Fighting the Shadows
This is Part Three in a series.
Part One, Part Two
Finbar looked at me. “Do you have a plan?”
A plan would be necessary for rescuing Master Harrison, wouldn't it? It was too bad I didn't actually have one. Before, I would have suggested various magical methods for freeing him, but I had just lost my magic. That left me with nearly nothing. Still, I need to think of something.
I sighed. “We get out of bed, get dressed and go to the cabin as soon as we're able and hope nothing too nasty stands in our way. Bring your sword and hope you don't have to use it.”
Finbar raised an eyebrow. “That's not much of a plan.”
I agreed, “No, it isn't. But we don't have time to create a better one. I sense time is running out.”
He wondered, “Do you have a weapon? And any idea what to do with it?”
The answer was yes for the first question and maybe for the second one. I possessed a dagger, a gift from my father, but I hadn't used it for combat in years, favoring magic on the few occasions I had to fight.
I mumbled, “I have a dagger.”
Let us hope I didn't need it.
* * *
Dressed and armed, we made our way out of the inn. Even from here, I could smell the sea. I knew we were close to the cabin. Weak as he was, Master Harrison wouldn't have been able to send a dream-message over a very long distance. I was about to turn down a alleyway when Finbar grabbed my wrist.
He warned, “Don't go that way.”
I asked, “Why? It's a shortcut and we don't have much time.”
Finbar explained, “There's a gang that uses that alleyway. I've...run afoul of them. We shouldn't even be in this territory”
Normally, I would have asked him what he did and why we shouldn't be here, but we were on an urgent mission. Finbar made his way back the way we came and I ended up following him. As I walked behind him, I couldn't help noticing how attractive...certain parts were in the pants he wore. I chastised myself for getting so improperly distracted.
I recognized another pathway once we got to the end of the street and quickly placed myself ahead of my roommate. Before I knew it, we were at the rocky beach where I knew the cabin would be. The crowd was far thinner here, and those that did show up moved fearfully, like they wished very much to be elsewhere. It was midday, but it felt like nighttime on this beach. It wasn't anything obvious. Rather, some mysterious quality sucked what cheer there was out of the surroundings.
Spotting the cabin, I exclaimed, “Oh no!”
Unlike in my dream, undulating blackness crawled all over the cabin. Instantly, I recognized it: a Despair Shield. Designed to induce a state of suicidal mental agony on anyone who touched it, such spells were nearly impossible to cross.
I turned to Finbar, a stricken expression on my face. “A Despair Shield. We can't cross it.”
The only positive of the situation was that whatever was holding Master Harrison should be severely weakened by crafting that spell. If we could somehow magically cross it, defeating the evil inside should be doable. Only, I was all out of magic.
Instead of looking defeated, my roommate was strangely resolute. “Take my hand. We can cross it.”
I stood there, uncomprehending.
Finbar repeated, more urgently, “Take my hand. We can cross it.”
He offered me his hand, and I took it, still not understanding.
He ordered, “Whatever you do, whatever you feel, don't let go. I can get us through.”
Without waiting for me to respond, he ran towards the cabin's door. Touching the shield like it were nothing, he opened the door. Upon the contact with the Despair Shield, I started to shake. The agony came upon me, wave after wave after wave. The memories followed. All the failures, all the rejections. My mother saying I ruined her life. My father hitting me for dropping the water from the well. The kids in school picking on me for my tattered clothes. Getting rejected from the Order of White Mages.
Through all that, Finbar pulled me forward.
A voice sounded in my head, Let go of his hand. You don't deserve him.
It was so compelling, and the sense of worthlessness was so complete, I nearly did. My fingers started to slip from his.
Finbar hissed, “Don't you dare let go! You're worth more than the spell!”
No, I wasn't.
He insisted, “Don't listen to it, or I will come to the afterlife and kill you again for falling for it.” Finbar's hand clamped down on mine, and it was solid enough that I didn't let go. Tears fell freely from my eyes, because I didn't deserve to survive the spell. I was a failure. Using my free hand, I reached for my dagger in order to end this.
Finbar noticed what I was doing .He yanked on my arm, and I fell forward onto my knees. Suddenly, the despair lifted. It was such a jarring transition that I felt dizzy and unable to stand. I was sure I looked a mess. I glanced up at Finbar, who still stood. He looked the same as he did before, still with that resolute expression, which should not have been possible.
I wondered, “H-how?”
He said simply, “I've been through worse.”
I didn't want to know what could be worse than that, and, by Finbar's tone, I could tell he didn't want to explain. From inside the cabin, the shield looked the same as it did on the outside, crawling along the walls with sickening waves.
Someone screamed.
“Master Harrison!” I shouted, “He must be in the next room!”
I got out my dagger, and Finbar drew his sword. He did look dashing, preparing to fight like that. I hoped he fought as well as he looked because I was shaking too badly to be much use. That Despair Shield felt like it hadn't completely left me, or maybe it was just simple fear from an ex-mage trying to fight an unknown creature without magic.
Finbar kicked down the door. What was beyond it was almost too horrible for words.
A vaguely humanoid shadow hovered over Master Harrison, who was tied to the bed with ropes made of that same shadowy substance. Both creature and ropes looked like the material of the Despair Shield. For all I knew, that creature could be made of despair. It held a knife, also made of shadow, and was twisting it in Master Harrison's stomach and chuckling deeply to itself. Master Harrison didn't bleed, but he screamed in agony from the strange shadow knife. The evil creature didn't notice us.
It noticed when Finbar charged it with his sword. He stabbed it where its heart would be if it had one. He ran it right through. The thing just laughed. Finbar's eyes widened in shock. Tendrils of shadow ran down the sword towards him. I tried to push him away from them. I failed; Finbar was immobilized as the stuff crept up his arms.
He choked out, “I can hold it off. Get Master Harrison out of here.”
Master Harrison gasped, “Breccan, untie me while it's distracted.” I looked around, desperate for something that could untie shadow rope. My Master said, “Use your magic.”
I had to confess, “Master, I don't have my magic anymore.” I turned bright red, I was sure.
My Master's face showed confusion. His eyes landed on Finbar, who struggled with the shadow. Understanding, and disappointment, dawned clear on his face. “I see. I can remove these ropes and help your...friend, but it will cost me. Dearly. I didn't want to tap into my life force, but I'm afraid that's the only way to defeat the thing, since you're of no use.”
I said quietly, “Then do it.”
With a great scream, Master Harrison flung his arms forward. He freed himself of the shadow rope, which dissolved upon breaking. He did the same thing with his legs. Underneath his tan, he was deathly pale. I knew that meant he was truly near death. Staggering, my Master rose from the bed. He positioned his hands like he were carrying a large ball. Indeed, a large glowing ball of white nergy formed between them. He pulled his arms back and threw the energy at the shadow creature.
It struck the creature on its head. It let out a terrible inhuman shriek that made me drop to the ground, and cover my ears. The shadow burst into fragments of black matter. They all dissolved. Finbar dropped to the ground, his sword clattering. I could see he was breathing heavily. Shadow stuff still crawled around him. Beside me, Master Harrison collapsed as well. He didn't breathe heavily. He didn't breathe at all.
I checked my Master. He had no pulse of life and was unquestionably dead. My breath caught in my throat, but I had no time to despair, not yet, because I had to see if Finbar was okay. His body crawled with the shadows and his eyes had darkened, yet he breathed. I didn't understand how this was even possible. I knelt beside him and asked, “Are you okay?”
It was a stupid question, but I had nothing better. He rasped, “I'm fine. I can't get rid of them, but the shadows from that monster won't kill me.”
How could that be? I looked him in his strangely darkened, nearly-black eyes. “What?”
He tried to explain, “I made the shadows a part of me, made that monster's essence listen to me. I think I have some of its power, now. Not by choice.”
I reached a hand towards Finbar, before wondering if it were even safe to touch him. He noticed, saying “I'm safe. The shadows shouldn't harm you, though I don't know how they'll feel...” Finbar looked sadder than I had ever seen him.
Hesitantly, I placed a hand on his shoulder. It was strangely cold, and I could feel the undulating shadows on my skin. They didn't try to hurt me, but the sensation was discomfiting. Still, I wasn't going to leave Finbar alone after he had tried to help me. I thought, without him, I would likely be dead. He was braver than I, and he had paid for it.
Finbar's expression brightened ever so slightly at my touch, though he still looked unbelievably sad. He whispered, “I'm sorry I couldn't save your Master. I failed.”
I reassured him, “It's alright. That monster needed to be stopped, and you allowed that to happen.” It wasn't quite alright, but that monster posed a danger I could sense yet couldn't explain. The thing's essence was truly evil, and I could not imagine a creature like that would capture a master mage like Master Harrison without some nefarious purpose in mind.
“Thank you,” Finbar said.
I helped him stand, letting him lean against me despite the strangeness of the shadows I could feel on his body. Everything that had happened was almost too much to bear. I started shaking and soon needed Finbar's support to stand more than he needed mine. My eyes stung, and I found myself unable to speak, though a strangled whine escaped from my throat. None of this should have happened. Master Harrison shouldn't have been dead, and Finbar shouldn't be corrupted by the shadow monster. It should have been me fighting to save Master Harrison, but I wasn't able to do it. Finbar hadn't failed. I had.
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written for 500themes prompt #25 - "Suffer the Agony"
Part One, Part Two
Finbar looked at me. “Do you have a plan?”
A plan would be necessary for rescuing Master Harrison, wouldn't it? It was too bad I didn't actually have one. Before, I would have suggested various magical methods for freeing him, but I had just lost my magic. That left me with nearly nothing. Still, I need to think of something.
I sighed. “We get out of bed, get dressed and go to the cabin as soon as we're able and hope nothing too nasty stands in our way. Bring your sword and hope you don't have to use it.”
Finbar raised an eyebrow. “That's not much of a plan.”
I agreed, “No, it isn't. But we don't have time to create a better one. I sense time is running out.”
He wondered, “Do you have a weapon? And any idea what to do with it?”
The answer was yes for the first question and maybe for the second one. I possessed a dagger, a gift from my father, but I hadn't used it for combat in years, favoring magic on the few occasions I had to fight.
I mumbled, “I have a dagger.”
Let us hope I didn't need it.
* * *
Dressed and armed, we made our way out of the inn. Even from here, I could smell the sea. I knew we were close to the cabin. Weak as he was, Master Harrison wouldn't have been able to send a dream-message over a very long distance. I was about to turn down a alleyway when Finbar grabbed my wrist.
He warned, “Don't go that way.”
I asked, “Why? It's a shortcut and we don't have much time.”
Finbar explained, “There's a gang that uses that alleyway. I've...run afoul of them. We shouldn't even be in this territory”
Normally, I would have asked him what he did and why we shouldn't be here, but we were on an urgent mission. Finbar made his way back the way we came and I ended up following him. As I walked behind him, I couldn't help noticing how attractive...certain parts were in the pants he wore. I chastised myself for getting so improperly distracted.
I recognized another pathway once we got to the end of the street and quickly placed myself ahead of my roommate. Before I knew it, we were at the rocky beach where I knew the cabin would be. The crowd was far thinner here, and those that did show up moved fearfully, like they wished very much to be elsewhere. It was midday, but it felt like nighttime on this beach. It wasn't anything obvious. Rather, some mysterious quality sucked what cheer there was out of the surroundings.
Spotting the cabin, I exclaimed, “Oh no!”
Unlike in my dream, undulating blackness crawled all over the cabin. Instantly, I recognized it: a Despair Shield. Designed to induce a state of suicidal mental agony on anyone who touched it, such spells were nearly impossible to cross.
I turned to Finbar, a stricken expression on my face. “A Despair Shield. We can't cross it.”
The only positive of the situation was that whatever was holding Master Harrison should be severely weakened by crafting that spell. If we could somehow magically cross it, defeating the evil inside should be doable. Only, I was all out of magic.
Instead of looking defeated, my roommate was strangely resolute. “Take my hand. We can cross it.”
I stood there, uncomprehending.
Finbar repeated, more urgently, “Take my hand. We can cross it.”
He offered me his hand, and I took it, still not understanding.
He ordered, “Whatever you do, whatever you feel, don't let go. I can get us through.”
Without waiting for me to respond, he ran towards the cabin's door. Touching the shield like it were nothing, he opened the door. Upon the contact with the Despair Shield, I started to shake. The agony came upon me, wave after wave after wave. The memories followed. All the failures, all the rejections. My mother saying I ruined her life. My father hitting me for dropping the water from the well. The kids in school picking on me for my tattered clothes. Getting rejected from the Order of White Mages.
Through all that, Finbar pulled me forward.
A voice sounded in my head, Let go of his hand. You don't deserve him.
It was so compelling, and the sense of worthlessness was so complete, I nearly did. My fingers started to slip from his.
Finbar hissed, “Don't you dare let go! You're worth more than the spell!”
No, I wasn't.
He insisted, “Don't listen to it, or I will come to the afterlife and kill you again for falling for it.” Finbar's hand clamped down on mine, and it was solid enough that I didn't let go. Tears fell freely from my eyes, because I didn't deserve to survive the spell. I was a failure. Using my free hand, I reached for my dagger in order to end this.
Finbar noticed what I was doing .He yanked on my arm, and I fell forward onto my knees. Suddenly, the despair lifted. It was such a jarring transition that I felt dizzy and unable to stand. I was sure I looked a mess. I glanced up at Finbar, who still stood. He looked the same as he did before, still with that resolute expression, which should not have been possible.
I wondered, “H-how?”
He said simply, “I've been through worse.”
I didn't want to know what could be worse than that, and, by Finbar's tone, I could tell he didn't want to explain. From inside the cabin, the shield looked the same as it did on the outside, crawling along the walls with sickening waves.
Someone screamed.
“Master Harrison!” I shouted, “He must be in the next room!”
I got out my dagger, and Finbar drew his sword. He did look dashing, preparing to fight like that. I hoped he fought as well as he looked because I was shaking too badly to be much use. That Despair Shield felt like it hadn't completely left me, or maybe it was just simple fear from an ex-mage trying to fight an unknown creature without magic.
Finbar kicked down the door. What was beyond it was almost too horrible for words.
A vaguely humanoid shadow hovered over Master Harrison, who was tied to the bed with ropes made of that same shadowy substance. Both creature and ropes looked like the material of the Despair Shield. For all I knew, that creature could be made of despair. It held a knife, also made of shadow, and was twisting it in Master Harrison's stomach and chuckling deeply to itself. Master Harrison didn't bleed, but he screamed in agony from the strange shadow knife. The evil creature didn't notice us.
It noticed when Finbar charged it with his sword. He stabbed it where its heart would be if it had one. He ran it right through. The thing just laughed. Finbar's eyes widened in shock. Tendrils of shadow ran down the sword towards him. I tried to push him away from them. I failed; Finbar was immobilized as the stuff crept up his arms.
He choked out, “I can hold it off. Get Master Harrison out of here.”
Master Harrison gasped, “Breccan, untie me while it's distracted.” I looked around, desperate for something that could untie shadow rope. My Master said, “Use your magic.”
I had to confess, “Master, I don't have my magic anymore.” I turned bright red, I was sure.
My Master's face showed confusion. His eyes landed on Finbar, who struggled with the shadow. Understanding, and disappointment, dawned clear on his face. “I see. I can remove these ropes and help your...friend, but it will cost me. Dearly. I didn't want to tap into my life force, but I'm afraid that's the only way to defeat the thing, since you're of no use.”
I said quietly, “Then do it.”
With a great scream, Master Harrison flung his arms forward. He freed himself of the shadow rope, which dissolved upon breaking. He did the same thing with his legs. Underneath his tan, he was deathly pale. I knew that meant he was truly near death. Staggering, my Master rose from the bed. He positioned his hands like he were carrying a large ball. Indeed, a large glowing ball of white nergy formed between them. He pulled his arms back and threw the energy at the shadow creature.
It struck the creature on its head. It let out a terrible inhuman shriek that made me drop to the ground, and cover my ears. The shadow burst into fragments of black matter. They all dissolved. Finbar dropped to the ground, his sword clattering. I could see he was breathing heavily. Shadow stuff still crawled around him. Beside me, Master Harrison collapsed as well. He didn't breathe heavily. He didn't breathe at all.
I checked my Master. He had no pulse of life and was unquestionably dead. My breath caught in my throat, but I had no time to despair, not yet, because I had to see if Finbar was okay. His body crawled with the shadows and his eyes had darkened, yet he breathed. I didn't understand how this was even possible. I knelt beside him and asked, “Are you okay?”
It was a stupid question, but I had nothing better. He rasped, “I'm fine. I can't get rid of them, but the shadows from that monster won't kill me.”
How could that be? I looked him in his strangely darkened, nearly-black eyes. “What?”
He tried to explain, “I made the shadows a part of me, made that monster's essence listen to me. I think I have some of its power, now. Not by choice.”
I reached a hand towards Finbar, before wondering if it were even safe to touch him. He noticed, saying “I'm safe. The shadows shouldn't harm you, though I don't know how they'll feel...” Finbar looked sadder than I had ever seen him.
Hesitantly, I placed a hand on his shoulder. It was strangely cold, and I could feel the undulating shadows on my skin. They didn't try to hurt me, but the sensation was discomfiting. Still, I wasn't going to leave Finbar alone after he had tried to help me. I thought, without him, I would likely be dead. He was braver than I, and he had paid for it.
Finbar's expression brightened ever so slightly at my touch, though he still looked unbelievably sad. He whispered, “I'm sorry I couldn't save your Master. I failed.”
I reassured him, “It's alright. That monster needed to be stopped, and you allowed that to happen.” It wasn't quite alright, but that monster posed a danger I could sense yet couldn't explain. The thing's essence was truly evil, and I could not imagine a creature like that would capture a master mage like Master Harrison without some nefarious purpose in mind.
“Thank you,” Finbar said.
I helped him stand, letting him lean against me despite the strangeness of the shadows I could feel on his body. Everything that had happened was almost too much to bear. I started shaking and soon needed Finbar's support to stand more than he needed mine. My eyes stung, and I found myself unable to speak, though a strangled whine escaped from my throat. None of this should have happened. Master Harrison shouldn't have been dead, and Finbar shouldn't be corrupted by the shadow monster. It should have been me fighting to save Master Harrison, but I wasn't able to do it. Finbar hadn't failed. I had.
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written for 500themes prompt #25 - "Suffer the Agony"