Imagination BK2: The Imagineres

Chapter 8: The Shape Shifter

As we entered the cave, I noticed something wrong immediatly. I felt, I don't know, weaker, then I usually am. I shifted, it wasn't a comfortable feeling. The whole cave was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing, not even Reflamen could see anything.

I cast a firespell and a small fireball appeared on my hand. The light illuminated the walls of the cave, revealing a narrow passage that we had to go through. Reflamen would only just be able to fit. I took the lead. We started to walk through the cave. 

This was a very strange cave. The walls were slightly glowing, yet they weren't glowing with light. It was a dark blue sheen, almost black, that seemed to make the cave even darker then it already was. The light only showed a little of what was in front of us, and even that didn't show us anything except where to step.

We walked for hours through that cave, Reflamen was shuffling behind us. He growled every so often when a rock managed to squeeze its way past his scales. 

'I'm getting a bath after this,' he said.

'And you'll deserve it as well.' I replied.

Finally the cave started to widen. It was strange because I would have thought the cave would have reached the other side of the volcano by now. We hadn't been going down, that much was for certain, but then again, this island was strange and maybe it had been stretching the cave as we went along. 

I saw a light. It was faint, and not the right colour, but it was light. As we got closer the light started to illuminate the cave walls and letting us see what was ahead. I extinguished the flame. Suddenly the cave spread, revealing a large cavern so vast that I couldn't see the other side. 

"Wow," was all I could say.

Ares walked up next to me, staring across the vast cavern. He frowned and drew his mace.

"Something's down there," he said, "And it doesn't seem friendly."

I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to go into my imaginative state. All I saw was black. I frowned and attempted again but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't imagine.

'What's wrong?' I thought, 'This usually works.'

'It's the cave,' said Reflamen, 'I believe Ares when he says we're not alone. There is a strange sent in the air, and it doesn't smell like anything I know, but there is something else I sense. It's strange but it seems kind of like the aura you put off, but different at the same time.'

I frowned and drew my swords. I don't know how but the cave took away my ability to imagine.

"Let's go," I said, "The sooner we find The Shape Shifter the better."

We started to walk down a narrow pathway to the bottom of the cavern. Reflamen didn't follow but instead spread his wings and took to the air. He had to beet his wings heavily, there was hardly any wind at all in the cave. 

We made it to the bottom without any trouble. There were dead trees scattered all over the place, there branches looming out like hands. There was also this strange mist swirling about, cold to the touch. I drew my two swords.

We started to make our way through the trees, Reflamen circling over us. It was completely silent, except for the occasional beat of Reflamen's wings, or when one of us accidently kicked a loose rock. I was beginning to wonder if we had come this way for nothing.

I was suddenly hit from the side and launched towards a nearby tree. Instincts took over and I flipped in midair, landing on the tree trunk with my feet and springing of it, landing on the ground. I looked around and saw Ares on the ground, knocked out cold.