Shadow Walkers (20 page)

Regina reels her head back, but the look on her face makes it seem like nothing really surprised her. “Isaac, a Void is on your team? You know how much trouble you could get in if the council were to find out?”

“Well considering that they authorized his assistance, I think I’ll be fine. Besides, he’s half human and harmless to us. He’s not a big fan of the other Void.”

“Okay guys, I’m not an exhibit. Can we please focus on the mission?” Damon demands as his cheeks turn pink from embarrassment. Nick laughs internally at how shy the boy was. “Since we’ve formed a larger group, let’s examine each other's skills and form a plan of action. We’re dealing with four of the strongest Void as well as some high class fodder, we can’t go in unprepared.”

Nick and the others huddle together as everybody starts reciting what class they are and what their Chains do. Nick would be lying if he said he wasn’t fascinated by all of the newcomers abilities. Walker powers, as small as some of them could be, were still like superpowers to him. The slightest thing could make his mouth drop in awe. Throughout their conversation he realizes that, outside of the Council members, these were the first Shadow Walkers that Nick has truly interacted with besides his own team.

Almost as soon as training was finished the Void were preparing to eradicate all of the Walkers. There wasn’t really any time for him to get accustomed to the Pit and make friends with the other rookie Walkers. Nick makes a quick note in the back of his mind that he should try to socialize more with the other Walkers after all of this was over.

Of course, that would only happen if everything goes according to plan.

Chapter Twenty

Nick

Nick was having serious doubts about the plan. As he, Hector, and Scott silently make their way towards their target he couldn’t help but feel like every step was going to get him caught. Even though they were invisible, the enemy could still hear every noise they made. It was a lot of pressure for him to not even breath loudly.

When they got closer to the Void’s position, they realized that many other Walkers had attempted to assault the area. Nick had to force himself to keep his eyes straight. Seeing just one of the bodies lying motionless on the ground made his stomach curl. Overall there had to be about fifty fallen Walkers. There were even some there who wore the uniform of Eros’ guards. Needless to say, he was having a hard time keeping his focus on the mission. One screw up and he would be just another body lying cold on the ground.

The Gatekeeper was now standing only yards away from Nick’s group. The size of the giant was large enough to dwarf any of the buildings in the surrounding town. Though Nick had too much on his mind for the monster to intimidate him. He was amazed by how in only a couple weeks time he’s managed to be unphased by the worlds he previously knew nothing about. As they crept up on one of the elite Void guarding the Gatekeeper, Nick was more excited than he was scared.

The tall elite Void seemed completely unaware of their approach. Hector holds out the misty purple stone that he received from Zerik. Nick and Scott grab onto Hector’s arm and the three of them make eye contact with each other. Nick mouths the countdown, and on the unspoken
three,
Hector grabs the elite Void and activates his new Invert power. Without a chance to react, the three of them are dragged into a small silver portal. A blinding light makes Nick shut his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opens them, he and the others are surrounded by a white room with no exits.

“What the hell is this?” The Void asks as he looks around with a dazed expression on his face.

Nick summons a swirl of energy around his hand, ready to launch it off at any second. “You’re Arion, right? You’re the elite Void ranked fourth in the Queen’s Hand.”

“Yeah. I replaced that traitor Damon. You punks think you can take me on just because you defeated Ella? She was ranked number ten, making her the weakest among us. And she only got ranked in the first place because Valus requested it. Some of the non-ranked elites are stronger than that useless trash. And I’m leagues above all of them.”

“No, actually.” Hector says as he grabs onto Nick’s shoulder. “I don’t think we have any chance to actually beat you. I just wanted to invite you to my ‘
room’
. You’re trapped here until I decide to let you out.”

“What was that, you punk?” Arion half shouts, his face contorting with anger. Nick takes advantage of the Void’s rising temper to attack with all of his might. Nick’s newest power, his Chain that he used to help Hector defeat Ella, was of the support class. He could boost the strength of those who he touched, and of course himself. With his right hand glowing red, Nick launches a blast of energy at Arion. The elite is visibly alarmed, but he doesn’t have the time to counter. Almost immediately after being struck by the energy blast, Arion’s entire body is encased in a giant block of ice.

“And that’s not all.” Scott says. Regina’s subordinate walks over and places his hand on the surface of the ice. A strange black pattern forms on the ice, and it spreads to cover almost the entire surface of the ice. “Okay, I sealed him. Can we get out of here before he kills us? I’d prefer not to die.”

“Will he break out of that?” Hector asks. “You don’t sound too sure of your seal.”

Scott shrugs. “It just depends on his strength. The seal can be broken, but it should buy us enough time. Now can we please leave, I’m getting nervous.”

Nick shakes his head. Even he wasn’t afraid of the Void right in front of him, how could Scott seriously be anxious? “In any case it will take longer for him to break out than it did for Ella. I put a lot of my energy into this attack. Even if he is a lot stronger than Ella, he doesn’t have her power to repel things. The ice should hold for a while, and Scott’s seal should make the effect last even longer.”

“Well I’m not trying to brag or anything, but the two of us seriously got stronger in Eros.” Hector says with a smug smile. Scott awkwardly looks around the room, as if he had missed some type of inside joke.

Nick normally would have laughed at Hector, but he actually felt some truth in his friend’s words. Even though they were rookies, they
were
powerful. More powerful than most Shadow Walkers at this point in their progression. Isaac himself had said that the three of them would be monsters once they awakened all of their Chains. A Walker’s powers are tied to the strength of their soul. After all of the things that the three of them have learned about themselves and their families, it’s no surprise to Nick that his team was developing their powers so quickly.

“Let’s head back.” Nick says. Hector nods and closes his eyes, seemingly focusing on the purple stone in his free hand. A silver portal appears from thin air once again, and the three of them are quickly pulled through to the other side.They stand back on the same ground they stood on when they jumped Arion. And thankfully, the situation has changed exactly as planned.

Three battles are currently active, each at a point of the triangular barrier that was protecting the Gatekeeper. At the northern point, Allison and Damon battle Cleo, the elite Void who was ranked third in the Queen’s Hand. Near the western point, Rebecca and Jessie fight with Amber, the woman who was with Valus and Ella back in Eros. If Nick remembered correctly she was ranked fifth. And then to the east, Regina and Isaac battle Valus himself. The other twelve elite Void were taken out already.

“I’m going to go help them out now. Be careful you two!” Scott shouts before running off in his teammates direction.

“I’m off too.” Hector says. “Play it safe, Nick.” As instructed, he starts running towards Allison and Damon to assist them in their fight. Nick was left slightly disappointed, but determined nonetheless. He wanted his whole team to help him take Valus down, but for now he would have to just stick with the plan.

Nick clenches his fist as he jogs towards Isaac and Regina’s battle. Keeping his wits about him, Nick prepares his support powers to give Isaac and Regina an attack boost. Once he gets close enough, Valus shouts at him.

“And another one with a grudge shows up!”

Nick ignores him and places his hand first on Regina, and then on Isaac. After taking his hand off of his captain he feels like a heavy weight was dropped onto his chest. The consistent usage of his new ability was starting to take a toll on him. Giving other people power consumed a lot more shadow energy than summoning ice. But with Valus standing right in front of him he would just have to ignore his aching body for the moment.

Regina sighs. “Thanks kid.” She then holds a hand out and a summons her weapon- a handgun. Nick was quite surprised when he learned that not all duelers summoned swords and other melee weapons. The gun definitely stood out next to Isaac’s crimson blade, but Regina seemed just as confident with her weapon as she pulled the trigger. At almost the same moment, Valus shifts to hold his katana in front of his body. Then, as if he just swung his sword down on a steel beam, his sword arm wobbles and retracts.

Nick was impressed by the force of the bullet. During their discussion before entering this battle, Regina had explained her power to everybody. Her gun didn’t shoot ‘bullets’ like the ones used on earth. Her bullets were just condensed energy that, upon reaching something in their path, unleashed a powerful blast. A single shot had the power to tear through multiple buildings. For Valus to block a shot boosted by Nick’s powers was truly incredible. And it only further showcased the immense strength that the man had.

Valus smirks. “So your power got increased by that boy. That was quite an impressive shot. If I thought it was going to be
that
tough, I would have better prepared for impact. No matter…” Valus raises his sword, holding the handle in front of his mouth, the blade pointed to his right. Nick is baffled by the stance, but Regina doesn’t let the Void make the first move. The ten second recharge time on her gun was up, and she was quick to pull the trigger.

But Valus Void jumps, only for him to reappear next to Nick. The elites blade cuts through the air with a soft hiss. Isaac, who was too far away to block the strike, screams. The screech triggers something inside Nick that pushes him to react. He does the only thing that could save him- he surrounds himself with a block of ice. Valus’ blade sinks far into the ice, stopping only an inch from Nick’s neck. Without a second thought, he quickly extends his ice down the blade and onto Valus’ arm. The Void frowns and Void jumps away, only a second before Isaac’s blade swings down in an attempt to behead.

Nick wills the block of ice to disappear, and gasps for air as soon as his body is free.

“Quick thinking!” Isaac shouts over his shoulder.

Almost immediately after the praise, the red barrier surrounding the Gatekeeper suddenly disappears. Nick smirks. If the barrier was down then Arion must have been out of commission.

“Arion and Ella in one day, how pitiful.” Valus says. “You and Hector Avern must feel very proud of yourselves for taking out another high ranking Void.”

“You sound bitter, Valus.” Nick retorts with a playful smile stretched upon his face.

“Me? Why would I care about those fools?”

“Not about them. You sound bitter because a half-breed rookie like me is using the powers that you hate so much to foil your mommies plans. It must hurt seeing this ice come back to haunt you after all these years.”

Valus frowns. He opens his mouth to speak but is cut off by the sound of Regina’s gun firing. Valus whips his head to follow the track of Regina’s shot, and scowls as the Gatekeepers head reels back. Isaac points his sword at the giant, and with not a single cloud in the sky, the monster is suddenly struck by lightning. The giant begins to wobble, obviously dazed by the attack. But he quickly recovers and begins banging on something invisible in mid-air.

“He’s still trying to break down the gate!” Regina shouts.

Valus suddenly Void jumps and appears next to Isaac. The captain reacts quicker than Nick thought humanly possible and clashes swords with the Void. Nick takes the sudden opening and shoots a ball of energy at the Gatekeeper. No matter what, he couldn’t let the giant break open that door. He focuses all of his energy on creating the most durable ice possible. The giants left side is slowly encased in a thick layer of ice when purple goo suddenly starts forming on the ground all around Nick. Just like the day he met Isaac, Void start crawling out of the ground. And they were all Shredders.

Thousands of them now stood all throughout the battlefield. The young Walker didn’t know if he had the energy to freeze all of the ones surrounding him. But before he even attempts to take a few down, a wave of ice suddenly flies forth and freezes about thirty Shredders. Nick looks around, dazed and unsure of what was going on.

“My second Chain,” Isaac says with a grin, “Allows me to personally reuse the energies that I have absorbed in the past. It works hand in hand with my first Chain.”

Nick cocks his head. “But when did you… Oh.” He quickly remembers the moment in training, after he accidentally froze Hector, that Isaac explained his first Chain’s ability and absorbed the ice. He didn’t once consider the idea that Isaac could utilize
other
Walkers powers.

“Kill the Void!” A man shouts from behind Nick’s group. A massive cheering cries out, and Nick and the others look to see who has arrived. Nick’s heart gets lifted up as he stares at the massive crowd of Shadow Walkers that was standing before him.

“Looks like backup has finally arrived.” Regina says. Nick nods in agreement as, before his eyes, hundreds of Walkers begin battling the Shredders crowding the battlefield. They couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

“Eyes up front, Nick.” Isaac orders. He obeys and turns his attention back to Valus. Regina fires another shot, and another strike of lightning comes down upon the Gatekeeper. Valus lets out a yell before Void jumping, this time appearing in front of Regina. Isaac swings his blade and Nick tries to hit Valus with a blast of energy, but the Void man was too quick. He grabs Regina by her shoulder and then jumps away once again. It takes only a few more seconds before he reappears in front of Nick and his captain.

“What did you do to her?” Isaac asks, his frustration completely evident in his voice.

Valus shrugs. “Who knows? But for about a week she’ll be passed out from experiencing a Void jump. Who knows what might happen to her in such short notice.”

“You would use such a cheap tactic…” Isaac’s confidence is visibly shaken after seeing Regina getting snatched away, and Nick was just as shocked. Regina wasn’t weak, but with the cooldown on her gun she was completely helpless against just a mere grab from Valus. Nick still didn’t understand why the Void were enemies to the Inverts and the Walkers, but he now understood why they should never be underestimated. It takes just one move for the Void to end you.