Iridescent: Chapter Eighteen

Iridescent

Chapter Eighteen

~Reality – Part 1~

After the Fall

Vicky walked along side Amber as she rode on the back of the wolf. The young girl was sitting up now but looked horrible like she was just starting to recover from something like the flu. Chaud walked ahead, his weapons close at hand. Vicky kept a hand on one of her throwing axes while looking cautiously over her shoulder. Though they had traveled a few days, their constant threat were the hunters pursuing them.

Kew seemed to be carrying a conversation with the wolf from the protection of Vicky’s shoulder. He kewed and mewed while the wolf said nothing in return. After a while he gave up and curled against Vicky’s neck and took a nap.

It was around noon when the sun was somewhat overhead. Chaud didn’t stop for lunch and insisted that his sister be fed first. Vicky helped herself and Amber to some of her jerky. Amber thanked her for the food and ate silently.

“Chaud, there’s plenty left,” Vicky said, “Have some water too, we’ve been walking all day.”

She threw him a wrapped piece. Chaud caught the food and ate it, “Thanks. I have my own water.”

They were on a ledge against the side of a mountain. On their left was a shear drop. Chaud knew the danger of their situation and how vulnerable they were. He wanted them far away and out of the mountains as they could by the end of the day. Then he looked back at his sister and saw how tired and weak she was. The vials were meant to be used for adults. Even he wasn’t supposed to use them yet.

A bullet ricochet off the wall just ahead of him. He looked quickly and ducked down. Vicky looked out across the large gap and looked for where the attack came from.

“Run!” Chaud called before running forward.

Vicky followed as quickly as she’d dare.

“You missed!” Zathura slapped Sanya at the back of the head.

Sanya rubbed her head and looked at Dante, “I really want to know our objective. I’m still under the impression that we’re trying to capture them. Am I wrong?”

Dante shook his head, “Kill the brother and we’ll nab the girl. That boy really hit a nerve and besides, we only need one of them to bring out the rest of the family.”

Sanya nodded, “Got it boss!”

She brought up her sniper rifle and got Chaud in her sights, “What about the other girl he’s with?”

Dante shrugged, “Kill her too, I guess. Don’t know where she came from.”

Sanya shot again but some sixth sense caused Chaud to duck just in time. She swore at her failure and aimed again. Chaud looked in the direction of the shots fired. He raised his gun and fired back. Sanya ducked as the rock she was behind was riddled with bullets.

Chaud motioned for Vicky to go up another pass that cut through the mountain. Vicky ran between two mountains guiding the wolf on where to go. Amber’s eyes were wide with fear. Vicky tried to smile to comfort her. She didn’t look back but she knew Chaud followed close behind her.

Dante motioned to Yin, “You think you can get us over there.”

Yin squared her shoulders and pulled out a vial, “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

She levitated her team in the air and floated them over to the other side. They ran up the narrow pass after their prey. Dante looked back at Sanya.

“I need you to keep them grounded alright,” he smiled.

Sanya saluted, “Gotcha, boss!”

“Everyone else,” Dante grabbed a vial, “Just do your thing!”

Zathura whopped as she jumped into the air.

Chaud and Vicky ran into a type of crater. They stopped suddenly as they saw that were several exits. They stood back to back in a defensive position while they tried to figure things out.

“What way?” Vicky asked.

Chaud looked around, “I’m still figuring that out.”

“Great,” Vicky sighed, “Looks like we need to defend until we figure it out.”

Vicky pulled a vial out of her bag. She looked at it a moment before closing her eyes and pressing the button. Chaud pulled one out of his pocket. Amber saw what they were doing and lunged at her brother’s arm.

“No!” Amber screamed, “Don’t do it! Please!”

Chaud looked at her, “Amber, let go! What are you doing!?”

Amber started crying, “It almost killed you last time! You can’t! I can’t lose you!”

Chaud said nothing for a moment. He looked at his sister and saw the fear in her eyes. He had no memory of what exactly happened when they crash landed in the mountains but it obviously frightened her. Chaud wrapped a hand around his sister.

“I have to if we’re going to get out of here,” Chaud said to her.

A fire ball hurled its way toward them. Vicky saw it and shot out her hand. her eyes were a milky white outlined with black. A ball of wind sped its way toward the ball of fire. The wind barreled through the fire and dispersed the flames.

Chaud looked at the coming threat, “Stay down!”

He pushed his sister to her knees so as not to be a large target for the hunters. Chaud pulled his arm out of her grasp and used the vial. Thunder rumbled through the air and his eyes turned gold. Dante walked out into the crater. The rest of his crew spread out on either side of him.

Dante propped his claymore sword on his shoulder, “Well, here we are again.”

Ai stood by her brother. She watched Chaud and Vicky closely with unfeeling eyes. Ai felt a rise in the electrical energy. She knew Chaud was their biggest threat.

“We all need to focus out attacks on him. Given enough pressure, he’ll break eventually,” Ai said quietly so only Dante could hear her.

He nodded slightly showing that he understood. Ai always had the most analytical mind. She could thing several steps ahead of her opponent given enough information. Their last encounter gave Ai enough to figure Chaud out.

“You aren’t going to get a chance to fly away this time,” Dante smiled.

Chaud looked at him, “We’ll see about that.”

Zathura laughed, “That’s right! Make this interesting! Dead or alive I get paid either way!”

Her shadow climbed up a mountain wall. The shadow stepped out of the wall and stood beside Zathura. Now there were two Zathura’s, the original and the blank copy. Zathura wielded her large battle axe and charged forward her shadow following suit.

Chaud dove to one side as the axe sailed at him horizontally. He rolled to his feet only to see the shadow’s follow up attack. It was about to deliver a vertical attack with the axe she wielded. His wings grew from his back and he jumped back using the strong flap of his wings to carry him back further. The axe broke the rock where he had been.

With Chaud distracted Yin ran in from the other end of the crater. She pointed the tip of her glaive at Chaud’s back and ran forward. Yin smiled when she thought she had him. Suddenly her glaive was struck aside. Vicky stood between her and her target. She took several steps back as Vicky struck her glaive as she used it for defense.

“Get out of my way!” Yin shouted.

Vicky shifted her grip on her throwing axes, “Not a chance.”

Chaud looked over his shoulder before taking to the sky’s. Lightning shot down on where Dante and Ai stood watching. Ai put her hands up and crated a force field around her and her brother. The lighting struck the dome and traveled to the ground before returning to the sky. When Ai dropped the force field Dante blew a string of fire at Chaud. Chaud dodged easily in the air.

A force pulled him to the ground unexpectedly and Chaud fell out of the sky. He brought up his gun in time to block a bullet. Sanya smiled at him and reloaded her sniper rifle. Chaud tried to move but it was like gravity itself was against him. He was pulled to his knees as he struggled against the force.

Sanya raised her weapon and smiled, “Sorry. Gravity’s got you down?”

There was a savage growl as the wolf lunged at Santa. Her concentration broken, Chaud was released from her grasp. She stepped back and the wolf bit down on the gun. The she-wolf pulled the gun away and Sanya pulled a hand gun from her belt.

“No!” Amber lunged at Sanya before she could think.

She had seen her brother’s melee each other several of times. All she had to do was access a clear memory and copy it. Amber closed her eyes for a moment as she ran as she tried to picture what her brothers did. She spun on one leg and kicked the gin out of Sanya’s hand. Surprised, Sanya didn’t know how to react.

Amber kicked her in the stomach but Sanya used her arm to block the attack. Sanya grabbed Amber by the shoulder but all she grabbed was air. Amber ducked down and kicked Sanya’s legs out from under her. Sanya fell to the ground. Amber looked for the hand gun and grabbed it. When she tried to lift the gun off the ground it felt like it weighted several pounds.

Sanya jumped to her feet. She walked over to Amber and grabbed at her hair. Amber screamed and fought against her captor. Her screams instantly drew Chaud’s attention.

“Are we boring you!?” Zathura called.

Chaud turned only slightly before he was struck with the hammer end of Zathura’s battle axe. He was blown back and lay on the ground dazed. Zathura’s shadow counterpart rushed forward and raised its axe, blade end down, in a deadly vertical attack.

“Chaud!” Vicky looked over her shoulder.

Vicky threw her hand out at Yin and blew her back with a gust of wind. She then threw one of her axes at the shadow. Already knowing that would hit her target; she turned around to deal with Yin. Instead of Yin, someone ran at her from her right. Vicky raised her shuriken shield. The ringing of blades striking rang through the air.

Ren looked at her with his uncovered eye and smiled, “You know, you’re pretty cute. Shame I have to fight you though.”

Vicky felt herself turn a shade of red, “That isn’t going to work you know! I’m still going to fight you!”

Ren looked confused, “I was just stating a fact not trying to trick you. Either way—”

Ren pulled away at slashed at her again with one of his symitars. Vicky parried with her shield and upon impact she blew at him. A gust of wind picked up and blew Ren back. He quickly recovered and ran at her. Vicky readied herself for his attack but was caught off guard when instead of attacking her directly he jumped over her. He landed on his feet behind her and attacked at her side. Vicky turned to one side quickly the blade only cutting at her clothes and only a scratch on her skin.

Yin returned and tried to attack while Vicky was occupied. Vicky dodged the attack to her left shoulder and leaned to her right side. She used her powers to use the wind to lift herself into the air. Vicky floated toward Amber and Sanya but felt gravity pull her back to the ground.

“Go!” Vicky called.

Kew jumped off her shoulder and ran toward Sanya. He ran up to Sanya and bit her leg. Sanya cried out in pain releasing Vicky from the gravity bind just in time as both Ren and Yin ran at her. She pulled her ice axe out and blocked an attack from Yin’s glaive. Vicky turned and attacked Ren with her throwing axe.

To be Continued…