The Shadows Chapter 47
Shadows of Regicide
By Keith Adams
Frog faced Guardia. The King looked no different than he usually did - no there was something different. His pupils - before, they were a light, almost hazel, brown. They were darker now, bordering on black. The King was smiling, but there was a bitter twist to it, something Frog had never seen before.
"I said, Glenn," spoke Guardia - but he had never called him Glenn; Leene had done that "Is there something the matter?"
Frog did not answer with words. With one smooth jump, Frog leaped to the throne, past the kings guards, unsheathed his sword in mid-air, and brought his faintly glowing blade down across Guardia's shoulders. Three was utter, absolute, and total silence as Frog stepped back and raised his blade above his head.
Oozing black blood was dripping from the sword, outline by the shimmering white light of the Masamune.Guardia had put his red gloved hands to the cut, and grimly watched as the black substance covered his hands. Guardia pulled off his gloves and rose from his throne.
"ll'ran, to me," shouted Guardia to the air, waving his hands wildly about in every direction. He appeared to have gone mad. There were assorted nobles in the court, and they appeared to be having a good laugh.
Suddenly black spider things began dropping from above - Frog could only assume they were the ll'ran the King spoke of. One dropped on a brown haired, middle aged noble and bit off the front part of the fellows head, dripping blood from it's black mouth. Frog looked to Leene; one was falling right towards her.
Frog yelled something utterly unintelligebe - he knew not what - as he lept towards the black shape which was just about to wrap it's legs around Leene's neck. Frog landed on the thing, knocking it off course and sending both of them flying to the ground . Frog got up and began hacking the ll'ran with his sword, until it was nothing more than a mass of black liquid. Frog looked to Leene; she was shaking, unmoving, as the ll'ran were eating the nobles; the palace guards had suceeded in killing several ll'ran, judging by their fallen black bodies. But the ll'ran had slayed at least a dozen guards, and the guards were outmached. Frog grabbed Leene. There was a window nearby. Leaping towards it, he heard Leene gasp in shock as he crashed through the window foot first, sending it's glass flying across the ground below. There was a ledge outside. Frog hoped Leene would forgive him as he set her down upon the ledge, then leaped back into the fray.
Two ll'ran confronted Frog; in quick succession he chopped off the sides of their faces, sending them to the ground. Frog raised his sword high. and tossed it in the air. It was glowing brightly know, like the sun. Frog began chanting.
Frog brought down his gloves fists, and a gigantic frog appeared in the middle of the room, spreading fire out of it's mouth; flames consumed the ll'ran, burning them into lumps of charred black liquid, then the frog dissapeared. Frog leaped and grabbed the Masamune from the air.
Frog looked around; wounded guards and nobles lie on the white marble floor, staining it with blood. The ll'ran were slowly dissolving into a bubbling substance. Frog clutched his sword with both hand as he turned to face the King.
Guardia sat on the throne, aware but not shocked by the men dying around him. He appeared to be focusing inward; then Frog noticed something. Guardia seemed to be growing larger, somewhat jerkily, first an arm, then a leg, then a shoulder. Frog charged towards Guardia, and swung his sword across Guardia's belly, which was now as big as he was.
Guardia's face was taking on a blackish color around the edges, and his viens were dark, very dark. Guardia was now thrice as large as Frog as he stood up. Frog felt a pit growing in his stomach. He heard three guards shouting something to Guardia something about giving up from behind him.
Suddenly, three tentacles lashed out from Guardia above Frog's head, thn coiled for a moment before retracting; they were carrying the heads of three guards, their faces frozen in pain and horror, twisted caricatures of humanity.
Frog turned around, then felt it's stomach twisting, almost upending itself, as the three former guards ran about mindlessly, sans their heads. They crashed into everything - walls, bodies, columns, before finally falling to the ground, where they began flopping like fish out of water.
Frog turned around to face Guardia. He appeared to be waiting, making no movement. Guardia smiled as he loomed over Frog, seeming to touch the roof of the hallway. Guardia began lowering his hands towards Frog; Frog tried to move, but couldn't - it was if something had chained him in place. Death was coming. Frog only regretted not avenging Cyrus. Frog closed his eyes - the hands were only a few inches away now.
"For Guardia," came a shout. Frog watched as a Knight clad in the Gold Armor of the Knight Captain leaped between him and Guardia, the Knight's steel sword running across the length of Guardia, ripping a hole through the center.
Guardia seemed to lose interest in Frog, facing the Knight Captain, raising his right hand until it hit the roof. Frog pushed on the invisible bonds with everything he could - they were giving way. Frog pulled free just as Guardia's hand was slamming down on the Knight Captain. Suddenly a loud boom reverberated through the chamber. A ball hit Guardia in the chest and exploded, sending black stuff raining across the chamber. More balls were fired at Guardia - they were round, perfect black spheres. Guardia jerked around to look at four iron cannons facing him. Guardia seemed to shrink; his red robes were full of black strems running down.
Guardia kept shrinking; he was returning to his regular height. The men manning the cannons were busing reloading. Frog leaped at Guardia, but a tentacle swung sideways at him, coming from mowhere in paticulair, sending Frog flying into a wall, where he slid down and collasped in pain.
Frog watched - blurs were beggining to appear at the edges of his eyes, but Frog paid them now mind. Guardia wrapped his tentacles aronud one Knight's body and began pulling the knight towards him. Guardia opened his mouth, which seemed to grow incredibly wide, pushing beyond the borders of his face, and stuck the Knight in the Mouth. Frog felt his heart beating faster and faster as more and more of the Knight dissapeared down Guardia's mouth, until there was nothing left of the Knight.
Another volley of cannon balls hit Guardia, but this time they just sort of stuck in him, and began slowly falling down , rolling off his robes. Guardia smiled, then four tentacles emerged from his chest and wrapped themselves around the knights manning the cannon. One by one, the tentacles deposited the knight's into Guardia's huge mouth, out of which black saliva was falling onto the floor. Guardia seemed to consider his task complete, and began lurching over towards where Leene was.
Frog found the strength to get up; this monster shall not have Leene.
"Stay back," shouted Frog.
Guardia turned to face Frog, then a tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around Frog. Frog felt the tentacle tightening it's grip, squeezing him, but somehow, Frog managed to keep his grip on the Masamune. Frog watched the ground and roof spin around as he approached Guardia's mouth.
"Are you ready to die Glenn?" asked Guardia as Frog was at the edges of his mouth "Because I'm ready to kill you."
.