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Chapter 54: Cat And Mouse

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Warrior skeletons, four-legged shadow fiends, long-armed cannon wielders; they lingered in the streets, in buildings, on top of roofs by the dozens as far as the human eye could see. Attentive to any and every footstep - big or small - that wasn’t their own, the monsters moved about constantly, paced methodically, waited patiently.

No human had stepped foot in the Ahrman capital since the evil cloud rolled over the city. A handful of those who stayed behind in a foolhardy attempt to defend it still remained, pale and devoid of life, ignoring their mortal wounds they shambled through the dark, awaiting their master’s command.

Unbeknown to those on the ground, a chariot flew silently overheads that rarely needed to turn upward. The vessel quietly continued to the royal estate which was almost equally obscured by the same darkness that blanketed all of Perigrah.

“We should be close to the landing pad at the royal estate,” Jericha said, repeatedly tapping her compass in an unsuccessful attempt to stop its arms from swinging wildly. “I don’t understand why this thing isn’t working.”

“I could light the way,” Tears suggested, tying a bandana around his head.

“No, we don’t want to give away our position,” Jericha said.

“It’s okay,” ensured Breuke. “I can see where we’re headed.”

“One of the benefits of that shadow rune?” Jericha inquired.

“Apparently.”

“Hey, guys! Look at this!” Idris called, drawing everyone's attention to the stern of the vessel. from the stern of the chariot.

In the short time, it took them to notice it, what began as a small beam of light piercing the clouds quickly grew into a massive display of pulsating energy, and in a flash, a colossal bird appeared.

Devoid of feathers, the huge creature was made entirely of bone from its long pointed beak to the tip of its cleft tail. Its eyes, churning with deep purple energy, were locked on the chariot in spite of it being cloaked.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that bird was a Rwenzora,” Tears observed.

“You mean that mythical bird from the stories?” Idris pondered.

“That would make sense, actually,” said Breuke. “Tasha’s a big fan of Midaharian lore.”

“Are you saying Tasha made that thing?!” Jericha asked in disbelief.

“It’s flying straight at us!” Idris exclaimed. “Isa!”

“I see it! Hang on to something!”

Isa quickly dismissed his Rebirth of Gales, causing the chariot to drop like a ton of bricks while avoiding being swooped up by the skeleton bird. Summoning the winds again, Isa pulled the chariot up drastically, narrowly avoiding impact with a building. They were in the center of Perigrah’s business district, and the path ahead was lined with some of the capital’s proudest buildings.

Flying dangerously low, the chubby vessel forced its way through corridors designed for horse-drawn carriages, clipping numerous monsters on the streets below.

“Idris! Start the engines and take the wheel!” Isa commanded, raising the chariot in time to avoid a head-on collision. “Our cover’s blown thanks to that bird!”

“Where has it gone?!” asked Jericha, scanning the sky for the giant.

“We’ve picked up some undesirables!” Tears said noting the fiends crawling up the side of the chariot and jumping on board.

“Let’s make short work of them, Tears,” Badr said, unsheathing his weapon.

But before the two men could raise their weapons, Isa dispatched the half a dozen foes with his short-barreled firearms and little effort. “We should retreat inside the cabin until we’ve landed!” he said.

“Here it comes!” Jericha exclaimed, pointing at the Rwenzora as it rapidly nosed dived in their direction.

A strong gust of wind swept the chariot out of its path, but the agile creature wasn’t deterred. Turning on a dime, the Rwenzora propelled itself toward the chariot and unleashed a barrage of born shards from its wings. Breuke raised a barrier that swallowed the projectiles in a wall of darkness, but the irreversible damage was done to the ship’s main engines.

“Would someone take that bird down?!” Isa demanded, steading the aircraft with the wind.

“Slow the chariot, Isa, but don’t stop it!” Breuke said, dark energy swirling up and around his arm. “Jericha, Tears, I’m going to need both of you to hit that thing when I say so.”

With its wing tucked tightly, the Rwenzora increased its speed, eagerly anticipating a deadly strike, but instead of impacting the flying vessel, the giant bird passed through a shadow image of it.

“Hit it now!” Breuke ordered.

Taking advantage of the creature’s confusion, Jericha and Tears both launched extensive bolts of lightning and light at the bird, striking it with pernicious precision and vanquishing it instantaneously.

“Finally,” Isa exhaled. “Now maybe we can get to the royal estate without further hindrance.”

“Now why would you think that?” asked Idris, peering ahead of his fellow General.

Particles of ice swirled together, quickly taking the shape of a fox made of ice ahead of the chariot, and towering above the surrounding structures. Upon its materialization, the fox struck the chariot with its claws, batting it from the air like a pesky insect.

After bouncing off the side of a highrise, the splintered and bruised chariot crashed on the street below where it was immediately crushed under the giant fox’s frozen paw. Sniffing through the wreckage, the fox scratched around searching for remains of the chariot’s passengers; there were none.

Raising its nose and ears to the air, the fox shifted its attention to the highrise on its left and was instantly clipped by a projectile. Isa fired additional wind-enhanced shots at the ice beast, but none penetrated the ice. He sprinted across the roof as the fox mounted the building and let the wind carry him out of the beast’s reach.

Wrecking and trampling everything in its path, the sub-zero fox met the challenge of keeping up with Isa, although turning on a dime proved to be cumbersome. With the beast on his heels, Isa spotted a light flashing yellow constantly and sailed toward it. The fox kept its focus on its prey, completely oblivious to the equally massive split in the earth until it fell into it.

Badr pulled the sides of the divided land back together, slamming it close before the fox could escape.

“I guess it’s safe to say Alba knows we’re here,” Idris said, watching the cloud’s spawn gather below.

“There’s nothing we can do to change that now,” Isa said, joining the group on the roof.

“I think you enjoyed leading that monster through the district so it could demolish our city,” Jericha told Isa, accusingly.

“And I think we need to get moving while we can.”

“I can get us through that mob, if need be, but should Tasha and Lahan throw something else our way, we’re going to have a lot on our plate,” Breuke said.

“Let’s go then,” Isa said, lifting the group in the air with his Rebirth. “Same as before, Breuke, just without the chariot.”

Soaring silently and swiftly above the skyline, the group approached the royal estate unseen by many, but as they neared the building the feeling of being watched was undeniably strong. “It’s Alba!” Jericha exclaimed, pointing at the lone figure standing in the courtyard.

“Looks like he’s expecting us,” Tears observed.

“I don’t like this,” said Idris. Where’s that kid?!

“Just keep him at a distance,” Breuke said.

“It’s not just him,” Idris responded. “The temperature dropped by a lot once we got here.”

“It’s just Lahan,” Badr said. “Keep your head up, Idris.”

Watching the six as they landed, Alba applauded slowly with a hint of displeasure. “Good job, Breuke. I see you’ve finally found a Rebirth that fits your lineage.”

“What are you talking about, Alba?”

“Ltsmelo mgul,” Alba grinned. “If you’re all here to retrieve your comrades, I’m afraid you’re far too late. As young as they were, their hearts just weren’t meant for such arduous use of their Rebirths.”

“Are you telling us Lahan’s dead!?” Badr demanded, drawing his weapon.

“He’s lying,” Isa assured.

“You’ll find their corpses inside, should one of you live long enough, that is.”

As Alba’s body dissipated into particles of energy, something massive dropped to the ground, bulking the ground with a rolling shockwave. Standing on two legs, the large serpent-like beast was made entirely of bone with a row of spikes traveling from its flared nose to the tip of its long, diamond-shaped tail.

“That thing definitely doesn’t look friendly,” Jericha said, taking a few cautious steps back.

“Neither does the other one,” Tears said, carefully watching a second, similar giant made of ice as it stalked them from behind.

Alba’s body rematerialized one of the royal estate’s roof. “So, you’ve finally come, have you?” he said, watching the clash below.

“This is not going to end the way you expect, Damnation,” said Aiden as he stood nearby. “I’ve already escaped you once and I can do it again.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Alba said, dismissively. He turned to Aiden and smiled. “You’ve become quite proficient with the power of those Rebirths. Do you know who else is equally adept as you without them?”

No sooner had he completed his tease than runic symbols started appearing around him in a bright array of purple. The Damnation rune parted Alba’s body and shot into the air, leaving the Ahrman Lieutenant in an unconscious state.

Preparing for its descent, its attempt to take over him, Aiden watched the rune until it vanished into someone else’s hands. “Zaki! No!”

Wearing a darker suit of reptilian armor than before, Zaki spiraled down to the roof with a thunderous landing that rocked the building to its foundation. “And I think I’m going to enjoy this vessel much better.”