Sha shouted to alert Boroc to a ball of flames that had just left the portal and was headed straight for him. He’d seen it and fired off a bolt of plasma and when the two fiery projectiles hit, the result was a shockwave strong enough to knock the two Squalvolvans off their feet. Boroc wasn’t sure what happened there, but he liked it and ran towards the downed Squalvolvans.
In the confusion, David had escaped their grasp, but Animal was up and in hot pursuit. The larger Squalvolvan was a tad slower, an easy target or at least that’s what Boroc thought. He came in fast, his blade ready, but the Squalvolvan countered the attack and kicked him in the stomach, while its hefty right fist made contact with the side of his head. The next thing Boroc was aware of, was a thick arm slipping around his neck and his air supply being cut. He had two weapons and still couldn’t bring this thing down.
In a desperate attempt to free himself, Boroc brought his weight forward, forcing the Squalvolvan off balance and this weakened the arm that was around his neck.
Boroc turned to his opponent, dagger raised, ready to bring justice, only Boroc was kicked again, higher this time and his chest took the impact. Boroc staggered backwards and reasoned that the distance between them was enough to fire the Zolt-Arc.
Boroc didn’t enjoy admitting he was wrong about anything, but the energy from the bolt had been strong enough to knock him off his feet, which was a little embarrassing. Although more concerning was the lingering smell of burning flesh and Boroc feared it was his own.
Boroc was back on his feet and pleased to see that he was still in one piece, but the flare from the plasma bolt had messed up his vision and he was having to rely on his other senses for the moment, which weren’t all that good either.
There was no sign of the Squalvolvan he’d been battling, but he had surely clipped it, not that that counted for much when battling these things.
He picked up the sound of a blade cutting through the air. It was a good sound because it meant that Sha was still in the game, so there was a chance that David was too.
Boroc blinked a few times, trying to clear the white blob from his vision and headed in the direction of the battle.
He closed in on Sha’s position and David was with her, but they were in trouble. Animal was running rings around them.
Boroc raised the Zolt-Arc, but he couldn’t get a clear shot, so he moved in. Animal clocked him and seeing that it was outnumbered, it darted off.
Not wanting to lose the opportunity to take it down, Sha started after it, but Boroc refocused her.
“Get him out of here.”
Sha stopped in her tracks and looked back at David. Boroc was right and she sprinted to where he was lying. He looked okay and Sha pulled him to his feet, but their route to the portal was blocked by a number of shadowy forms.
Instinctively, Sha lunged forward with her blade and on contact, an electric charge travelled up the blade and into her arm. The pain was excruciating and she immediately dropped her weapon and collapsed on the ground.
A couple of plasma bolts from Boroc’s Zolt-Arc did little to disperse these twisted souls, but at least their attention was on him now. And that was a good thing? Nothing put the fear of God into him quite like the Formless Ones, but he held his nerve as they flew towards him. Holding his nerve was one thing, keeping these damn things out of his head was another, because he could feel them penetrating his mind, tampering with his thoughts.
Quite suddenly, a bright light lit up above his head and the feeling of impending doom lifted instantly and the twisted souls were chased back into the flames. Boroc could not explain what had just happened, except that changing sides obviously came with a few perks.
Sha had managed to get back on her feet and was looking at Boroc as if expecting an explanation, but there wasn’t time, because the portal could be about to close.
Sha grabbed David by the arm and the three of them raced towards the flames and the thought of jumping back into the fire was causing David some serious anxiety. Sha wasn’t overjoyed by the idea either, as it went against everything she knew about this element.
She looked over at Boroc and his fearlessness was all the encouragement she needed and in any case, they had drawn a lot of attention and getting David out of harm’s way was now the number one priority.
More Squalvolvans were arriving from another part of the cavern and as much as Boroc liked a fight, he too, knew it was time to leave.
The problem was that he could feel the two humans faltering the nearer they got to the portal and he needed to address this or else they weren’t going to make it.
“What are you two doing?” shouted Boroc.
“I don’t know, Boroc. I mean, feel the heat. We’re thirty feet away and cooking.”
“You want to stay here?”
“Jesus no.”
“Then get behind me. My body will shield you both and when you see me jump you two had better not wimp out.”
“Since you put it like that, neither had you,” said Sha.
“Boroc, there’s more Squalvolvans on the other side of the portal,” said David.
“I gathered as much. I think I saw that damn mangy looking thing slip back through as well.”
“A lot of people are depending on you,” said David.
“Leave it to me. The both of you, stay close.”
Boroc threw back his head, roared a battle cry and sprinted for the portal. If they survived this, Sha wasn’t sure what it would prove, apart from the fact she was mad for even believing they could.
For all his bulk, Boroc moved like the wind and Sha and David struggled to keep up, but the idea that he could shield them was actually working because when he finally leapt into the portal, those last few seconds of exposure caused Sha’s hair to crackle and spark. David knew what to expect, but that didn’t make it any easier and he hoped that this time was going to be the last time.
As they leapt, they held their breaths instinctively, because to breathe now would have incinerated their lungs.
Their journey through the portal was instantaneous. Boroc hit the ground running and Sha and David weren’t far behind.
Their arrival came as something of a shock to the Squalvolvans waiting on this side for another batch of humans and after taking care of the portal with a few plasma bolts, Boroc went off, all guns blazing. It was good to see that he was still aiming high and so far he’d managed to nail every one of these beasts.
Boroc turned to see that Sha was in trouble; a few Squalvolvans had circled around the cages and jumped her. He couldn’t risk taking them out with the Zolt-Arc, as he was likely to hit Sha in the process, so he ran to her aid, dagger drawn.
Sha hadn’t done too bad a job, considering, but Boroc was a welcome sight.
Boroc came in fast; punching his dagger through the neck of the first Squalvolvan and knocking it clean off its feet. Sha followed through with a scything blow. A strike that split its head open like a coconut at the fairground. It took another blow to remove its head and they still had a couple of live ones to deal with.
Sha thought they had it under control, but these Squalvolvans were nimble for their size and she was grabbed from behind. A backwards thrust countered the attack, stopping the beast in its tracks. With lightning reflexes, she retrieved her blade and a sweeping circular blow saw its head tumble from its shoulders.
The Squalvolvan that Boroc was tangling with had grabbed his wrist and was preventing him from using his dagger. It was time for Sha to help him out and her blade suddenly exploded through the front of its chest. There was a look of surprise on its face and it released Boroc’s wrist, enabling him to finish the job.
“Look out,” shouted Mica. She’d spotted more Squalvolvans returning from the site of the second portal. Still locked in the cage, she could do nothing but spectate, which was frustrating because they could have really done with her skills in this fight. The Squalvolvans just kept coming and there were more here than even she realised.
I
n such a huge arena, Boroc was able to safely fire off his Zolt-Arc to his heart’s content, but he still only managed to hit two of them. The others scattered and synchronised an attack, which was led by Animal. Boroc had a feeling this thing would be back to torment them and since Mica had set light to it, it looked less like a Squalvolvan and more like a demon, but its injuries sure hadn’t slowed it down.
Animal flew at him, its teeth snapping close to his unprotected neck, while the other Squalvolvans looked for another chink in his armour. Sha was a welcome sight as too was her blade, which whistled past his head and sliced deep into its next victim. The Squalvolvan turned to face Sha, creating an open invitation and Boroc finished it off with a single blow.
Sha looked around for Animal. That was one Squalvolvan you didn’t want to lose sight of. It had been all over Boroc a few moments ago, but now it was locked onto David, like a missile with destruction on its mind. Sha broke off and started after it, but it was fast, too fast and it hurtled into David and sent him flying. Mica was beside herself, powerless to do anything to help, only watch as David came under attack.
Animal’s saliva dripped onto David’s chest and it lunged at his throat to take a bite, only something unexpected happened. The tip of a long blade emerged through its open mouth and it looked as shocked as David. To be sure of the job, Sha twisted the blade and with its brain scrambled, Animal slumped in a heap beside him.
David was dazed from the attack and looked up at the woman standing over him, the same woman he’d jumped through a portal with. She looked amazing in her green armour, like a real-life Amazon. She was shouting at him, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying and then Boroc appeared and he guessed they were okay.
“I think he’s in shock,” said Sha.
“I’m shocked he’s still alive,” said Boroc.
Together they got David on his feet and with their support, he was guided to the cage where Mica was being held. Without too much effort, Boroc removed the boulder from the door and she was free. There was a look of amazement on Sha’s face; she’d never seen an Ammarla in the flesh before.
“Are you the one that helped us?”
“No. That was Robin,” Mica couldn’t hide her sadness.
“Where is he?” asked Sha.
“He’s lost.”
“Lost, but how?”
Before Mica could answer that question, Boroc butted in. “Where is everyone?” he gestured to the empty cages.
“They’ve been taken, but I don’t know where. I’d given up hope that you were coming and I was trying to work out how I was going to shut down the portal when you came through it.”
“Well, it’s shut down now.”
“Did you think about how we might leave this place?”
Boroc looked around. “That wasn’t my concern at the time. You said yourself, you were about to shut it down.”
“I did and that was a sacrifice I was willing to make to stop any more humans being brought through, but with David here now, we need a way out.”
“We should try and find out where the others were taken,” said Sha.
Mica nodded. “All I know is that another portal was opened, way over on the other side of this cavern, but there is no evidence to suggest it is still active. When it opened there was something different about it and the energy in here changed.”
Boroc rolled his eyes. “Can we stick to the facts.”
“Those are the facts, Boroc,” said Mica.
“Okay, I guess I’d better go and take a look.”
“I don’t really want to leave Robin.”
“I didn’t say we should all go,” said Boroc. “It will be quicker if I go alone.”
“I thought you said Robin was lost?” said Sha.
“He’s here, or at least his physical body is. The Formless Ones highjacked his spirit form and are preventing it from returning.”
“Talk sense, for god’s sake. This spiritual mumbo jumbo is damn irritating.”
“Take a look for yourself, his body is back there,” said Mica.
“So he’s dead, why can’t you just say that,” said Boroc.
“I would if that was true.”
Boroc walked over to the cage and peered in. “You sure he’s in here?”
“Of course he is,” but when Mica turned around she couldn’t believe it. Robin’s body had vanished. “No. No, that’s not right,” and she ran back into the cage, over to where she’d left him.
“He’s gone. But look, there’s his backpack.”
Distraught, Mica exited the cage and Sha slipped her arm around her shoulder.
“Look, you lot stay here while I go and take a look around. You need to get a fire going because if you’re right about this other portal then we’re not getting out of this place anytime soon,” and with that, Boroc strolled off.
“He doesn’t do emotion very well,” said David.
No one could argue with that and Sha turned to David. “You do realise you have more lives than a cat?”
“I would have to agree with you, but I still don’t feel any closer to my objective.”
“If you really are the one, then we will be assisted.”
“The one?”
“Yes, we’ve been expecting you. I’ve heard talk of you nearly all my life.”
David felt a bit uncomfortable. “Shouldn’t we be getting that fire started?”
He was right and Sha with a sharp blade at her disposal, started to take one of the cages apart. Mica didn’t want to stop there and made sure the other cages were compromised and rendered useless, should any more humans get brought here.
They had all the wood they needed for a fire and the Squalvolvans had been kind enough to leave some water as well. During the fire building, David had wandered over to the Squalvolvan he’d known as Animal. It had certainly given him some trouble and it was even more of a nightmare to look at than he remembered. He was just pleased that it was finally dead.
Boroc returned before it was fully dark and the fire met with his approval.
“What did you find out?” asked Sha.
Boroc shrugged. “Beats me where they went. No sign of that second portal.” He paced for a bit, unable to settle and didn’t seem too interested in engaging with anyone.
The heat from the fire was keeping them warm and David hadn’t felt this comfortable in a long time. The only thing missing was a jacket potato and the thought of food made his stomach rumble. His hunger pangs subsided as tiredness took over and he nodded off or thought he had. He questioned this because in his dream he was still sitting by the fire, the only difference was that he was on his own.
Then he saw them, the little ninjas were back. They were on the other side of the fire, looking at him. Their eyes were even more beautiful then he remembered, sparkling like emeralds and their bodies were as dark as the night sky, black and scattered with points of light. There was a whole bunch of them and as before, their mouths were moving, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. At least not right away. It was like there was some sort of delay before the sound of their voices reached his ears.
He wondered why they all had to speak at once and strained his ears in an attempt to make sense of it. Then came some clarity, which he didn’t hear as words, it was more like a feeling. They wanted him to relax, so he took a few deep breaths and after a moment or two, he was able to hear them a little clearer. It felt like he was trying to tune into a broadcast with a weak signal. Of course, it could have been the receiver that was dodgy, so he turned his head to see if this helped and to his surprise, it did. It was also easier if he didn’t look at their mouths, as they were out of sync.
There was a prominent figure among them, even if David didn’t really know why this individual stood out from the others. Perhaps it was because he was pointing to something and David took note and followed the suggestion that he should look up.
The firelight penetrated the lofty recesses of the cavern, but he still couldn’t see what he w
as meant to be looking at and then there was a sound, distant at first, but growing in strength. David had heard this sound before, the sound of a whale, several whales actually and concluded that this dream was just like any other he had ever had. It made no sense.
Whales belong in the sea not in a cave halfway up a mountain. Anyway, the little dude with the glowing eyes was basically saying that this was their way out of this place, only Boroc had to do something first.
David started to laugh, which caught the attention of the others around the fire.
“That human isn’t right in the head,” said Boroc.
“I’d rather he laugh in his sleep, than scream,” said Sha.
“I’d rather he kept his dreaming to himself,” grumbled Boroc.
David wasn’t aware that he had an audience and the idea that Boroc was going to do what these little ninjas were suggesting, had caused his outburst.
“He’s not going to do it,” said David, flatly.
“He can only travel if he is neutral and we will take care of the rest.”
“Can you tell him because he won’t take any notice of me.”
“You are the conduit.”
The voices stopped abruptly and David woke himself up talking and looked across the fire to see everyone staring at him. He felt a bit of an idiot and pulled himself upright.
“What were you saying?” asked Sha.
“It was nothing. Just a dream.”
“What was the dream?”
“Oh, hold on a minute. Oh yes, I was here by the fire and I saw those little ninjas again.”
“You did what!” said Mica.
“I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with him,” said Boroc.
“Hold on a minute,” said Sha.
“It’s okay. I can’t really explain what they are, but I have seen them more than once. They’ve got these amazing green eyes and their bodies are as black as the night sky.”
“My god,” said Mica. “You haven’t found them, they’ve found you.”
“It’s the Hidden Ones, isn’t it?”
“Yes. What did they say?”
“They have shown me a way out of this place, but Boroc has to do something first.”
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