Shadow's hunt, part three
#3 of Shadow's hunt
See babydragon, just like I promised, done and submitted on Friday. I was originally going to submit this sometime next week, but since you inquired about it, I decided to do it today. For everyone else who was patient and watchful for this, I thank you. It is finally done, after being stalled for a long time. I am sorry for that, but it was unavoidable. I had a specific idea in mind when I was writing it and I had a surprising amount of trouble articulating it. Anyway, you aren't reading this to hear me talk so here it is, the third installment of Shadow's hunt. * * *
Continued from part two... Hours later, the merchant fortress at Shonan heaved into sight above the great forest that surrounded it. The merchant fortresses were an invention of the various merchant guilds. They had been intended to protect merchants from bandits and for a few years, they had worked. But, where ever money is gathered, so too, do the corrupt gather. The guards who had protected them had started to become corrupted, and the bandits got in any way. Few of the fortresses were still active as their builders had intended, the rest had been abandoned or taken over by slavers and bandits. This particular fortress had seen better days. One whole wall had collapsed and had been shoddily repaired with a wooden palisade. The rest of the walls were falling apart, but it was still a daunting prospect to be attacking it. 'And that,' Jen thought, 'is why Shadow is going in under cover.' Shadow's personal guard consisted of herself, Talain, and four huge warriors. They had stopped short of the fortress, and Jen was getting antsy. They had been here for four hours already, doing nothing but watching. To amuse herself, she sat with Talain behind a rise and chatted quietly while Shadow and his warriors stared at the fortress. "What are we waiting for?" She asked Talain and the youth shrugged. "Search me." He stated, tugging up a small tuft of grass with a hand. "In the months since I became Shadow's apprentice, I have learned that he does things his own way. I have never known him to be wrong, so if he says we need to wait, then we need to wait." "Well, I am getting tired of this." She stated and then thought of something to ask. "By the way, where did Shadow come from?" "No one knows." Talain said. "Most say that he came from the west of the academy. All that is known is that he arrived at the school in the company of two graduates sixteen years ago and that he had incredible abilities. One night, I heard him talking about a village a month to the east of this place. He seemed very familiar with it, like he had been there before." "My village is a month to the east." Jen stated and then corrected herself sadly. "Or was." "Maybe that was it then." Talain continued. "I am sure I don't know. You could always ask him." Her need to reply was removed when Shadow suddenly dropped from on top of the rise with the other warriors and began to speak. "Well, the guards are very numerous and there are several other slaver groups in the fort. We will have to do a greater disguise than normal." He stated and the warriors began to rummage around in their packs. They came out with sets of different clothing, clothing that was more normal to Jen than the uniforms of the Moontiger academy. Talain and the other warriors' clothes were mostly leathers reminiscent of the slaver's clothing. They made Talain and the four guards look very evil and fierce, but then, that was the idea. But Shadow's clothing was very strange. They were billowy and made of a thin, gossamer fabric. This in itself didn't bother her, but what was strange was that they were definitely female garments. He handed one set of these to Jen, but the other he kept for himself. When he had changed his clothing, Talain and Jen looked at him with amusement. The image of the powerful tiger warrior standing there in female clothing was enough to make both want to laugh, but they suppressed the urge. He said no word, instead, he closed his eyes and his brow furrowed with concentration. All at once, his body started to glow and his flesh shifted. The lines of his solid male physique became slimmer and finer; much more feminine features forming out of the rapidly dissolving male before them. His face became more gently curved and very beautiful. His body became shapely and curvaceous and his breasts filled out the billowy top he wore. When the glow faded, they were no longer looking at a male tiger warrior. In his place stood a stunningly beautiful tiger woman, whose fur was deep black with faint orange stripes. She looked nothing like the warrior hero, except for the eyes. They were still brilliant emerald. As she looked at him, Jen was struck by the familiarity of those eyes again. As she pondered this, the woman that had been Shadow looked itself over. "Its been a while since I last saw this." The creature stated to itself, its voice female, but the same mannerisms that Shadow used slipped into his words. The four guards looked totally indifferent to this change, but Talain and Jen stared at the tiger. "I know this is strange but the story is too long to tell now. Trust me. Now, remember, when we get into the fortress, you are all hard individuals. You have no qualms about slavery or darker trades." The warriors nodded and Jen had no choice but to follow suite. With that, Shadow led the way onto the road and into the fortress. The guards standing to either side of the gate crossed their pikes across the entry and spoke. "Who are you and what is your purpose here?" The guard on the right asked. "I am Lanay Shak'tal." Shadow replied and the guard's eyes grew wide. "Lady Shak'tal? The black widow?" He exclaimed, pulling back his pike to open the way forward. "Please, go right in." When the small party stepped through the gate, Jen whispered into Shadow's ear. "Black Widow?" "I'll explain later." Shadow stated, looking around for the camp of the slavers he sought. "Lets try over there." The small group of warriors moved off in the direction that he pointed. Many pavilions had been set up in the courtyard of the fortress. Guards patrolled around them, dressed in the livery of their masters. More guards stood by the gathered wagons and cages that still held some slaves. It took only a few moments to locate the slavers they sought. Their tent was larger and grander than any of the others. Raptoid guards with the red tattoos of the slaver clan stood in small groups all around it and twice the usual number of guards stood outside the entrance. Shadow nodded in the direction of the tent and his guards made their way towards it with the transformed tiger in front. They passed most of the guards without incident, but as they approached the pavilion's entrance, the eight guards outside it moved together, blocking their path. One guard wearing a silver medallion around his neck stepped forward and spoke. "Halt." He commanded and the warriors did so, standing easy with their hands well away from their weapons. When the officer spoke next, his accent added another s to the words. "What is your businessse here?" "I am Lady Shak'tal, and I would speak with your master." Shadow stated, his modified voice echoing with authority. "Wait here." The guard captain stated and stepped back into the tent, his eyes scanning the group. He was gone only a few moments before he returned, followed by another raptoid garbed in the clothing of the slave master. He looked with amusement at Shadow and spoke. "Lady Ssshak'tal." He said, hissing with the s of the first letter of Shadow's assumed name. "We meet again." "Gantor, it is agreeable to see you as well." Shadow said, bowing slightly, "I have news that you will find of great use." "Pleasse, come insside." The slave master said and the small party slipped into the tent behind him. "Make yourselvess comfortable. Now, what iss thisss newss you bring?" "Shadowwalker and his battle brothers are looking for you." Shadow said without preamble, sitting down on a wide cushion with his legs crossed. "Ha ha ha ha." Gantor laughed, shaking his head. "Am I that important? I hardly think sso. I have been sslaving for many yearsss and they have not bothered me before." "Yes, but there is a rumor that your most recent acquisitions have in someway angered him." Shadow stated and Gantor paused, looking around at Shadow's guard. His eyes lingered on Jen for a few more moments than was necessary and her hand twitched reflexively, the memory of her treatment at the hands of these creatures still fresh in her mind. "What do you want for thisss information?" The slave master asked, returning his gaze to Shadow. "Money? Slavesss perhaps?" "No, I want information." Shadow said, a faint gleam lighting his eyes as the slaver mentioned slaves. "It would seem a fair trade, would it not?" "It would." Gantor agreed, looking at Shadow with a curious expression. "But what information would you like in exchange for thisss?" "I need information on the whereabouts of an artifact." Shadow stated and the slaver laughed. "Then go to a sssage!!" He stated, still laughing. "Sages cannot help with this." Shadow stated and the slaver's eyes glittered, its laughter fading away quickly in the wake of this statement. "An ancient weapon then?" He asked, smiling evilly. "Which one?" "A weapon so feared that it was hidden by the greatest of warriors." Shadow stated. While the slaver pondered this, Jen wondered what was going on here. Shadow was speaking with the slaver about something that did not matter, and he still hadn't told the slaver to go into their trap. Every moment they spent here was one more that the slavers might recognize her. "You can't mean..." The slaver finally said its yellow reptilian eyes going wide, "Not the Sssoulbreaker gem?" Shadow nodded once in confirmation. "What makesss you think I would know where to find it?" "Information that someone gave me." Shadow said, "Someone I trust enough to take the chance of running into Moontigers on the hunt." "Well, that is that last time I deal with Hydiger." He said, laughing as if he had made a joke. "I will have to pay him a visit." "That won't be necessary." Shadow stated. "He is dead." "Good, that is one lesss thing for me to deal with." The slaver replied, then he smiled a smile that was all fang. "He wasss right, I do have a clue to where it isss, but that information will cost you." "Cost me what?" Shadow inquired. "I would like to get to know this lovely woman better..." He said, looking at Jen once more. As he spoke, he reached out with a clawed hand toward her, his eyes glittering with unnatural lust. "Out of the question." Shadow stated with finality, his hand gripping the hilt of his long sword. "You should know better than that. My assistant is not for sale." "Then perhaps my information iss not for sssale." Gantor said, pulling his hand back before it touched Jen. "And perhaps I have more information that we could exchange." Shadow countered. "Information that could lead to your survival." "Alright, if you give me your information, I will consssider giving you mine." The slaver stated, his smile returning. "And if you think that I am that foolish, than it is no wonder you would be sloppy enough to anger Shadowwalker." Shadow said, his words very smooth, and yet they still held a note of threat in them. "I warn you Lady Ssshak'tal," Gantor said, shaking his finger at Shadow. "My hospitality has limitsss." "As does my patience." Shadow stated and Gantor smiled. "What isss your information then?" He replied. "I know of a place you could go that would render you safe from the moontigers, or as safe as you ever can be with them on your trail." He said and Gantor seemed to consider for a moment, then he smiled. "How could I be sssafer than in a fortresss such as this?" He asked. "This fortress would fall in ten minutes if they choose to attack you and you know it." Shadow stated and Gantor's face fell. "Would you care for refreshment?" The slaver suddenly asked, waving a hand at a slave in the tent and Jen was surprised. Shadow seemed completely unperturbed and shook his head. She recognized a triumphant note in his scent a moment later. Then it hit her, the slaver was stalling for time. Shadow had him right where he wanted him. "Very well. According to the information I have found, the Sssoulbreaker gem can be found in a cave in the Valley of Dragonsss to the north. The cave can only be opened by finding the golden key of Moontiger himsself, which has been lost to the echoesss of time." Something about that statement jogged something in her memory and Jen cast around in her mind, trying to remember what it was. "Now, what isss your information?" "A few days journey to the south, at the western base of Dagger peak, there is a valley." Shadow began, smiling at the slaver in triumph. "There is said to be only one way into it and once inside it, you can seal the entrance with a rock slide. No army could get inside it. But there is another way out. In a cavern beneath the valley, there is an ancient door that can be pushed outward from the inside, but it cannot be moved from the outside. The door leads to a passage out of the valley. Now, I will take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality and the information." "Un huh." The slaver said, shaking his head. "You are a worthy opponent my lady. If you ever need employment, I would alwaysss have a job for you." "I will keep that in mind." Shadow stated and the guard rose from where they had been sitting. Without another word, Shadow led the way out of the tent. After walking away from the tent where the slaver lived, the guard slipped back out of the fortress. Once they were out of sight beneath the trees, the guard slipped off the road and paused in a glade. Shadow swiftly changed clothes back into his warrior garb and shifted back to the form Jen had first seen him in. After he looked himself over, he spoke at last. "Ah, that is so much better." He stated and then looked around the clearing. "I know you must still have many questions, but now is not the time. For now, we must run to the Daggarpeak. We have to get there before the slavers do." Jen sighed and changed clothes quickly. While the guard was changing into their uniforms once more, the sound of running feet echoed in the woods and Jen looked up to see Captain Kerig walking up with his small company of soldiers. When the Moontigers had assembled in the clearing, more feet approached and a huge, heavily scarred Minotaur strode into the clearing, a gigantic war hammer resting on his shoulder. He was followed by four more of his kind, not one of them shorter than eight feet. Shadow rose to his feet from where he had been sitting with a smile and strode over to the huge warrior. He offered the minotaur his hand and the creature clasped his arm up to his elbow. The pair embraced and Shadow spoke. "Hul, you old bull!!" Shadow cried and the minotaur grinned broadly. "Its good to see you again." "And you Shadow." He replied and released his old friend. Once the tiger had stepped away from him, he spun his war hammer casually in his hands and smiled slightly. "Those bastard reptoids are going to pay this time, I swear it." "You will get first crack at them." Shadow said, "Like I promised." "Indeed you did." He said, then his eyes found Jen. He smiled. "And who is this?" "That is Jen, the woman Cyr spoke so often about." Shadow explained and the huge warrior knelt before her, but even then, he was still taller than she was. "You are every bit as beautiful as Cyr said you are." Hul said, smiling at her and bowing his head. "I am sorry that he isn't here to tell you that." A sudden horn call sounded and the warriors looked up. Shadow waved signals to the other soldiers and they ran off with Jen in tow. As they ran on through the forest, Jen thought back to the moment after the Minotaur spoke. She had thought that she saw Shadow's eyes glimmer when the Minotaur had spoken about Cyr... * * *
Now, many of you reading this are probably confused as I left many open loops in the plots. Do not worry, I promise that everything will come out in the next installment. As always comments are appreciated.