Chapter 12 “Last of Us, First of Them”
Racing through the halls together, Beasts following close behind in endless numbers and leaping from ahead in ambush, the group rushed forward and upward, the crushing vibrations and cries of pitched battle rained down from somewhere nearby above them, getting louder and closer the further they climbed.
A vicious slashing monstrosity, more claws than fleshy shadow swung from a corridor nearby. Erim slid down onto her knees, leaning back and folding over to narrowly miss being cut into pieces by the razor sharp blades. Following behind Tharne watched as Mia and Ivy slashed and scored huge blows across the beast as they ran, carving it to shreds as they sprinted past. Behind, the glowing flashes of Bright blue lightning and molten red fire signaled that both Blake and Ryan were protecting their flank from the continuous onslaught of horrible beasts, chasing and hunting them through the darkness.
Swinging his staff with great strikes, Tharne battled through beside the others, each holding their own and protecting the others.
From ahead, a bright orb of liquid emerald green flashed and shot like a meteor past his head, hitting a creature as it leapt to bring him down.
A ringing sound and a dark flash and suddenly they were no longer being assaulted. They all slowed as Erim regained her casual gait and stepped quickly now towards a group of figures hidden by shadows.
Tharne quickly grouped together with his companions, cautious and ready for an attack. Instead however, one of the strangest men he had ever seen emerged with Erim from the darkness ahead. Dressed in resplendent clothing of rich blues and golds tinged with red and silver sashes, he stood as tall as Tharne, looking short when compared to the taller Erim and his long dark hair was scattered carelessly in several differing ways.
“Soo” said the man, looking Tharne and the others up
and down. “You are the last of us!”
“Am i right to assume that it was you who caused that tremendous explosion we heard a short while ago down below?” he continued, as he bent almost comically over to inspect Nimas shoes.
“Ahh yes” said Tharne, confusion filling his thoughts and face. “Sorry about that”
“Dont be sorry lad!” chuckled the man, now trying to inspect Mia’s wand while chasing her slowly around Blake and Ryan as she cautiously backed away. “You might just turn the tide against these blasted Shaddowy, Things!”
“Varius” Erim interrupted, and the man who Tharne assumed was named Varius stopped and stood straight again facing Erim.
“What is it?” he asked questioningly, turning and twisting his head slightly as if expecting something but not wanting his expectations to be true.
“There are six of them” Erim muttered softly.
“What!” Varius cried, his eyes growing wider by the second, as he spun and attempted to count the people in an ever increasing frenzy. Finally stilling himself and harshly muttering under his breath something Tharne could not understand, but it sounded like an argument. Varius stood resolute and counted slowly all six of his companions, stopping slowly and deliberately ashe reached six, sounding the number as though it was a snake trying to bite his tongue as he said it.
“Impossible” he breathed across his hands. and began pacing and muttering to himself again. “It always spoke of twelve, Twelve!” and “What does this mean”, “Thirteen? Are there more?”
As Varius paced, another two men appeared from the shadows ahead. one, short and thin with close cropped red hair stood brandishing a wooden square blade, taller than Tharne was, made from a solid Cherry tree trunk and the other an extremely average man with a distrusting demeanor and dark skin hair and eyes,
brandishing a pair of long pistols formed from interlocking blades of bamboo.
Erim quickly moved toward them, standing between Tharne and the pair.
“These are my friends” Erim said. “Varius you already know” she said, pointing back to the still mumbling man in their midst as he passed by, pacing fervently. Tharne felt the mans presence confusingly as a pair of intermingled trees, one ever growing and never ending and the other a climbing weed, forever attempting to overwhelm the first.
“This is Nym” and and dark man saluted stoically, raising one of his pistols to his brow, and Tharne felt the mans strong and powerful aura, emmenating a feeling like a stone, unmoving, unchanging and
“And this is Tomu” she added, gesturing to the undersized man with the red hair as he supported the enormous sword across his shoulders and smiled with his entire face in such a way, that you immediately
forgave him of any indiscretions he might have committed. and his perpetual energy could be described as nothing but a powerful wolf who refused to acknowledge that he was no longer a puppy.
Turning Erim appeared to look deep into the darkness beyond and slowly, three women emerged from their places amongst the soot and ash, hidden in the darkness.
The first stood tall like Erim, yet unlike her, this woman had the bearing of one who expects to be obeyed without question. To Tharne, she felt like a cold blade of Ice, dangling above and merely waiting for the slightest disturbance to send it plunging into the heart of any who happened to have dislodged it. Brandishing an ornate scimitar of perpetually frozen Arctic Pine, she could look nothing but a queen.
“Who are these strangers which you bring amongst us Erim!” she commanded, every word dripping with frozen condescension. “It is as if I don’t have enough to worry about with the half wits and deviants we already
have!”
“That is Yuri” Erim said, turning and ignoring the regal woman, the beginnings of a casual smirk playing on her face. “Make sure you do not offend her of her wrath will surely follow” she added, such sarcasm on her tongue that Tharne was sure the Icy Queen, Yuri would immediately retaliate. However, after staring at Erim’s turned back with murderous eyes she turned and stormed off back into the darkness behind them.
A small chuckle escaped Erim as she listened carefully to the footsteps trailing softly, muffled by the ash .
“You should not taunt her so” pleaded one of the other women who had emerged. Slim with tight fitting leather armor silhouetting curvy hips and bust, she stood with hands on her hips, cradling a pair of rose thorn whips, curled at her waist. Her energies played plain and simple to Tharne as he focussed on the feeling of her. Wide open grasslands, blowing winds and the endless seasons seemed to combined into a microcosm of different energies as her sandy brown hair danced
across her hazel and green caring eyes.
“Why should I not Jadeis!” Erim said carelessly, folding her arms low under her breasts. “She distrusts everything without logical reason, It leaves her open to any mockery I should see fit to deliver!”
The final girl was quiet and thoughtful, avoiding eye contact, and Tharne hardly noticed her at all as she hid behind Jadeis. Her downward stance made her look shorter than she was and long black straight hair in flowing tails drifted across her shoulders like rainwater, partially covering a large book with solid Oaken covers embossed with golden leaves and vines in its very construction.
From her, Tharne felt a water well. Stone and earth keeping bad things from the outside in while a depth of knowledge and sustaining life force was kept safe inside if you could only figure out how to access it.
Noticing his stares, Jadeis spoke in answer to his unasked questions.
“This is Dahuri” She said. “She doesn’t talk much, but she is a good friend”
Reaching forward Dahuri extended her open hand to Tharne, waving it quickly up and down before retreating to whisper something in Jadeis’s ear.
“Yes I agree” smiled Jadeis, “He does seem calm and strong!”
Suddenly Varius came striding back into the midst of the group, shoulders held high and determination proud on his face.
“I cannot decide what this with means” he said strong and concerned with every syllable “And I cannot decide if this means he are the last of us,” and he trailed off, almost talking to himself, “Or the first of them” he added.
“Either way we can use your help. Perhaps with you here we can finally achieve what we have been attempting all this time”
And as if the final statement had spurred him into anew clarity and action, he set forth and motioned each of them to follow.
“I will show you where our true battle begins!”
Shattered Cosmos 
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