Shadowbane

"Shana, did you get a good look at Aresa's face when you spoke of this place?"

Shana -who is currently sitting next to me wrapped in my aura-, shook her head, "No, why?"

"Well..." I sighed, "Blackwall and the other Guardians are still missing, so..."

"Ah..." Shana tensed up and looked down.

She was obviously preoccupied with the dangerous situation we're in here, but everyone else probably realized it right away, including Aresa.

"Did you know him long?"

Shana nodded, "I helped the Guardians here and there, so we had plenty of contact. We weren't friends by any means, but he was a really nice guy and a good leader. I know it's not looking good, but I still hope we find him alive..."

We both go silent as I rest my head against the stone wall behind me. We've been waiting inside the 'Temple' for the others to join us while keeping an eye out for the Demon.

It's been about an hour and there's no sign of it yet... The others should be here soon, so hopefully it continues to stay go---

At the other end of the temple, the air itself appears to ripple out as the Demon blinks into existence. Shana's grip on my arm tightens as she freezes up and slows down her breathing.

The Demon scuffles around picking up different body parts and tossing them into its mouth. The fact that it wasn't chewing was surprising enough, but it didn't appear to be swallowing either.

It kind of looks like what happens when I toss souls into my mouth...

The Demon's head snaps toward the exit. It drops the leg it was picking up as it runs over to the door and pushes its ear against it.

It's barely ten feet away from us and it's looking in the other direction... Damnit, the fucking things barrier is down too. Moments like this are painful... Even if I had Gaz's sword, most monsters and people will always know when I deactivate my aura next to them. Normally they wouldn't know I'm there even if I was standing right next to them, but when I remove my aura, anything nearby instinctively feels like something dangerous is behind them. I've never been able to pinpoint why that happens, but even if I did know, I doubt I could do anything to prevent it from happening.

Also, there's only one reason the Demon would be worried about any sounds it's hearing past that door(we closed it before hiding here).

I look at Shana and point towards the hallway past the door and she nods in response.

Yeah... It has to be them. I'd love to take advantage of this situation, but I only have one idea that might work... But it's not like I have any other options, so I might as well try it.

I begin to stand up and Shana does as well. We walk toward the Demon until we're barely four feet away. For his part, the Demon still has its' ear against the door. Wasting no more time, I raise my right hand to Shana with four fingers held up and begin lowering them one by one.

Three.

Two.

One.

As soon as I drop my aura I create the metal ball in right hand, while Shana has already stuck two electrified daggers into the back of the Demon's knees. Not a single sound erupts from the abomination as a red barrier forms around the Demon. It merely glances over its' shoulder at us and attempts to leap away, but it was never given the chance to. The metal ball smacks into the Demon's barrier, causing a bright white light to wrap around the Demon. The whole effect lasted maybe one second, and when the light faded, the Demon had vanished along with it.

"Shana!" I yelled as I dove for the ball, pouring as much mana into it as I could.

While we waited for the others to arrive I told Shana how the ball worked, so she should know what I need right now.

Shana sprints straight for the door and pushes it open. "Hurry up!! Rei sealed the Demon but we need help---Huh?"

Shana runs back to me and begins pouring mana into the ball.

"What's wrong?! Why did you seem confused just now?"

The ball shakes back and forth as the Demon fights to be free. Little bits and pieces of the ball begin to break off. Ugh, there's no way in hell the two of us can keep it contained!

Shana continues pouring mana into the ball but her gaze is locked onto the hallway past the door. I look in that direction and immediately realize why she sounded so confused.

It's empty...? What the hell was the Demon listening for then?

"R-Rei, how long is this going to last?!"

"Maybe thirty seconds! If nobody is coming then we're just wasting our mana here. Let go of the ball, I'm gonna chuck it over there and then we need to get out of here!"

Shana nods and removes her hands from the ball. I immediately toss it to the other end of the temple and make a mad dash for the exit. The sound of metal breaking apart echoes out as we sprint through the hallway. After we reach the stairs I can hear the barrier around the ball explode, telling me that the Demon just freed itself.

Shit! Should we hide here or...?!

Shana answers that for me by enhancing her legs and jumping to the top of the stairs. I do the same and grab the steps next to the door, hurling myself up and sprinting into the living room.

"Shana!" I say as I dive into a dark corner next to the couch. Shana, -who was currently running out the door- pivots toward me instead and slides right into my lap. I activate my aura mere moments before the Demon warps in next to the doorway.

The Demon walks up to the door and grabs the wood around it, peeking outside back and forth with a massive grin on its face. It continues looking back and forth for a while before something spooks it. It stares off to the left(where Shana and I had originally broken off to search different homes), squinting its' normally wide eyes as it scrutinizes something in the distance. Suddenly it jumps backward into the home and blinks out of existence.

Our allies must have finally arrived, but did it really flee? Probably not... It's most likely going to try and ambush us again.

The two of us stand up and walk over to the door. We both peek outside and see everyone(except Nisha, Keith, Teifa, and Euphemia) huddled together in a group with Alicia and Aresa in the middle. Alicia is holding her left hand in the air while her right hand is holding Aresa close. Floating high above her left hand is a massive ball of light, bombarding the area with a ridiculous amount of light.

Taking one quick glance around to make sure the Demon isn't behind us, I remove my aura and walk outside with Shana. The others spot us and slowly begin moving this way while continuing to watch their surroundings despite the obvious lack of shadows thanks to Alicia's light spell.

'Better safe than sorry', huh? A good mindset to have.

"Is it still inside?" Ishar asked as they approached.

"Upon seeing you guys it jumped backward and warped away, but I learned something thanks to that."

Shana looked at me, "You did...?"

I nod, "Yes. Have you seen those tiny vertical claw marks on its chest? They're on the upper-left side, near its nape."

"I've seen them. Half of them were dark green, while the others were just scars. Did something happen with them when it warped?" Cera cut in.

"The fucking thing does warp fast, but I was still able to see it. One of the empty cuts on its' chest shined a bright green just as it was warping away."

Ishar narrowed his eyes in thought, "Hmm..."

"So what's the plan then? Make it warp away until all the cuts on its chest are filled up? That's assuming it can no longer warp at that point. And we don't know where it'll flee to, do we? Nor do we know when the green marks will disappear..." Alicia said.

A lot of good points. This information is nice to have but there are too many unknown variables.

"Rei's metal ball ability was able to lock the Demon down but we couldn't keep it trapped inside for very long with only the two of us there," Shana said.

"What? Why'd you do that before we arrived...?" Ishar asked.

"Because the damned thing put its ear up to the door as if it was listening for something. We thought it was you guys so I decided to try and capture it while it was looking the other way. And it worked, but when Shana opened the door there wasn't anybody there, so we had to ditch the ball and flee."

"That's rather odd. What was it listening for then?" Seifer asked.

Good question... Some part of me wonders if it was baiting us, but that would mean it knew we were there and invisible. I have a really hard time believing that's possible.

"Uh, hang on guys, Aresa has something to say. Her board reads 'Those doors are weird. When you brought me to the broodling lair I could feel a strange connection leaking out from the door, going somewhere else'."

Oh? Now that I didn't expect. So it was... What exactly? Listening for sound from somewhere else?

"Aresa dear, can you try tuning into the door and see if you discover anything?" Cera asked.

"She says 'Okay'." Alicia relayed.

"I see several of Nisha's mana lines attached to you guys, but can she warp you when you're this far away from her? For example; if the Demon grabs Ishar right now, can she save him from wherever the hell it brings him?"

Ishar shakes his head, "According to her there is a hard limit for bringing people to her. However, warping people through her little trap portals has a much greater distance, but that also is riddled with problems. For starters, we're nearing the maximum distance she can even keep the line connected, and at this distance she can't do anything except talk to us."

Ahh shit, that's no good then... It would've been a really convenient lifeline if she could save us from any fuck ups going forward. If the Demon manages to grab someone here, I'll... Oh.

I quickly activate the soul tracker ability and give everyone's silhouette a unique appearance and color while also placing their names above the silhouettes.

Perfect. I don't know if it'll track someone who warps away, but it's still for the best that I have this setup in advance. Just in case I ever need to find one of these guys.

"Alright, let's move in. Rei, take the front?" Ishar asked.

Hmm, I can't stealth with that vile ball of light shining above everyone, and as I'm thinking this I see Alicia creating several more spheres to circle the group because of the house's low ceiling. I might as well take the front though. I should be able to dodge the Demon if it comes for me.

I walk back into the home with everyone else filing in behind me. I can hear Alicia chuckling on the way down the steps, which is the last thing I expected to hear in this atmosphere. After we reach the Demon's lair, Aresa runs up to me holding her board out.

{You found a hidden door?! And there was a temple underneath it! That's so cool...}

Ahh, so this is what Alicia was chuckling about. Such a cute girl... It really shows just how sheltered she was. Even in this situation, little things like this look dazzling to her.

{This smell is unbearable, but I feel bad saying that... All these poor people.}

I reach my hand out and begin patting her head. "You don't have any ill will when you're saying that, right? It's a natural thought in this situation. Because it does smell horrible, so let's get this over with, okay?"

Aresa nods. After I take my hand off her head she puts her hands on the door and rests her forehead against it. A slight blue shimmer forms around her while everyone eyes their surroundings, waiting for the Demon to strike.

{... We have a problem, Rei.} Aresa whispers into my ear with her ability again.

"What's wrong?"

Ishar glances at me and quirks his left eyebrow.

{This door connects to all the other Temples in the region. I can see inside their rooms. A few of them are just like this one, littered with bodies. However, there is something much worse in another one... There is an injured Satyr resting against a wall meditating.}

"What?! Where is it?!"

Aresa pulls herself back from the wall and holds her board up for everyone to see. The words on it are exactly what she just told me.

"Fucking hell... I really don't want to fight one of those right now." Ishar said.

"I'm very good at killing them if they're outside and they don't know I'm there, but the other Demon can track us, so..." Cera trailed off.

"Aresa, where was that specific temple located?"

{Very far to the west. But it felt different from the others...? I think it's above ground. I can still feel a slight connection to it but I don't know when that will fade.}

Cera sighed, "Rushing there is not an option... We'll just get picked off like that."

True... The other Demon could still pop up at any time.

{Um, Seifer? The temple is very far to the west. When we were looking at the maps I don't remember seeing any villages that far out. Why is there a temple out there then?}

Seifer adjusted his glasses, "That's where our original mines were. In fact, that was our biggest village here in Kellog. It had both the mines and our trading post, but between the mines drying up and the constant monster attacks, the King decided to abandon it. As you said, it's way too far to the west of the fortress, and he wanted to keep all of Kellog within a certain distance of it. He also plans on constructing walls around the entire nation, so that old village was doomed regardless."

"Hang on, Nisha has some good news. Euphemia talked to her Father and he's sending Tyrell over with a large contingent of knights. They're already on their way over here." Ishar said.

"Well, that takes care of the Satyr problem then... I hope. We should wait for them near the bell tower. You guys head over first, there's something I need to take care of real quick."

"Shouldn't we stay together...? I know why you think you're safe Rei, but it's still risky." Tyra said.

"You're right Alicia, but I'm dying of hunger. For obvious reasons I wasn't able to eat while I was underground healing... As a result, I've gone far too long without food, so now my core is starting to siphon my soul for strength. I need to eat now. I'm sure one of these homes has something edible left in them."

At least I hope they do...

Ishar nods, "Fine, we'll meet you in the courtyard. The knights will be coming from this direction so you'll probably see them first."

The group slowly walks away, going back the way they came. I also do the same and run back into the home behind me, reactivating my aura as soon as Alicia's ball of doom can no longer reach me.

Jeez, even with my aura off it hurt quite a bit being near that...

I run into the kitchen and open up the pantry.

... Oh come on. I have eaten a few of these so far and they are good, but I don't want to only eat peanuts damnit.

The inside of the pantry is completely devoid of food, aside from a single large box filled with peanuts. Sighing, I reach down and begin scooping up handfuls of the delicious yet disappointing meal I just found.

The sound of heavy boots stomping through the snow wakes me from my stupor.

So they're finally here...

After I finished eating, I ducked low and crawled into the pantry. I've been hiding in here while waiting for the knights.

A strange melancholy came over me after I was done eating... And I really wanted to be alone for a bit as a result.

This empty abandoned village with all its residents killed in a bizarre ritual.

My allies waiting for me in the center of this ghost town.

Everything that's happened up until now...

And then of course; we're finally approaching the last battle.

Every now and then I get emotional over what seems like nothing... While I was healing underground I had nothing else to do except test the knight's abilities and watch old memories in my soul realm. The one I watched the most was from when I was in Aresa's Manor. It was literally just the four of us(Me, Aresa, Ishar, and Alicia) sitting there reading books in silence or randomly making small talk with one another. Yet there I was, already looking at that scene through the lens of nostalgia.

This was something that started after I lost my family. I'll randomly become sad out of nowhere, but it's been way worse ever since I lost my friends in Xelba. And now I'm looking at the others as if I've already lost them... Maybe I will try and reach out to Cera. She clearly hates my guts, but it can't hurt to try and be on friendly terms with her.

Grabbing both sides of the door frame, I pull myself out of the pantry. Entering my usual sneaking stance I quickly move through the home and make my way outside. On the outside I rush through the snow toward the center plaza, finding a large amount of bootprints along the way.

As I near the plaza I remove my aura, but not just because of Alicia. The knights brought someone who can create sphere's of light that are somehow brighter than Alicia's, because they currently look like the fucking sun itself.

I walk up to the knight talking to Tyra, "Oh my god... I see you no longer have a need to worry about the Demon jumping you, Tyrell."

Tyrell laughs, "Damn straight there isn't. Not anymore, anyway. I was allowed to bring some men from another unit for this Demon extermination. One of them can make several floating spheres of light, as you can clearly see."

*And feel.* I'll have to trail way behind this group. There's no way in hell I can stay near them like this.

"With this, we should be able to run the whole way there. Everyone ready?" Ishar asked.

Tyrell nodded, "Indeed, but we should walk out of this village first. We'll set up formations outside the village and then sprint from there."

"Works for me," Ishar replied, motioning for our group to begin moving.

I don't move as the group moves away from me, causing Alicia to yell out, "You coming? Aresa is asking."

"Yeah, I'll be right behind the rest of you. All of your light abilities are killing me. Don't worry, it will be impossible to lose your group. Anyone can see you coming from a mile off, including the Demons."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. We can't give any opportunity for that grinning fucker to grab one of us." Ishar replied.

He's right, which is honestly a huge problem. My master told me long ago 'Not all Demons work together, but *most* do'. So there's a good chance the grinning one will know we're coming and warn the Satyr. The last thing you want to do is approach a Satyr who has had ample time to prepare for your arrival... But even if we wanted to put it off, the defenders of Kellog can't just sit here waiting for us to kill the Grinning one while the Satyr heals its injuries.

After everyone has left the plaza I put my aura back up and hide under a tree.

I'll wait here a few minutes and then run after them. If we can manage to kill the grinning Demon here, then we'll finally be done with this place...