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.
I gripped the hilt of my swords tighter.
"Who's there!" I yelled out, "Show youself!"
'Behind you!' cried Reflamen.
I spun around with my swords, striking quickly. They were stopped in midair. I was face to face with a man. He was extremely tall, probably almost eight feet, and he was thin, very thin. He was also surprisingly tanned, with black hair and gray eyes.
His hand was held out to his side, flat palmed, with my two swords resting upon it. He shoved his hand forward and I went flying backwards, landing a few metres away. I rolled to my feet, just in time to block a stroke from a dagger. I struck back, but the man disappeared.
I was already out of breath, this didn't look good. I withdrew my swords and summoned my flame blades. They appeared with a blinding flash, the few trees around me were set on fire. As soon as I summoned them they moved, reaching around and blocking a lighting fast dagger stroke. It struck back just as quickly, heating up the blades so they cut the dagger in half.
The man stumbled back, surprised. I continued on with my attack, striking quickly and officiently. The man dodged the blades smoothly, not even worried about the blades. He suddenly disappeared and reappeared some way away from me, the he changed. His body started to shrink and turn black, his teeth becoming razor sharp and claws sprouting from his hand, until standing in front of me was a black panther.
I blinked surprised, then the panther lept at me. I swung my swords, catching it in midleap, but it disappeared in a whisp of black smoke. Something landed on my back, something heavy, claws peiced my back. I yelped and turned over, throughing the panther off. It pounced again. I cast a wind spell, making it go flying high into the air. It growled in surprise.
When it was high enough, I cancelled the wind spell, but instead of falling the panther started to change again, until it was an eagle. Fire washed over it. Reflamen swooped by and stopped, hovering near the burning bird. A fireball suddenly flew from the fire and hit Reflamen square in the head. He growled and shook himself, then the bird attacked.
It landed on his head and started to scratch and peck at his eyes. He growled and with a strong throw of his head, threw it off. He breathed his explosive fire, but the bird easily dodge. I turned towards Ares, who was now regaining consciousness. He groaned and sat up.
"What happened?" he said.
"I don't know," I replied, "But I think we've found the shape shifter."
I pointed towards Reflamen and the bird.
"A bird?" said Ares.
"No, it started of as a man, then a panther, now it's a bird," I said.
Ares nodded. The bird opened its beek and a fireball rocketed out.
"That can apparantly breath fire," I said.
Reflamen swung his tail around, but the bird was just to small a target.
"We better help him," I said.
I started to run through the forest. Ares followed. I summoned my bow and drew and arrow, aimed, then fired. The arrow flew up through the forest then straight towards the dragon and bird. It went straight through a gap between Reflamen's head and wing, hitting the bird in the right shoulder. It shreeked and faulted. Reflamen swung his wing and clobbered the bird, blasting it into the ground below.
We ran to where the eagle had landed. I drew my another arrow. The bird had changed back into the man, he was crawling out of a whole in the ground, clutching his shoulder. A huge arrow stuck from it. He gritted his teeth and pulled it out, the flesh instantly healing. He smiled at me.
I launched the arrow in my string. He flicked out his hand and court it easily. I lowered the bow, the dropped it, letting it disappear, then resummoned the blades. Ares gripped his mace tightly. The man cracked his neck.
"Who are you?" I said.
"Wouldn't you like to know," replied the man in a surprisingly clear voice. It didn't crackle or sound evil at all.
"Are you the Shape Shifter?" I said.
The man tilted his head, and smiled, saying nothing. Ares cried out in annoyance.
"Enough of this!" he yelled, then jumped towards the man in one bound, his mace held over his head.
The man put out his finger. Ares swung down with an extremely strong stroke. The two collided. A crack was heard. The mace shattered. The man moved quickly and elbowed Ares right in the chin, knocking him out for a second time. The peices of the mace landed on the ground, followed by Ares' body.
The man looked towards me. I readied my double blades. His hands suddenly changed into two long swords, almost touching the ground, the man charged with and extremely strong stroke. I blocked, then blocked again. The man moved so quickly it was all I could do to keep up. I couldn't even strike back.
He growled then a sudden force hit me. I flew back surprised. I was suddenly haulted in midair, a sharp pain peicing my body. I grunted. Looking down I saw a sword, stuck through my heart. The blackness hit me hard.
Relief. That was all I could feel as colour flicked across my vision. I was laying on the floor. It was cold, very cold, and I gasped. I tried to remember what, happened, and when I did I looked up with shock. The man was standing over me, his hand held out. He looked a whole lot more friendly suddenly.
I gripped his hand, surprisingly strong, and he hauled me to my feet.
"Hello," he said, "Sorry about before. I just wanted to know if you could fight. You can call me The Shape Shifter, and I have agreed to teach you what I know."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey guys. New chapter. I hope you enjoyed, vote and comment if you did, I'd like some more votes. I'll post the next chapter soon. See Ya!
Pennator^^