The Shadows Chapter 30
Hunting Amphibians
By Keith Adams
Frog sat in his damp, well-lit cell. The cell was rather nice; it had a cot, well two actually; one was for his companion, a red haired fellow who went by Knossus, no more than twenty, who reminded him vaguely of Crono in appearance, but not in personality; he ranted almost constantly during his waking hours of 'blue pillars' and 'the death of everything'. A most disturbed lad.
Frog looked at the guard to his cell. An Omnichrone, one of the field leaders of the Mystics, wielding a large stick with a spiked ball on the end. The Omnichrone, who insisted on being called ahfehhgkjahgkncahckafhkkab, looked much as any other Omnichrone dod; he was a disembodied set of armor, with a helmet that hid all but his eyes and no other part of his body visible. The Omnichrone had a set of keys dangling by his belt, to where Frog's head was. The Omnichrone approached.
Frog grabbed one of the Omnichrone's legs and pulled as hard as he could, slamming the Omnichrone into Frog's cell's bars. Frog grabbed the keys, reached between the bars, and unlocked the cell door. He was out. He was free. Frog grabbed the Omnichrone's helmet and pulled upwards, as hard as he could. The helmet pulled off with a sucking sound, and there has a inky substance where the Omnichrone's head should have been, with two eyes floating in it. The Omnichrone fell to the floor, and the inky substance splattered all over, drownig the Omnichrone's armor in it.
A loud, piercing shriek has heard, echoed all across the halway, and vanished. Frog looked to his right. Odd creatures were appearing; they had eight long, spindly legs attached to a rectangular torso, which was attached to a triangular head. They began scurrying towards him. One leaped at him, but Frog took the guards mace and slammed it across the creature, sending it flying into a wall; the creature slid to the floor and began to link the inky, black substance. Frog saw a table with a sword on it; a plain sword with a red hilt, the Masamune. Frog grabbed it. More creatures were appearing in the hallway. Dozens of them. Frog pulled along the threads of magic, creating a huge wave of water that was going directly into the path of the creatures, who began flying back, but not quickly enough; the water squished them all into an inky, black pile at the end of the hallway.
The creatures exploded, sending a river of the ink flying straight at Frog. Frog began running to the end of the hallway, and found a small staircase, leading downwards. He came across a Omnichrone,but plunged his fist into it's face, sending the helmet flying back with a jet of the black substance. Frog continued his descent, reaching .... an opening.
Frog was on the edge of a cliff at least forty feet high. Below it was water. A shriek emanated from the hallway. Frog leaped into the water, swimming in the blue depths as quickly as he could.
After a few dozen seconds, Frog bobbed to the surface. Dozens of the creatures flew across the sky, swooping down below the surface for a few seconds. There were ten or so boats, with an imp at the helm and a black robed figure manning what appeared to be a cannon. These cannons shot balls that were pure black and exploded as they hit the water, spraying water everywhere.
Frog went underwater again. A creature swooped down near him, but Frog grabbed it's legs and pulled it off, sending the creature spinning to the ocean depth. Three of the ships were coming towards him in close formation; Frog pulled in all the magic he could, and sent it upwards, causing a wave that capsized the three ships and their owners, sending them to their deaths. The robed figures struggled, then exploded with a column of white light. Frog jumped on the underside of one of the boats and ran his sword across it, chopping the wood and sending the boat sinking. The remaining ships broke off and began to return, save one, which was circling the area Frog was near. Frog grabbed onto the bottom, letting it wander aimlessly.
Frog climbed atop the boats front, and hurled the blue imp into the water, then punched the robed figure, swung the cannon, aimed at the figure, and fired. The black robed figure flew back off the ship and exploded; no flash of light. Three of the creatures were overhead; Frog aimed the cannon at one, and kept firing; with each firingm, the figure grew more bulky and disproportioned, until it exploded, raining the black susbstance across the water. Frog aimed it at a second creature, and fired into it until it exploded, sending the black substance across the ships deck. The third figure swooped down with an ear piercing shriek, and knocked Frog across the ships deck, away from the cannon. The creature's two front legs grabbed hold of the cannon and began firing at Frog. Frog leaped to the side, and rolled to the deck, the cannons shots hitting harmlessly where he was a second ago, exploding without real damage.
Frog rolled up, and grabbed the open end of the cannon, then with his right hand, swung his sword across the creatures face. The creature let go of the cannon, and stumbled along the deck of the ship. Frog aimed the cannon where the Masamune hit and fired. The ball slid into the creatures head, which bulged and burst, sending more of the black substance across the deck and into Frogs face before stumbling overboard, sinking to the ocean depth.
Frog noticed something about the boat. It had a map, with locations maked on it, and a flashing dot where the boat was. Right next to the dot was a small name 'The Ocean Palace'.
.