The Last Dainv-Chapter 39

The Last Dainv-Chapter 39

Gale wiped blood from the cut on his cheek. "We need to get back."
The four of them made their way through the forest, retracing their steps to where they'd left the convoy. Gale kept his senses spread wide, watching for any sign of the shadow's return.
They found the convoy huddled together, the survivors keeping their spears ready while parents held their children close. Lennard stood at the edge of the group, scanning the treeline.
"There you are," Lennard called out as they approached. "What the hell was that about?"
"Handled it," Gale said.
Rachel moved to the front of the convoy, raising her voice just enough so that everyone could hear. "Listen up, everyone. We're getting close to the stone tower. The terrain ahead is going to be more difficult to navigate."
A murmur rippled through the group. Lennard waved his hands, calming down the spreading noise, "everyone, it'll be fine. We just need to keep moving."
"What kind of difficult?" asked one of the fathers, a man with greying hair who had a backpack full of supplies.
"Rocky ground. Narrow passages. Places where we'll have to move single file," Rachel said. "We'll need to be extra careful and help each other."
"How much further after the stone tower?" Lennard asked.
"Once we pass it, we're maybe halfway to the exit," Rachel said. "But that's the tricky part behind us."
An elderly woman leaning heavily on a walking stick raised her hand. "Will there be places to rest?"
"We'll make do," Rachel said. "The important thing is to stick together and keep moving."
Gale noticed how Rachel avoided mentioning the darkness that seeped from the stone tower. No point in making people more afraid than they already were. It could've been a resting spot if it weren't for the danger.
"Everyone up," Gale said. "We move now."
The convoy reformed their line. Parents double-checked their grip on their children's hands. The survivors took their positions at the rear, bone weapons held ready.
They pressed deeper into the forest. The trees grew closer together, their trunks wider and more twisted. Roots snaked across the ground, creating natural obstacles that slowed their progress.
One of the walking sticks an older man used broke off. Gale found another sturdy one for him, and the old man nodded in thanks.
The forest floor became rockier as they continued. Loose stones shifted underfoot, making each step require more attention. A child had particular difficulty stepping up on the rocks that were half his height. Gale supported the child, jumping over the obstacles.
"Thanks, Captain Demon," the boy said.
Gale nodded and moved back to his position at the rear.
Hours passed. The convoy moved slower. They were forced to pick their way carefully through the increasingly difficult terrain. Most of the younger men and women in the prime of their lives didn't seem to have trouble with any of this. It was just the children and the elderly.
Then they reached it.
A choke point opened before them. Two cliffs were separated by a gap that couldn't be crossed by jumping. A massive tree trunk covered the gap like a bridge, worn by most likely wildlife that used it to cross the gap.
"Shit," Lennard said, staring at the crossing. "Is this what you call safe passage?"
They had crossed the bridge before. It seemed easy back then that it didn't even register in his mind. Anna, Dmitry, and Alex had all managed it without too much trouble. Just goes to show that they were the cream of the crop for the normal people. Looking at it now with this mix of a group, the problem was clear.
The log was maybe around two feet wide at the thickest point and one foot wide at the thinnest point. No handholds, no safety rail. Just a straight log across the empty air where a slight breeze could spell death.
"We did this before," Annett said. "It's not impossible."
"Not impossible for us," Rachel said. "But the children. The elderly."
A mother held her young daughter closer, both of them staring below the gorge. The small girl kicked a rock down below. For half a minute, the rock kept falling until it hit the water below.
That was literally and basically death.
"There has to be another way around," said one of the fathers.
Ollie shook his head. "We went through this area before. This is the only route that doesn't add hours or maybe even days to our journey."
Lennard pointed at the log. "You expect children to walk across that death trap? What happens when someone falls?"
"Just don't fall." Gale said.
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one risking your child's life," the same father said.
Rachel stepped forward. "We'll help everyone across. One at a time until everyone is through."
The log was solid enough to support multiple people's weight. All of them had crossed it fine before with multiple people at once. But now it was clear that the athleticism of the group was on a different level. For a frightened child or an elderly person, any misstep could be fatal.
"I'll go first," Gale said. "Test the crossing."
Without waiting for argument, Gale stepped onto the log. The trunk didn't shift or creak under his weight.
He walked across slowly, not even extending his arms for balance. The crossing took about twelve seconds. On the other side, he turned and waved back to the group.
"It's stable," he called out.
One by one, they began the crossing. Annett went second, moving with her usual confidence. Then Ollie, who made jokes to hide his nervousness about the height.
"Just don't look down," he raised his voice to reach the other side. But there could be people who liked looking down and gave them more courage, maybe?
"Or do look down if you want," Gale said.
Annett laughed at the comment while Ollie just shook his head.
Rachel nudged Annett, "Stop laughing. This is clearly no time for jokes." She looked back to the convoy, "Come on everyone. Single file."
Rachel stayed on the starting side. Soon enough, the group organized themselves and the most willing went to the front, most were the capable adults then gradually the children and elderly.
A teenage boy made it across without trouble. Then a woman in her thirties who moved slowly but steadily. Each successful crossing built confidence in the group. Both took around half a minute to cross.
Then came the first real challenge: an elderly man whose hands shook, gripping his walking stick.
"I can't do this," he said, staring at the log. "I can't."
"Yes, you can," Rachel said gently. "I'll walk with you through the bridge, step by step."
From the other side, Gale watched the man's face. Pure terror. The kind that would probably freeze right up in front of a beast. This whole bridge thing wasn't even as scary as facing a garbage truck sized beast. His eyes dared to roll, just watching the scene.
The old man took a first step onto the log with Rachel holding him by the shoulder behind. Then another. His whole body trembled, but he kept moving.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; any sightings.
Halfway across, he stopped.
"I can't," he whispered.
"You're already halfway," Rachel said behind him, holding him steady. "Halfway is the hardest part."
The man took another step. Then another. When he finally reached the other side, several people cheered softly. Rachel jogged back easily to the other side, making it look too easy.
The crossings continued. A mother carried her young son across. Next was a girl who had no parents.
"Just think of this like the jungle gym in Scarborough parks. Easy, right? Fun, right?" Ollie said.
"Yeah, it's so fun pushing the boys off of the top. Haha," the small girl said. She stepped onto the log. Her small footprint made it easier for her to balance on the log. And not too long after, she made it to the other side in half a minute.
"There you go. Good job." Ollie put a thumb up at the girl, and so did she.
Suddenly, Breath of the Void caught something at the edges of its web-like tendrils. Something felt wrong. A nothingness at one of the spots at the starting side of the cliff and his side of the cliff at the same time. Two presences, but which was real?
Then there was the flicker of a shadow. His heart rate spiked. The shadow was here.
Gale suddenly spun around. Where are you, asshole? Show yourself and fight like a not a shadow. There was no time to explain to the others. He needed to be ready before—
The attack came at him, swift and a blur that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
His body jolted, blocking the dagger on instinct. He dodged the overhead kick, feeling the rush of air pass by him above. The fight had begun.
"Gale!" Rachel shouted.
"It's the shadow!" Gale shouted back. Another dagger flew his way as he just ducked in time. "Get everyone to cross while I keep him back!"
Rachel began ushering everyone through the bridge while Gale focused on his opponent. Ollie and Annett helped as well, crossing the bridge while holding the crossers.
The shadow moved with inhuman fluidity, like a shadow and a liquid. Gale slashed again, but his sabre could only reach the tips of the shadow's cloak.
"Rachel, support Gale! Light it up!" Ollie shouted.
Rachel jumped up to where Gale and the shadow fought. She wound up and punched upwards, materializing a fireball that illuminated the clearing.
The shadow slowed down slightly. Gale pressed his advantage, lunging and slicing at the shadow's head. Again, it shifted to somewhere further.
Gale gritted his teeth. Awakened against an attuned. The difference in abilities was vast, even with the advantage of slowing down the enemy's abilities.
He sliced. Met with a deflecting dagger. The shadow punched him in the cheek. Too fast. His cheek got cut inside, making him spit out blood.
He dashed again, low, slashing upwards. The shadow shifted just an inch away, sabre completely missed his form. A low kick sent Gale flying back against a tree.
The fireball started to wane in brightness just as Rachel sent another fireball up in the air, this time much brighter.
Suddenly, the shadow darted towards Rachel. Gale's heart leapt, dashing and following the shadow just behind. Just as the shadow's dagger met Rachel's neck, it bounced up, deflected by Gale's sabre.
Rachel punched the shadow mid-motion, but again, it shifted away to the treeline.
"Annett!" Ollie shouted. "Slow it down!"
The temporal yellow haze spread out from Annett's hands and caught the shadow. For a moment, it seemed to work, making the shadow look like he was swimming underwater.
Gale lunged forward, seizing the chance. Bone sabre aimed directly at the shadow's chest.
At the last possible instant, the shadow broke free from Annett's slow, shifting inches away from Gale's stab, causing him to stumble forward.
The shadow lunged forward, this time aiming for Gale more intently.
Gale blocked the flurry of swipes from the shadow with his bone guards and sabre as a shield. Each swipe at anything solid made his arms feel numb as he stood his ground desperately. The swipes that met his flesh sprayed blood onto his face.
He pivoted to create space, but the shadow was always there, one step ahead, always pressing. His movements became increasingly sluggish. He could feel his strength waning, his reactions slowing.
Desperation set in. A wide swing to the torso of the shadow. But that was effortlessly evaded with the constant shifting of positions. Its fluid movements mocked the clumsy attack.
Before he could recover, searing pain exploded in his arm. A deep gash along Gale's arm soaked his already worn out leather sleeve through the bone guards.
Outmatched. Outmaneuvered. Outskilled. Outpaced. Out-everything. The only option was to… run away.
The shadow readied its next attack, poised to strike.
Any strike could've spelled his death already. Although he was outmatched, it wouldn't be too hard to call it a day here and just run away. Grow stronger and take a win another time, right, Gale? It would be so easy.
"Gale!" Rachel shouted.
Just leave them, Gale.
Ollie had his pistol up on the bridge. "I can't get a clear shot!"
Fight to live another day.
SURVIVE
.
Gale stepped back, little by little, allowing the shadow to take ground, closer to the convoy. Lennard and the group of older convoy members shrank back from the starting side. Parents covered their children with their own bodies.
A dagger flew at his head again. Ducked fast. Saw that one coming.
"What is he doing?" Ollie gripped the pistol tighter.
Rachel's flames flickered. "I don't know, but we have to trust him now."
No. I'm not running away.
Gale took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was risky, but every adversary at every crossing, he'd found a way. There were no other options or choices. He needed to trust his skills, believe in Breath of the Void completely. Let it in.
The shadow lunged at his passive stance, unleashing a flurry of dagger slashes.
Gale sensed the displacement in the air as the attacks narrowly missed him while his eyes were closed. He channeled all of his concentration to anything but his eyes.
The dagger struck his shoulder. Not a vital spot. It was fine. Focus on Breath of the Void.
A headache grew as Gale felt the vividness of the surroundings like a dam breaking inside of him. The world around him sharpened while half of the colours all around him inverted, allowing him to see and feel the night as day through the intricate web of tendrils.
[Warning: Max Load Breached.]
[The breath can now enter the host…]
The sudden notification flooded his perception even further as inky darkness seeped into his very skin, muscle, and bones. It was the similar embrace of the stone tower around his very existence. The breath transformed the very battlefield into a weave of information for his consumption. His consciousness stretched outward, mapping out every entity within its influence.
The shadow was no exception. It no longer looked like a shadow but just a man wracked with fear under his own mask.
Gale closed his eyes once more. The air shifted. Shadow mid air, dagger aimed at his neck. Foot pivoted, bone sabre swung to the trajectory of the shadow. Finally, struck blood.
He pressed forward, guided not by sight but by the void instead. The shadow's presence, the activation of muscle, and even the ragged breathing all telegraphed onto Gale's senses.
The fight took on a surreal visual. To the onlookers, it would have looked as if Gale fought against an invisible entity, ignoring the shadow dancing. His attacks aimed at the air rather than where the shadow touched. Each strike found its mark as shallow slices to the shadow's body splattered blood onto the bark of the tree.
Gale let Breath of the Void sink even deeper into him. Colours now fully inverted as he saw the sky white and the stars black. Tendrils of darkness writhed around him, dripping inky substance onto the forest floor. A strike at the air found its mark on the shadow's thigh where the darkness entered.
The survivors watched the spectacle of shadow against shadow. An elderly man clutched at his head while a small boy started vomiting.
"He is one of them! Hahahaha! He has the eyes! The eyes!" Anna shouted.
"What's happening to them?" Annett asked.
"I don't know…" Rachel shook her head as she glanced over at the convoy. "It's affecting the mundanes... Everyone look away!"
More of the convoy clutched at their heads. Some fainted and dropped onto the floor. Hailey started crying, trying to take her hand away from Anna.
The darkness emanating from Gale's skin began to pulse, matching the rhythm of his heartbeat. Each pulse seemed to slow down the shadow, making the shadow's illusory form tremble.
Kill. Protect. Kill. Annihilate.
The whispers grew loud inside of Gale's head.
Do not run. Do not hide. Take control.
[The breath completely engulfs you…]
The shadow hesitated, realizing the change too late. Now it was the one desperate, doubling the effort and speed it originally had. Sloppiness had suddenly set in to its footing as it threw its remaining daggers.
Gale lunged down, swinging his sabre once more upwards while using Alter to lengthen the blade. It sliced through the nose of the shadow.
Distort activated. He disappeared and suddenly appeared at the side of the shadow with a kick. Shadow hit the tree trunk, breath escaping its lungs.
He swung the sabre down, but the shadow's dagger block was useless. The sabre had sliced the dagger clean off of the base of the blade.
The shadow jumped back, trying to distract him. It aimed for the convoy, lunging again at vulnerable prey. Not a chance.
A splitting headache formed behind Gale's eyes as he appeared right beside the shadow with a punch to the face, launching the shadow across the gorge.
Gale followed, slamming down a foot onto the shadow, it landed right beside the starting point of the bridge. Sabre already aimed at the heart mid-air, landing with a slam and throwing up dust into the air.
[Attuned Drew felled.]
[A loyal subject of the crown princess of the Lord.]
[Extracting Origin from prey…]
But Gale didn't stop. He kept swinging and stabbing at the already dead body. Again, and again, and again, his sabre whistled through the air down onto the corpse.
"Gale!" Rachel shouted. "Gale, stop! It's over!"
Stand your ground. Stand against the enemy. Kill with no mercy. Keep killing the enemy. The whispers constantly flooded his ears.
Rachel approached, her hand outstretched.
"Gale, please," she said. "It's done. You can stop now."
As she reached for him, Gale spun around, his sabre swinging wild. Rachel let out a cry of pain as the blade nicked her forearm, tearing through her sleeve and exposing the scar beneath.
The sight of Rachel's blood snapped Gale out of the trance. He stumbled back, eyes going down to look at his bloodied hands.
Before anyone could react, a loud, manic laugh cut through the air. Anna stood at the edge of the group, her eyes wild and unfocused.
"The eyes!" Anna cackled. "The eyes! The eyes!"

.
!
Chapter 39