers overcame their shock, they eventually came out of the building as well, and a chorus of shouts rang through the town. They all congratulated Thorn for saving them, with a handshake or a pat on the back, occasionally a light hug. Then one of them, an older man, sprouting a few white hairs on his balding head, said, "As the mayor of Phyllisburg, I thank you and your brave comrade, for saving us. Ah, who knows What might've happened in there, had you folks passed us by. You have my, and everybody's gratitude for helping us"
Thorn nodded a bit, smiling softly, holding up a palm to them, "Please, your words humble me greatly. It was my- Well i cant say pleasure, but i was certainly happy to do it. I am glad to have saved you and the other citizens of this town."
The man bowed lightly to him, offering his hand, "My name is Krippet. And to whom do I owe my thanks?"
Taking it, he shook his hand softly, "The name's Thorn, Mr. Krippet."
"Oh please, Mr. Krippet was my father, bless his soul in heaven. You can just call me Krippet, as everyone else does. Now, what do you want as your reward? I will give you anything you desire, if it is within my power."
Shaking his head, he answered, "No, no, I can accept no reward. Your gratitude is all I could ask for."
Krippet smiled, "You certainly are one of the nicer young men out there. I know many a man who would take advantage of such an offer. I give you my most sincere thanks. This town is in your debt, Thorn."
He smiled back, "Now I can't take all the credit. If it weren't for my partner, I may never have found you or your citizens. He deserves thanks as well."
Gasping softly, Krippet bowed towards Shadow, "Oh, my dear boy, I am sorry for not acknowledging you sooner. This town is in your debt as well."
Shadow grinned lightly, "Aw, t'wasn't nothin'."
Krippet smiled once more, "If there's anything you ever need of us, we shall be sure to aid you any way we can. Now, let us return to our town!" He shouted back towards the crowd, who cheered in response.
"And let Us return to our mission" whispered Shadow to Thorn, who nodded lightly.
"Alright alright, Mr. Impatience. But first, we're gonna have to spend the night here. It must be past midnight already."
"Fine, fine. S'go to the West Inn already. I'm ready to fall in bed now."
Thron chuckled, "Yes, I'm sure hanging from a spider web all day really tuckers you out, eh?"
Shadow glared once more, "How bout we say we're even now. I saved you the last time."
"Even? I saved You the first time from those hunters. And it's rare that I'll ever need any more saving." Thorn grinned, as they walked into the Inn, and up the stairs.
Shadow merely sighed in return as he dragged himself up the steps, too tired to argue, and made it to one of the lesser damaged rooms.
Thorn stood by the doorless entrance, still grinning, "What, no witty reply?"
He groaned as he stood at the end of one of the beds. Slightly mumbling, he answered, "Witty replies are on the To-do list for tomorrow." then fell into the bed, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Chapter 6
Blane stood with his arms crossed in front of a sign that read, "Welcome to Phyllisburg" in bright new gold lettering. He stood still and unmoving, as if one with the shadows. His black coat and pants blended perfectly into the night. With his eyes closed, he slowly lifted himself a few inches above the ground, toes lightly touching the floor. He moved forward silently, gliding into the town, relying only on his hearing.
Listening carefully to each building, he flew through the town. Suddenly, he stopped at one of the buildings. It was much louder than the others, but more importantly, he sensed two powerful energy signatures coming from it, though one was noticeably greater than the other.
As someone approached the entrance from the inside, he took a step and bounded off the ground, softly landing on the roof. Peering over the edge of the roof, he saw two men leave with a pint of beer in hand.
Blane lay down on the roof, staring up at the stars, thinking I've finally found you, Thorn. After so many long years of searching, I've finally got you within range. I'll need some sustenance though... I'm so hungry.. I need to be in top form when I go after you. He rolled over, then got up and lightly jumped to the ground.
He flew straight for the men from before, wasting no time, tackling them both from behind, taking them down, putting a hand roughly over their mouths. A gray shadow creeped out of their bodies, flowing up their bodies, to their mouths and into his hands, merging with his own black aura.
He then released them and got up off them, relishing the feeling. They lay on the ground, still and unmoving, though their hearts kept beating normally. He crouched down beside one of them, then bit softly into the back of his neck, the blood slowly spilling into his mouth. He sucked lightly on the bite, taking his fill. He didn't need it to survive, but it tasted SO good. He licked his lips lightly, moving over to the other one, chewing softly on his neck, the blood pouring out of him. When he finished his meal, he dragged them into a dark aclove between two buildings. He threw them into the darkness, No one's gonna find these guys until I'm long gone from here. I only need one more day.
Cracking his neck softly, he jumped back onto the roof of the building with the strong energy signatures. Blane looked up at the stars again, his hunger and thirst both satiated. Haven't had blood in a long while. Almost forgot how good that warm iron and salt taste was. Stays in your mouth for a good long while too. Ah! I got a lucky blood type today. He grinned up at the sky I've stolen darker auras though. All in all, a pretty decent meal. He nodded lightly, closing his eyes slowly. I'm still exhausted though.. I havent slept in a few weeks either.. Oh well, why the hell not. With his consent, he gave in to unconsciousness.
Chapter 7
He awoke with a gasp, and stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. Planting his feet on the ground, he sat up at the edge of the bed, his chin resting in his hands. He took slow deep breaths to calm himself down, Just a bad dream, he thought. Shaking his head softly, he looked into the room, then took a second for his eyes to adjust. Even through the darkness, he could see his partner sleeping soundly in the other bed next to him. The room was still bare and empty, though surprisingly, a bit cleaned up. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so he got up, put his shoes on and headed out the door. Door? When'd they put in the new door? He scratched his head a bit, then determined that the townspeople worked fast.
As he approached the lobby of the inn, he noticed the place was filled with excitement. Many people milled about, working on doors, painting the walls, fixing something. Everyone was so busy. Even old Mr. Krippet was handing the young men their tools.
As Thorn walked by, he got up and greeted him politely.
"Oh hey there, Thorn! We're just cleaning up here."
"I noticed, your people work very fast. What's the rush?"
"Yup yup, you're right about that! We gotta get this town up and runnin' soon as we can! We need to get some income, I'm guessing the old town might be in a heap of debt by now."
"Debt? I'm sure your collectors will forgive you if you tell them about the spider disaster?"
"Ooh, no no no, our collectors are strict wit' our payments. I reckon we been late for a while"
Thorn frowned, "Have your collectors no remorse? Picking on the elderly such as yourself?"
"Nope nope, they only cares 'bout their money. And if they don't get some soon, we'll be in trouble bigger than a pest problem." said Krippet with a solemn shake of his head.
"Who are these collectors anyway?"
"Some bigshot company. We don't know much about 'em, just that they're a mean bunch, and go by the initials DC. They own this whole property, and that lab up the mountain."
Thorn took a sharp breath of the mention of DC. He knew who they were. The Demon Counsel. "Lab?"
Krippet nodded, "Yup yup, some high tech reasearch science thing. All i knows 'bout it, is they're testin' on animals and such up there."
"What kind of animals?", he inquired.
"Well, they've only asked us for insects and spiders, but I seen 'em carrying some bigger ones in boxes. Its usually our method of payment."
Spiders... Thorn gasped softly, "How often do you pay them, did you say?"
"Twice a week, Mondays an' Fridays. They'll beat us out of it if we don't pay 'em on time."
Thorn looked at the calender, it was a Friday, now Saturday actually, since it was past midnight. "When were you folks first overrun with the spiders?"
"I can't tell for sure, but I reckon, 'tween Monday and Tuesday."
Of course. Those idiot Demons were doing something to those spiders up on the mountain. They must've escaped and taken over the city.
"Do you know if the Demo-, er, if DC, came to collect yesterday?"
"Not a clue, my son"
Thorn growled lowly from deep in his chest. "I have to go", he told Krippet in a rough, low voice, one much deeper, only faintly reminiscent of Thorn's original voice . A bit startled, Krippet shook it off and continued to his work, lightly whispering "Goodbye" to him.
With a wave of his hand, Thorn walked out of the inn, then silently extended his full, ten foot wings, flying up into the air. He rose up, past all the buildings, shivering softly at the cold night air. Looking down, he noticed someone on the roof of a distant building, but he paid no mind to it; he had a more important mission for now.
His mighty wings flapped over to the direction of the mountain, towards the lonely white building sitting at the mountain top, They'll pay for this.
Chapter 8
Shadow heard something, a distinct boom off in the distance. He got up, and teleported onto the roof, looking up. He could see a dark figure flying over to the nearby mountain. Thorn wasn't in his bed when he got up. What are you doing, Thorn? Could at least tell me before you go off doing some adventuring. He growled at him, then looked around the rooftop. It was empty, except for a dark trenchcoat. I wonder how that got up here, he thought. Then he shrugged it off, digging through the pockets. They were empty, even his wallet. That's odd. But more importantly, how am I going to catch up with Thorn?
He noticed a pigeon resting on the roof, its eyes closed. Grinning, he slowly sneaked close to it, and threw the trenchcoat over it. Balling it up, he put a hand through one of the sleeves, reaching into the coat. He withdrew his hand with a shout as it bit him. Cursing the bird softly, he reached in with his undamaged hand and absorbed its DNA quickly, before it could bite him again.
"Damn things are supposed to be friendly. You better not have rabies" he warned. He considered throwing the bundled-up bird into a wall, but then decided against it. Unballing the coat, he released the bird back into the wild. "Have fun, you damn bird." He flipped the bird at it, then laughed softly, crouching down.
He concentrated on the bird he had just released, and felt the change. Shrinking as his flesh slowly grew feathery, his arms connecting to his body, his finger bones elongating. His legs and toes grew hard, two toes on each foot melding together, leaving only 4. [Pigeon fact check] His body suddenly felt lighter, his bones becoming hollow. He threw his head back and let out a screech as his mouth turned hard and pointed, now a beak. He stretched out his wings, small, but he was even smaller, then tested them a bit. He got slightly off the ground then fell back onto the floor. I'm gonna let the bird's instincts figure this one out, he thought as his mind grew distant. He felt the mind of the pigeon he had absorbed taking over. He jumped into the air and flapped his small wings, looking around. Alright then, before we get shot by the towns people, lets get outta here, he thought as he flew over in the direction of the mountain. It would be a long journey for such a small bird, but oh well. He needed to know what Thorn was up to.
In his hurry, he didn't notice the figure gliding up the side of the mountain, leaving but a small dust trail behind him.
Chapter 9
He blinked up at the large white bulding before him. It seemed out of place with the green and brown surroundings of the trees and grass. There was not a single chirp nor rustling of an animal anywhere on the entire mountain. The landscape seemed virtually untouched by animals. The only prominent feature of the land was this mysterious building at the center of a circle of old trees. He searched around the sides of the building, but could find no doors or windows, no way in. Putting his hands against one of the sides, he tested the strength of one of the walls. He pushed against it with all his force, but it would not budge.
Wondering if something was wrong with his powers, he flew over to one of the old trees, uprooting it easily. He layed it down on its side, hopng no one would notice it. Hm... That's one strong building. The builders would only make it that strong if they knew someone like me would try to take it down.
Concentrating on the building, he tried to teleport inside, but merely reappeared on the other side of it. He growled in frustration, then took a deep breath to calm himself down. Magical protection as well. These guys came prepared.
With his last idea, he jumped onto the roof. Silently landing, he noticed it was sealed here as well. However, he noticed a small crack across the center of the building, running all the way to the other side. It was not an architectual mistake though, rather a purposeful crack. It was very thin; he was unable to wedge his fingers into it. Suddenly, he heard an unnatural Whir from below him. The crack suddnly grew larger, the two parts of the roof spreading away from each other. Quickly, he ran over to the edge of the roof, ready to hide if anyone were to come up from the growing space at the center of the roof.
From the huge hole came a small group of black trenchcoated men. Hunters. These must be the collectors Krippet mentioned. Of course they'd be merciless. He debated over whether to fight these hunters now, or attack the laboratory while it's guard was down. With one, he might be able to save the mayor and his villagers from the hunters, or he could save the city from ever having to pay collection in the first place. He decided to attack the lab, the village could take one last beating while he saved them. Besides, Shadow would be there to help them.
The hunters leapt down the side of the building, ready to bare down on the city, their black blades already in hand. They wouldn't need crossbows now because they wouldn't be demon hunting. With a dark chuckle, one of the hunters pointed down towards the city, then ran off down the mountain. The rest quickly and silently followed suit.
On the roof, Thorn leaped into the now closing hole and into the building. As the ceiling above him came together with a soft Dun, it became dark inside. The building looked smaller from the outside than it did from the inside. With his natural night vision, he checked the room. The room was entirely empty. And there was only one doorway leading out of it. Slowly, and quietly, Thorn walked towards it. He peered through it, looking both ways, and saw nothing. It was a hallway. On the side of the doorway was a small sign, reading "Loading Bay, Exit".
Thorn silently ran to the left, checking through each of the unlit doorways. They all had the same features, a bunk bed, two desks with a lamp, and a small cabinet. Written on the doorways were letter-number combinations, such as B-3 and A-8. These must be their sleeping quarters, he decided and continued down the hallway. As he came to a turn, he noticed a few lights seeping into the new hallway. Quietly, he sidled along the wall, slowly making it to one of the lit doorways. He peeked his head through it, quickly examining the room.
There were dozens of spiders, all trapped together behind a huge piece of glass, almost covering the entire wall. A few scientists stood at the window, studying them carefully, scribbling away at their notepads every so often. They were all unarmed, and there was not a single weapon around. Thorn was about to walk in and ambush them, when suddenly, one of the scientists turned around. His mouth gaping, ready to scream, the scientist suddenly found a dagger through his adam's apple. Grasping his throat, he silently mouthed the words Help, yet the others continued watching the spiders, unaware of his plight.
Thorn silently ran into the room, to his dagger, which then flew into another man's throat, slicing through it with a clean shink of metal against flesh. Now the other scientists turned around to face the threat, but they were too late, for Thorn had already retrieved his dagger, and slit all of the men's necks, watching them fall to the floor, their necks in their hands, until they lay still.
"These mere mortals cannot stand against me." he said, as he looked down at the bloody necks of the scientists, the dark red liquid dribbling steadily over their clean white coats. He licked his lips for a second, a bit tempted to have a taste, when suddenly a voice called from behind him.
"Ah, but I can, Thorn." it said menacingly.
In disbelief, he turned around, and had a dark blade cutting softly into his own throat. He looked up into the eyes of his enemy, staring into the man's black eyes; a man he knew all too well.
"Hello, brother." he whispered through clenched teeth.
Blane grinned evilly at his victim. "Ah, after all these years, you still remember me."
"How could i forget you and the way you betrayed your family for that damn Demon Counsel?" he shouted.
Laughing softly, he answered,"What you call betrayal, I call oppurtinity. The DC offered me a great home, endless riches, and the most exquisite food. Luxuries much greater than our family could ever hope to achieve. How could i say no?"
"You put the 'Nh' sound and the 'O' sound together, you traitorous bastard!" he yelled angrily at him.
"Ah ah ah, perhaps you should remember-" Blane pressed the curved sword against his throat "-who has the advantage."
Blood dripped down his neck as the blade cut deeper into him. Holding back a wince, he pulled his saliva together.
"What's wrong, Thorn, no answer?" Blane chuckled evilly.
"Answer this" Thorn spat into the eye of his captor, who dropped the sword and held his eye with both hands, wiping the saliva out of it. Thorn bent down, taking Blane's wicked blade from the ground, then dropped it immediatly, his hands burning black. Regaining his composure, Blane easily picked up the sword, no sign of pain, and laughed darkly.
"Oh, Thorn. A valiant effort, but you can't wield this blade. Or don't you notice the gloves that come with it?" He held up the black gloved hand with the sword. "It's over. Now I will finish what I started all those years ago."
He raised the sword, about to strike, when a white, soft mound of poop fell upon his face. Blane groaned loudly, exclaiming in disgust as he wiped it away. By then, Thorn had tackled him, pushed the sword from his hands, and punched him hard in the jaw, easily dislocating it with a loud crack. Blane kicked him away, then ran out of the room, holding his injured jaw.
Thorn stared at the doorway, almost wanting him to come back. He wanted the challenge. Then, he looked up to the pigeon circling the room, and grinned at it. "Thanks for the.. Assist. Though i could've handled it myself, ya know."
The pigeon flew down, slowly morphing back into human form. "Sure sure, whatever you say, Thorn." Shadow said, laughing softly. "I still say we're even now."
Thorn shook his head softly, laughing with him, then suddenly turned serious.
Shadow stopped laughing, frowning at him, "Whats wrong?"
"No time to celebrate yet, my friend."
"What are you-" A blaring alarm drowned out the rest of his question, red lights filling the room.
WARNING. WARNING. Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert. All military personnel report to Arachnid Research Room immediatly. This is not a drill, Repeat, This is not a drill.
They heard footsteps outside, getting closer.
"Fighting position, kid. We got company."
Hunters ran into the room, wicked blades in hand, a few with crossbows, ready to fire.
Thorn stood before them, wielding but a small dagger, his eyes closed.
The crossbows all fired at the same time, and with his incredible reflexes, his dagger flew out to meet all of them. The bolts ricocheted off his dagger and back at the men who fired them, catching them all in the neck.
The men with swords all charged toward him, and he easily jumped right over them, not even needing his wings. He pointed at Shadow; this was his singal to attack. Shadow was ready; in wolf form, he ran straight at the men, his claws slicing cleanly through their necks, the fastest kill. One of the men brought down his sword, and barely sidestepping the blade, he bit into his neck. He certainly wasn't a bloodsucker, but he loved to kill them that way.
Then, they heard more footsteps from in the hallway. Thorn looked over at Shadow, whispering, "I got an idea, lay low." as he waved two fingers down.
Shadow the wolf nodded, stepping away into the shadows, watching at the doorway, more armed trenchoats standing at the ready. Once again, the crossbowman fired at the same time, but this time, Thorn sidestepped the attack. The bolts flew into the glass behind him, piercing small holes into it. The spiders inside all felt the bolts, and turned in their direction. They saw the holes in the glass, and with their motion senses, felt through to the other room. As they noticed the men who were reloading their crossbows, their instinct came up. Prey.
At once, they all burst through the window, charging at the trenchcoated men, who tried to fight back. They weren't trained for this!, they thought.
Shadow and Thorn quickly sneaked out of the room, leaving the hunters behind. They ran through the hallways, Thorn peeking into the rooms every so often.
"What are you looking for, Thorn?" he asked, after he returned to human form.
Thorn replied, "An office type room. Places like this always have some kind of boss, with his own special room. It should give us some kind of information, something about the Demon Counsel. Here!"
An doorway had General's Room in golden cursive written beside it. They rushed into it and found the office they were looking for. A desk sat in the middle of the room, many cabinets behind it. "Empty, empty, empty, here!" Shadow held up a stack of papers titled, Takeover Plan. Thorn took it then said, "C'mon kid, we gotta study this back in the safety of the city. Let's get outta here before its too late."
"I'm afraid it's already too late for you."
Chapter 10
Blane glared at the two men angrily. He wasn't exactly prepared for Thorn hawking a loogie at him, or his pigeon partner taking a crap on his face. His dislocated jaw had quickly repaired itself, but when he had tried to retreive his Black Blade from the Arachnid Research Room, he found the place overrun with the damn things. Forsaking the lives of his comrades, he locked the door to make sure the spiders didnt get out. Closely following them, he found the two ransacking the General's Room. That paper in Thorn's hand could not be allowed to leave this room, nor Thorn himself.
Thorn had that oh, so special Dragon Dagger; he remembered their father giving it to him for the last birthday he celebrated, but it wouldn't matter. He had the power of the Dark Aura Flames on his side.
"You know you're not getting out of here with that. Just hand it over, and I might let you live."
Thorn stared at his former brother, his response ready, yet Shadow interjected his response.
"Hey pigeon-shit dude, read my lips. Fuck.You."
Blane growled deeply at him, "Insolent beast!"
"Insolent fucker!" Shadow yelled angrily back.
Thorn waved a hand at Shadow, motioning him to be quiet. "Get out of my way, brother, or I'll be forced to take you out of my way."
"Just try it." Blane answered, crouching into a fighting position, staring darkly at him.
Thorn glared back, taking out his Dragon Dagger, ready to attack.
As he saw the dagger, Blane laughed softly.
"Where's the joke." Thorn asked, raising a slight brow.
"You'll see." was his answer as Blane charged straight towards him, launching his fist to Thorn's face, returning the dislocated jaw.
Thorn stepped back a bit, wheeled around, catching him in the side with a roundhouse kick.
As Blane doubled over and caught his breath, Thorn uppercutted him, dagger clenched in his fist, cutting deep into his chin. Blane roared out in pain, holding his jaw in one hand, and releasing a bust of dark flame at Thorn. He brought his hands up in attempt to block the unexpected attack, but was thrown back by the flame, slamming against through the desk behind him.
With Thorn out of the picture, Blane turned his attention to his inexperienced comrade, ejecting another burst of black flame. Shadow was ready, though and sidestepped the flame, shooting his own bright red fire. Blane chuckled, catching the flame in his hands, dissolving it and creating a huge dark flame, which was sent directly at Shadow, who was ready to meet his maker.
After a second, he opened his eyes, Blane was facing Thorn again, and he was in one piece.
Thorn had thrown his dagger into the flame, dishcarging the flame, but unfortunately shattering his dagger. Now he stood against his brother, both arms on fire, though his was different shades of blue.
Blane threw his arms to the side, initiating a dark falme bubble, which Thorn matched by creating his own blue bubble. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, then charged towards each other, going 0 to 60 in within the blink of an eye.
Shadow was unsure who attacked first, but now the two men were face to face, mere inches away from each other. Black and blue sprks flew as the two bubbles began to overlap. He shielded his eyes as a burst of light filled the room.
Shadow opened his eyes once the light faded away. The room was filled with darkness as he got up. Blane was on one side of the room, Thorn in the opposite, laying near a stack of charred paper. So much for finding out about their Takeover Plan, he thought with a sigh. Then something caught his eye. A few of the papers had withstood the flames, and remained unharmed. Quickly he gathered them up and pocketed them, then put a hand on Thorn's shoulder. C'mon big guy, we gotta get outta here.
Closing his eyes, he teleported and expected to return to the West Inn, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself still in the dark room.
Magical barriers now in place. All Military Personnel report to Generals Room. Do not let the intruders escape. This is not a drill.
Oh crap, we're screwed, thought Shadow with a solemn shake of his head. With a soft grunt, he lifted Thorn up onto his shoulders and ran out of the room, checking both ways. He chose to go back the way they had come, and ran as fast as he could. He had come in through the Loading Bay or something like that, and it was this way. A few of the hunter/guards found them, but were easily taken out with a fireball. With the heavy weight on his shoulders, Shadow was forced to run at a slower pace. He feared capture, but kept running, C'mon, we gotta make it!
Chapter 11
WARNING. WARNING. Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert. All military personnel report to Arachnid Research Room immediatly. This is not a drill, Repeat, This is not a drill.
A woman sat in her cell, hearing the alarms go off. Finally some excitement, she thought as she stood up, putting her hands on the bars of her cell, looking outside. No idea why someone would attack that spider place, but at least the coast is clear. She closed her eyes, and floated through the bars, reappearing on the other side of her cell.
Magical barriers now in place. All Military Personnel report to Generals Room. Do not let the intruders escape. This is not a drill.
She frowned, Damn. They put up the magical barrier. Wont be able to phase out of here now.
Silently running down the hall, she decided to go to the Loading Bay. If the intruders are causing that much of a problem, then they must be heading here as well.
She found the doorway with the words, "Loading Bay, Exit", then phased behind the wall opposite the door, eyes barely poking out so she could see.
Just as she thought, she heard footsteps coming from the other direction, heading this way. There was some adolescent, carrying an slightly older man on his shoulders. The kid must've been 16, 18 at the most, not much older than she was. The other looked almost an adult, could easily be 20. Both wore dark clothes, the younger one had more recent clothes thought. As they unoticingly passed by her, he ran into the Loading Bay. She phased out of the wall, silently sneaking behind them. The roof was closed, locked, most likely.
The kid put the other guy down softly on the floor, running over to the keypad that opened the ceiling. Please key in the 8 character password, it said as he muttered Damn it. She saw him tap the word "PASSWORD", with a reply of Password Incorrect. Access not granted. As he muttered Damn it, she giggled softly, which made him look in her direction, noticing her for the first time. He immediatly readied a fireball, ready to strike.
"Before you attack me, why don't you consider the fact that i may be able to help you?" He deliberated this for a moment, nodded silently in reply, putting out his fire. He stepped back from the keypad, allowing her to type. "Hot head"
Quickly, she keyed in "DCRULES!". With a soft acceptance sound and a green light, the keypad said Password Correct. Access Granted. Opening Loading Bay now. as the ceiling slowly began to open.
"How did you-?"
With a wave of her hand, she smirked lightly at him, "You learn a lot of things when you're in captivity with these guys."
He smiled lightly, "Alright then, so then who do i owe my thanks?"
Such a simple mind, she thought with a grin, "My name's Vivian, but you can call me Viv. And who are you?"
"Shadow."
"Shadow? How intriguing.." she remarked with a smirk.
He laughed softly, nodding, the turned serious, shaking his head softly. "We have to get out of here." he said, running over to his friend.
She nodded, turning serious as well, "So who's he?" she asked as he carried the man back on his shoulders
"Thorn, my partner."
"Partner? Didnt know you were gay."
He shook his head rapidly, shaking Thorn a bit as well. "Not that kind of partner! He's a friend, and I'm straight."
She laughed softly, "That's good."
Blinking a bit a her, he asked, "Um, good? Uh, what do ya mean good?"
She giggled softly, jumping up out of the hole, which was now completely open, and let in the warm sunlight.
With a soft whine, he jumped up after. "There's a place, right down the mountain, a town we recently visited. You could come with us, if you want."
She smiled, "I have nowhere else to go, so I accept your offer" She was about to jump down off the room and run straight down the side of the mountain, but Shadow caught her arm softly.
"I got a faster way." he teleported her and Thorn in front of The West Inn, and walked inside. "C'mon." he called back to her.
She blinked, then looked up at the mountain, then down at where she stood. "Woah" she whispered softly, walking into the inn.
I call it Chapter f-in 12, i dont care what came before it, I'll fix it later. This is Chapter 12.
The place was full of people, and seemed newly remodeled. Many men lifted their beers when they caught sight of Vivian, and she smiled weakly at them. Quickly, she followed Shadow up the steps and into a room at the end of a hallway. She hated the outright stares of the random men, they were all the same, drunk, with rotten breath, and probably not even recently bathed.
Shadow lay Thorn lightly on the bed, tilting his head at him. Then he turned back to Vivian, smiling lightly. "He's a strong guy, I'm sure he'll be fine."
"How bout you? Are you alright?" she asked.
He grinned, "Nah, I'm fine."
"Fine? But surely carrying your friend all the way over here must've tired you out?"
Chuckling softly, nervously looking away, "Oh, it was nothing."
She giggled softly, moving closer to him, "That was very brave.." she whispered, slowly moving her face to his, her lips mere inches from his.
From his bed, Thorn coughed loudly, hoping to make his presence known. "So, Shadow, you gonna tell me who this is?"
Shadow turned away from Vivian, walking over to Thorn, "Um, she's-"
"I think i can introduce myself, can't I?" said Vivian, who followed him over.
Shadow looked to Thorn, who nodded, "Let her speak for herself."
Vivian nodded back, "My name is Vivian, i was held captive at the Demon Counsel's lab up there."
"Why were you held captive?"
She phased through the floor, reappearing on the other side of the bed, "That's why."
They turned around to face her with wide eyes; Thorn nodded once, "I see. Where do you plan to go now that you are free? Do you have any family?"
Vivian looked down, "My family's dead."
"I'm sorry for prying. Well, then where are you going now?"
She looked up at them, "Wel I was hoping to travel with you guys, wherever you're going."
Thorn hrm'ed softly, the nsaid, "Do you now? If you will excuse us, I must converse with Shadow here."
Vivian nodded, "Kay." and walked out into the hallway.
Shadow pleaded to Thorn, "What are you talking about?! We have to help her!"
"As much as i would like to help her, I'm not sure if i can believe her. She could be a spy sent by the Demon Counsel for all we know."
"And what if she isn't? We'd be putting a helpless girl out on the street! Whatever happened to not turning a blind eye to other people's probelms?!"
"I'm not turning a blind eye, I'm being wary.You would be too, if you weren't guided by your hormones."
Shadow growled lowly, "That's not it."
Sighing softly, Thorn answered, "It seems as if you're not changing your mind anytime soon. Fine, let her travel with us. But I'm not dropping my guard for one moment. You better watch her closely. And I don't mean certain parts of her. Lets hope she's not planning to betray us. Bring her in."
Shadow nodded happily, unphased by the ' certain parts of her' comment. Before he could get to the door, she had already let herself in, with a bright smile, "Thank you so much, Thorn, I wont let you down"
"We'll see about that", he muttered under his breath, then coughed lightly, "Well then, we need to plan our next move. Shadow, what happened while I was unconscious?"
"Dude, there was a huge burst of light, from when you and Blane collided with your flame bubbles, then.. Oh yeah! Most of the pages from the Takeover Plan got scorched, but some of them survived, here." He handed him the pages of the Takeover Plan, even the ones which were not in perfect condition.
Step 1: Infiltrate various cities and towns on Earth for primary assault.
Primary Targets of Attack
Wershville
Phyllisburg
Havenport
Revenshire
Baskerton
Everglade
Step 2: Create biologically enhanced creatures from the local species.
Controllable Creatures
[Scientific name for] Ants
[Sceintific name for] Bees
Arachnids (In Beta)
Step 3: Amass a controlled army of biologically enhanced ---
Step 6: Collect the seven pieces of --- , which include the Emerald Eye, Ruby Necklace, Sapphire Skull--- , and Diamond Ring.
Known locations
Emerald Eye retrieved from Wershville.
Ruby Necklace found --- Baskerton
--- Key reports in Phyllisburg
Others unknown.
Step 7: Bring the seven --- resurrect --- earth --- supreme ruler --- Mass extinction --- Humans.
End Report
A black flaming skull was drawn at the end of the last somewhat burnt page.
Shadow looked to Thorn, and found his face a bit pale, and in shock. He was holding another page, one Shadow had not yet read. Handing it to Shadow, Thorn got up and paced around.
Credits
Retrievers ---
Ari Revenshire
Kaitlyn Revenshire
Deven Havenport
Ashley Havenport
Lance Everglade
Jessica Everglade
Hunters
Graden -----
Nema -----
Blane -----
Mona ----
Shadow looked back over at Thorn, "Dude.. I'm sorry."
Vivian tilted her head in confusion, as Thorn walked over and answered her unsaid question.
"You see this name here?"
"Yeah, Kaitlyn."
"That was my former best friend, whom I had known for so long."
She widened her eyes in understanding, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry." she put a hand softly to Thorn's shoulder. He shook it off and turned back to them.
"Well my earlier question has been answered. Now we know where she is."
"So we're going to Revenshire?" asked Shadow.
"Not yet. The plan says there's one of the seven somethings here, a Key. Seems to me we should find it."
Shadow and Vivian nodded in agreement, then Vivian asked, "How are we going to find it?"
Thorn deliberated for a minute before answering, "Doesn't the mayor of this town owe us a favor, Shadow?"
He grinned, "You think he has it?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Its worth trying, isn't it"
Nodding, he ran out the door, to look for the mayor. Thorn looked to his side and Vivian was already phasing through the floor. He sighed and slowly walked out of the room, muttering, "Impatient little kids."
Chapter 13 soon to be written
