To Live By The Sword
#11 of Shades of Grey
To Live By The Sword
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This story is set directly after Keeping Secrets and Shayde's Story Chapter 5. This story also contains a cameo by Chris, who belongs to Serath ([www.furaffinity.net/user/serath/](%5C)).
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Glayce gave a howl of pain so loud, it seemed to crack the glass around him. He thrashed his tail around, almost knocking Shayde and Xani down. All the two canines could see was a thin, black object, sprouting from the frost-dragon's light blue flank.
'It's just an arrow,' Xani chided her defeated slaver. 'Grow up, Glayce.'
But this didn't stop the dragon. He continued to writhe in apparent pain, giving off shrieks of pain every few seconds. Shayde was about to clobber Glayce on the head with his katana, but what happened next, stopped his movements.
The black arrow-shaft seemed to flex, before it melted like ice, apparently being sucked into the tiny hole it punctured in the dragon's hide. From this hole, a wave of black slowly rippled out, darkening the hide from its usual ice-blue to a sinister midnight blue. As the wave travelled up Glayce's neck, he suddenly fell deathly silent, his huge jaws wide open, frozen with his last roar or pain. The light in his burning orange eyes dimmed, and collapsed to the ground with a dull thump. The tongue lolled out, and a pool of inky black substance slowly trickled out of the open jaws.
Shayde and Xani just stood there and stared at the dead dragon. After a few seconds, Shayde felt like they were being watched. He looked up sharply, and saw a figure on a nearby rooftop. The gibbous moon was behind the figure, so their features were shrouded in shadows. The figure stared back, and suddenly fled.
'What...the hell...was that?' whispered Xani. The red husky's snapping amber eyes were still on Glayce, an indescribable expression on her muzzle. She had suffered a lot at the claws of Glayce. He had enslaved her a little over a year ago, and forced her to steal for him. Worst of all, he had killed her brother, whom he was holding as collateral. Xani had finally had enough, and had enlisted Shayde's help in defeating Glayce. She still felt the pain of Glayce's will crushing hers as he forced her to duel Shayde, but in a brief moment of clarity, she had opened up an opportunatly for Shayde to cut her down and release her from Glayce's power. She hadn't expected to still be alive, so anything that happened to her now was a bonus.
'I don't know,' muttered Shayde, 'but I think that someone does. Stay here...I'm gonna find out who was watching us.' With that, he jumped over the pool oozing from Glayce's jaws (he didn't want to think about what it was), and took off at a run, determined to catch their watcher.
Shayde pelted down the road, trying to keep the sight of that black figure. It was quick, that was for sure. It slipped in and out of sight, always out of reach.
'Come back here!' he shouted, but the shadow didn't turn. Shayde growled and continued the chase, but he was tiring. His leg, while healed, was still sore, and his body needed a lot more rest. After all, he'd almost died only a week ago.
During the fight with Glayce, and by extent, Xani, Shayde had suffered many small injuries, which he could pass off well enough. What was harder to get over was his leg, and his arm. Glayce had impaled Shayde's leg with a jagged icicle during their fight, in an attempt to pin him down, but Shayde had pulled free. Then, while he was forcing Glayce to swallow the Primium, his arm had become badly lacerated by the dragon's teeth. Both injuries had been treated by the healers, but some wounds take longer to heal. Shayde gritted his teeth; he hoped he wouldn't injure himself again tonight.
The figure turned a corner, into an alley. Shayde followed, and stopped. The figure was at the back of the alley, and it was trapped. Behind it, a wall stretched up about three storeys.
'Gotcha!' cried Shayde. 'You can't escape now!' He walked forward slowly, unsheathing his katana. He was breathing hard, and his black and yellow fur was matted with dust and sweat, even though it was a cool night. His dark blue eyes settled on the figure before him. The figure backed into a wall, looking around for a way out. It was standing in a deep shadow, so Shayde couldn't make out much of it, except that it was roughly mammalian, possibly aquatic, judging by the tail.
'Give up,' he said, advancing slowly, 'You can't get out of here. Come quietly, or I'll have to hurt you.'
The figure still didn't answer, but it did raise its hands. A glint of metal shone, and suddenly, a burst of something black flew at the startled Labrador. It collided with his chest and knocked him back. He gasped, partially winded, and skidded to a halt. The figure stood there for a second, then turned to the wall. Shayde was just about to say something, but then he fell silent. The figure raised its hands again, and stabbed into the wall. It did the same again, with the other hand, slightly higher. It was climbing the wall...without any visible hand-hold. Shayde just watched in shock as the figure rapidly climbed the wall, bits of brick and mortar dropping down as it climbed. As it climbed, it came out the shadows, and Shayde saw a grey figure, maybe an otter, judging by the thick tail and rounded ears. It was using an odd black substance to grip the wall and climb.
The otter reached the top of the wall and flipped over it, peering down at Shayde one last time before it dropped. Shayde heard a grunt as it landed on the other side, and rapidly moving footsteps. Shayde growled and bared his teeth. He hated it when someone he was chasing got away. By the time he found a way around the wall, that otter would be miles away.
Ah well, he thought. Might as well head back and get Xani. He turned and made his way back out of the alley. As he reached the end, he heard a scuffling noise to the side. Quick as a flash, he drew his katana and swept it in a long arc towards the noise.
'Hey, mate! Watch it,' squealed a voice in the gloom. 'You're gonna nick my honker, swinging that thing around!' From the shadows emerged a dusty brown kangaroo, clutching one of his arms. Sweat was pearling his brow, and he was shivering slightly. 'I don't need any more hits, thanks.'
Shayde didn't lower his blade, but watched the roo. He appeared to be in considerable pain, regardless of his tone. Wrapped around each wrist were two bands of green material.
'What happened to you?' the Labrador asked.
The roo glanced at his arm. 'I kinda got attacked,' he said. 'I think I saw something I wasn't s'posed to.' The roo's thick Australian accent jarred Shayde's concentration slightly. 'Some bugger of an otter killed another guy, and he saw me, so he came after me. Needless t' say, I was out of there in a shot, but he snagged me back and arm.' He showed Shayde the arm and the long gash on his back. Both wounds were oddly pale.
'Those look bad,' said Shayde, noting the unusual colour of the wounds. Blood oozed slowly from the wounds, but the blood was a lot darker than it should be. He remembered the black substance that had issued from Glayce's jaws as he died. This looked eerily similar. 'You should get to a healer. Do you know any around here?'
The roo shook his head, the motion making him stagger a bit. 'Naw, but I heard of this mouse who dabbles in it. He's a few blocks away.'
'Okay, then,' said Shayde. 'Let's get going then.' He sheathed his katana and slung the roo's good arm around his shoulder. 'I'm Shayde, by the way.'
The roo gave a small grin. 'Max. Shayde, eh? I've heard of you. Big-shot bounty-hunter, aren't'cha?'
Shayde gave a tight grin. Obviously, his defeat at the hands of 'The Shadow' was still a hot topic. He braced himself for a good few minutes of being the butt of the joke...again.
Samiake grunted as he hit the ground, staggering slightly as he stood up. He looked behind him, just to make sure Shayde wasn't around yet. He really didn't want to be reunited with his childhood pal right now, considering he just shot at him. Not that he had much of a choice. It was either shoot, or get shocked. Sure, mild electric shocks didn't faze him too much...he'd had his fair share of zaps before. But the charge that would have coursed through him was enough to knock out your average orca whale. So, he took the shot. Amazingly though, the dragon trudging behind Shayde and his female companion had tromped into the path of the arrow, saving Shayde. Samiake had stood, stunned, as he watched his shadow arrow literally suck the life out of the dragon, and had only just realised he was in plain sight. Shayde had seen him, and Samiake had to leg it.
The grey and black otter wondered what Shayde would do if he caught him. Would he recognise the playful otter pup he'd befriended many years ago, and forgive him? Or would he see what others saw, and kill him? Samiake didn't want to hang around and find out.
Suddenly, a crackling noise issued from the device strapped to his wrist.
'Well,' said the voice who had ordered him to murder his friend. 'Is the dog dead? Did you take the shot?'
Samiake was fed up with that voice now. So far, it had ordered him to protect a diplomat, then kill that same diplomat about an hour later. Samiake's 'partner' had had no qualms about his, and had killed the diplomat, then framed Samiake for the whole thing. Once Samiake had broken out of the prison, he'd discovered his partner, a jackal by the name of Yampii, had learned of his darkest secret, and Samiake had, without too much grief, killed him, insuring his secret remained so. But a bystander had heard enough to formulate a guess, and Samiake had been chasing the unfortunate kangaroo when the call to kill his friend had come through.
Without stopping, Samiake growled and raised his wrist to his mouth.
'Yes, I took the damned shot!' he snarled.
'And?' prodded the voice. 'Is the bounty-hunter dead?'
Samiake hesitated a fraction of a second. 'No. The dragon he was with stepped in front of the shot.'
Silence. Then, the device crackled again. 'You failed your task, otter.' A 'ten' appeared on the tiny screen. 'You were warned.'
The countdown ticked to 'nine'. Samiake cursed, then slammed the device into a wall, hoping to disable it. No dice...all he got was a sore wrist, to go along with his general bodily soreness.
Six
Crap, thought Samiake. He quickly grabbed a hank of shadows from the walls and fashioned them into a lever, hoping to prise the device from his wrist. Again, no joy.
Three
A bead of sweat rolled down his face. There was no way to get rid of the damned thing. But maybe he could dampen he shock. Without a second thought, he reshaped the lever into a ball, and slotted it over the device.
Zero
A massive surge of electricity erupted from the device. The crackling energy hit the shadow bubble and faded out, but enough charge remained to lance back into Samiake's arm and travel around his body. He screamed in pain, and fell to his knees. It was too much...his body couldn't take that much punishment. With small sparks of electricity winding through his fur, Samiake fainted, finally at the end of his pain tolerance.
Chris was sitting at his desk, reading though a thick book. Not really an unusual thing for the mouse to be doing. He loved to read; he drank in the written word like a thirst-crazed madman. When he wasn't reading, he was practising his swordplay. His blade was his pride and joy. He'd learnt a few new sword moves that he'd love to try out, and was just starting on a book on arcane arts. This sort of stuff was very interesting for Chris, considering he lived in the narrow strip of Tayuna that catered to both the high-tech and the rural communities. It was an odd blend, and it wasn't uncommon to see creatures plodding down the road with a cart of food, while watching the latest blockbuster films on their holo-players.
Chris preferred to live a rural life, but still dabbled in high-tech luxuries. His latest acquisition was a roll of bandage, treated with the most powerful healing chemicals available. While your average household had a bottle of healing chemical on hand, the stuff in Chris's bandages was so potent, even the fumes from the fabric could clot an open wound. He couldn't wait to try it out, and was pondering whether or not to cut himself to break the bandages in. But then he'd seen the new books, and he'd become engrossed in them.
He was just getting to the interesting parts of the arcane arts book (the theories of Alchemy and Necromancy), when he heard a loud roar echo through the night. His ears perked up, and he dragged himself from the book, snapping it shut as he went.
'What was that?' he muttered. He went to his door and leaned out, cocking a large ear to hear for any more roars. A few seconds later, the roar echoed again.
'Someone's in trouble,' he said to himself. He grinned in spite of himself...he'd get to try the bandages out, after all. He ran back inside and grabbed the roll, tossing it into his bag, along with a few other things, then slung it over his shoulder. He glanced at his sword, and put it on...just to be safe. After all, he was a mouse, and there were far tougher foes out there, even if his was a highly competent sword-swinger. With that, he ran out, and towards the direction of the roars.
As he ran, he wondered what caused the roar. It sounded big, so maybe a griffin? Or a tiger...he gulped. He hoped it wasn't a big cat.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he didn't see what was ahead of him, and so it was with a large amount of surprise that he tripped over something, and landed hard on the ground, squashing his nose a bit. He gave a squeak of pain, and then looked at what tripped him up.
It was an unconscious otter. Its grey fur was curiously fluffed up, and all its limbs her limp. Chris quickly leapt up, and grabbed the otter's wrist, feeling for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it. He dropped the arm, then, after removing the quiver and bow slung over the otter's back, he heaved with all his might, rolling the otter over onto its back. He studied the otter's obviously male form, noting the silvery mark on his forehead, and, through the tiny slit of open eyelid, red eyes. What was even stranger was a blob of inky black substance on his wrist. Whatever it was, it resisted all of Chris's attempts to remove it.
Chris sighed again as he looked at the otter. 'You look like you've been through a rough patch,' he said drily. 'What's say I take you back to my place, and we'll see if I can fix you up, huh?'
He rolled the otter back onto his belly, then, showing a level of strength not seen in a creature so small or slight, he heaved the otter onto his own back. Even so, his knees buckled slightly, and he groaned at the otter's weight.
'Good god,' he panted, 'what the hell are you eating?' Puffing slightly, he started walking back to his place, very thankful it wasn't very far.
Xani stared after Shayde as he ran off down the street. He turned a corner and was gone from sight, leaving her alone with Glayce's body. She tried not to look, but it is almost impossible not to look at a dead body. She still felt a niggling fear about being around Glayce. A year or so of torturous slavery can do that.
'Come on, girl...pull yourself together,' she muttered to herself, 'he's gone now...he can't hurt you.' To prove this point to herself, she poked the dragon's nose with her staff. The head lolled to one side, another trickle of black fluid oozing out. She continued to look at him for a few seconds, then smiled. Her nightmare was finally over. She was free.
And, just as fast as the smile appeared, it vanished. Glayce was dead. Now she didn't have any evidence of her slavery to prove her crimes were not her doing. She'd be thrown in prison for theft and murder...
Xani's vision clouded, and he swung her staff viciously at Glayce, sinking the blade into his neck. 'Even when you're dead, you make my life a misery!!' she howled. She struck again and again, venting her anger as best she could. Suddenly, her blade hit something hard, and a jarring jolt shuddered up the staff.
'Surely that's not bone,' she murmured. 'I thought he was a spineless jerk.' She squatted down and peered into the deepest slice in the neck. A shimmer of pale light issued, and Xani's curiosity was caught. She broke her staff up and used the bladed part to widen the gash a bit, then she stuck her hand and arm into Glayce's throat. She'd seen and done worse than this, so it wasn't too big of a deal for her. She fiddled around for a moment, and then her hand closed around a smooth object. She frowned and took it out. As she gazed at the pale yellow stone, her eyes widened.
It was the Primium she had discovered in the lump of jewels she had stolen to get Shayde's attention. Primium was the rarest mineral in Tayuna, and a lump this size was almost priceless. How it ended up in Glayce's throat, she didn't know.
She needed to get out of there. Fast. If she took off with the Primium, Shayde would be forced to hunt her down again...but she didn't want to just leave the rock there.
She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her pocket, and wrote a note for Shayde.
'Shayde. I had to leave. Glayce was my only chance to be free. No-one will believe me. I took the Primium. Come and find me. X'
She propped the note on Glayce's horns, gave him one last swift kick, then turned and padded off down the road.
She had gone a hundred meters down the road, when she heard a noise behind her. A chill wind wafted down the road, working its way under her clothes. It was an unnatural wind. She turned to face Glayce's body again, and gave a small gasp, the sight before her stopping her cold.
A thick black mist had risen just behind Glayce. In the mist, Xani could barely make out a huge form, padding forward. Red eyes glowed in the gloom, but they didn't seem evil or spiteful.
'_ Ah... ' said a voice. Xani clapped her hands to her ears. The voice was in her head...not again, she thought. ' I see he is finally dead. You must feel happy, yes? _'
Xani just whimpered. She dropped to her knees, unable to look at the thing before her. 'W...who are you...?' she stammered.
'_ That is not a concern of yours for now. You will know when the time is right. _'
The mist enveloped Glayce and retracted. Nothing was left behind, save the pool of black stuff. The red eyes settled on her, then they seemed to crinkle up a bit, as if their owner was smiling.
'_ Do not worry. He won't ever hurt you again. I will make sure of that. Now, I suggest you get away from here. This place will soon be found by those who wish you harm. _' With that, the mist slowly vanished.
Xani slowly stood up, leaning on her staff. She felt weak and cold, but she had to get out of there. She gripped the Primium, and a wave of warmth rolled through her, strengthening her weak limbs. She ran.
Chris sat at his desk again, keeping a close eye on the otter. From what he could tell, the otter was in no immediate danger, just unconscious. Upon arrival, Chris had plonked a diagnosis kit on the otter's chest. The device had run a test through the otter's body to discern any internal injuries. Oddly, the device seemed unable to function properly, and had merely outputted 'high electrical reading', whatever that meant... But, for the moment, the otter was fine. Sleep was the best healer, but Chris kept his bandages ready, just in case.
What piqued his interest, however, was the odd mark on the otter's forehead. He walked over and stood over the otter. It hardly seemed natural, so he figured it must be a tribal tattoo of some sort. The blob of black on his wrist had also vanished. Chris wasn't sure when, but he shrugged it off; stranger things had happened before.
Chris had also removed the otter's small bag, quiver and bow, again noting the lack of arrows, and had gently tugged off the gauntlets on the otter's hands. Now, he reached for the silver armband, clamped around the otter's left bicep. It was finely crafted, and etched with a series of odd markings, the same as those on the metallic parts of the gauntlets. It was also cold to the touch, as were the gauntlets. Something made him pause as he touched the armband...the room seemed to grow cold. The mouse shivered slightly, and pulled his paw back. He stared again at the etchings...something about them seemed slightly familiar. He shrugged, and returned to his desk, opening the book on arcane magic again.
Then, suddenly, it hit him. Those marks...they were in this book! Chris's blood suddenly ran cold, and he slowly looked back at the otter. The creature was stirring...he was waking up. Chris quickly opened the book again, leafing through to the page he thought he saw them on. And yes...there they were. There was not a shadow of a doubt.
He looked up again, and blanched. The otter was standing right in front of him, his paws writhing with shadows.
'Oh...no...'
Samiake woke up slowly, and peered around. He was in a house, that was for sure. His bow, quiver and bag were in a corner, and his gauntlets were sitting beside him. He swivelled his head around, and saw a mouse sitting at a desk. He was staring at a book, and Samiake could see the pictures in the book, and the title of the page. His heart sunk. Not another one, he thought. Three in one night...
Silently, he stood up and slipped his gauntlets on, gathering fistfuls of darkness as he padded up to the desk. The mouse looked up and did an almost comical double-take.
'Oh...no...' was all he could say, before Samiake slammed the shadows into him, pinning him to the wall. Samiake jumped over the desk and gripped the mouse's throat tight, hauling him off his feet. His red eyes burnt like coals, but he felt no joy in this. This mouse had evidentially saved him...but still, the otter could not let his secret get out. Not for anyone.
'Please...' gasped the mouse. 'Please...let me go.'
'I can't,' snarled Samiake. 'You know.'
'I s...swear. I won't tell a soul!' The mouse's eyes rolled in fear, his feet kicking uselessly. Samiake tightened his grip.
'I don't believe you! If you know what I am, you know too much. I can't let a single hint of it get out.'
The mouse was slowly losing consciousness. Samiake's grip around his throat was tightening, the tips of his claws biting into the flesh of his neck.
'You...can...trust...me...' wheezed the mouse. 'Keep...secrets...of others...'
Samiake's grip lessened a tiny bit. 'Prove it. What is a secret you keep?' His eyes narrowed dangerously. The mouse's answer would damn him or save him.
The mouse struggled a bit. 'I...can't. Promised...'
Samiake looked deep into the mouse's eyes for a second, then released his grip. The mouse slid the ground, wheezing and gasping.
Samiake sat down on the chair. He gazed at the mouse, still slightly unsure. 'How can I trust you? Many have tried to learn, a few have, and I have had to kill them. How do I know you won't go back on your word?'
The mouse sat up slowly, massaging his throat. 'I...swear on my blade...I will not tell a soul...' he rasped.
Samiake's grasp of sword-lore wasn't good, but he knew that, when a sword-wielder swore on his blade, that was the highest oath to utter.
'Okay, I believe you.' He looked around for a moment, then returned his gaze to the mouse.
'I...I'm sorry. For the whole psycho thing.' He dropped his gaze to his feet. 'I just...have to keep it quiet.'
The mouse sat up straighter. 'I'm not surprised,' he said. 'Your kind is greatly feared.'
Samiake sagged. 'I know.'
The mouse held out a paw. 'I'm Chris, by the way. I don't think we were properly introduced...' He gave a wry grin. Samiake slowly returned the grin.
'Samiake,' he replied. 'And thanks. For bringing me here and healing me...and...keeping my secret.'
Chris smiled again, and then there was as knock on the door. Samiake frowned a bit.
'Who's that?'
Chris looked out the window. 'I don't know. Looks like a yellow dog, and a kangaroo.'
Samiake's blood ran cold. Shayde. 'Chris, you gotta hide me! I can't explain, but that dog can't see me!'
Chris frowned again, but directed Samiake behind a curtain. Once he was sure the otter was out of sight, he opened the door.
Shayde knocked on the door to the house. He heard a light scuffling behind it, and then the door was opened, revealing a mouse.
'Hi. I was wondering if you could help me with my friend here. He's been hurt bad.'
'Sure, bring him in,' replied the mouse. 'I'm Christopher.'
'I'm Shayde, and this is Max' Shayde half-carried the roo into the room, and, under Chris's direction, sat him on a chair by the fire. Chris peered at Max's back, rubbing his nose in thought.
'Hmm, these are unusual wounds,' said Chris. 'They look bad, but I think they are less severe than they look.' He went to his desk and rummaged around, pulling out a roll of bandages. He wrapped the linen around the roo's chest. The roo hissed in pain and flinched around a bit, but sat still.
Shayde watched the operation for a few moments, then let his eyes wander. On the desk were a few thick books, all of them looking well-thumbed. He looked into the fire, watching the embers pop and swirl, but then a shift of a curtain drew his attention. He frowned and walked forward.
'What are you doing?' asked Chris sharply, looking up.
'I think...I think something is hiding behind that curtain.' Shayde replied distantly. Before Chris could reply, he yanked the curtains back. There was nothing behind it, just his shadow.
Frowning, he let the curtain fall back. 'Hmm...I could have sworn something was there.'
Chris cleared his throat, directing Shayde's attention back to the roo.
'Well, I think Max should be alright now.' He pulled off the bandages, revealing fully healed flesh and fur. Even he was impressed by the speed of the healing.
Shayde grinned at the healing. It was quite amazing. 'There you go, Max. All better now.'
'Yeah, it's great!' He hopped down off the chair and twisted his body. 'You've done a bang-up job there, buddy.'
'Oh, no thanks needed, really,' gushed Chris.
Shayde smiled again, but then noticed his shadow. It was on the wall...the wall opposite to the curtain.
'What the..?' He turned and ripped back the curtain. This time, a grey otter stood, looking a bit sheepish, and a bit frightened.
'Um...hi, Shayde. Remember me?'
Xani ran through the streets, tears in her eyes. Her evening gown was ripped and dirty, her carefully combed pelt in disarray. Clutched in one hand was a note. She had found it attached, lop-sided, to the door of her mother's house. She paused to read the note again.
We have your mother. Go to the bounty-hunter. Anyone else, your mother will die
She had no idea who the note was from, but she knew she had to do something.
Xani had returned back to her family's house after leaving the alleyway. It was the only safe haven she knew. Upon her return, her mother had whisked her upstairs for a shower and a change of clothes, pronouncing her black one-piece suit and cloak as 'rubbish'. She had been forced into wearing a dusky-blue dress, and had her fur combed back and teased to perfection. She had also hidden the lump of Primium under her bed, safe from her mother. Who knew what she would do if she knew Xani had brought in such a treasure...
Her family was rich. Very rich. This was why she had left as early as possible. Life with Brian was better...at least until he'd been killed. She hated the pampered lifestyle her mother had brought her up with. Her father had died several years before she had left, leaving his wife as sole carer of the two siblings. Nevertheless, Xani loved her mother...just not the life she wanted her daughter to have. The only thing Xani wore of her own free will was a gold neck-chain, with a blue, spherical stone on it. It reminded her of Brian.
After a heated argument with her mother, this time about her shifting cloak and staff, Xani had stormed out, before things got physical. She had gone for a walk around the streets, trying to calm down, and once she had, she'd turned and returned home. Except there was no home. All that was left was a smouldering ruin. Xani had stood rock solid, surveying the ruins, and had found the note on the door. All she hoped now was that her mother was alright. She was the only family she had left.
The 'bounty-hunter' in the note could only mean Shayde, so she returned to the alley where he left her, then took the same path he did. She looked around, trying to figure out where to go next.
'Shayde!' she shouted into the sky. 'Shayde, where are you? I need you!'
Samiake stood there, unsure of what Shayde would do. He saw a lot of emotions cloud the Labrador's black face; surprise, joy, anger, mistrust, and many more.
'You? You killed Glayce?' he asked.
Samiake thought it best to not inform Shayde that his intended target was him, and simply nodded.
Shayde didn't move for a second, then a smile split his muzzle, and he hugged Samiake tight.
'I haven't seen you in years, buddy! Not since the beach! How have you been? Can you still do that thing with your shadow? What's up with your outfit, and those gauntlets, and the armband?'
'Hey buddy, slow down...one question at a time,' replied Samiake. Relief flooded him; Shayde didn't hate him.
Before he could move, though, a force slammed into him, sending him to the wall. Max was standing with his hand outstretched. He was glaring at Samiake.
'I thought it was you!' he growled. 'It was too dark to make sure, but now I know. You are that killer from the alley! I know what you are, too!'
Evidently, the bands on Max's arms allowed him to exert a telekinetic force. Shayde tried to calm the kangaroo down, but Max swung his other arm out, sending the yellow and black Labrador into the back wall.
'Max, calm down,' said Shayde. 'What do you mean? Do you know Sam?'
Max was about to answer, but a noise issued from the PDA on his wrist. He looked at him, then gave a slight smile.
'I have to go. Thanks for all your help, guys. It's been a blast and all, but duty calls. I have a feeling we'll meet again.' He pushed forward for a second, getting groans from both Samiake and Shayde, before he turned and ran out the door.
Chris darted forward and helped them both up. Samiake shook his head, then rushed to the door.
'Shayde, I can't explain right now, but I need your help to catch that guy. He knows something about me that no-one should!'
Shayde coughed a bit, then looked at his friend. A look of desperation was in his red eyes, and Shayde nodded.
'Okay. But only if you tell me, one day, what's going on.'
'Deal,' replied Samiake. 'Now, let's go!'
'I'll help,' said Chris. 'I know these streets, so we might be able to head him off.'
Shayde and Samiake nodded, and the three ran out into the night.
Xani was running aimlessly down the streets, when she was suddenly run down by a kangaroo. The marsupial didn't even stop for a second, and Xani was about to hurl abuse, and her staff, at him, but then she caught sight of a familiar form.
'Shayde!' she called.
The Labrador skidded to a halt, then ran down the street. 'Xani? What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Glayce?'
Xani didn't answer; she just showed him the piece of paper. Chris and Samiake caught up, and read over the paper.
'Shayde...someone's taken my mother,' Xani whispered. 'She's all I have left.'
'Did you see a kangaroo come by here?' asked Shayde quickly. 'We think maybe he knows something.'
Xani nodded slowly, and pointed down the road.
'We'll find your mum,' said Samiake. 'I have a feeling Max is up to something. He had a PDA like the one I used. I think he's a mercenary.'
'What has this got anything to do with me and Xani?' asked Shayde, somewhat confused.
'Why don't I explain on the way, huh?' replied Samiake. 'Right now, we need to get that roo. He's the answer.'
Xani, Shayde and Chris all nodded, and the four of them sprinted down the street, following the shrinking form of Max.
'Great. Now what?' sighed Chris
They had left the city behind, and the landscape had, in typical Tayunian fashion, changed rapidly from urban to rural. Such sudden changes were common in the 'overlapping' zone, where high-tech and low-tech met.
They had followed Max at a distance for almost half an hour, and they were now presented with a choice. To the left, the path wound into a hillside tunnel. To the right, it headed into a dense woodland. The paw prints in the dust showed that Max had headed towards the woodland.
'What an idiot,' scoffed Samiake. 'He left a trail for us.'
Xani, however, walked to the path leading into the cave.
'But look here,' she said, pointing to the dirt. 'It looks like something was dragged down here...I think my mother is down here...'
She turned back to the others. 'Listen, you guys go after...Max, was it? I'll go after my mother. She's my responsibility, after all.'
Shayde immediately shook his head. 'No way, Xani. We have no idea what's been planned here. You could be walking into a trap. I think we should split up. Sam, you and Chris go after Max.'
Samiake nodded, a grim smile on his face. 'I need to make sure that guy doesn't slip past me again.'
'I'll go with Xani,' Shayde continued, walking over to stand by the husky. 'Hopefully, whatever is at the end of this path, we can handle.'
Xani was secretly glad. She felt a little safer with Shayde. To be honest, her confidence had taken a huge battering in the last few weeks, and it was nice to know Shayde would be beside her.
Chris nodded, and checked his blade was safe in its scabbard. 'Right. If all goes well, Samiake and I should be able to finish up here quickly. If things get dicey for you two, just try and hold out until we arrive.'
'Shayde,' said Samiake hesitantly. 'I have to tell you something...'
Shayde waved a paw. 'Save it, Sam. Tell me later on, when we meet up again. Only this time, can you please not shoot so close to me?' He grinned. 'One would almost think you were shooting at me!'
Samiake cringed inwardly. That moment would haunt him for a while, that was for sure.
'Okay,' said Shayde. 'Looks like this is goodbye for now. You guys take care of Max, and try and save a piece for me, right?'
Chris and Samiake nodded, then took off down the path, the trees quickly swallowing them up.
Shayde turned to Xani, then made a mock bow towards the tunnel entrance. 'After you, fair maiden,'
Xani grinned despite the situation, and marched towards the tunnel, Shayde a step behind her.
Chris and Samiake ran down the wooded path, trying to keep Max in sight. Fortunately, the path was a bit overgrown, so Max's flight was hampered. They eventually caught sight of him, but Samiake wasn't too sure it was a good idea leaving Shayde and Xani. Who knew what they'd find up ahead?
'This guy is way too fast,' gasped Chris. 'I can barely see him!'
Samiake gave a tight grin as he remembered something. 'Oh, I've seen faster. I met a dragon once who was way faster than this guy. But enough is enough...I hate running.'
Pulling the shadows from the trees around them, Samiake formed them around his claws, creating a larger version of them. Swinging his arm forward, he sent the shadowy claws speeding forward. This had the dual purpose of clearing the path, and attacking Max.
Max looked behind him and saw the oncoming attack. He raised his hands and yanked a thick branch off a tree, using it to break up the shadow attack. It worked, but he wasn't quite quick enough, and three of the claws bit down on his back. He gave a howl of pain, but didn't slow down.
'Tough, too,' mused Chris. He looked sidelong at the otter. 'I know you'd rather not do it, but I think you need to-'
'No!' snapped Samiake harshly. 'I won't resort to that. That's only in the direst of circumstances. I don't want to have to become that again!'
Chris was silent. He knew the sort of power that Samiake could command, but it was a testament to his will that he refused it. His musing were cut short when a small boulder lifted off the ground and hurtled towards them.
'Samiake, look out!' Chris yelled. He pushed Samiake away, then swiftly unsheathed his blade, slashing at the boulder. The treated steel rang as it hit the stone, and for a second, Chris was afraid the blade would break. But then, the rock snapped, the two halves falling to the ground. Chris let out a shaky breath.
'Phew...that was close...' He re-sheathed his sword and continued the chase.
Ahead, Max was starting to falter. Samiake's attack had taken its toll, and his energy was fading fast. His two combatants saw this, and piled on the speed. Max drew to a halt in a small clearing, and leant back on his tail, exhausted.
A few feet from the roo, Samiake and Chris stopped. 'Careful,' said the otter, leaning down to hiss in Chris's ear. 'He wouldn't give up for nothing. He's got something up his sleeve.'
Chris nodded and they cautiously walked forward. Max didn't move.
'Hey, Max,' called Samiake. 'What's up? A bit tired?' He made sure his gauntlets were full of shadows, then stepped forward.
Max's eyes snapped open, and he swept his arms up. Instantly, Samiake was propelled into the air, held up by the invisible force. The roo gave a nasty grin, and slowly brought his hands together. Samiake felt a pressure start to exert itself on his body. Max was crushing him.
'Your kind think they are so all-powerful,' panted Max. 'Well guess what? You're not. You don't have the guts to be powerful!'
'Let him go!' shouted Chris, and he ran forward, slicing out with his sword. He managed to strike a deep cut on Max's back, but was then thrown backwards, a force holding him on the ground by his neck. Max gave a snarl of pain, and flicked out his hand, dragging Chris's blade from his hands, holding it up and over the trapped mouse. Moving his hand down, he made the blade slice a line from Chris's neck to his belly.
'Don't try that again, mouse! I'll gut you with your own blade! You know the old saying..."Live by the sword, die by the sword"!'
Samiake was trying to breathe. He felt the force of Max's telekinetic armbands slowly crush him. His brain was starting to shut down again, and he looked down to see Chris on the ground, his own sword posed above him, ready to impale him. Below him, Max's face was twisted in grim delight. Chris was struggling, trying to break free. Oddly, it seemed he was. Was Max diverting more power to crushing Samiake? The otter looked down and tried to focus. The arm directed at him had the usual two bands on. The one holding Chris down, however, only had one...
'Chris!' cried Samiake. 'He's weaker with you! You can break free...he's only using one band!'
Max whipped his head up and growled at Samiake. 'Damn you...how did you figure that out?'
Samiake rolled his eyes. 'Because, I can see only one band on your arm. Idiot...what did you think?'
Max snapped. Shrieking with rage, he swung his other arm up, directing all his power to Samiake. The otter groaned as the pressure increased, but he gave a grin through his pain. 'You really are...a class A moron...'
Having been released, Chris jumped to his feet and grabbed his fallen blade. He ran up behind the roo and ran him through, the blade sinking right up to the hilt, and coming out through Max's belly. Max's eyes widened and he gave a surprised gasp, looking down at the blade poking out of him. Samiake dropped to the ground, quickly forming a disk of shadows a foot from the ground as a landing pad, so he didn't break his neck.
Max dropped to his knees, and Chris pulled the blade free. His hands shook as he resisted the urge to apply a bandage to the wound. Samiake approached the dying roo and pulled him up by the neck, bringing him close.
'Where is your other band?' he growled. 'Where is the dog?!'
Max gave a smile. 'Why? You don't care...what is one more death to you?' He gave a barking cough and slumped in Samiake's grip.
Samiake dropped him, a look of disgust on his face. Chris, who had cleaned his blade by now, came up beside him.
'What did he mean by that last bit?' he asked. Samiake didn't know himself. He was more concerned with the location of the last band. Something wasn't right, though. Why split them up...
Suddenly, it clicked. Samiake gripped Chris's shoulder. 'Chris...it was a distraction! We have to get to Xani and Shayde, NOW!!'
Shayde and Xani walked silently into the tunnel. An odd sense of déjà-vu swept over them.
'Remember the last time we did this?' asked Xani. 'Glayce almost killed us.'
'Yes,' replied Shayde, giving a little smile. 'And you kissed me.' Xani blushed and gave a small smile, remembering how Shayde had reacted when she had done so.
'I didn't expect to live after that day,' she said. 'You really did save my life, Shayde. And...I really do...love you.'
Shayde ground to a halt. 'You...what...huh?'
Xani was busy inspecting her feet. 'Once this is all over...why don't we go away somewhere? And...you know...settle down?'
It was suddenly way too cramped in the cave. Shayde's face felt so hot, he was surprised Xani couldn't feel the heat roll of him. He tried to speak, but all the emerged from his throat was a high squeak. He stopped, cleared his throat, and tried again.
'Why don't we talk more about this afterwards, hmm?' Under his coal-black fur, he was blushing a bright red...this sort of thing really confused him.
Xani nodded silently, blushing a bit under her own pelt, and the two dogs continued down the path.
After a few minutes of travel, they arrived on the other side. Xani gave a gasp of surprise; they were standing in a beautiful clearing. A small stream bubbled along to the left, and a small copse of trees swayed gently in the breeze. The lush grass was soft and swaying slightly, and the combined effect made Shayde feel uneasy. It all looked very tranquil...too tranquil.
'Xani, keep your head. I don't think we're in the clear yet.' He raised his nose and inhaled. All he smelt was the perfume of the flowers. But just on the edge of perception, he smelt a slight whiff of something else. He frowned...he remembered that smell. It burnt his nose, and made his eyes water. Wracking his brain, he thought back...something from years ago...a small clearing in a forest, and a tiger...
Suddenly, he remembered.
'Xani, get down!' He grabbed her arm and jerked her to the ground, just as a jet of greenish fluid issued from behind them, followed by a muttered curse. Craning his neck around, Shayde saw a small figure perched on the lip of the tunnel. Green scales shone in the sunlight, scales that dripped a semi-translucent green liquid. Bright purple eyes glared down at him.
'So...we meet again, dog,' hissed Jade.
'Wait, Samiake...what's going on?' huffed Chris. He was trying to keep up with the otter, but it was hard work.
'Max was a distraction. That dog was after Shayde and Xani all along.' Samiake didn't slow down, but shouted over his shoulder.
'Why?'
'Shayde told me that he accidentally killed a Retriever a while ago, while he was hunting Xani,' Then, something else occurred to him. 'That's who made the call!'
'What? Sam, slow down! Please...just for a second.'
Samiake complied, and told Chris about his last mission to kill Shayde. 'It came from a Retriever, who had a vendetta against Shayde. I think this Retriever sent Max to kill Shayde once I didn't, but she split us up, so I couldn't fight for Shayde! She has to have the last band...and she's going to use it to kill either one of them. She knows now that Xani was Shayde's target, so she's gonna go after her as well!'
Chris processed all this. 'Sam...you said you only use your power in dire circumstances...does this count?'
Samiake hesitated, then nodded once. 'I think so. If worst comes to worst, Chris, and I have to do it...get as far away as possible.'
Chris nodded. On one hand, he hoped Samiake wouldn't need to do it. On the other...he was hoping he would. It would be a sight to see...
Shayde narrowed his gaze. 'You again!' he barked.
Jade yawned and spat a blob of acid at him, which he dodged with ease. 'Your powers of observation are as sharp as ever, dog.'
Xani looked up at the dragon, then at Shayde. 'Do you know that dragon?' she asked.
Shayde growled low in his throat. 'Yes. From a long time ago.'
He'd met Jade when he was fifteen. The small dragon had terrorised a village, but it had been Zeng, a hunter tiger from another land, who had 'introduced' Jade and Shayde. She was an acid dragoness, capable of breathing highly corrosive acid instead of flames. She could also camouflage herself, and her hide was as deadly as her breath. She also had a superiority complex, and saw herself as better than everyone. Shayde and Zeng had defeated her, using his bandana as a barrier to bypass her acid. Clearly, she hadn't forgotten this, and was out for revenge.
'It was you all along?' asked Shayde.
'Duh,' replied Jade. 'The marsupial, the dog...both my idea. Pathetic creatures...I believe the marsupial is already dead. And here you are. You walked into my trap, as I knew you would.
'Where's my mother?!' yelled Xani. Her gaze was fixed on the dragoness, hate clouding her amber eyes. It transpired Xani had a deep hatred for dragons. After her slavery to Glayce, it was no wonder.
'Your mother?' asked Jade nonchalantly. 'Oh, she is already dead. It was fun.'
For a second, Xani wavered. A single tear oozed from her eye, then she gripped her staff tight. 'You...you little...I'll...' She gave a howl of rage, and leapt at the dragoness, all inhibitions gone. Shayde tried to pull her back by her cloak, but the enraged husky whipped around and smacked his hand with her staff, forcing him to let go.
'Xani! Don't, you can't touch her! She's acid!'
'I don't want to touch her!' snarled Xani. 'I want to kill her!'
Jade sat there and watched Xani's approach, spitting acid every now and again. Xani dodged all the blasts, pulled herself up to the ledge with Jade, and pulled back the blunt end of her staff. Jade merely yawned; metal couldn't touch her...her acid simply ate through it.
Xani bared her teeth in a feral snarl, and swung out like a baseball player going for a home-run. As the red metal struck the acid-coated dragon, a small stream of steam hissed. Amazingly, however, the acid didn't melt the metal, but connected with the dragon's body with a dull crack, sending her flying into the trees a hundred metres away.
Shayde's jaw dropped. 'What the..?' Xani leapt down from the ledge and stood in front of him. The only damage to the staff was a slight pitted mark where the acid touched it.
'What the hell is your staff made of?!' asked Shayde, incredulously.
'Metal,' said Xani shortly. She was breathing hard, but calming down. 'A very special metal; been treated by alchemists to resist all forms of damage. It's very nearly unbreakable.'
Shayde gave a low whistle of amazement. 'How'd you get it?'
'I bought it in a market-place. The seller had no idea what it was. If he did, he would have never sold it. It was treated with a few other weapons.' She nodded to Shayde's katana. 'Your katana is the same.'
Shayde did a double-take, and drew his blade. 'How do you know?'
'The hilt,' explained Xani. 'That colour scheme marks it as one of the weapons the alchemists treated.'
Shayde eyed his blade. 'No wonder it didn't break against Tien...' he whispered, remembering the night his parents died. At nine years old, he had been able to impale a psychotic tiger...and now he knew why.
Before they could continue, a roar rose from the trees. Those in sight suddenly sagged and turned brown, revealing Jade. She was literally shaking with fury, her eyes glittering with evil.
'You think you can beat ME?!' she shrieked. 'NO-ONE can beat me!!' She spread her wings, and opened her jaws, sending twin jets of acid streaking towards the two canines. Shayde and Xani dropped to the ground and rolled away, in time to see Jade take off and hover a few meters above the trees. She took a deep breath and let loose a torrent of acid at the Xani. The husky dodged the jet, snapped her staff, and hurled the blade end at Jade. The dragoness dodged, but the blade hit her wing. Jade screamed in pain, fluttering to the ground and landing with a thud.
While this was going on, Shayde untied his bandana, and wrapped it around his fist, intending to use a trick Zeng used. Once Jade was on the ground, he ran up and landed a punch on her head. The bandana blocked the corrosive effects of the acid, allowing the blow to hit hard. Jade howled in pain and rage again, then swept her tail out, catching Shayde on the leg. Shayde dropped back, gritting his teeth against the pain, swiftly wiping the acid off with his bandana.
'You will NOT DEFEAT ME!!' roared Jade. 'YOU WILL DIE!!' She stood up, and suddenly, a huge volume of acid erupted from her body. It swirled around her like a whirlwind, pooling up into the air and spreading out. Shayde backed away, watching uncertainly as Jade vanished in the acid.
Eventually, a towering column of acid was formed. Parts of it split off, forming rudimentary arms, legs and wings. These parts took form, and within seconds, the column formed into a huge dragon. Hanging in the middle, where a heart would be, was Jade, suspended in the acid. She raised a paw, and the acid-dragon did the same. Acid dripped off the outstretched paw, burning the grass.
'Oh...crap.' whispered Shayde.
'Xani...we need to get out of here. Right now.' Shayde turned to see where Xani was, and saw her standing right behind him, looking at the acid-dragon in horror. She had retrieved the bladed half of her staff, and had reformed the full weapon.
'There's no way out,' she whispered. 'The tunnel is blocked. We have to fight her...' She reached behind her, and pulled up her hood, wavering out of sight. 'You distract her, and I'll try and get to her. I just need the right angle.' Before Shayde could answer, she was gone.
He gripped his blade tight. 'Okay,' he murmured. 'Let's see what this thing can do.' And he ran at the dragon.
Jade saw him coming, and sent a paw crashing down at him. He dodged out of the way, and slashed at the paw. Just as he'd hoped, the silvery blade passed through the acid, slicing a piece of it off the body, returning it to its previous liquid (and mercifully unalive) state. He took a moment to look at the blade, whistling his appreciation, and then continued to act as bait, snicking the acid-dragon at random points, drawing enraged bellows from Jade.
'Come on, Jade, I thought you said you were unbeatable!' he shouted up. 'If this is your best, I'd hate to see your worst!
Jade responded by causing the dragon to spit a deluge of acid at him. Shayde dropped and rolled away, cutting a slice out of its tail as he went, and gave a hoot of laughter.
'This is too easy. You couldn't hit me if your life depended on it. Which it does, so you have no chance of hitting me!'
Jade shrieked her rage again, plunging her paw down hard, sending a spray of acid out. Shayde managed to dodge it all, but Xani, hidden on the other side, wasn't as quick, and a hole was burnt into her cloak. She yelped and threw the cloak off, revealing herself.
'Dammit,' she muttered.
Under the cover of the trees sat a Retriever. She looked on at the battle with glee. Finally, the two animals that killed her son would die. Then, maybe, she could have peace. She had been waiting for this for months, now. On her wrist was an armband, one from the kangaroo. He had been rather unwilling to part with it, but she had used her insisted. By insisted, she had threatened to lop off what was most important to him. She had said this with a sweet smile, leaving no doubt what she meant, and the kangaroo had complied.
'Won't do much good,' he'd muttered. 'One ain't enough to do much. Maybe lift somethin' but nothing heavy.'
So with such limitations, she had little to work with. But she'd do what she could. She crept out of the trees and stood just inside the shadows, watching with rapt attention as the dragon roared and used her power to full extent. She saw how the bounty-hunter's blade was able to bite into the acid, without melting, as did the husky's. She licked her muzzle, looking at the husky. She was the reason her son was dead...she would be the first to go. For a few minutes, she lost sight of the husky, but a stray burst of acid had revealed her. She was close...very close. So was the bounty-hunter. They were a few meters apart from each other. One of the dragon's acid paws was in front of them.
A slow smile crept across her muzzle, and she raised her hand.
Shayde felt a tug on his katana. He frowned, and tried to grip tighter, but something was taking control of it. It whipped around and almost sliced him in the face. He yelped and slackened his grip, enough for the blade to shoot free. It hung in the air for a second, then rocketed away, around the leg of the acid-dragon.
'What the hell? Xani, something's wrong...my katana is acting up.' He was about to go on, but then the katana moved again.
It spun around and rocketed forward, right through the dragon's leg. Jade gave a howl of rage and pain as the dragon stumbled, but that was of no importance. Shayde looked around quickly, and saw, behind Xani, the shape of a Retriever. Its arm was outstretched, and one of the kangaroo's telekinetic bands was on it. She had an evil smile on her face, and her eyes were locked on Xani.
She was going to kill Xani...with his katana!
Time seemed to slow down for him. He saw the blade erupt out of the leg, coated in acid. Xani didn't see it until it was a few meters from her. A look of shock crossed her face, and she didn't have time to defend.
Shayde thought about it. He really did. But there was only one thing he could do. He ran, faster than he had ever run before. He crossed the void between then in a little under a second, and stood in front of Xani.
Xani saw the blade. She could do nothing. Then, suddenly, Shayde was there. He seemed to pop out of the ground, and grabbed her shoulders. She felt, as much as heard, the thud as the blade hit. Shayde staggered slightly, but remained standing, an odd smile on his face. His blue eyes glittered and a tear slid down his face, looking down into her eyes.
'Sorry...' he mumbled.
'No...Shayde, NO!' Xani sobbed. She raised a paw to her mouth, covering it, and gripped Shayde's arm with her other. She looked down to see the tip of his katana poking out of his chest. Shayde started to sway on his feet, blood trickling down his chest and back, steam rising as the acid, introduced with the blade, started to burn him inside.
He dropped to the ground slowly, pulling Xani down with him.
'S...sorry...' he said again.
Xani was unaware of anything else around her. Nothing mattered anymore, except the one thing good left in her world. She gave a cry of despair and collapsed on top of Shayde.
Samiake punched through the rock with a giant shadow-fist. The rock exploded outwards, sending slivers of rock out to pepper those on the other side.
'Hurry, Samiake!' cried Chris. He drew his sword and ran ahead as Samiake leant on the wall, taking a few deep breaths, before exiting the cave and seeing what was on the other side.
He saw Shayde and Xani to one side, and his eyes locked on the huge pool of blood beside them.
'No...' he whispered. 'Shayde...not Shayde, please, not SHAYDE!'
The otter ran forwards, but Chris was already there. He had pulled the blade free from Shayde's back, and had wrapped his bandage around the Labrador's chest. But the look in his eyes said it all.
Samiake dropped to the ground beside Xani, his vision blurring with tears. The world zeroed in on the small group surrounding the Labrador. Nothing else mattered.
Shayde looked at him for a second, and raised a paw. Before Samiake could reach for it, the arm dropped.
Shayde was dead.
To Be Continued.