~~WINNERS & LOSERS~~

PART 12

April

The battle commenced. Silence greeted the start of the battle and silence embraced it throughout the fight.

Jake launched himself off the icy surface first, causing snow to pile on the ground form the mere friction of his black snowshoes. Shade followed and brandished a summoning rock and implanted life in his shadow, now a three-dimensional blob of darkness. He then attached two steelys to his casters and fired an airborne attack at Jake. The shadow followed suit.

Jake managed a chuckle and easily dodged the attack matrix style. Something told me Jake was over-confident and this would result in his downfall. But what could I do to help him? I could only sit helplessly in grievance.

Jake then turned and gave me an ‘its gonna be okay’ look, amplifying my worries greatly. He landed on the ground and dived away, four deadly steelys embedded in the snow where Jake had been recovering a millisecond before.

Jake then whipped out his varkit and dashed at Shade for an assaulter. Shade rolled into the snow and Jake’s dagger flew overhead. Shade then realised his mistake; no sooner had Jake sped past when the sound of coins clanked all over him.

There was a colourful display of fireworks and smoke filled the air. Jake then cautiously approached the haze. For a second all was still and the smoke cleared. He stared in disbelief as Shade’s shadow stood rooted to the snow, completely unharmed.

“Hey leader, always watch your shadow!” Shade laughed evilly as he sprang from Jake’s back and fired a line of throwing knives through Jake’s body, finishing off with a stab of his claw.

An anguishing scream echoed the barren lands and Shade threw his claw up in victory. He then stared in horror of the realisation that his claw was not bloodstained. The corpse turned out to be a shadow; one grinning slyly with a dynamite plunger gripped firmly in its hands.

Shade threw himself into the air as more eruptions occurred on the ice. A rain of frozen shards split from the ground and embedded themselves in Shade’s thick cape. Shade mounted himself on an ice crystal, unscathed but in need of a new cape badly.

Jake then revealed his position behind the shadow and threw his dagger at the startled hermit. With lightning speed the varkit savagely tore at Shade. Shade frantically rolled away but the ferocious stabbing had entangled itself in his musketeer cape. Once again bloated with confidence and pride, Jake melodically swung his arm several times to smash Shade’s jaw at the cold hard ground.

Shade screamed in anguishing pain, thick crimson blood continually blurting out of his mouth. His tanned skin complexion had been charred black and scars concealed his handsome traits.

Jake revolted at the horrification lying before him and started to back away. But before he was out of range Shade suddenly lifted his hand and stabbed the casters into Jake’s leg. Jake immediately crashed into the jagged ground. Ice crystals easily hazardous as sharp glass pierced into his back and Jake vomited on the ground before his paralysed body numbed.

By now I could not take it anymore. Dashing into the centre of the battlefield I whipped up my evil wings and heal Jake like my life depended on it. Slowly Jake’s wounds got better, but he was still left in a coma.

“Hey you are not supposed to interfere with Black Death battles!” Two hermits grabbed my arms and dragged my flailing body back.

A cloaked man approached Jake and injected him with a liquid and then did the same with Shade. At once they started coughing loudly and regained consciousness. I could not believe how insensitive Black Death was. They were not helping anyone, only forcing Jake and his opponent to fight by preventing them from resting.

Jake struggled to sit up but was hammered down by a shadow web attack from Shade. He was helpless as he encountered predatory. As if he was crazed for blood, Shade crawled towards Jake, his mind corrupted by sheer insanity.

Then Jake turned is head in my direction. He sensed my worry. He sensed my care. And from that he had derived strength and hope. Yellow light exploded from his dagger and six bandits appeared.

Shade snarled and launched an avenger, disintegrating the bandits into dust, but not before they freed Jake. Jake quickly threw aside the webs and gulped down a power elixir. Energy surged through his weak body and Jake once again stood up mightily. This battle was alive yet once more.

Shade, also having consumed potions, was the first to leap into action. He grabbed stars a dozen at a time and turned them into gigantic avengers, throwing these powerful stars at his enemy.

The stars smashed straight into Jake, who was still hurt, but he was not exactly unprepared. After the attacks had cut through Jake he was still alright. Destroyed mesos, however, fell onto the ground, enraging Shade. Jake’s witty last minute skill had just saved his life.

Both Shade and Jake gasped for air. The twenty minutes of merciless assassination attempts might have been short, but certainly much exhausting. Thieves were made to end a victim’s life in a matter of seconds; any longer and they would be straining themselves.

For a minute both rested lifelessly, Shade lying on the holy stone and Jake kneeling on the ground, both their eyes trading glares of hatred.

Then Jake started again with a savage blow. He jumped at Shade the varkit performed six illusionary stabs. Shade tried to block them but he had been fooled. Time was taken to defend oneself. This time, if used by the enemy correctly, could result in a fatal second attack.

After finishing the savage blow Jake turned and tried an assaulter again. By now most were expectant of Jake’s victory. If Shade bothered to turn around he would have been sliced into two. If he tried a flash jump the same thing would happen before he could execute the escape plan.

But I knew at once Shade had something up his sleeves. As Jake slashed for a mortal blow smoke engulfed him. Searing pain swept through his body and Jake felled to the ground, his body decomposing in gas. Shade had used a phosphorous bomb against him!

Shade would not have been fast enough, but if he had planted the bomb on the holy stone previously . . . I did the maths and the pieces fitted perfectly.

Shade was obviously cheating! I charged at Shade again, mad at his cunningness; his mediocre cunningness. Black Death members tried to stop me but I shook them off with a shining ray. I ran to Jake and shook him. It was no use, there was no heartbeat whatsoever.

I then shifted my intensive hatred to Shade. He was going to pay dearly. Holding up my evil wings I unleashed a blast of power. But something did not seem right. I was a weak priest. All the Black Death members were ten times more powerful than me. If this was the case, why did they seem so frightened?

I realised they were not looking at me, they were looking behind me. Curious, I turned my head. I screamed. I screamed like I had never screamed before.