Chapter XXXVIII: Shadows (Cont. VI)

He dodged, rolling to the right and left as the claws came down, crashing across the ground as he tried to dodge the nashing teeth. Their forms were shifting, but he wouldn’t let them get a hold of him if he could. It was, not his decision in the end, however. Several Jaigons plunged through the air, tackling the now corporate shadows and burying their blades into the creatures, hacking them into small bits.

Thyrus’ hand reached down and plucked the elf up quickly, firing a pike right into the open mouth of one of the shadow creatures. It stared down at the pike, confused as Samden’s sword took it’s head off. “Where are the others?!” Samden searched to find the others, but there was nothing but a sea of black. Every so often, the face of a leaping Jaigon could be seen as it crashed down amongst the creatures, but the others were missing.

“They’ve already broken through! This isn’t our battle!” Thyrus turned and swung, taking the hand off a shadow as it stumbled away.

“What about us!?”

Thyrus seemed to examine this for the very first time, “Well, I guess we run that way.” He pointed in what seemed a random direction and charged headlong at the shadows, the shadows peeling away, slightly phasing out as they reached for him. After a moment, the shadows sealed in, leaving Samden.

Samden took several steps back, taking a swing and taking the shadow’s head off a couple more, “I can’t run through them!”

Thyrus emerged a few moments later, knocking aside another shadow and stabbing it several times, “Yes you can! You just have to believe they’re nothing more than shadows. They feed on your belief in the thauma!”

“Don’t you believe in the thauma?” Samden ducked down and took the creature out at the waist.

“Yes! But these things aren’t really real! Just think they aren’t and they aren’t! It’s like a lot of things!” He turned and fired a pike through one, watching it stumble away. “Oh come on, then!” Thyrus grinned, grabbed Samden’s hand, and dragged him through the crowd screaming and flailing his sword, taking care of the shadows that tried to venture its hand to try and stop them.

Eventually, the two burst from the shadows to see the remaining seven pushing back the advancing shadows as they marched towards a rope bridge that spanned across the canyon. Samden swallowed, he hated heights. He had been fine aboard the Orbitall, not needing to look down but only ahead, but he knew that the canyon was the kind that seemed bottomless but had a definite end to those who fell in.

“It’s about time!” West yelled, lopping the head off another shadow as he blew another one away with his gun. He gave a grin, “Not that I’m complaining!”

“Everyone across the bridge!” Blackheart ducked a lunging shadow, landing on its head and smashing it. He turned and raced towards the bridge, watching Kiki pass him by and disappear over the rickety boards with nimble speed. She ended up on the side with a large grin, snapping at a shadow that was still clinging to her fur. She tore it off after a moment and tore into its head with savage ferocity. Blackheart slapped Gobudo on the back, “You next!” Gobudo wheeled his Kintog around once more, sending several shadows lurching back, then turned and raced across the bridge, hitching the Kintog to his belt and trying to carefully not shatter the planks. Several buckled under his weight, falling away as he left them behind. Eza fluttered after him, scolding him for not being more careful.

“Maybe we should have sent him last!” West dodged the swinging claw of another shadow, kicking it backwards into a group of the Jaigons that were slowly slashing the shadows to bits. Despite their best efforts, the Jaigons were losing. West turned and glanced around at the others who were still busy fighting. He sighed and turned, racing across the bridge, making sure to avoid the now empty pockets of space. He made it across without problem. “That’s how you do it!”

Thyrus turned next, firing another pike into one last shadow, then leaping out and flying across the planks with a speed and agility that amazed those who were watching. He landed on the other side seconds later and smiled, patting the now pouting West on the shoulder. “That was quite fun!”

“You next, Samden!” Blackheart dodged the swing of another shadow creature, uppercutting it and cutting it across the waist.

Samden obligingly turned and raced across the bridge, his natural elven talents allowing him to move across the bridge without problem.

“That leaves the three of us and I have always believed in ladies first!” Blackheard ducked another shadow and cut it off at the knees.

“Much obliged,” Laura said curtsying. With a quick motion, she was racing across the bridge as well, the planks beginning to crack again from the amount of traffic crossing it. A plank disappeared behind her and crashed against the ground several seconds later. She arrived on the other side, tottering and being steadied by West. “I’m all right,” she smiled. She turned back, “Next!”

“Go Adelia!” Blackheart dodged another shadow and stumbled back towards the lip, catching himself and rolling aside as several shadows leapt towards him and sailed into the abyss. He rose quickly to his feet and turned to see Adelia spinning her sword and catching shadow after shadow across the neck and dropping them. She really had begun to be affected by the quest. “Adelia?!”

“Go yourself!” Adelia kicked a shadow in the groin, which since she believed they were much like males, made it buckle over in a terrible cry.

“But…”

“GO!”

Blackheart sighed and turned, making his way across the bridge with care, more of the boards shaking and a couple snapping away. He finally gave up on crossing each board and made a mad leap for the end, crashing down on the dirt and his feet knocking the last plank away from the bridge. He hauled himself to his feet, dusting himself off, “You can come across now, dear!”