Chapter 6: The Dark One and His Helper
"You could avoid using so much power when hitting me you know?" The dark figure starts to slowly massage his right arm while looking at a precise point of a room in a remote location. 2 eyes opened slowly from the darkness "It was necessary, master, for it to seem real. Bear with the pain" the dark figure smirked lightly "I do not feel pain from so little, anyway...how is the situation with the group?" the shadow nods lightly "They are still unaware of me and the situation seems to be going as planned. Other than some skirmishes, they are pretty much weak and useless" the dark figure nods back "Very well, keep me updated and try not to be caught" The shadow nods and disappears in an instant while the dark figure started smiling alone in the room.
Drake and the others were training in the new arranged place they managed to organize as per their needs. The kitchen was refurnished, Drake's room was arranged to be able to host all of the team, the living room was made into a sort of training room which allowed them to hone their skills for the next battle. The other rooms where used for whatever other needs they had or came up along the way.
Drake was sitting on a couch, looking outside the window with Reit near him training. "Something wrong kiddo? You seem a little off today..." Drake smiled faintly "Just thinking...I am kind of sad about Talah, maybe I should've taken her with us" Reit stopped training and looked at him "I know how you feel Drake but...her life would had been in danger constantly, also, she would've been a burden for us...you know how difficult is to fight when protecting someone..." Drake nodded briefly and returned to look out of the window silently, Reit simply sighed and resumed training. After some time, Iris came out of the room yawning "Oh? You already up? Usually Drake is the last to wake up..." Drake smiles again faintly to Iris and then returns to watch the crimson sky "Something wrong?" Reit was unsure how to say it to Iris, she knows how much she doesn't like the presence of Talah near Drake, still...she tried to explain her the situation "Well...he is thinking about Talah, or more precisely....ehm, how can I put this, he is unsure that his choice was a good one" Iris stood silently and listened to what Reit had to say, she could not really react and simply started thinking for several moments before starting to walk toward Drake. Reit was pretty worried about the situation but choose to leave the 2 alone, it was the best thing she could think of.
Iris stopped in front of Drake, her eyes seemed sad but her hands were showing her anger although she tried to cover them behind her back. Drake turned his eyes toward the young Iris and sighed "Sorry...I know that we cannot allow others to know about us...but...I still cannot forget her sorrow in that situation, it kinda hurts to know that we had to cancel her memory. I mean, she was one of the few that I could call my friend..." Iris lost all her anger and embraced him sweetly and gently while taking a sit next to him and whispering to his ear softly "I know how you feel Drake, I lost my parents like that, I know it is painful, it's hard to bear with it, but please...don't forget that now you have a new family to live with and you cannot take care of them if you live in the past..." Iris sighed slightly and smiled to him while letting him go "I promise that we will take care of her all right? Don't worry, she will be alright, but we need you Drake...never forget that" Drake was astonished by her words and could not answer back, he simply nodded back and smiled "Thank you..." those were the only words that came out of him. Iris jumped up and smiled "Good! Now get up, let's go make something to eat..." At the same moment Lifia came inside the house "We have visitors..." Iris and Reit immediately went to the entrance "What?" Lifia nodded slowly "I sensed some shadows out the city limits and went to check....there seems to be forming quite a force there, we must intervene fast..." Reit and Iris nodded to each other and started to prepare for the fight, Drake was thinking about everything Iris said and could not fully focus, but the group went toward the zone that Lifia confirmed to be home of some dark shadows nonetheless.
Once there, several shadows began to surround them and taking them by surprise. "EMBODY!" The group started to transform and everyone took their first form. "Reit why dont you use your second form?" Reit seemed a little distressed "I can't seem to call the necessary power...I still don't know how it works and, besides, it uses a lot of energy..." The group started to fight in all directions.
A dark figure was watching while floating in the sky a little farther from the group and smiling "Very well my little shadow....". The shadows began to disappear one after another, the group was very strong and united, defeating the shadows that ambushed them. Once every enemy was out, the group relaxed a little and looked around "No enemy in sight..." Lifia nodded "Still, it was a strange place for them to rally, also how did they managed to ambush us if we knew they were here?" Iris seemed a little perplexed, some things seemed a little out of place "Also, the battle was fairly easy, none managed to land a good blow on us..." Reit nodded after that little observation "Indeed strange.." After a while a huge shadow began to form behind the group and laughed "Silly guardians" the group turned around "Another one..." Drake snorted annoyed and started to rush against the shadow, but it easily dodged his attack and, with one single blow, made him fly against a tree not too far from their position "Ngh.....how?" The girls were surprised by the agility and strength of the new enemy and were unsure on how to attack. Iris noticed the characteristics of the enemy "Drake don't rush it, it's a shadow as the one we fought when we found you, it's quite a powerful enemy and a fast one too. Remember how it took you out with only one hit?" Drake got back on his feet while spitting on the floor "No need to remember me about that one...still, how did he managed to take me out if you were supposed to protect me?" Iris watched down embarrassed "Well...he was too fast....." Drake sighs slightly and then started to prepare for another attack "Then let's not leave it time to react...ready?" The girls nodded firmly.
"GO!" All the team started to rush against the target and began attacking it with all their might but the shadow, with some difficulty, seemed to manage to avoid their attacks "Fools, your attacks are far too slow for me, you don't stand a chance" The group stopped attacking and retreated a little farther away from the target "Tch, too fast for us" Iris seemed stressed out "Lifia! We must use again the dual feline attack, it's our best shot at it..." Lifia nodded "But it will tire us out, also, its been too little since the last one we used. We might not be able to sustain it until the end of the fight" Iris nodded seriously "I know, but I cannot overcome this one with my speed only also, without this, we might be defeated faster, let's go!" Lifia nodded and started to concentrate with Iris, their body began to shift into a light orb and start, little by little, to rotate around each other and going faster and faster. After a while, the 2 orbs began to rush against the enemy, their movements were so fast that it was almost impossible to follow. The shadow formed a creepy smile on its face "How interesting, but will you be able to defeat me? Bwahahaha!" That said it started to defend itself against the attacks of the combined strength of Iris and Lifia but could not overcome their speed and took many hits, although it seemed to not feel them as much. "Damn, their power is getting weaker, they don't have enough energy..." Reit seemed quite frustrated but had a point, the orbs started to get slower and their attack weaker, until both turned back to their original form and fell on their knees trying to regain stamina "Damn....it sustained all our attacks, we were too weak to fight it..." The shadow laughed amused "Such a pity..." A single attack of it was what it took for it to send the 2 guardians flying toward Drake and Reit, which, managed to catch them and save them from quite a rude landing.
Drake started to check on them "You all right girls?" Iris could not answer, she seemed exhausted but Lifia seemed to be able to answer "We are all right, but we used all of our power..." Reit bit her lips "Damn you!" Her rage started to build up as she began to change form. Drake stood there to watch the transformation while tending the girls "Drake, take care of them, I have to go say hi to a friend..." Drake nod "Pay attention". Reit rushed in the fight like a murdero
us and crazy assassin who could not wait to taste the blood of his target, Drake in the meanwhile, watched her going ahead and tried to help Iris and Lifia to get back up. Reit was superior in power and speed for the shadow who seemed to have problems in keeping up with her but it still managed to defend against some blows. "Tch, stupid shadow, you will fall!" The shadow smiled and, from it's mouth, started to emerge a strange black light. A few moments later it shoot out a black beam toward Reit which was fully blown away by it but managed to land on her feet. "Damn you!" She was panting heavily but seemed to not have surrendered yet, a surge of energy got over her body and it started to glow red "I WILL OBLITERATE YOU, YOU STUPID PIECE OF SCUM!" after yelling with anger, she almost instantly reached him and started a flurry of attacks toward the shadow, which was unable to even see, let alone defend against them. After many hits, Reit charged one last attack, her fist was ready in the air, a huge red energy ball around it and after few moments, she launched it against the shadow with all her power, disintegrating the shadow under the immense pressure and power of the attack, causing it to disappear in thin air. Reit was unable to maintain the transformation anymore and shifted back, panting heavily and falling to her knees.
"You all right Reit?" Drake seemed a little worried, he was the only one still in shape to fight together with Lifia, Iris shifted back too because of the low energy she had left. "Damn....let's retreat, we are all exhausted..." While the day started to shift into evening, a voice could be heard in the air "So soon? And here I was hoping for another little show..." The dark figured appeared over the group smiling "Well well, you seem quite tired, took me quite a while to call so many friend to fight you, but it seems it paid off" Drake was already in fight pose "What do you want? We aren't afraid of fighting you!" The dark figure laughed amused "Really?" With only a single powerful blow sent Reit flying away and making her lose her consciousness "Seems to me that, your group, lost already another fighter..." Drake seemed troubled by the situation "I won't back off!" after that he started to rush against the dark figure, fighting it with all his might but, as hard as he fought, his strength and energy were fading slowly, his power started to diminish little by little while the dark figure smiled without counter attacking once. After a while Drake jumped back "Damn you! Fight me!" The dark figure laughed again "I don't need to fight you, besides, your team is already wiped out, you are not a problem, but I don't want to kill you yet...I want to have some fun with you little toys" Drake started to get angry "What do you m.." Without finishing his sentence, he was put out cold by Lifia with a surprise attack from behind, which left him without any power and made him transform back while losing consciousness.
Iris was already out cold for a while to the hand of Lifia, the dark figure laughed "Very well my little pupil, now we can have fun with our little toys" Lifia kneel before him and nodded "Yes master, as you planned, they fell under our attacks" The dark figure nodded "Yes, it was smart of you to think how to drain their strength using those techniques. Also the choice of shadows: weak but many and fast but tough was brilliant, I taught you well my dear" Lifia nodded once again "Indeed master, it took some time to get into their group, I learned how to fight them efficiently, it was thanks to your power that I was able to put all this in act". The dark figure laughed and nodded "I am glad you recognized my power and ability little one, now...let us take them on a little trip in our modest place, shall we?" Lifia simply nodded without showing any kind of emotion or whatsoever, she was as indifferent as ever, she just obeyed the order of her master and started to carry the bodies, leaving the battlefield while the night was setting in.