-1Chapter 27: We of the Soulless

"How has your journey faired?" a bellowing voice echoed through a darkened hall.

This hall was enormous, it's ceiling seemed to continue endlessly into the darkness, it's walls stood great distances apart. It was dark. Too dark to see any end of the room unless you were right against the wall, impossible to find what you were searching for without first having felt you way up and down this great, endless room.

"As well as it should have." came a less threatening voice from somewhere within the darkness. "Carried out perfectly, nothing went awry; nothing happened that shouldn't have."

"Then Mitula is truly dead?" bellowed the first voice.

"Yes."

"You have proven just as efficient as some of my Greater Devils had…"

"You expected differently?" said the second voice.

"Maybe. Oddeye was so perfect, and yet he lacked a sense common among almost every being. That was my fault. I only wish I'd perfected him that much more…"

"If you had you'd have been in power for years." said the second voice.

"The years I've spent sealed since then are nothing. Nothing compared to the eternity I spent here before that. It almost seems too good to be true."

"And yet the Shining Force is back. What does that mean to you?"

"Bowie was a threat…more than that, he had the power of the Holy Sword, but he was weak before he fought Zalbard. If I'd just sent Geshp to South Parmecia and killed him when he was just a boy…"

"That's in the past, though." the second voice seemed to grow louder.

"Yes…yes. I have had so much time to think about what I've done wrong, is all."

"So, you still haven't answered my question…"

"Yes…Prince Orin…Just as sad as his father, if not weaker. That doesn't mean he won't rise up though. I will not underestimate someone like Bowie again, especially if they are of the same bloodline. You've got enough of the Shining Force now. Go, take Kayd and Lettengo…"

"Yes…Lettengo should render Orin completely defenseless."

"Take Sahrn as well. Just in case Lettengo has a reaction to seeing Orin again."

"I doubt it, as Kayd had no reaction to Vahn." the second voice laughed a bit.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not taking chances. Just kill him."

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Oh," the first voice growled, "and once you're done with Orin, kill Volcanon, too."

-----

Only a half of the sun sat atop the horizon, now, having slowly sunk down into the ocean in the west. The air was cool, as was the breeze, the sky clear; orange, and the sound of the ocean quite calming.

Orin stood on the shore, his bare feet in the sand, his eyes on the ocean. It was so familiar to him, the smell of salt, having lived in Granseal right by the ocean, it reminded him of home, and the view only helped increase the feeling of nostalgia. He had lost complete track of time, of everyone around him, lost that feeling that had dragged him this far along in his mission. His mind was clear and carefree, in a dream, far from reality.

"Orin…" came a voice into his head.

He came back to his place, blinked, and turned around, his problems flooding back. Tess stood before him, and he had only just noticed he hadn't seen her since the night before.

"Jo and Vahn. They're back." Tess said with a weak smile.

Similar to Ikara, Tess' face seemed to have lost something it had had since he met her. He would say the life had gone from it, yet her smile convinced him he was wrong.

Orin gave no reply. He simply nodded slightly, and walked by her toward the camp they'd set up since they had gotten off the ship. A fire sat raging before him, larger than what they usually built. He'd guessed Trevor had made it, seeing as he'd had years of experience in the wilderness on Orin.

"Ah, Orin." Trevor appeared from behind him, his face still bright with a smile. "I've gone about trying to catch some fish, but no joy. Seems my rod isn't in the best shape."

He threw a battered looking stick on the ground, a piece of what looked like several long strands of knotted hair were crudely tied to the end of it. Orin suddenly remembered who he was looking for in the first place. He looked around in search of Vahn and Jo, and caught sight of them far in the distance. He'd been under the impression they were already in camp. Walking along there, though, something struck him out of place. The southern horizon was quite dark, and, come to think of it, now that the sun had taken its final dive into the ocean to the west, the sky there was actually just as dark as it was in the east.

"I smell something." said Sye, who had been laying next to the fire. "…like before."

"What?" Orin turned back to see Tess coming toward him, her head turned back in the direction of the water were the sun had just disappeared.

"So dark. Is it that late already?" she turned to look back at Orin.

"Where are Keith and Ikara?" Orin spun back around to Trevor, who was now tending the flames.

"…Uh, I'm not sure. They were here a minute ago." Trevor's smile had gone quiet suddenly, his eyes catching sight of the abnormal horizon. "I'll…I'll go find them."

"Tess, go to Vahn and Jo and tell them to pick up the pace." Orin said over his shoulder as he walked toward the fire.

Sye had gotten to his feet and he stood still as stone, his eyes closed, facing west. Orin could here Tess' rapid footsteps as she sprinted toward Vahn and Jo to get them back to camp as soon as possible.

"Simon…" Orin whispered.

"What's up?" Keith and Ikara appeared, Trevor behind them as they made their way toward Orin.

Keith looked quite tired, now, too. His face was gaunt, and his mouth looked very dry.

"I want to make sure we all stick together." said Orin, trying his best to hide the uneasy feeling in his stomach from showing in his face.

Keith sat down without a word, while Ikara simply stood a short distance away, her back turned to them. Orin could see Jo unfurling her wings in the distance and taking off, Vahn's robes fluttering as he ran behind Tess. Their shadowy figures in the distance were becoming faint as it grew closer and closer to night. Something was wrong , now, Orin could feel it, and as Sye slowly turned in the direction Orin was looking, toward their approaching comrades, on the horizon behind Vahn and Tess, more figures appeared, as if the air around them had simply twisted into beings in an instant.

Orin squinted to see, expecting his eyes to be playing tricks on him, but they were not. On a single hill within these seemingly endless plains, stood five shadows, and more on the rise. Orin's eyes grew wide.

"Hurry!" he yelled as he drew his sword and ran out to meet them.

"What?" Trevor had stood to see what was happening, Keith and Ikara now right at his sides.

The shadows moved in, slowly at first, or so it seemed, and then one took advantage of the situation. Within the ranks of these approaching figures, one disappeared from sight, and reappeared before Vahn and Tess, stopping them in their tracks.

"NO!" Orin was at least 100 yards away, his blade trailing behind him, his eyes wide.

Vahn had been grabbed by the throat and was now being dangled in the air, his eyes tearing as he gasped for air, and Tess stood staring in awe at the attacker's speed.

Orin could hear the footsteps of his comrades behind him, but, as it seemed to happen lately, they were too far from him to help much at this point. Why? Why wouldn't Tess do something?

Vahn's staff lay on the ground as he pried at this dark figure's hand with both of his, his legs flailing. The figure in the distance, 10 by now, were moving closer as their comrade initiated the attack.

Suddenly, a familiar feeling passed over Orin as a brush of hot air slid by his face, and before he could understand what he was feeling, Ikara's fireball had made contact with the target. The enemy's knees buckled, but it stood quite firm, having dropped Vahn to the ground. Vahn clumsily grabbed up his staff and jumped to his feet, coughing wildly. The figure turned to face Orin, all of his comrades now at his side. Keith moved forward, and arrow drawn back. Orin had stopped, now, roughly 20 yards from Tess and Vahn, and this…man, whoever he was.

"Shoot him." Orin heard say Sye from seemingly from nowhere.

The whistle of the arrow was heard as Keith let it fly, but as it made its way to the target, who was now very aware of their presence, the real fight began. Like something inhuman; like an animal; like…lightning, the figure before them had gone, and it had just as fast reappeared in front of Keith. Keith stood in awe, still in the stance he'd kept after releasing the arrow, as the shadow before him brought a sickle fingered claw up from its side, tearing through Keith's arm and splintering his bow to pieces. All Keith managed was a strained sigh as the shadow attacked again with it's other claw, tearing open Keith's chest, and sending him barreling backward, landing in a heap at a wide-eyed Ikara's feet.

"GAH!" Orin lifted his blade and made his way toward the enemy, his head pounding, eyes watering.

Not again. None of his friends would die again while he was around.

The shadow leapt backward in an attempt to avoid Orin's blow, only to be met with a sharp jab to the back of the head. It spun around to see Jo, in midair, pulling back a razor sharp claw. She tore through the figures face, his head having been ripped clean to pieces. For a moment, it was as if the shards of his skull and flesh hung in midair, but as Orin slowed his advance on the enemy, he realized it was not flesh at all. Mist, rather, a think smog that regenerated back to its original shape. Jo's eyes widened, and as the shadow regained its footing, Orin could swear he heard Jo say something.

"Shade…" she whispered.

Sye had stepped in now, having appeared at the shadow's side as it brandished a set of gleaming black claws in Jo's direction. Trevor was also upon the enemy, having run in with Sye, they were both standing on opposite sides of the enemy, their swords drawn. Trevor proceeded.

He threw his blade forward, dashing a thin slit through the creature before the smog retook its shape. Trevor's expression tightened as he realized how difficult an enemy this one would be.

A black claw caught Trevor by surprise as the figure abruptly turned in Trevor's direction and slashed at him. Trevor leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the attack, but he was again caught off guard as the enemy pursued him, slicing a bloodied claw into his left shoulder and sending him to the ground howling in pain.

Sye's blade erupted from the creatures chest, Sye having bolted forward and thrust his blade almost directly through the creatures spine. The shadow stepped to one side, the blade staying in the same place in the air as Sye stood, his arm outstretched. The sword passed right through this creatures body; it was invisible.

By now, Vahn stood over Keith, his arms outstretched as he attempted to heal his unconscious comrade. Tess and Ikara both seemed stunned, as did Jo, for the most part. Orin could think of nothing when it came to how to defeat these enemies. If they were all the same, it seemed impossible. By now, they were all very close to them. The shadow that had attacked them, having done quite a bit of damage, drove back into the ranks of its comrades when they arrived. Sye stood, his blade at his side, as Trevor stood holding his bloodied shoulder.

"Ah, Orin." said the one standing in the front of the group.

Orin recognized the voice immediately. It was the robed man that he'd seen days before on Grans. The who kidnapped three members of the Shining Force right before his eyes.

"Glad to see you're well. Remember me?"

Orin said nothing.

"I'm sure I couldn't be forgotten. Do you remember Kayd?"

From behind the robed man, the figure that had attacked them appeared. Orin immediately remembered this one as well, since it hadn't clicked in his head just before. The dark flame like pillars rising of the figures body, as if it where a figure composed entirely of pitch black flames and smoke.

"Trying to fight him was not something I would have done in your shoes. He's much less merciful than I am." said the robed man. "I don't recall ever truly introducing myself, actually."

No one said anything. No one even moved. Behind this robed man stood two more figures that looked exactly as Kayd did. The other six or seven where similar, but they simply looked like dark figures, not like the menacing, flame engulfed creatures that stood in front of them.

"My name is Verdelet. Verd, if you like. I have been sent here with Kayd and a few others to kill you…" Verd motioned the other two fiery figured forward. "This is Lettengo, and here is Sahrn. I know it's hard to tell them apart…but that won't really matter as they'll kill you before he can figure out the differences anyway."

"Why are you doing this? Who…" Orin finally spoke. "Who sent you here?"

"Don't ask questions. I don't like being interrogated." Verd drew a blade from the scabbard under his cloak, and propped it on his shoulder.

The sword glowed an eerie blue and purple, black at its core.

"I shouldn't have to explain it to you, anyway. It's a waste of my breath to explain what I'm here for when you'll all be dead in a few minutes." Verd walked forward a few steps.

"Are you…you're the one who kidnapped everyone, aren't you? You came for Chester and Jaha….and Randolf. You kidnapped my father, too, didn't you?" Orin pressed.

"Yes, yes, and yes." said Verd. "Now, I'll have to say goodbye."

Iris stepped forward. Until now, Orin had completely forgot about him, but he was now standing at Orin's side, his rapier drawn.

"…and you are?" Verd lifted his hood a bit, exposing a pair of green eyes.

They widened instantly.

"That…hair. So…the stories are true?" Verd stepped back. "That may make things a little harder."

"What?" Orin looked at Iris.

Iris had a similar expression on his face, half confused, half angry.

"At the risk of not completing this mission properly, I'll have to play my cards better, it seems." Verd turned back to the shadowy figures. "These, the Shades, are very powerful warrior manipulated to fight for darkness. They only gain power and only lose the sense they had when they were normal men."

Orin felt his stomach drop. Verd sheathed his blade.

"They're difficult to kill when they are absorbing the shadow, but…they are weaker in this state, so…" Verd lifted his left hand, the side on which one of the Shades, called Sahrn, stood. "This…is Sahrn."

Verd flipped his hand, and the shadowy, flame like barrier that enveloped Sahrn's body slowly disappeared, revealing a short, stealthily clothed figure, a katana at his side, and large pink ears protruding from under his headgear.

"…no…" Orin's eyes widened as a blank eyed Slade stared back at him, his face had changed horribly.

His mouth was lined with a large set of razor sharp fangs, his eyes lacked pupils, and his clothes were drenched in blood.

"Sahrn, I believe, is someone you've met in the past?" said Verd, his back still to them. "He doesn't follow his old name anymore. He cannot recognize it. Shades…they like to be referred to in their own tongue, and so, that is his name in his own language."

"You…how could you do this to him." Orin stepped forward.

"I'm not done." Verd interrupted.

Orin's heart skipped a beat as his eyes wondered to the two remaining Shades; Kayd and Lettengo.

"Let's see….Kayd?" Verd lifted his right hand, and the shadows disappeared as they had from Sahrn, slowly revealing a second figure. Their, before them, stood another man, thin, long ears protruded from under his unkempt hair, his azure robes now black, eyes white, mouth filled with fangs. Kazin grinned, his rather large fangs protruded from his mouth, his blank eyes wide.

Vahn stood wide eyed, stunned, his mouth slightly agape. He couldn't move.

"Kazin!" Orin took another step forward, but Verd stopped him.

"You wait there or I'll have them attack now rather than later." Verd hissed. "I want to see your face for this one."

Verd turned, and his green eyes set on Orin. He looked him dead in the face, and lifted his left hand.

"Lettengo."

The Shade remained still as the air around it was sucked into Verd's hand, and the final Shade was finally revealed. A set of black armor, a grey mantle hung to the ground, attached to a rather large set of shoulder braces made up the figures defensive equipment. Under that, was a set of rather dirtied blue and green clothing, both colors almost grey at this point. As the last bit of the shadows had gone, and the man stood before them, blonde hair hung freely around a black bandana; above blank eyes, and a large set of gleaming fangs. He grinned as Kazin did, but it was much more eerie to see the look on this one's face.

Orin loosened the grip on his blade, and dropped it, his knees giving way as he fell to the ground, and Bowie drew his sword.