Chapter 25: Jowee's Return
Mari could hear Circi's mourning from her cell. She felt pity and empathy for Circi. Circi was obviously going through the same rage that Jowee was currently suffering from.
Regardless of Circi's suffering, Mari needed to escape.
She reached out to the creator, praying with all her might. She begged for at least a chance to escape, a small aid.
The chains that tied her to her prison wall crumbled to dust.
After days of sleeping while standing and being stuck to that wall, Mari could explore her prison to a greater extent.
The Prison door creaked open. Mari quickly slipped through.
Go, Mari. The Creator said. You must reach out to Jowee. Only confirmation of your continued life can save him.
"He went a little overboard over me." Mari mumbled. "It's kinda creepy."
A little? Kinda?
Mari smirked. "Good point."
She hid behind a corner. Shadow Walkers were patrolling the hallways. She needed to fight her way out.
She heard an alien screech.
A Shadow Walker had seem her.
It lunged at her, wrestling her to the ground, and clawed into her shoulder.
Screaming in pain, despite herself, she shoved the Shadow Walker off and counter-attacked. She punched the Shadowy creature so hard it made it more goo-like, allowing her to tear into the Walker and rip it apart.
The thing gurgled horribly, as it dissolved.
Mari continued to run through the hallways of the Dungeon. She had taken a knife from the fallen Walker. Apparently the creature had preferred to use it' knife-sharp claws instead of the actual knife. It didn't matter anyways.
Mari eventually found a closet full of weapons. She found amongst them her sword. Picking it up, she felt the power of the Creator strengthen her. The cuts and wounds were gone. The hunger left from her horrible food was gone also. She then ran down the hall, dispatching the Shadow Walkers in her path.
Eventually, she got to a communication system.
She needed to somehow contact the Galactic Jungle.
She needed to find Jowee and contact him. She needed to tell him that she was alive. That he had to stop.
Heather woke up the next morning to hear sounds of panic.
She walked out of her tent to find the people prepared for battle. In the distance was a speck of shadows.
Jowee.
Heather got her sword quickly, but she soon found herself floating off the ground.
She felt as if a force was ripping her in half. She could see the Shadow leeching off of her, but with it flesh and blood.
"Stop!" Heather screamed, pleading with the Shadow-Corrupted Jowee. "Jowee, please! I'm your friend!"
"The Jowee who cared about anyone but himself is dead!" The Shadow-Demon cackled, an insane grin on it's face. "I am the one who killed him!"
Heather's eyes widened. The Shadow Creature had stopped simply influencing Jowee and instead subdued his mind, gaining direct control.
"Let my friend go!" Heather roared back at the Shadow. "Don't make me hurt you!"
The Creature cackled maniacally. "What are you going to do? Scream for help louder?"
Heather tapped into her Shadow powers, and lashed out at the Creature.
The Shadow Creature floated around her, striking with Shadow Bolts. Heather dodged a few, and lobed some back.
Eventually, Samuel joined in, striking at the creature with his energy bolts.
The Robosa opened fire, but Shadow Jowee was an exceptionally strong enemy.
The Robosa were struck down, one by one, without mercy.
"Kill!" The Shadow possessing Jowee roared gleefully.
Havoc and Mayhem were reaped behind Jowee as he destroyed Robosa after Robosa. People dove out of the way to avoid Jowee's wrath.
"Fear my godlike might!" Jowee roared. "I am a Destroyer without limit!"
"Jowee, you have to fight it!" Samuel yelled. "You need to stop it from killing us all!"
The Shadow Creature twitched, it's arms shaking as if being sent simultaneous messages to move and stop. "Sorry, Raposa scum, but Jowee can barely hear you!" The Shadow Creature mocked. "I am in control now!"
The thing fired a bolt of Shadow energy at Heather. It then grew claw-like appendages and attacked Zsasha in close-combat.
The Fighting continued like this. The Shadow Creature was undaunted by their attacks, until at last everyone lay defeated and exhausted at the Demon's feet.
"I'm going to kill every last one of you." The Demon mocked. "And I'm going to make Jowee watch, to always remind him of how he failed all of you. Just like he failed his little sweetheart, Mari! Hahahahahahaha!"
The Creature raised both it's arms, gathering Shadow Energy into a single attack, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Jowee, stop!" A familiar voice said over the speakers attached to a nearby building.
The Creature stopped in mid-attack, and it's voice became more like Jowee's.
"Mari?" It asked, hesitantly.
"Jowee, I'm alive!" Mari said. "Circi made it look like I died so she could make me watch you become a monster from grief. I don't like what I've seen."
The Creature gasped in pain, as it clutched it's own face. Jowee screamed in agony as he ripped the Shadow goo off of himself, reverting mostly to normal.
He then fell to the ground on his knees, gasping for air.
"Mari, I..." Jowee began. "I'm sorry. I should have kept it together. I shouldn't have let anger guide my actions."
"It's ok." Mari said in a comforting tone. "You always were a little hotheaded, and the Shadows brought out the worst in you."
"But I- I killed people. I enjoyed doing it!" Jowee reflected in self-horror.
"That was the Shadow messing with your brain." Mari said. "Besides, the Creator told me about 96% of the people caught in your rampage lived. The Creator says that he saw to that."
Jowee sighed. "That's kind of a relief. But where are you?"
"I'm in the Wasteland." Mari said. "I fought out of my prison cell to get to a communication device. I used it to speak over Galactic Jungle's speakers to try and help you."
"Thank you, Mari." Jowee said. "I was so angry, so alone-"
"You're welcome, ok?" Mari said. "I am going to try to escape, but it will take some time to-"
Mari was interrupted by the roar of a Shadow Walker. She screamed, and the feed cut to static.
"Mari!" Jowee yelled. "Mari!"
He stood up, and looked at his friends.
"At least we know she's alive." Jowee said. "I kept a manageable amount of Shadow in me to help repair the damage I've done. Once I'm done doing that, I'll need a vaccine, or something."