Greeting: The great escape is now ready to happen. Let's see if chaos can help our friends get out of there safely.
( Shadow. Heading down to Eclipse. The pit)
There was no time to lose. Rachel and Faith had done something and they were putting themselves at risk.
Eclipse and the yellow dog looked around, confused. The wolf knew what was going on but his unfortunate foe didn't.
They had no reason to fight any longer so the dog was no threat.
" What was that? Can we run?", the yellow dog asked Eclipse.
They had been fighting for a while but Eclipse hadn't aimed to hurt him since the attack was coming.
Before Eclipse could answer the dog, Shadow sprinted to the sand.
" Eclipse! We must run before they catch on. Are the kids safe?", he asked his friend.
Eclipse had never been happier to see Shadow.
" I knew you wouldn't die from the attacks", he said, smiling.
The yellow dog was confused as Shadow was suppose to be dead.
" It takes more than you to kill me", Shadow responded.
" Are those enough?", the yellow dog got their attention.
He pointed at the edges of the arena and the monsters that were running at them.
" Back to back! Quickly!", Shadow jumped beside Eclipse.
All three went into fighting stances and got ready. The yellow dog was no fighter but he could do it too.
Shadow pulled out his katanas and the two others had their own weapons.
" No! No!", one monster screamed as they saw Shadow.
His sudden appearance shocked the monsters who attacked.
" He has to be fake! Slaughter them all!", one monster was full of rage.
That was good because so was Shadow.
" On the right", Eclipse yelled and the circle turned clockwise.
Shadow blocked an attack and decapitated the monster.
" It's payback time now, bastards", he was on fire.
The yellow dog attacked a child monster and closed his eyes as his weapon hit the kid in the face.
He had definitely done that before but not much by the looks of it. That action still made him very upset.
Eclipse defended the yellow dog and attacked some other monsters. They were surrounded and would never be allowed to live.
" You ready to die?", Eclipse asked Shadow.
" No. One time was enough, thanks", Shadow responded.
" Me neither. Let's do this", Eclipse told him.
They broke the formation and attacked. Shadow did a spinning attack and teleported behind the two monsters, attacking him.
The yellow dog shrieked as he saw it. Shadow changed places so fast and suddenly the monsters were dead.
" Behind you!", Shadow shouted to the dog and got ready to see him get torn apart.
Eclipse teleported between the dog and the monsters quickly. A teleporting wolf had not been a part of the monsters' plan.
Eclipse shoved his weapon inside them and sliced upwards. That was a cruel death but Eclipse was angry.
" That's for all the animatronics, you have hurt. And this is for all the kids, gone insane", he told the monsters as he killed them.
The yellow dog managed to kill some of the monsters but most of the time, the other two were defending him.
" Get to the cages! We must protect the kids", Eclipse told Shadow and the yellow dog.
" Too late!", one monster screamed as he charged at Eclipse.
Suddenly, a quick shadow flew across the arena and some monsters froze in place. Faith had taken a risk, that could have hit Eclipse and Shadow.
" Bullseye!", Faith cheered as she vanished into the darkness.
" Now we have to teleport to the kids. The monsters are closing in on them", Shadow saw the cages.
The kids that Eclipse had been with, were under attack. Shadow and Eclipse grabbed the yellow dog who had no idea of what they were doing.
Together, Shadow and Eclipse teleported a long distance, all the way to the cage.
The children had been ripped out when Shadow killed a monster, about to murder one of the kids.
" Protect them. Let's take as many as we can", he told the yellow dog.
Eclipse already knew what to do. It was hard to focus on saving the kids, around, but he had to do it.
The monsters had killed children on the other side of the pit but the animatronics had to look away.
There was nothing they could do for them. Shadow and Eclipse kicked some of the cage doors in and let the kids out.
" Let's go! We must hurry, kiddies. We will be safe soon", Eclipse told them.
" But our friends! Help them!", one girl begged of Eclipse.
" We can't do anything for them right now! Let's hurry!", he had to force it out of his mouth.
The girl refused to go so Eclipse grabbed her by the waist. The girl was hitting him trying to make him let go.
Every single hit hurt Eclipse more than any sword. He couldn't let his heart warm up.
Their escape required cold decisions that were powered by reason instead of emotions.
The yellow dog was forced to move by Shadow. The kids weren't scared all that much since everything good was gone from their hearts.
They followed the animatronics like ducklings follow a human when they have lost their mother.
More monsters were attacking them but the animatronics took care of those things.
Faith was doing quick flyovers and attacking the monsters, further away. She just had to keep them distracted.
Beasts were jumping at her and she was grabbed a few times.
Shadow and Eclipse had to get the kids to higher ground. Faith would have to land and take off quickly.
There would be no time to stay around. Maybe some kids would need to be left behind.
That thought was too cruel for Eclipse and Shadow to think right then. They were moving uphill and the kids were slowing them down.
The hill was steep and the kids were terribly small.
The yellow dog was helping them as well as he could while his new friends were fighting.
" Get to safety, Lily. Don't look back and just climb", he told one girl who had been in his pizzeria.
That girl and her brother were one of the bravest kids there. There was nothing that could bring them down.
They encouraged the others not to give up but to keep on going.
Eclipse and Shadow were very happy to have help. They could concentrate on fighting.
One beast tried to get a nasty bite on Eclipse's leg and it made him moan. It was a young boy with a taste for blood.
Eclipse's slight hesitation had cost him the chance to attack.
One child tried to slap the beast.
" Let him go, you evil thing", the child sounded very angry but they looked so frail.
The beast let go and was shocked for a second. That cost it its life.
Eclipse broke its neck and the child looked away. Eclipse wished that kid would make it, they would become a warrior.
The yellow dog protected the rear end of the group and grinned at the monsters.
Most monster children were attacking him since their young bodies had no effect on Eclipse and Shadow.
The real children were scared of their changed friends who were trying to bite them.
One kid was taken and the yellow dog launched at the monster.
They were almost on the top, they were so close. The yellow dog dove and grabbed the kid's arms.
The monster twisted the child's leg and it broke based on the kid's scream.
The yellow dog was almost pulled down with the kid but Shadow grabbed his legs just in time.
" It hurts!", the child screamed.
His leg would be ripped off soon. Shadow glanced at Eclipse who was busy.
" Kick the monster in the face! You can do it, little one!", the yellow dog encouraged the child.
That kid had guts, like a lot. He kicked the monster with his other leg and the shoe made a horrible sound.
There were tiny spikes on the bottoms of his shoes. One poked the monster in the eye and it caused the monster to moan in pain.
" I'll tear you apart!", the monster raged.
The kid kept on kicking and the monster clawed his other leg. The kid was in great pain but kept on kicking.
The monster was forced to let go as its neck broke.
The yellow dog and Shadow pulled him to safety.
" Let me help. I've got you", Shadow picked up the boy since he couldn't walk anymore.
That had been close and the monsters were closing in. They were on the top right then and the climbing was over.
The top of the hill was where the vehicles had been. That was a good spot for a pick up.
" Faith. Aim for the hillside", Eclipse told his pet.
A dragon launched out of the darkness and burnt the whole hillside. There was no time to wonder how many kids that attack had killed.
Probably none since the only cages, in there, were empty.
Faith's attack had burnt to whole place down which gave Rachel incredible pleasure.
More monsters were coming from the other side of the hill and Eclipse grinned.
" Freeze them like there is no tomorrow", his thought reached Faith.
The entire flat was frozen by Faith and the monsters died inside the ice.
They got more time to get out. The flat had been ruined by the ice a bit but it was still flat enough to land on.
The yellow dog ran forward and looked behind himself as he ran.
" Come kids! We must hurry now! Before something..", he ran into someone.
Okami kicked him in the chest as he fell down. Shadow and Eclipse defended the kids as the yellow dog vomited oil.
" You will never make it out alive. I won't let you!", Okami told the two other animatronics.
Faith soared in for a bombing run.
" Pull back, Faith. Don't do it!", Rachel yanked the reins back.
Faith realized how stupid she had been. The flat was too small for a flyover. Faith would risk killing everyone in the process.
Okami would need to be dealt with another way. The yellow dog was pushed against a pole of ice.
A sharp edge went inside him and he moaned.
Okami's fingers sank into the dog's shoulders and neck.
Eclipse charged since Okami was weaker then. His body had stopped healing most likely.
Okami countered it and tried to throw Eclipse. But before that, Eclipse kicked Okami in the chest.
Both wolves fell to the ground and Okami was wounded by a spike of ice.
The ice was very hard and sharp edges were lethal.
Eclipse went to help the yellow dog as Okami got up.
" I don't doubt that you will try to stop us. But know this! We won't let you stop us now. These children are coming with us.
You will never touch them again", Eclipse told Okami.
" Still as sweet as ever. You are strong and determined. If only you had had that determination when you were a real Legend.
I bet Scarlett and Nadia are proud of their student. Your only flaw is that those Elders and you are on the wrong side", Okami chuckled at him.
Eclipse growled and helped the yellow dog up. He charged at Okami and fought him.
The old Elder was still fast and deadly. The punches shook Eclipse down to core.
Shadow couldn't help as he had to keep the kids secured. Eclipse was going to lose.
" You are faster, you would have been a model Legend. We might have even made you an Elder.
I remember how Salazar wanted you to be like him. We all thought him to be strong and you were such a disappointment back then.
Then Salazar got soft and naïve on Electra and paid for it. I guess you are just like him after all, have been all along.
Both look strong but deep within, is nothing but a weakling", Okami told Eclipse.
The shout of rage, that came out of Eclipse's mouth, shocked everyone. The lower part of Eclipse's snout got dislocated.
Okami laughed as Eclipse tasted the dirt. There was no chance of Eclipse winning.
Okami was so arrogant and he mocked Eclipse while kicking him.
The yellow dog saw that his chance had come. He knew what to do but it would require the ultimate sacrifice.
He grabbed his sword and got ready. Okami disarmed Eclipse and cut his chest.
" Sweet dreams, young Legend. Your mommy and daddy will be there to comfort your soft mind", Okami was about to stab him.
The yellow dog screamed and charged at Okami in rage. The Elder looked bored and waited patiently for the few seconds.
The yellow dog was so slow, it was awfully pathetic.
Okami stopped him by simply putting his hand forward. Then as the yellow dog stopped, Okami stabbed him through the core.
Some kids shrieked and shook their heads. The yellow dog had very short time left on this earth.
Okami shoved the sword deeper and enjoyed the screams of pain.
Eclipse was shocked and couldn't move.
" That was a pathetic attempt to rescue your new friend. You just messed up badly", Okami laughed arrogantly.
That laughter was very short as the yellow dog's blade penetrated both of his jaws.
The blade went in through the lower jaw and came out of his forehead. Okami was a dead Elder and he knew it based on his expression.
" And you just let your guard down", the dog forced the words out of his mouth.
He died instantly after that.
Okami stumbled backwards, he looked like he had seen a ghost.
" He just defeated me", Okami muttered and fell to the ground.
Black blood burst out of his forehead. That animatronic had killed an Elder.
Salazar and Baron had been killed by powerful beings. Black the cat and Electra weren't normal animatronics.
Okami had just died in the hands of a normal singer who had never fought in his life.
Arrogance had proved to be Okami's weakness and his doom.
Shadow and Eclipse continued and insisted the kids to leave the yellow dog.
" He is gone, we must leave now. Otherwise he would have died for nothing", Eclipse told the kids.
He picked up his sword from the yellow dog's chest. The children tried to get the dog to wake up but there was no response.
The yellow dog was dead and he was not coming back. Shadow said that the yellow dog would have wanted them to continue.
" Faith! Come now. The monsters will be coming over the ice soon", Eclipse told his pet in her head.
Rachel and Faith had a bird's-eye view of the situation. The kids and the animatronics were surrounded by monsters that were trying to get over the ice.
The fires, on the hillside, were stopping anything from coming that way. The warmth was melting the ice fast and the sharp edges were vanishing.
Faith came down and landed while shooting ice at the monsters. That was her way of buying more time.
They had to do it. The monsters had understood the situation and come back from the explosion sites.
An army was trying to break the ice and it wouldn't hold much longer.
" Come on! What are you waiting for?", Rachel shouted to Eclipse when they landed.
Eclipse mounted Faith and Rachel got off. The rabbit went to Shadow and the kids.
" Are you alright? How many kids did you lose?", Rachel asked him.
Shadow was reluctant to answer the latter one.
" Some kids are wounded. His leg is broken and the other one is hurt", Shadow looked at the boy, on his lap.
Rachel looked sad and pitying.
" Oh. I'll take him. You assist the rest of them", Rachel told him.
Shadow handed over the boy and told the other kids to get on the dragon. Rachel kissed the boy.
" Come, deary. I have bandages and a warm embrace for you. You are safe now", she told him.
The other kids were scared of Faith as she was so huge. Shadow told them to trust Eclipse.
Faith was trying to smile and be welcoming but it was hard when she saw the condition some kids were in.
" That's your best smile?", Shadow's gaze was telling her.
" You try to smile when there's an army coming for you and depressed children everywhere", Faith's gaze answered his.
Eclipse was on Faith and he petted her neck.
" She's like a horse, only that she flies. Come, kiddies. We have to get out of here", Eclipse told them.
With Shadow and Rachel's help, the kids climbed on despite the wounds. Faith helped too by crouching.
" Get through the bloody ice! Kill them! Every last one!", the leader beast was screaming behind the barrier.
" Now he sounds more proper", Shadow thought in slight relief.
Faith was getting anxious and her instincts were telling her to fly away. The children weren't all on yet so she resisted it.
Rachel was already helping the kids with their wounds. The monsters broke through but Shadow was still on the ground.
" Fly, Faith!", he shouted and that startled her.
Faith jumped and flew away like a flock of birds. She could feel the claws scratch her feet and ankles.
The beasts and monsters screamed in hatred when Faith was gone.
" They are gone. What now?", one beast asked its leader.
The leader beast grinned in pure anger and frustration. It had already found out why the Legends had hated those animatronics so much.
They just wouldn't die.
" The army is ready. We are done here. These guys are getting on our nerves. Let's end them", was its orders.
That meant only one thing. The Phantoms would be coming.
In the air, Faith was grateful to fate.
" Is everyone okay? Or rather okay at least", Faith asked everyone.
" I am", Rachel answered.
" Me too", Eclipse smiled.
" But where's Shadow?", Rachel realized.
She crawled to the edge and peeked over it. Shadow jumped at her, coming around the edge, and gave her a heart attack.
" I'm okay", he announced.
Rachel held her own chest, that had scared the cripes out of her.
Shadow climbed on and went to Shadow.
" We did it, brother", Shadow gave him a fistbump.
" We didn't do it; we failed our overall mission. The payment was grave. But we made it out alive", Eclipse replied to him.
" I almost didn't. How did you know where to strike? I thought I was dead", Shadow asked quickly.
" I took the risk. For a minute, I actually thought I might have killed you", Eclipse revealed.
Shadow chuckled and so did Eclipse. There was nothing funny about it but they had to chuckle to ease the mood.
Rachel aided the kids and was kind to them. For the first time in a long while, the kids were being loved again.
Rachel did the onyl thing she was actually good at; she kissed them and embraced them.
She was rocking the wounded boy on her lap and warming him up. That boy was cold and needed Rachel's fur to snuggle into.
Rachel wondered what she would do until she remembered a lullaby.
" Shh! It's okay", she said. She started singing a little song that she had heard from someone.
The kids were safe but suffered from stress that Rachel tried to calm down. Faith's warm back was a calm place.
She even held fire in her stomach to warm up her back more. She was a giant fluffy radiator.
Maybe a bit dirty but it was fine. None of the kids and animatronics were in a much better condition.
They had around fourteen kids with them and that was enough.
The kids were carried away by Rachel's song like Faith was carried home by the wind.
Farewell: Hopefully everyone enjoyed that. I didn't have any plans for how this chapter would go.
Next time: Leslie! THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE IS TO WRITE.
