The moment The Panther Spirit disappeared the dark void rumbled and quaked. A terrible vengeful roar deafened Swiftshadow and shook her teeth. Julien fell over as the ground bucked and roiled beneath their feet. If she had been on two legs she would've been thrown around everywhere.
The ground disappeared. She tumbled down into the void, Julien clinging onto her neck. She spread her wings to catch the air but it was if there there none to be caught. They continued falling in total darkness.
If felt like an eternity before they hit something solid. The first thing she was aware of was the smell of withered grass. Cracking her eyes open she saw a tall round hill decorated with gravestones.
"Where are we?" Groaned Julien, picking himself up.
"You think I know?" She said as she looked around. "All I know is that we're still inside Malic Korvoth,"
A long winding cobblestone path curled around the hill. The gravestones were all weathered and cracked, the writing worn away. The darkness pressed around them in a large dome that swallowed the cemetery in the distance.
Whatever this was Swiftshadow didn't like it.
"Should we follow it?" Asked Julien.
"There doesn't appear to be anywhere else to go," Swiftshadow scanned the field, "Though I suggest we be careful. This reeks of a trap."
"Understood."
The pair started ascending the hill. Swiftshadow glanced around with her spirit vision. All she could see was pitch black with no sign of any ember. She twitched her tail blade in anxious arcs. her pace was measured in low even strides.
It was unnervingly quiet. No bird song, nor distant rumbling traffic, or wind rustled trees. It was almost maddening. Perhaps that was the point. Drive them to insanity with silence and constant reminders of their imminent death.
The farther they travelled the more it felt like an eternity before the path would end.
But it did.
At the peak of the hill were three gravestones spaced evenly apart in a cobblestone circle. They were pristine freshly carved granite. Swiftshadow's breath hitched as she read the names engraved in the stones. She knew each one of them as they all bore that last name of Riderman.
The blood drained from her face as she stepped back away from them. This had to be a trick.
Before she try to understand Malic's ploy a deep rumbling groan shook the earth. Cracks spread out before the graves. A dark ruddy orange light oozed from the fissures. Rotting skeletal hands clawed themselves out of the graves.
The nameless graves cracked open as well. Putrid bones bare of flesh tearing free of their tombs. Hollow eyed skulls followed the hands. Pinpricks of orange light lay inside their sockets. they pried themselves out to reveal bare bone ribcages. The only undead that wore any flesh were the ones emerging from the Riderman graves.
Despite their shrivelled zombified forms, Swiftshadow could still recognize her parents and grandfather. Her mothers favourite house dress hung in tatters and her thick curled hair was thin clinging wisps. Her fathers jacket was missing a sleeve and his jaw hung by a single hinge. Shambling on a single good leg was her grandfather.
The rational part of her brain told her that this was all a trick. Her hammering heart yelled in terror at the visages. Run, escape her gut commanded. Unfortunately both were impossible.
"Where's the ember?" Julien's voice broke through her frozen terror.
"Right the embers," She tore her gaze off the ghoulish rendition of her deceased family. The skeletal army advanced up the hill. They cluttered and clacked with every step. Soul fire welled in her throat.
"Why do you want to hurt us," Her mothers melodic voice choked out her fire. It was a voice she hadn't heard since she was child. A haunting chill ran down her spine. She couldn't hurt her mother could she?
Orange pinpricks inside empty eye sockets. Swiftshadow shook her head. What was she thinking? These things were not her family. They were just merely illusory figments born from Malic's dredging into her own memories.
"You are not my mother," She roared. Silver fire spewed from her jaws immolating a line of skeletons. The visage of her mothers melting flesh would forever live in memory. They shrieked as they burned.
She summoned her vision once more. Orange light enveloped every skeleton. A web of strained light spread out over the hill. Streams of lights crossed crossed over the hill in an elaborate pattern.
Julien screamed as the skeletons grabbed at him. Yanking him away and dragging him to the ground. She blasted the skeletons away just find bony hands grasping at her scales and pulling at her wings.
"No daughter of mine would talk to her mother like that." Her father boomed. Mucus spat from his lips.
Fury gripped Swiftshadow's heart. Teeth clenching tightly. "You are not my dad!" Her tail snapped out like a whip. Several skeletons found themselves cleaved in half. Claws tore apart the bones. Soul fire sparked to life consuming their remains. Her fathers zombie burst into flames.
Swiftshadow focused on the light web. She had to find the source. Tracing the lines they all led back to the cobblestone circle. Funnelling back to a single entity. Her zombified grandfather who's eyes blazed like fire. She could see the ember pulsating inside chest like a heart.
The skeleton army surrounded him like a shield. Julien somehow managed to free himself and was running between the graves. He ducked and weaved between the advancing skeletal army. His eyes met hers. She pointed a wing claw at her zombified grandfather. Julien nodded in understanding.
Swiftshadow charged at the army. Either she got to the ember or he did. Regardless she needed to keep the skeletal army distracted. She redirected her magic into another area. She had to time this right.
She sprang to the sky as an illusory copy charged. The skeletons attacked the copy. She let it burst into glitter as she rained down soul fire down upon the army. She couldn't get high enough to do much damage.
It was like she hit a ceiling made of white hot daggers. Agony tore into her scales. A voiceless screech left her as she fell to the ground. Empty lungs screamed for air as boney fingers dug painfully into her scales like knives.
Something green flashed. The skeletons wailed as they dissolved into dust. The graveyard shook as the hill broke apart falling into darkness. Her grandfathers zombie toppled with hole torn through his chest. Julien stood over him with a tangerine coloured ember in hand.
"Are you able to stand?" He said.
"I'll live," She grunted as she picked herself up. Blood and energon seeped from numerous cuts in her scales. They stung. She ignored the pain and reached for the ember. "How'd you get this?"
"When you've hung out with Malic Korvoth for as long as I have you pick up a thing or two," He stated flatly as he placed the empire in her talons.
"That somehow doesn't answer my question," She clutched the ember tightly.
"Does it matter?"
"I s'pose not ," She shrugged. They had the ember. Sucking in a breath she ignited it.
Static wondered if this was what hell was like. Spindly shadow creatures roved the streets attacking anyone in sight. Glowing eyed beasts prowled searching for people to join their ranks. Citizens ran in panicked lines trying to find whatever shelter they could. Police sirens wailed between the skyscrapers.
Even with his electrical powers Static found himself completely overwhelmed. For every darkling he destroyed with a light burst several more took their place. For every person he managed to save another would fall to the bestial curse.
He was pretty sure the polar bear he was battling was a classmate of his. He would've made some kind of joke but he was too tired for it. He'd barely any electricity left in his system. Gear Stood behind him with a baseball bat taken from a nearby sport store. He'd long exhausted all of his gadgets and zap caps.
A golden eyed lioness intercepted a rampaging moose. A caracal swiped a cottonmouth. A serval tore a jackdaw from the air. Static wasn't quite sure what happened but he welcome the unexpected turn coating from the felines. Without them he'd probably would've fallen leaving the city without a defender.
The polar bear rose to its hind legs. It was over twice Statics height. All it took was one swipe of its massive paw to send him tumbling into a wall. A massive paw pressed down on Statics ribcage. The bears eyes glistened orange as it bared its teeth. They plunged down at statics head.
For brief moment Static thought that this was the end.
But the bear froze. Like the felines before the bear went completely still. Its fangs mere fractions of an inch from his face. Fowl warm breath washed over him. Then like a machine in motion it stepped off of him and turned its attention on an encroaching darkling and charged.
Static wasn't quite sure what was happening. All he knew for certain that somewhere out there something was turning the tides of war. He just had to hold on long enough to see the end.
Miko panted as she rested on the catwalk. Jack with the power of both The Panther Spirit and feline army managed to push back Malic Korvoths forces back out of the hanger. Arcee nimbly darted around Bulkheads paws. The Panther Spirit circled closely around the hanger obliterating any darkling or shadow that got too close.
She desperately wished she could be chosen by a spirit. Not that it would be totally rad to have super cool magic powers. But she could use them to not only help Bulkhead but send Malic Korvoth packing. Make the eldritch horror wish that he hadn't set his eyes on her world.
"We have a spirit now, So why are we not locking this thing away?" Demanded Agent Fowler.
"If we seal him now, Not only would Swiftshadow would be lost forever, but so would the other Beast Spirits." Answered Crawford. He had also taken this moment to rest and recoup some of his strength. "If she can succeed in freeing the other Spirits from their prison we can end Malic Korvoth once and for all,"
Miko huffed to herself. She hated this waiting. She needed to be doing something. She was a Wrecker for Primus's sake. Wreckers don't sit on their butts and twiddle their fingers. They took action. She wished she had the Apex Armour. She could do some major damage with that. All she had was her axe.
Another stillness crept over the battlefield. The pillar warped and bulged. It strained as it tried to keep itself together. It was a losing battle. It erupted in a brilliant tangerine light. A massive bear tore free from the oily shadows.
Miko didn't wait. She bolted down the catwalk and out the hanger. She ignored the shouts and demands of the team. There was only one goal in her mind.
The bear bounded to meet his feline sister. The pair nuzzled each other before challenging the dark. The Bear Spirit lumbered over the battlefield as the bears bowed before him.
An Ibex charged her. It bleated painfully as she hit it with the broadside of her axe. A darkling rose beside her. She stared down its multitude of eyes. Its sharp claws raised to gore her. She swung her axe. She wasn't going down without a fight.
Sunset orange light obliterated the creature. The Bear loomed over her, his smouldering eyes burning into hers. The Ibex thrashed underneath his great paws.
Your fire burns bright
His voice felt old and grizzled like a retired war veteran. It reminded her of ancient craggy mountains. Gritty and rough.
Are you willing to challenge the darkness?
"Is that even a question?" Miko smirked brandishing the axe. A bright burning bear sigil appeared before her. She grasped it with all her strength. She felt the crest imbed itself in her back.
She sucked in a breath as The Bear Spirits power flooded inside her. Remembering Crawfords tutelage she folded the energy around her crafting her own Apex Armour. While not as large or imposing as the actual Apex Armour it was just as tough.
Bulkhead strode up to her his optics displaying his emotions to her. Pride and determination with sliver of fear that mirrored her own. She coated herself with his strength and mounted his shoulders. The other bears looked to her for instructions.
Fight Malic Korvoth's darkness she told them, Tear apart the darkness until there was nothing left. Staring down the pillar, Miko knew that she was going to win.