CHAPTER6: “Parallel Problems”
Wordlessly the three companions Tharne, Ivy and Nima watched as the Shadowy beasts scrambled and tore through the city, buildings and bridges toppling in their wake. As on the creatures searched again and again leaping forward like great cats hunting mice.
“What are they searching for?” Muttered Ivy
Silence met her question as Tharne slowly shook his head. He had no idea either.
A burst of movement caught their eye and the creatures Howls could be heard even from the heights of the tower where he stood. They had found what they were seeking. Leaping forward, one of the monstrosities plunged toward a small square in the centre of a spiralling section of the complex, its great jaws opening wider than any animal could possibly stretch and its dark teeth glowing with inky blackness darker than its pitch black coat.
Suddenly a golden shockwave erupted from the square and the creature flew backwards crushing several towers to rubble as it flew, seconds later the sound reached Tharne’s ears and he Ivy and Nima all stood eyes wide as a beautiful gong sounded in a tricky melody of harmonic sound.
The beasts all stood still for a moment as they watched their comrades stand shakily from its rocky cage and then the hunt was joined anew.
“Something is down there” said Nima. “And I want to find out what!”
“Are you sure?” Tharne questioned. “The only way we can get down there in time to do any good would be to…”
“I know, I know” Nima said grumpily. But just warn me before you press anything this time alright!”
Nodding together, all three turned and moved swiftly towards the other side of the room where the platform still stood ready, the glowing panel thrumming with blue lights of many destinations. Ivy and Nima both jumped on and held on tightly to the rails. After a short time studying the panels and the display, Tharne was fairly sure he knew where the great beasts were on the map. Turning, he first looked to Nima and, receiving a nod and a horrified yet determined look, turned to Ivy. Her eyes met his with a soft gaze of complete trust and after nodding to him softly she closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the rails. Turning back to the panel, Tharne took one last breath and pressed hard on the button he hoped would take him to the destination he wanted.
Whirring softly, the platform moved first down into the floor and then without stopping, smoothly began to pick up speed. It flew down the tunnel at incredible velocity, the soft wind of the tunnel billowing past Tharne’s face as he watched tunnel after tunnel disappear to left and right in the great system.
“There must be hundreds of kilometres of tunnels here” he thought.
Twists and turns later and the great tunnel began to slope out in a gentle loss of incline until it was now racing totally flat and straight.
A moment later it spun to the left and then the right finally slowing down. After a short time the platform abruptly stopped and almost threw Tharne forward over the railing and before any of them had time to recover, the great platform lifted itself sideways and before they knew it they were standing in a cobblestone street bordered by great stone buildings dusted with age and littered with climbing vines. Above them the great bubble exposed a sky of colliding planets and tearing skies, glowing with an ethereal brilliance.
Stepping from the platform Tharne carefully edged forward, listening carefully for any sound which would indicate they had found the right place.
“I don’t hear anything” said Ivy. “Maybe we are in the wrong place”
“Maybe” said Tharne. Leaning out a little further into the street.
A great tearing noise ripped across the city around them and just within sight, a great beast leapt across a small forested glade rising up from a ruined part of the city, tearing the trees to shreds around it. Two more hunted behind and all seemed wary and cautious of something they were chasing.
“There” screamed Nima, and she immediately ran toward the far end of the long street, her soft boots thudding along the hard stone. Tharne took Ivy’s hand and together they ran behind Nima, toward the crashing beasts, collapsing buildings and falling trees. As they approached, one of the great beasts fell backwards, a sharp blue line arcing across its face and a figure in Bright blue armour blinked into existence above it. Like a lightning Bolt the young man struck directly down at incredible speed, his body bluffing and vanishing into a stream of blue energies and reforming with his black wooden daggers thrust ahead of him.
Another of the great beasts threw itself towards him and just as it was about to strike a brilliant white light shot forth from somewhere above them, Hitting the creature square in its back and punishing it as it was driven into the buildings below with incredible force. Looking Up, Tharne saw a beautiful young woman, her wispy hair flowing forth from her in a tangle of many coloured flowers and woven leaves and sprouting from her back were delicate wings of giant sharp pointed Maple leaves. Her hand moving softly, wielding a silvery wand of maple tree she thrust huge gusts of living wind toward the beast on the ground, throwing it back across the city to collide with another shadow beast as it leapt toward the scene, causing both to crash together with echoing and furious calls.
Ahead, the other three great animalistic shadows erupted from the city and appeared to be chasing something. A bright red flash erupted ahead as a third figure, another young man, appeared to teleport to a spot just a few meters from Tharne and the others. Turning quickly he faced off against the great beasts. Striking forth from his hands flew a great four sectioned carved wooden nunchaku, each section carved in intricate patterns and hollow like wood chimes, it was made of deep golden redwood. Striking fluidly, his scaly red armour and flowing black and red cape seemed to echo the brilliant notes erupting from each of the sections of the weapon itself, creating a musical melody of destruction and warding back the three beasts as they towered over him.
Jumping forth into the fray, Tharne pushed forth a great shield of blue white energy to surround the young man and himself, and Ivy and Nima Both fired Energy beams and flurries of growing arrows through the energy and directly at the beasts themselves. Shocked, the young man looked at them all and then, as if understanding, began leaping forward to pummel the now retreating monsters, his melodies echoing across their bodies and causing them to shudder in pain. A final concerted strike from Ivy, Nima and the young man felled each of the beasts, their bodies dissolving into shadowy forms and black dust, sweeping across the deserted cityscape.
“Quick” the young man pleaded, “We must help my brother and sister before they are overcome”
Turning toward the crashing forest ahead of them he concentrated and then disappeared in a cloud of red smoke, reappearing immediately and already running at full speed almost one hundred meters down the long street and then disappearing again to reappear in another cloud of red smoke now running across the rooftops nearby.
Chasing after them, Tharne watched Ivy and Nima following after him and found the same eager and cautious expression on their faces as he felt must be playing across his own. Still they ran and soon found themselves deep within the forested glades giant tree trunks. High above them, the sights and sounds of battle rang out loud and clear.
“We must get up there!” called Ivy, looking desperately around for something to help.
“Leave it to me” smiled Nima as she reached forth and plucked a pair of arrows as they grew from a nearby tree trunk and fitting both to her Beechwood bow fired them high into the air. As they arced high above, vines began to grow between the two and finally they stuck onto the high rooves of the upper levels of the cities towers forming a great ladder bridge between their strands.
“You have got to tell me how you do that” grumbled Ivy. “All I can do is either Full power of a tiny trickle, not intricate work like that”
“Yeah” chuckled Nima “But there is no way I could ever produce the amount of power you do” and laughing out aloud she added “Or do that tiny healing you do, that was impressive to pull that little power through to knit those wounds together on Tharne the way you did. I probably would have killed him trying”
Together now they climbed quickly, scrambling up toward the tower tops along the great living rope bridge of Nima’s Vines.
Finally reaching the top a great sight reaches their eyes. All three of the youths were locked in battle with the snapping beasts. Both of the young men were injured by the beasts and were now working together to repel the final three creatures as the young woman fluttered around, firing bright beams toward the shadows and dodging their sharp claws and reaching flailing tails.
Running forth Nima pulled a handful of berries from a nearby vine and a great arrow grew in their wake, their red shapes forming a glowing arrow tip on the spiralling shaft. Firing, the arrow shattered above the three beasts and showered them with explosions of bright red flame. Tharne ran forward and using the distraction placed a great shield between the young men and the snarling jaws surrounding them.
“Thank you” said the handsome young man in the blue armour as he clutched at a cut in his upper arm.
Bright light beams exploded above them as Ivy fired into the group with her immense beams of power. Spiralling down from above, the young lady launched a barrage of rainbow pulses toward the glowing white of Ivy’s beam and where the two powers met, Shattering crystals of thousands of colours rained down upon the beasts, tearing their forms and dissolving them into smoke and vapour.
Letting the shield disappear the group now all united around Tharne, the three girls running swiftly in to assess the damage. Ivy began to heal the young men, dressing their wounds with petals of orange blossoms and leaves which seemed to dissolve directly into their skin, healing their cuts and bruises and the young girl landed, her wings turning yellow and orange and finally to brown in quick succession, eventually falling to the ground behind her as she brushed her hair carelessly with her fingers.
“Who are you?” questioned the young man in red, his short hair ruffled and messy from battle.
“We could say the same of you!” said Nima. “We thought we were the only ones!”
“Us too” said the sweet young lady. “ But now you are here it has proved that we were obviously wrong” and with a small curtsy befitting a princes she added, “My name is Mia and these are my brothers”
“Blake” said the first young man, his blue armour glowing with perpetual energy as he stood and shook Tharne’s hand.
“And I am Ryan” said the other, waving carelessly from the tree branch he was now resting on and his cheeky smile framing his face in a perpetual grin. “I suppose that since you helped us out you warrant a little trust and co-operation”
Standing to greet Blake, Tharne introduced himself. “My name is Tharne, and this is Ivy and Nima”.
“It seems that we have a parallel problem” Nima said “We each though we were alone! Although now that we have found each other I suppose there is a possibility of others”
And smiles grew on all their faces as Tharne knew they had found new friends. Perhaps finally they might get some of the answers they needed.
Shattered Cosmos 
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