"It took you long enough," Malic's voice was cool, calm, and menacing. It sent shivers down Swiftshadow's spine. Black and ruby eyes stared into her soul. Thick grey fur coated the beast before her. A pair of horns curled tightly around his ears with another straighter pair sitting upon his brow. A red eyed muskox stood on his side along with another flock. He chuckled from his shadowy throne. "I've been waiting,"
"Your welcoming party left a lot to be desired," Said Carmen.
"I was merely testing your resolve." The beast shifted his massive weight in his throne. A smirk graced his lips As he twirled his beard. "And you performed amicably. Though I'm sure you wouldn't have gotten half this far if it weren't for a certain wolf marked. But your efforts are fruitless I'm afraid."
A growl left Swiftshadow's throat. The scarlet ram glinted glinted from Malic's chest. It was imbedded deep into the beasts hide. This was going to be trickier than she thought.
"What do you want?" Carmen questioned. Her fingers tightening around the handle of the gun.
Malic chuckled, "I want a little of this, a little of that, and perhaps a bit of everything. To see this realm drown in darkness and sate my hunger. Now what is it that you want?"
"I want my brother back." Ivy glared furiously at the were-ram.
"That can easily be arranged. If you submit to me I arrange it that you and your brother are never apart," Malic snapped his hoof capped fingers. The flock that they had been running from emerged from the door behind them. Instead of attacking they lined up beside their dark lord. The Ibex that had once been Zack stood front and centre. His scarlet eyes locked coldly into her. Gone was the simple minded playfulness.
Ivy recoiled. "I'd never join you,"
"No matter. It's not like you have much of a choice in the end anyway."
"We'll stop you," Swiftshadow challenged.
"Stop me? It took seven fully trained beast marked warriors to defeat me. You're nothing but a half trained novice. But perhaps I can give you something,"
"I want nothing from you." Swiftshadow snapped.
"Not even your own memories? Don't think that I didn't take the luxury of peaking inside that head of yours when that boy cast that nightmare." A scarlet light engulfed his hand.
Swiftshadow paused. A part of her wanted his words to be true. She was desperate to know her own history. To know her name, her brother, and her home. She wanted to curl up on her own bed and read whatever books she enjoyed. She wanted to know herself. To have the thing she coveted for the most handed to her on a silver platter was too good to be true.
"I want nothing from you," She answered.
"Pity. You would've made such a wonderful minion," He fired a blaze of crimson light. Swiftshadow ducked down. The ray sizzled over her shoulder. Julia shrieked. Swiftshadow turned to see a sheep in the woman's place.
"Clear!" shouted Carmen as she tossed a bright bomb in the air. Swiftshadow's visor clicked dark as silver sphere burst. It was bright enough that some of the light made it to her eyes. Confused shrieks filled the air as the visor clicked back to clear. The flock bucked and charged blindly. Swiftshadow swerved around a couple charging rams. Malic screamed holding his eyes as his hide smoked.
The muskox bore down on Shadow-san. The ninja nimbly darted out of the charging creatures path. The muskox stumbled but remained upright. It swung its horns blindly trying to find a target.
Ivy gassed several flock members. Each fell to the ground unconscious. Then she stood face to face with the Ibex that was once her brother. She hesitated for a moment as the creature charged. She pressed her trigger only to find that it had ran out of gas. Carmen's quick reflexes took hold as she kicked the creature away. Ivy dove for Julia's dropped gun. She gassed a sheep as it jammed a horn into her shoulder. Ivy cried out in pain. The sheep slumped to the ground. Ivy quivered in pain as she fumbled the gas gun. She took a deep breath of the fumes just as the transformation took place.
"Swiftshadow, I think he's recovering," Wilson spoke through the comm. Malic's eyes started to refocus on the world around him. A furious snarl curled into his lips.
"Enough of this," He shouted. HIs fist blazed red and fired. Swiftshadow jumped into its path, shielding Shadow-san. Agony arced across her flesh and burrowed deep into her bones. A shriek left her lungs as she hit the ground. Wilson's voice telling her to getting her to get up was muffled by a high pitched ringing.
A ram slammed into her prone side. She lashed out with her claws. A flash of liquid red followed by a pained bleat. Swiftshadow regained her bearings to see a ram limping with a large gash in its shoulder. She grimaced. She hadn't meant to hurt any of the personal here. But it couldn't be helped. She had a job to do.
Soul fire filled her throat. She let it loose upon the demon ram. Malic roared in anguish. The silver flames ate away at his hide. Swiftshadow tried to charge the burning beast, but a muskox came barreling at her. His sharp horns hooked underneath her. She was flung high into her air and into a wall.
Malic padded out the flames. Carmen threw Ivy's empty gas gun at him. He set his eyes on her. "You desire to challenge me?" He raised a hand coated in scarlet light and aimed it right at her. As he swung his arm to fire his curse it stopped. His arm froze mid swing.
"Whats this?" Malic stared at his treacherous arm in surprise. His arm wrenched and twisted out Malic's control. He screeched as he stumbled back. He clutched his skull as if he had a massive migraine. The flocks ruby red eyes flickered.
"G-Get out!" An all too human voice escaped the beasts lips. Each word was strained and desperate, dripping with terror. An earthy brown replaced the scarlet eyes. They stared pleadingly at Carmen. "C-Carmen…"
"Gray?" The woman took a tentative step forward. Swiftshadow cast an illusion of invisibility around herself.
"Y-y-y-you n-n-neeed t-t-to…" He stammered worse than a broken record. He could barely control each muscle as Malic tried to regain control. Swiftshadow crept around trying to get a good view of the gem. The flock stood still in confusion as Malic struggled to regain control of his body.
"I need to?" Carmen crept closer. Her hand reached down towards her pocket. A metallic glint glimmered between her fingers.
"You need to…RUN!" The final word came out like a roar. Scarlet eyes reclaimed the flock as Malic bellowed, his eyes returning to red. The shadows around the room came to life as the flock bleated in unison.
Swiftshadow's visor suddenly went dark as another flash engulfed the room. The moment the visor cleared she struck. Her claws dug into the rams shoulders as her incisors made their mark. Acrid blood seeped into mouth. The hard gem clinked on her teeth tore into soft flesh. The gem tore free with a single yank.
Swiftshadow hastily retreated the moment had secured the gem in her jaws.
The demon ram fell to the ground as if in slow motion. His form shrank becoming more human. Horns and fur receded into tan skin. Carmen was the first to act, draping her coat on the still mans prone body.
The flock fell to their knees as they were relinquished from their curse. Their bodies reverting back to their original forms. Many ground in discomfort and confusion as they returned to their senses. Those who had been gassed remained unconscious.
Swiftshadow sighed relief. This ordeal was over.
She spat out the gem into her talons. The taste of blood was strong in her mouth. She wiped it from her lips. Just something she was going to have to clean later.
Shadow-san helped Julia to her feet.
"What happened? And why does my mouth taste funky?" Zack groaned as he sat up. He soon spotted his sister. "Ivy! please tell me you're alright." He raced to her side. cradling her he checked her pulse.
"She should be fine," Said Swiftshadow, "She just got gassed,"
Zack relaxed little.
"Carmen?" Gray grunted as he regained consciousness. His voice hoarse and raspy. "Carmen!" He bolted upright but gasped as the wound in his chest caught up to him. Blood dripped from where Swiftshadow had ripped the gem out. Swiftshadow took a moment to inspect the injury. It wasn't as deep as she feared, only taking out a chunk of skin. Still it was going leave a scar.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Carmen.
"Like I've been put through the ringer. Is that a dragon?" He grumbled. He grasped frantically at his chest. "The gem,"
"You mean this?" Swiftshadow dangled the jewel before him.
"It's mine, bought and paid for,"
"it is also the cause of a lot of strife," Swiftshadow answered, "Names Swiftshadow, I'm assuming you are Gray?"
The man nodded.
"What do you remember?"
Gray narrowed his eyes in thought. "I remember getting my head checked by ACME. Then something taking over me…"
Swiftshadow felt a sudden dark swelling. But not from the gem inside her talons. Its energies quieted the moment she tore it from Gray's flesh.
A dark vortex swirled into existence. A white clad boy stepped out of it. And with him, encased in a cocoon of shadows was Chase.