Desperation and Beyond
#12 of Shades of Grey
Desperation And Beyond
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This chapter is set directly after To Live By The Sword, and contains a cameo by Chris. This character belongs to Serath ([www.furaffinty.net/user/serath](%5C)).
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The golden sun rose slowly over the tree-line, sending soft sunlight spilling into the small cleaning. In the nearby copse of trees, a few birds were beginning to sing. But the beauty and tranquillity of the scene was lost on the small, motley group of furs. They had eyes only for the figure in the middle of the circle they stood in.
A rust and white husky, a black and grey otter and a white and brown mouse stood around the prone figure of a black and yellow Labrador. A bloody bandage hid an ugly wound, which marred his otherwise sandy coat, staining it a deep reddish colour. There was not a spark of life left in Shayde; it had been extinguished by his own blade, telekinetically drawn through his body by a vengeful Retriever. Shayde had placed himself in the path of the blade, saving the red husky, Xani, but killing himself. The blade itself was bad enough, but it had also been drenched in acid, causing his internal organs to slowly melt away.
'He...he can't be gone...' muttered Xani. Shock was the only thing on her face. He looked up at the mouse. 'Can't...can't you do something for him?'
Chris gulped. He'd only just met Shayde, but he still felt extremely sad. He slowly shook his head. 'Sorry...I can't do anything. He's...already gone. That wound...was just too severe.' He looked at the bandage he'd applied to the wound. It had slowly done its job in healing the hole, but Shayde probably died less than a minute after the blade struck him.
The grey otter, sitting beside the two others, hadn't said a word, but continued to stare at the dead canine. Samiake had only just reunited with Shayde, after 12 years of not seeing him. Now he was gone again. Sadness clouded his mind, but there was something else. A rage, fierce and only barely contained, washed through him. He slowly looked up, taking in the sight of the other creature in the clearing.
'Ha!' crowed Jade. 'See what happens when you mess with me?!' The acid dragoness was still hanging suspended in a dragon, formed entirely of green acid. The acid-dragon followed the movements of Jade like a marionette. 'No-one can escape from me for long! Next is that tiger!'
Samiake didn't care who Jade meant. He'd had enough. This little pipsqueak had indirectly killed his best friend, and was now openly gloating about it.
Something happened to him, then. Something...broke. The rage he'd been restraining finally broke free, and mixed with the sadness. It was like his mind let go, and let his emotions control his body. Almost every shadow in the clearing pulled free, coating his body in a deep black layer. Samiake was going all-out on a dragon, so very similar to a situation a year ago. But this time, he didn't have any control.
Beside him, Chris and Xani looked on in fear.
'Chris, what's happening?' Xani cried. 'What's he doing?'
The mouse was worried now. He had a feeling what was about to happen. He knew what Samiake was...what he was capable of.
'Listen, Xani,' he quickly whispered. 'We have to get out of here, right now.' When Xani didn't move or reply, he tugged on her arm insistently. 'Come ON! You don't want to be here!' He cast a look around at the otter, wondering if there was enough time.
By now, Jade had noticed the darkening otter. She sneered down at him.
'And what do you think YOU are?' she called down. 'Do you think you can beat me?' She gave a nasty laugh, 'No-one can beat me. Not that dog, not that tiger, and certainly not you.'
Samiake didn't answer. Instead, he raised his arm, and it suddenly ballooned out in size, growing up and out like a fast-forward plant growth. The towering shadow arm wavered slightly before Jade, it's sharp-looking claws somehow able to glint in the dawn-light.
'You think that scares me?' bluffed Jade, for she was slightly less cocky now. She opened her jaws and spat a stream of acid at Samiake, and the acid-dragon did the same, completely engulfing him in greenish fluid. When the torrent ended, Samiake was still standing, though the armour of darkness was hissing and steaming, fighting off the corrosive effect of the acid.
Samiake still didn't say anything. But now, he swung the enlarged arm up, and then down, onto the acid-dragon. It buckled as if hit with a ten-tonne weight, sending acid spraying everywhere. But small puddles of shadows shot out from under the otter, targeting the flying acid and absorbing it before it could damage anything.
Jade gave a shriek of pain and rage, as if the blow had struck her as well. In desperation, she lashed out with claws and teeth, trying in vain to fend off the shadowy fist. But for all her efforts, nothing worked. Samiake drew the fist up again and slammed it down. This time, the acid dragon exploded out, sending Jade thudding into the ground, winded.
A wave of darkness pooled out from under Samiake, absorbing the acid, and flowing over Jade like a dark tide, muffling her screams of rage and fear, and dragging her slowly to the otter. He held her up above his head, cocooned in darkness, with only her head exposed to glare at Samiake. The otter still didn't make a sound, even though Jade was issuing a non-stop tirade of insults.
'What are you going to do now, otter?' she snarled. 'Going to avenge your little friends' passing?'
Samiake's glowing eyes narrowed slightly. He pulled back one arm, as if to punch the dragoness, and she flinched back, closing one eye to prepare for the blow. Instead, the drawn-back arm suddenly sharpened, the shadows forming it into a long, lethal spike. And then he finally spoke, in a voice distorted by anger and darkness, a voice very different from his regular one.
'Yes.'
While all this was going on, Chris was trying to pull Xani out of any danger. She wasn't proving very resistant, but neither was she making it easy. The poor mouse was almost dragging the much larger husky.
'Come on, Xani...we gotta move!' he puffed. 'I don't know what Sam's going to do right now...he could hurt us as well.'
Xani murmured something inaudible, and a tear slid down her muzzle. She was obviously taking Shayde's death harder than the rest of them. She was almost dead-weight right now, and she looked absolutely defeated.
Chris had dragged the husky about five feet away, but the way was suddenly barred.
'Hello, dear...'
Standing there, blocking the way into the cave, was a dishevelled Golden Retriever. She looked like she might have been beautiful one day, but she had let herself go. Her pelt was matted and dirty, and an odd light glittered in her brown eyes. Chris knew that look; vengeance. He had a feeling they had met the third part of this group: the mother of the Retriever that Shayde had mistakenly killed while hunting Xani. And by the looks of things, she wasn't in the forgiving mood. She was unarmed, except for a band of green material on her left arm. Chris had seen such a band on Max, the now-dead kangaroo mercenary, apparently hired by Jade to get Samiake to kill Shayde. The bands gave the wearer telekinetic powers, but the force lessened with the lack of bands. One band was weak, and gave only enough force to hold something down, or...pull...something...
'You!' Chris cried in sudden realisation. 'You killed Shayde!'
The Retriever grinned a bit. 'Not intentionally,' she corrected. 'I meant to kill her.' She flipped a paw at Xani. 'But that love-sick puppy got in the way.' Her eyes darkened. 'I wanted to kill her so he'd suffer. Like I suffered. Tell me, mouse...do you know what it's like to lose a child? It is the single-worst pain in existence...nothing can compare to it!'
Chris moved back a step. The Retriever's words, while spoken in a quiet, sad tone, barely contained an anger which threatened to explode. 'So, you wanted Shayde to live, but suffer with the loss of Xani?'
The Retriever nodded curtly. 'Yes. While nothing can compare to the loss of a child, the loss of a love is a close second.' She raised her banded arm, and forced Xani up in the air slightly, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground. Xani grabbed at her throat, gasping for air: the Retriever was choking her to death.
'But eventually,' she said slowly, 'both would have to die. I have to avenge my son's death!'
Chris thought of what to do. The Retriever was grief-stricken, that was apparent. She wasn't evil, per-se...just very much misguided. She needed to be stopped.
He quickly drew his blade and ran in quickly while she was distracted, then swung out at the arm with the back-side of his blade, aiming for a nerve cluster near the elbow. The heavy metal struck flesh and fur with a dull thud, and the Retriever gave a yelp of pain, dropping the arm and Xani. The husky crumpled on the ground, massaging her throat and gasping for breath. She slowly looked up, tongue lolling, at her attacker.
Meanwhile, the Retriever was shaking out her arm, trying to restore feeling to it. Chris stood in front of her, his sword at the ready.
'Don't try anything like that again,' he advised. 'I don't like attacking females, but I will make an exception with you, should you try anything.'
She didn't respond, but glared at Chris, then snapped out with her arm. The force was weak, but enough to knock him off balance. While he regained it, she closed in and jammed her elbow into his neck. Chris gasped and dropped, clutching his throat in pain, his sword clattering to the ground. He swiftly stepped on the hilt, lest the Retriever use it against him. Fortunately, his meagre weight was enough to counter the weakened telekinetic force, but the force was growing as feeling returned to the Retriever's arm: he should have cut the nerves, rather than numb them...
Suddenly, he heard a howl of rage, and looked around. Xani was on her feet, her staff in hand, and was raining blows on the other female. The Retriever was fending off the blows with the telekinetic force, but she was slowly losing energy. Several time, the tip of Xani's blade slipped past, snicking flesh and fur.
'You killed him!!' she shrieked, eyes burning with rage. 'You killed the ONLY person I had left in this world!'
'He deserved it!' snarled the Retriever. 'You are just as responsible as your boyfriend! You don't even feel an ounce of my pain!
Xani pulled back and delivered an overhead blow which, had her foe not blocked it, would surely have cleaved her head open, and possibly her torso as well. The Retriever broke out in a sweat as she exerted all the force to counter the blow, Xani straining to break through. Slowly, the blade sunk lower and lower.
Chris wondered if it would be best to hang back. Females, he surmised, were moody creatures, and if he intervened, it was likely he'd draw both of their wraths. But the Retriever...he felt a little sorry for her. He didn't want to see her dead...there had been too much death in the last hour. Disabled, yes. Dead, no. So, picking up his blade, he silently made crept up to them. Giving a silent apology to the Retriever, he slashed out with his blade, this time using the cutting edge, and swiftly amputated her banded arm.
The Retriever gave a slight gasp, then a screaming howl of pain as she realised her arm was gone. She staggered back, clutching the bleeding stump, but Chris didn't stop. Swiftly, in the same move, he brought his blade up to catch Xani's blade, now free of the force blocking it. Chris's knees buckled under the power of the swing, his arms trembling to hold the glittering blade up. Xani's eyes focused on him, and the snarl on her face slowly softened, and she pulled back with the blade. Chris breathed a sigh of relief, dropping his blade and rubbed his aching arms.
Off to one side, the Retriever was gasping in pain, and swearing something horrible at Chris and Xani. Xani narrowed her gaze, and walked forward. Chris grabbed her cloak as she passed.
'What are you doing?' he asked.
Xani grinned slightly. 'Shutting her up, before our ears start bleeding.'
She walked up and cracked the Retriever on the side of her head with the flat of her blade. She wavered for a second, then collapsed like a rag-doll. Chris hobbled over to them and wrapped the bleeding stump with his bandages, the powerful healing chemicals in the material quickly knitting sheared flesh, bone and blood vessels.
As he was working, something in the back of his brain tickled slightly. He frowned, turning slightly to watch Xani. She flinched and grabbed her head as if gripped by a headache.
'What's going on?' Chris asked.
Xani shook her head slowly. 'Not again...' she whispered. She turned slowly to look back at Jade, Samiake and Shayde's body. A dark mist was slowly seeping across the grass. As it approached, the black coating on Samiake suddenly fell off him. Which wouldn't have been an issue, had the darkness not also been restraining Jade...
Samiake felt a sudden lurch in the back of his mind, and a wave of nausea swept over him. All the shadows he was using suddenly rolled off him like water, plopping audibly on the grass and sweeping away towards a thick, dark mist that had appeared suddenly. He suddenly felt as weak as a new-born pup. Fear gripped him: there was only one entity that could have such an effect on him...
Unbeknownst to him, Jade was now free. She gave a cry of joy, and promptly opened her jaws to spit acid at her captor. But suddenly, the mist rose up, snaking a tendril around her snout. As the mist touched her, she collapsed, all her energy gone.
_ 'No,' _ said a voice. She whimpered...the voice was in her head. _ 'I won't allow you to kill anymore, today.' _ With that, the mist retracted slightly, leaving Jade unconscious on the grass, as harmless as a sleeping kitten
The mist rolled forward, stopping beside Shayde's body. A sigh rolled out of the mist. _ 'It seems I have been kept rather busy today,' _ The voice sounded both amused and peeved at the same time. _ 'Two of them deserved their fates. But this one...' _ again, that sigh, tinged with sadness, _ 'his time wasn't now. But I can't do anything about that now.' _
The mist expanded and enveloped Shayde's body. From the depths of the mist, red eyes glowed, and settled on Samiake.
_ 'Well now. This is rather...unexpected. I didn't think there were any Necromancers still around.' _
Samiake paled. Just like that, his secret was out. He heard Xani gasp.
'How...how do you know that?' Samiake stammered.
The eyes crinkled in corners. _ 'Oh, you know how I know. After all, your kind is very close to me...' _
Samiake paled even further. He opened his mouth, but nothing emerged except a stutter.
The mist started to pull away, the only evidence of Shayde left behind was the pool of blood. _ 'Now, I have quite a bit of sorting out to do, thanks to you three,' _ said the voice. _ 'I would appreciate it if you could kindly not kill anyone else for a while. Normally I don't like coming here...but I made an exception due to the...extenuating circumstances.' _ The eyes turned to Samiake. _ 'I'd advise you to explain to your companions about you being a Necromancer.' _ With that, the mist slowly melted away.
Shayde opened his eyes. That in itself was shocking enough. He gave a short gasp and sat up, his paw flying to his chest, fully expecting to feel a large hole. But there was only fur. Not a speck of blood marred his slightly shaggy coat. And it was with a bit of chargrin that he noticed he was naked. His bandana, pants and scabbard were missing, and he hadn't the faintest idea how and why.
He stood up and looked around the area, trying to get his bearings. But the area was completely new to him.
He was sitting on what appeared to be a wide, circular platform of some cracked black stone. Runes were etched around the edge of the platform, making it look like he was sitting on a giant, armless clock-face. Beyond the platform, a sea of grey and black mist wafted gently, like dark clouds, and above, the black sky was emblazoned with a mass of stars. A gentle wind wound lazily through his fur. The entire effect of the area was extremely peaceful, and Shayde felt very calm here. All his troubles seemed far away and insignificant.
_ 'Well now...you're awake.' _
Shayde spun around and fell onto his tail, his jaw falling open. Standing just behind him was a large black dragon, almost as big as Glayce. It's black hide was speckled here and there with spiralling white marks, and its wings were slightly tattered. Its red eyes seemed to glow out of its face, but they exuded a sense of calm and peace.
'Who...who are you?' Shayde asked. The dragon smiled.
_ 'I am the ruler of the Deadlands, what you would call the Underworld. I am Nocturne.' _
Nocturne's voice was beautiful, and Shayde felt a lot calmer just hearing it. He also noticed that Nocturne's mouth didn't open. 'Are you..?'
_ 'Telepathic, yes,' _ smiled the dragon. _ 'Though I do not have to be. My voice carries a lot of power. I prefer to only use it in...dire circumstances.' _
Shayde didn't know what those circumstances were, and he didn't feel the need to know. 'So, you're the dragon of death?'
_ 'Correct. I look after those who have passed on. Some deserve to be here as punishment for crimes of the past, while others, such as yourself, do not.' _
'Oh.' Shayde rubbed his ear, slightly confused. 'But can't you return life?'
Nocturne shook his head slowly. _ 'I cannot,' _ he said sadly. _ 'Such an ability would undermine my purpose. The only ones that can return lost live are the Necromancers. And even then, my must obey the rules.' _
Shayde nodded. That made sense. 'Where is this place?'
_ 'This is my area. I bring the...special cases...here. You, Shayde, didn't deserve the death you did.' _
Shayde's mind suddenly recalled those last few moments. He'd put himself in the path of his katana, saving Xani, but fatally impaling himself. He remembered the look on Xani's face...the shattered sadness and realisation that he was gone.
'Xani...' he muttered.
_ 'She is fine,' _ said Nocturne. _ 'She is admittedly devastated, but I do not see her end coming anytime soon.' _
'What about Chris and Sammy?' asked Shayde. 'I only just saw Sammy again after so long...'
_ 'Chris is fine as well. He is helping Xani and Samiake with their grief. But it is Samiake who is more of a concern right now. As a Necromancer, he'll try to bring you back.' _
Shayde's jaw dropped. 'He's a...a Necromancer?!'
Nocturne smiled and gave a rumbling chuckle. _ 'Yes. I believe he is the only one left alive. His kind has been hunted to extinction for what they are. My followers were once tasked to assist me in protecting the dead and, on very rare occasions, to return the dead to life. But only if there is a need. But they grew...unhappy...with their lot. Such amazing power, and all they were allowed to do was bring people back sometimes? No...they wanted more.' _
'So...what happened? What did they do?' asked Shayde.
Nocturne sighed. _ 'They tried to use their power unwisely, and paid the price. The regular creatures began to hate them, and so hunted them. Your friend was born with great power, but chose not to follow the dark paths. Instead, he limited him abilities to mere shadow manipulation, and strove to keep his secret safe, lest others learn what he was, and destroy him too.' _
Shayde frowned and shook his head. 'I always wondered why he could do that stuff.'
_ 'Well, now you know.' _ Nocturne replied. _ 'And now, it is time for you to leave. You are free to roam the Deadlands, wherever you wish. You will undoubtedly come across old faces from your past, both good and bad. They may wish you harm, but I do not allow the dead to suffer. Wounds will heal instantly here, and you will feel no pain.' _ The dragon grinned again and shifted his paw, revealing Shayde's clothing and equipment. _ 'I believe these are yours, yes? They had to be removed when you came here, so they could be treated to exist here in the Deadlands. Things of the living world have a slightly negative effect in these lands, and objects brought over must be cleansed. ' _
Shayde blushed slightly, only just remembering his naked form, and quickly tugged on his pants. Only when he was dressed, and his blade at his side, did he look up at Nocturne.
'Nocturne? Can I ask a question?'
'Of course you can,' replied the dragon gently.
Shayde hesitated. 'Will...will they be alright?'
Nocturne was silent for a few moments. _ 'I do not know. But I think that Samiake will attempt to bring you back. If he did try, he had better be prepared for the price that must be payed.' _
Shayde took a step back. 'You won't try and stop him? Or trap him here?'
Nocturne looked mildly surprised, then shook his head. _ 'Of course not. I am a peaceful being. I only wish to carry out my duty, looking after the dead. Should Samiake come here to retrieve you, I will not stop him. But he must follow the rules.' _ When Shayde looked doubtful, Nocturne sighed slightly. _ 'I know your dealings with dragons in the past have been...difficult. But not all of us are bad. Why, I am possibly the calmest of us all. No, I will not lift a finger to hurt another.' _ He chuckled a bit. _ 'I am not even sure I can!' _
With that, the black dragon stepped back into the darkness. Shayde looked around the platform as the dark mist closed in, surrounding him in thick mist. It eventually faded away, revealing a muted-sunny scene, dominated by a two-floor house. It looked very familiar to Shayde...on the verge of his memory...
He walked forward slowly, looking around cautiously. As he approached the house, the door opened, and a willowy figure walked out. The figure hummed a tune under its breath as it poured water onto some plants. Suddenly, something seemed to stop it, and the figure looked up. Bright blue eyes widened in shock as they beheld the Labrador before it, and its mouth fell open.
Shayde took a step forward.
'Mum?'
Samiake sat on the grass, poking at the dirt with one finger. Beside him sat Chris, looking slightly put-out. Before him stood Xani, hands on hips.
'You're a Necromancer?' she asked quietly, 'What are you doing around here? Shouldn't you be in some graveyard or something? Or dead?'
'No,' mumbled the otter. 'I don't like it. I hate the whole Necromancy thing...I turned my back on it years ago. I made sure I couldn't use that power.' He pointed to his armband. 'This limits my power. Drastically. Shadow manipulation is the most basic form of Necromancy, and that's all I want.'
Xani continued to glare at him. 'So this is why you have to keep moving around, huh? People get suspicious?'
Samiake nodded slowly. 'Chris figured it out, but...I just couldn't kill him. I've had enough of killing creatures for a long while. It reminds me too much of what I could become...of what I don't want to become.'
Chris gave a small smile. 'Don't be too hard on yourself, Samiake. If I had such a past, I'd want to hide it as well.'
Samiake nodded. 'But I do have an idea. I think there is a way to bring Shayde back.'
Xani's eyes widened, but she was still suspicious. 'What do you mean?'
'Necromancers can raise the dead.' Samiake explained. 'The longer someone has been dead, the harder it is. Because Shayde has just been taken, he should be relatively easy to bring back.'
'Relatively easy?'
Samiake nodded. 'Raising the dead is never easy. There are rules that must be followed. But because Shayde is such an exceptional case-'
'What do you mean by that?' asked Xani quickly.
Chris answered this time. 'Shayde wasn't supposed to die. I believe the ruler of the underworld, Nocturne, has pity on sacrificial deaths. He allows them special privileges.'
'Right,' confirmed the otter. 'Nocturne allows those types to roam the Deadlands freely. And if a Necromancer can be found soon, they may even be allowed to return.'
Xani leapt to her feet. 'Then let's get going!' Her eyes shone with hope. 'It's not too late, right?'
'Hold up, Xani,' cautioned Chris. 'You can't just go barrelling into the underworld. It's dangerous to the living...we don't belong there.'
'We're going to need some help with this one,' confirmed Samiake. 'Do you know anyone that may want to help?'
Chris held out his palms. 'Sorry, I don't know anyone. But you can count me in.' Samiake gave a brief smile, then turned to Xani.
'What about you? Can you think of anyone who may be able to help us?'
Xani thought for a few moments. 'On the road...Shayde told me a little about his past. He met a tiger a few years ago. Zeng, I think his name was. Anyway, this guy was with him when he took out Jade before, and he was the one who suggested Shayde become a bounty-hunter.'
Samiake recalled Jade saying something about a tiger. This Zeng character must be who she was referring to.
'Anyone else?'
'Hmmm...' Xani scrunched up her eyes. 'I'm...not sure about this one...but there was a beagle back in the village I was in. He...I think he took a bit of a shine to Shayde.' She gave a slightly cheeky grin. 'I'm sure he'd love to help, even if it was just to see Shayde again.'
'I have someone in mind as well,' said Samiake. 'I met this dragon a year ago, back in the desert. He's sure to come in handy...he's very speedy.'
Okay, great,' said Chris. 'Now, how do we get them all here in time?'
Xani's face fell slightly, but Samiake smiled slightly. 'Leave that to me.'
He reached up and grasped his armband, giving it a little tug to loosen it. Chris blanched a bit. 'What are you doing? Won't that...you know, unblock your power?'
Samiake nodded. 'Yes, it will, but I hope I can hold it back a bit. But you guys need to hang back a bit...just in case.'
With that, he pulled the armband off, quickly handing it to Chris.
'Chris, hold onto this, and when I get back, you need to put it back on me...as soon as possible,' he said quickly, his voice and arm shaking slightly. 'No matter what happens, okay?' Chris took the armband and nodded.
Samiake closed his eyes and concentrated hard on a certain red and black dragon. Rio; the dragon he'd met during the desert mission, where he'd killed the sand-dragon, Firolf. Once he'd fixed Rio's image in his mind, he flexed his left gauntlet, gripping the shadows tight. With the limiting armband gone, the shadows bit hard into his fur, merging lightly with his body. He gritted his teeth as the darkness welled up in his brain. He forced it back, trying to keep control, but it was hard to do. He focused hard on Rio's image, and pooled the shadows on the ground, making a dark hole in the ground. With a deep breath, he jumped into the hole, committing himself to the dark void of Necromancy shadow-travel.
Shayde sat at his kitchen table, which was a very surreal experience for him. The last time he'd done that, a tiger had killed his parents. The same parents who were sitting with him now.
Everything was exactly the same. The only missing things were the katanas on the wall. One was on his hip now, and the other was lost many years ago.
After a teary reunion, Shayde and his mother walked into the house, and Shayde met his father again. Shayde felt incredibly teary now; his parents were with him again...he never thought he'd see them again.
'So, honey,' said Amanda. 'what have you been doing all these years? It's been...so...so very long...since we last saw each other.' Amanda's eyes filled with tears again as she recalled that horrid night.
'I'm a bounty-hunter. Or...I was, I guess,' replied Shayde.
'You learned swordplay?' asked Kibroy. Shayde nodded.
'Yes. I learnt from a sword-master, Ty-Long. He taught me everything I know.'
Kibroy smiled widely. 'I remember Ty-Long...he gave me a few pointers back in my day.'
The reunited family spent many hours catching up. Shayde had many tales to tell; his various hunts for criminals, his battle with the powerful seven-sword wielding dragon named Yun (the only foe who had beaten him in many years), and of course, his most recent hunt for Xani and Glayce. When he mentioned Xani, Amanda's gaze softened fondly, and she whispered loudly to her husband.
'My my, dear...it seems our pup's all grown up and pulling in the ladies.' Kibroy gave a bark of laughter as Shayde blushed a bit.
'Hardly, mum...she's just...a friend,' he stammered. Amanda bit her lip and nodded seriously, stifling a chuckle.
When he told them about Samiake, Kibroy narrowed his gaze. 'So, that otter turned out to be a lot more dangerous than I thought. If I'd known he was a Necromancer, I would have...' he clenched his paws tight and took a deep breath. 'Never mind...that's in the past now.'
After they had finished catching up, Shayde drew his katana, showing it to his father. 'Dad, do you want this back? I...borrowed it. I think it should be returned to its rightful owner.'
Kibroy quickly shook his head. 'No, son. The blade belongs to you now. You have earned it. I was planning on giving it to you anyway, in a few years.'
Shayde blushed a bit and re-sheathed the katana. 'You were going to give it to me?'
Kibroy nodded. 'Yes...you deserved to have a proper blade. The fake blade was only for training.'
Once dinner was over, Shayde walked out into the back yard, looking out at the sky. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The sky was a muted black, as if a grey veil was over it. I guess this place is just an imitation of reality, he mused. But it was a very good imitation. But there was something missing...his friends. Even though he had his parents back...his friends were still alive. And even though Nocturne assured him they would eventually be fine without him, he still felt sad. He was also sure Samiake would try something to bring him back, and that worried him. He didn't know what 'rules' needed to be followed.
Kibroy walked out of the house, and stood beside him, looking out.
'It's nice, isn't it?'
Shayde nodded slightly, but didn't say anything. Kibroy looked at him, and sighed.
'You don't like it here, do you?'
Shayde hesitated. 'No...not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's great to have you two back again.' He looked at his father. 'I missed having you two around...my childhood was very messed up. It took me so long to trust people. I've always wondered what it would have been like to have you two around.'
Kibroy was silent for a moment. 'Son, you know you can't return. Even if your Necromancer friend found a way, Nocturne has very specific rules. Couldn't you just...stay? Please?'
'Dad, I want to stay. I really do...but there is still so much I have to do. I have a lot of life still to live.' He looked up into his father's brownish eyes. 'I will stay here until I hear from Samiake and the others. If they turn up...well, we can talk about this later, okay?'
Kibroy gave a prolonged sigh, and gave a small grin. 'Is it bad of me to wish your friends to not get here?'
'Not at all,' smiled the younger Labrador.
'And, while we wait...I'd love to test your skills.' Kibroy grinned again, much wider this time. 'What's say you and me have a duel? After all, neither of us can die...'
Shayde returned the grin, grasping the hilt of his blade. 'Oh, you're on!'
To Be Continued.