Ch 12: Kidnapped
Tye and Shawn both heard the shouts from Alex. Their focus immediately turned skyward, just in time to see the ugly beast swooping down on them. "Shawn grab Cassidy!" "Right!" Grabbing onto the princess' arm, the Cobra dove to the ground, dragging her with him. As the bird inched closer, Tye sheathed his sword and glared at the thing. "Hey! What the hell are you doing Tye?" "Shawn, I'm about to show you why I'm called the White Wolf!" Tye's body began trembling, causing the ground beneath him to shake. A low rumble crept up from the swordsman, followed by a sudden blast of air that slid Shawn and Cassidy back a few feet. Tye's head cocked towards the sky, and a loud howl exploded out of his form, erupting the area in a blinding light. Watching all this from a distance, Alex chuckled to himself and relaxed slightly. That thing is fucked.
Once the light had faded, Tye's figure had been replaced with a larger than life wolf. It's snow white fur blew in the dieing wind, and it echoed the howl that had been heard only seconds ago. The gigantic bird, obviously ignoring the transformation, dove for the princess. "Shit! Hey Tye, a lite help please!" The wolf turned on it's paws and lunged out for the winged mammoth. It's huge jaw grasped onto the monster's leg, causing it to screech out on pain. The wolf released it's grip, but quickly grabbed onto the other leg, yanking the giant thing away from Shawn and Cassidy. The bird tumbled in the sky, and fell hard to the ground. Alex, who had reached the others, pulled Shawn and the princess to their feet. "We need to move away from this spot, or else we'll get flattened!" "What do you mean?" "You'll see!" Alex shooed the two away, then turned his attention to the wolf; who was wrestling with the giant bat. "Hey Tye! Whenever you feel like killing that thing, go right ahead!" A low growl echoed through the gardens, followed by a huff of annoyance. "Well sorry! I thought you'd gotten carried away again!"
Shawn and Cassidy stared at the two, wide eyed and in slight shock. "Is he really talking to Tye?" "I'm not too sure. I think so, 'cause it sounds like Tye's arguing with him." "That's nothing knew." Shifting back to the fight, the two could see the large beast leap into the air and raise it's front paw as if to swipe the bird. A bright white glow encased the paw, followed by a sudden burning sensation that wilted several of the garden's roses. The wolf's paw slammed down onto the bird, searing it's body with a hot print. The monster shrieked out in agony and squirmed beneath the wolf, unable to break free. After a brief moment, the bird stopped resisting, the burning mixed with the strength of the wolf killing it. Another low growl echoed into the skies, followed shortly by a quick flash of light. Shawn squinted for a second, but was still able to make out the large animal shifting back into it's human form.
The huge legs shrank down to two muscular legs clothed in a air of slick brown pants and black, knee-high boots. The other two legs reverted back to the muscular arms that hid underneath the black shirt and black trench coat. The blonde haired swordsman turned to face the others and cracked his neck, a big smile on his face. Shawn and Cassidy both continued to stare at Tye, in shock and horror. "What..the hell was that?" "That.." Tye panted, slowly making his way over to them. "Was the power of my magic." "You can use magic?" "I've seen this before!" "Princess?" Fixing her dirtied dress, the girl walked over to Tye and examined him carefully. "It's forbidden magic. Most people haven't even heard of it." Shawn curiously walked over to his friend and, along with Cassidy, touched him to make sure he was human now. Tye winched and snarled at them, almost shoving Shawn off as he flopped onto the ground. "Be careful! I drained a lot of my strength from that.." "But I don't get it..How'd you do that?"
Giggling, Cassidy took a seat next to Tye and pointed to him. "Tye has made a pact with a wolf demon, who gave Tye the power of a wolf. But in return, Tye had to give the demon half of his own heart. The other half was fused with the wolf's. That is why it's forbidden magic; because in order to use it, you have to give up half of your heart." "Wow. Tye why the hell did you do that?" Snickering, the swordsman fell onto his back. "I didn't do it on purpose. I was in a bad situation and had no other choice. I would've died if I hadn't made that agreement.." His two friends stared at him, a hint of concern on Shawn's face while Alex seemed rather cheery. "I can do it too." "Huh?" "Yep. But I've only used it twice. And both times I ended up destroying the entire place.." Tye laughed and socked his friend on the arm. "You still need to go apologize to those people." "Don't remind me.."
Shawn couldn't hold back the laughter that echoed out of him, which was followed closely by Cassidy laughing as well. The four all sighed, relief filling them with a happier feeling. But that feeling vanished in an instant when an all too familiar shriek erupted in their heads. Tye and Alex turned to the sky above them, while Shawn grabbed the princess and ducked behind the bushes. "You've got to be kidding me!" A second giant bird glided in from the skies, this one accompanied by a hoard of smaller flying creatures. "Shit.." Forcing himself up, Tye drew his sword and clutched his side. "I don't have time for all this bullshit you fuckers! Go away!" "Relax Tye. We can handle them." "Easy for you to say! You're not ready to pass out!" Alex laughed quietly to himself and readied his bow, taking aim at the closest flying monster. The first arrow flew away from the string, a second right behind it, then a third. One after the next, the flying projectiles hit their marks, knocking down a couple dozen flying beasts. But, to Alex's dismay, more swooped in from behind them.
"We need to get the princess inside!" "Good idea." "..I'll try to hold them off." Stopping, the other three turned to look at Tye, who had picked up a spear. Spinning it in his hand, he laughed to himself and nodded towards the castle. "Get going. I'll be find. I've got enough strength left for these guys." The group hesitantly nodded, pushing themselves into the castle's walls. The White Wolf flicked his wrist, a white light forming around his hands. The light engulfed the spear, causing it to turn pure white. A cold chill fell off the weapon, and Tye arched his arm back, taking aim at the largest of the monsters. "This'll take care of you for a while at least." Releasing the spear, Tye watched it whiz through the air. It had begun it's collision course with the giant bird, and within seconds pierced the thing's flesh. Roaring out in pain, the monster squirmed and jerked in the air, watching in horror as the frozen lance spread it's frozen grip throughout it's left wing. The monster stumbled in the air, not able to hold it's own weight with only one wing. Tye happily watched as it fell to the earth below it, shaking the ground beneath him. Another flick of his wrist, and the same cool glow enveloped his hand. He laughed quietly at first, then it grew louder, cutting off any silence there had been. The lust for blood enveloped his face, his once bright blue eyes darkening to almost black. "Come get some you pieces of shit!"
XxXxXx
Seth walked through a deserted forest, fallen trees and dead bodies spread out before him. The stench of dried blood and decaying corpses filled the air, making the knight cough. His sword was at the ready, waiting impatiently to cut down it's next victim. The warrior clutching the weapon moved swiftly, ignoring the several thoughts that clouded his mind. He was stopped though when he heard the screams of terror and fear shake the woods. Moving quickly, almost silently, Seth inched closer to the shrieks of pain, his grip on the sword's handle tightening. He stumbled past a blood stained hut, not daring to look inside. The screams grew louder and more clear as he approached his dieing men, weapon in hand and ready to strike down anyone or anything that stood in his way. Darting out of the thicket, his eyes came across what he had feared. Soldiers dressed in once bright silver armor were being tossed around like toys.
The thing throwing them around raised it's ugly head to the smell of the newcomer. It dropped it's most recent kill and turned to face Seth. The Commander's green hair blew wildly in the harsh forest winds. He surveyed the enemy quickly and as best he could. It stood at almost nine feet. Shrouded in black armor, Seth could barely make out it's dark green skin beneath it's protection. The knight raised his weapon high, ready to strike down his opponent. He thought the enemy would be slow due to his large size, but Seth was easily knocked off his feet by a quick snap of the giant's wrist. The armored warrior stepped over to the Commander, a huge broadsword in his hands. Seth heaved a painful groan, desperately trying to pull away into the woods. But his leg was broken, and the young swordsman was trapped. Another heavy sigh left his body, and Seth anticipated the final blow. His muscles relaxed, and as he cleared his mind he could hear the giant's armor rattle. He couldn't shut his eyes though. He wanted to look death straight in it's face, and welcome it. The broadsword swooped down onto the helpless knight, reaching inches from his temple. This is it..
XxXxXx
Alex, Shawn and Cassidy ran through the halls of the castle, hugging one of the walls for protection. The other occupants of the building had only just received news of the attack, and were still bustling about. A loud explosion echoed through the walls, and the three came face to face with the first wave of enemy soldiers. "Well I gotta give them credit! They sure are persistent!" Alex drew his bow, firing what little arrows he had left into the first row of soldiers. Once he had fired his last one, his bow fell out the floor and the twin daggers he kept flashed to life. Shawn too drew his weapon, the pure silver of his whip flashing in the light. "So Alex. What are we going to do about Cassidy?" "Good question. I'll let you know when I have an answer." "I swear, you both treat me like I'm useless."
The princess walked between the confused boys, a smirk on her face. She raised her hand into the air, and mumbling under her breath, pointed at the soldiers advancing on them. A bright orange circle singed to life around the princess, giving off an intense heat. The circle expanded to around Alex and Shawn, who stood and watched in awe as a single line shot out from the circle. It traveled down the hall, straight towards the enemy. Cassidy mumbled under her breath once more, and with a flick of her wrist engulfed everything in the hallway with a bright blast of fire. The circle that had surrounded the three slowly faded away, giving the boys a short time to see how much damage the princess had done.
"Cassidy I think you overdid it." "No I didn't." "I think you did." The princess grabbed a hold of Alex's ear, yanking it down to her level. "Ow, ow! Alright already! You didn't overdo it!" "That's better." Releasing his ear, the princess walked off down the scorched hall, her bodyguards behind her. "Where to next boys?" While he rubbed his ear, Alex gazed out the window, his attention fixating on the battle that covered the streets. "Why do they keep trying to attack this place?" "It's war. What do you expect?" "Good point. Let's get to Marissa's room. The girls should be there." Shawn curiously looked over to his friend. "Who's Marissa?" "I'll tell you later."
The group walked down the halls of the castle, making their way to the room at the back of the large structure. Opening the door, Alex carefully peeked inside, making sure no one uninvited was in the room. He was greeted though by three girls dog piling on top of him. "Oof! Hey you guys, take it easy!" Climbing off of him, the girls clung to his frame as he walked into the room, Shawn and Cassidy behind him.
"Alex?" "Hm?" The oldest gazed up towards the sound of the small voice to see Marissa sticking her up from her bed. "Hey Marissa, you're awake." "Mhm. There was a loud noise that woke me up. What's going on?" "Nothing." "Then what's all those sounds outside?" Alex hesitantly looked around the room, trying to think up some alternative answer. "Um..Well.." Before he could give her an answer though, the door burst open. Shawn had already jumped up, his whip lashing out at the stranger. A blood soaked hand caught the end of the whip, and gently released it from it's grasp.
Tye heaved his way into the room, his clothes tarnished and stained red. He painfully cracked his neck and slumped onto the floor. Aubrey ran over to him, kneeling down beside him and scooping him up onto her lap. "Tye? What happened to you?" The swordsman laughed quietly and shook his head. He rolled over out of Aubrey's lap and forced himself to sit up. "I'm fine. There was just a lot more things to kill then I would've liked." The other two girls kneeled down next to him, and Brissa carefully examined his wounds. His right arm had been gashed open badly, but could be stitched up. It appeared as if his head had been thrown into something, but Brissa knew Tye would get over it. He was tougher than he looked. Scanning down his body, she could see several deep cuts and a lot of bruising. Noticing her, Tye laughed again. "So B, will I live?" Brissa laughed with him, and gently smacked his side. "You'll be fine." "He better be." Aubrey leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, wiping some of the blood off of his face.
The group sighed a bit of relief. Everyone was here, and no one was dead. Alex and Shawn helped Tye up to a chair, while the girls attended to all the excess blood. Cassidy took a seat on the edge of Marissa's bed and comforted the small child, making sure she knew Tye would be alright. The calm atmosphere tensed up though, when the door blew open once again. A heap of dust settled over the doorway, blocking the strangers that stood in the archway. A large net shot out into the room, enveloping Cassidy and Marissa. Tye heaved himself up, his sword already in his hand, and cut the rope on the end of the net. The girls grabbed the princess and Marissa just as a second net zoomed into the room. This one Shawn grabbed with his whip, tearing it apart. "Damn it! Get the fuck out of our way!" As Alex drew back his bow to shoot the intruders, a loud pop echoed in the room, followed by a blinding light.
All anyone could hear was the sounds of scuffling and a muffled scream. Once the light had faded, and the group regained their sight, Shawn and Alex immediately ran out of the room. They were all alright, but two of their friends had gone missing. And one was the princess.