Jacky coldly glared at Nolin as the priest took a combative stance, Zeeke stepped away from the two while Skill and Sparta readied themselves to take on the new foe. The air grew thin, seconds passed slowly like hours, the scene seemed to stretch out as the tension only continued to grow.

Suddenly a loud crack followed by shattering ice and splashes of water filled their ears, Jacky did not dare look away, he already knew the war ships had broken through Lilior’s distraction.

Up above them the Chariot had turned to face the four ships again, the two Mageks, Seren and Woody continued to barrage the ships now having switched from damaging spells to magic disruption blasts hoping to take down their barriers. Lilior’s cannons also fire once more, aiming to slow down the ships as much as possible.

Three blasts of frost sped towards the four Elven warships but suddenly several dozen balls of flame spiralled off the warship’s sides and up at the Chariot. The smaller balls of flame collided with the balls of frost exploding mid air with so much force that lightning sparked through the explosion’s area. Several more balls of red hot fire were shot from the warships up at the Chariot which swerved to the side to evade the magical attacks.

The cargo ship Jacky and the rest stood on began to rocked from side to side due to the large waves the explosion had created, yet neither of them moved keeping themselves balanced with the floor. All except for Zeeke who on the third shift slipped and fell back.

Skill took this opportunity and aimed for Zeeke as he fell, several arrows were quickly nocked and disappeared into invisibility. Sparta also took this moment to distract Nolin, leaning forward from her stance she quickly chanted “Valhalla’s smite!” her entire form shone blindingly and she propelled herself forwards at Nolin.

Jacky covered himself from Sparta’s light, a barrier of shadows encasing his side as he watched the combined attack transpire, not daring to take his eyes off the Dark Priest.

Nolin snorted as they began their attack, straightening himself from his lowered stance he put his hands together and quickly chanted something under his breath before suddenly opening his arms wide “Black out!”.

Suddenly a large mass of darkness exploded out from Nolin’s body, encasing Sparta’s light, stopping her charge and deflecting Skill’s arrows. Jacky stepped away from the mass of darkness, it had completely encased Nolin and Zeeke from view but Sparta’s light seemed to be slowly penetrating the barrier.

Suddenly from above Sparta’s side the barrier exploded outwards again and a second mass of darkness shot out from it. Jacky followed it with his eyes and watched as it slowly dissipated, revealing an unconscious Zeeke within. It was flying towards the war ships.

“You shall not have our Hero.” said Nolin as the barrier dissipated from around him “You will have to get passed Me first.”

Jacky looked at the priest with a raised brow “You underestimate us.” without looking away he quickly barked orders “You two fetch Zeeke, I’ll handle him.”

Without acknowledging or even second guessing his orders both Sparta and Skill leapt off the ship, Sparta chased after the shadow carrying Zeeke with use of her flight while Skill seemed to run through the air as magical wind encased his feet with each step.

Nolin turned to give chase after the two, his form turning to darkness but suddenly a mass of shadows blocked his path “You shall not pass.” exclaimed Jacky from within the shadows.

Both of them retook human form, darkness oozing out of Nolin’s eyes and shadows forming black tendrils grew out of Jacky’s body as they faced each other.

Nolin grimaced “Very well then.” He suddenly lowered his arms letting his long sleeves drag down covering his hands “Then I shall show you your maker.” Darkness oozed out of his sleeves, like a mass of smudged black that devoured any light around it.

The darkness lunged at Jacky, forming sudden blades of black mana that quickly elongated to stab him. Jacky’s form changed to shadow, a smoky black mass that twisted and turned evading the sudden spikes that dissipated every time they missed only to reform striking at him again.

Nolin chanted as he kept the assassin at bay “Lord of absence, Mother of the warped-” his chant was cut off shortly as Jacky lunged at Nolin, humanoid but still made of shadows his arms morphed into long crescent blades as he swung at the Priest. Nolin raised his right arm up towards Jacky’s blades as suddenly the output of darkness tripled, forming a large barrier between him and his assailant before continuing his chant “Goddess of Darkness! Lady Hel grant me your words!”

Nolin’s entire form burst into darkness pushing Jacky back as a warped voice emanating from the mass of black finished the chant “DARK WORLD!”

Reality blacked out, the sky turned entirely black, no moon, no stars were visible. Everything was black, nothing gave out any light, not even the torches or the balls of fire, not the Chariot or the warships.

Everything around Jacky turned dark.

“Welcome foolish adventurer.” Spoke a low pitched, deep voice that seemed to rebound from everywhere at once “To my reality.”

Jacky glanced around looking for Nolin but he couldn’t see anything, his [Nightvision] wasn’t working and neither was his [Heatvision]. Every single one of his tracking senses were bringing back null, [Mana detection], [Assassin’s ears], [Hound’s nose] and even [Bloodlust detection]. He saw, heard and sensed nothing around him at all.

“Truly you must think yourselves untouchable.” continued the voice “I will kill you, I will kill your allies and then I will safely bring the Hero of Light to the Empire. Barik will fall, the Legions will be crushed. Nothing can stand against the Empire.”

Jacky had ignored every single word Nolin had said, instead he focused his mind elsewhere. He was surrounded by darkness, absolute darkness. No light was visible, albeit all the sources of light that were previously available they had all been shut off.

Jacky’s power was based on shadows and if there was no light then there was no shadows and only darkness. His senses had all been disabled as well. He was cornered, caged and without cover. He was a perfectly easy kill.

Yet he did not panic, he did not curse or try to escape. That wasn’t Jacky’s way. Instead he smiled, a crooked amused smile (“Finally…”) he thought excitedly (“A worthy opponent at last.”)

Author: Darkness vs Shadow…who would win? ;P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PMGIvfWMmE

He raised his right arm forward and opened his palm “Ball of Light” he cast the weak light spell and a small orb of fluorescent white light formed over his palm. His smile grew into a wide grin “Tell me Nolin, what is the difference between darkness and shadow?”.

“Buying time? Nobody will be here to save you, don’t fool yourself. I’ve already apprehended your friends and that flying abomination.” The voice responded.

(“Then why haven’t you killed me yet?”) Jacky chuckled “Darkness is the mild or absolute absence of light. Shadow is the existence formed when something blocks light.”

“So both are one and the same, so what?” asked the voice, Jacky now knew it was Nolin who was buying time.

“Wrong. When light dims it turns into dark, when light is blocked shadow forms.” He played around with the small orb of light, passing it from finger to finger “Your spell shuts off all available light, but not light made after the casting.”

“So?” asked the voice, it’s tone seemingly shaken by his calmness.

Jacky grasped the small ball of light between both hands encasing it entirely “So as far as the system cares, we are no longer surrounded by darkness…But shadow. WRAITH FORM!”

Jacky’s back melted away into black smoke, while the rest of his body remained whole his back spread out like wings of shadow that merged with the darkness that surrounded him. It looked as if he had merged with reality itself.

“Th-this is!” Nolin’s tone seemed panicked as his darkness struggled to keep the mass of shadow at bay.

Jacky chuckled “Strangle.” Nolin’s voice cut off, a choking sound quickly followed after. Slowly, over several moments Nolin choked, the shadows entangling around his entire body made of darkness and slowly shrinking down squashing him.

After several long moments of the gut wrenching noise, the sudden sound of warping flesh, shattering bones and splattering blood was followed by the disappearance of the darkness. Light returned to the world around Jacky, the moonlight shining down upon them alongside the still lit torches on the ship.

Jacky dissipated the light spell and turned around to face the foe who had been trying to sneak up on him, a giant mass of shadows forming out of his back were spread out like arms squashing him. Jacky pulled back his shadows revealing what was left of Nolin, a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

He looked away from the squashed corpse and towards the now still war ships, fire balls had begun to fly at the Chariot yet again alongside enhanced arrows towards Sparta and Skill who were retreating from the ships.

Jacky raised his left arm up to his face and spoke into it “Did you get him?” he asked infusing his voice with mana to activate the new device.

“We lost him.” responded Sparta.

“Can’t shoot through that damn barrier!” exclaimed Skill.

Jacky grimaced “Which ship?”

After a moment Sparta responded “Second from the left, your perspective.”

Jacky looked towards the ship “Clear out, Seren, Woody focus fire on target. Lilior cover for us.”

“Roger dodger.” acknowledged Woody, Seren simply groaned cringing at his response.

“Fine.” responded Lilior sounding annoyed.

Jacky watched as the Chariot turned from behind him and flew towards the left of the warships, Seren and Woody sparking blasts of energy at the end of their staffs and sending them spiralling at the targeted ship. The Chariot’s cannons also fired but focused on the other three ships, blocking their line of sight on Sparta and Skill.

“Sparta blind them, Skill blaze string.” Jacky barked the last two commands before lowering his arm. He saw both of them turning around to face the singled out ship, the other three were encased in their own barriers by ice but that wouldn’t last long. Sparta’s form suddenly began to shine brightly and Skill’s bow turned ablaze as he fired a quick fireball that burst into an inferno on contact with the barrier.

“Shadow step.” Jacky quickly chanted and his form turned to shadow, it contorted and shrunk down into nothingness.

Zeeke woke up with a start as he landed hard on the wooden floor, his shield and sword were gone he noticed as he stood up. Suddenly someone stepped into his view and helped him up, long dark brown hair, grey eyes and sharp long ears the male Elven soldier looked distressed as he held Zeeke over the shoulder and stared off towards the cargo ship.

Zeeke glanced around, several Elven mages were lined up across the ship firing fireballs at the Chariot in the sky while several more archers were being held up by vines that grew out of the ship giving them impossible angles on the two retreating adventurers.

He turned to follow the Elven officer’s eyes, over the water standing at the front of the cargo ship was a mass of shadows. The shadows unentangled themselves like fingers letting go of each other, like three hands opening up the shadows dropped something out. Zeeke was too far away to see what it was, the shape was somewhat spherical but that only made him feel more sick.

He knew that was Nolin.

He stared with wide eyes, his gut wrenching as the shadows turned revealing Jacky “Get us out of here…” He mumbled out before turning to face the soldier by his side with a pale expression ”Get us the hell out of here!”.

But before anybody could respond several blasts of energy collided with their ship’s barrier followed by explosions of frost on the neighbouring ships. Their barriers seemed to freeze on the outside as a wall of ice formed over them and the waters around, the three ships were close enough that their barriers merged so the ice did not separate them.

Suddenly a bright flash of light filled their front blinding most of them, Zeeke had covered his eyes with his arm but he still could barely see the explosion of flame that followed and the barrier dissipating around them.

“Now…where was I?” whispered Jacky into his left ear as Zeeke felt a cold blade dig into his back “Oh right.” He felt the blade pull out but it had already done it’s job, Zeeke felt the coldness spread throughout his body as all his systems began to fail on his heart being stabbed “It’s been a pleasure, Zeeke. Farewell.”

Zeeke using his last bit of strength pulled away from the soldier and stumbled back, turning around as he did to face his killer. He saw no one, only his own shadow as he slowly leaned onto his back. His breathing slowed, his eyes shook, until he stopped moving entirely.

Zeeke died too far away from a spawn point to respawn.

CH watched through the monitors within the Chariot when he suddenly felt a presence to his left, out of a purposely dark corner Jacky walked out as if forming out of the shadows themselves “It’s done, fall back.” said Jacky before he crashed down into a chair.

CH simply nodded and turned back towards the monitors “You two fall back, job’s done.”

“Falling back.” acknowledged Sparta.

“You look tired.” said Ch as he turned to Jacky.

Jacky was sitting with one leg up on the table in front of him “T’was nothing.” he said while staring into his dagger’s blade held up in front of his face.

Ch pressed something on the front wall and then glanced at Lilior, she was too focused on the Chariot. “Cut the crap Jack.” he sat down on a nearby chair and leaned back into it raising both of his legs onto the table “We just killed, how many people?”

Jacky snorted “We all agreed to this.” he responded as Sparta and Skill returned through the Chariot’s back door, both of them looking tired and slightly pale. The rush of battle draining out of their systems.

“Is…something wrong?” asked Sparta as she saw both of their serious expressions.

CH shook his head “Go rest below, we-”

“No, stay.” Jacky cut him off and both turned to glare at each other “If you’ve got something to say Nick…” he gestured at the others “Say it.”

They continued to glare at each other for a few more moments before CH relented, with a sigh he stood back up and touched the same rune he had previously “I don’t like where this is going Jack.”

“Oh? How so Nick?” Jacky’s tone turned hostile as he asked.

CH grimaced as he glared down at Jacky who continued to glare up at him coldly “Not even you are that dense for fucks sake. How can you stomach this? I’m sorry but I don’t think I can stay sane if my conscious gets any bloodier!”

As CH raised his voice Jacky suddenly stood up and got in his face, eyes wide and cold “Your conscious? You just assisted on murder you sick fuck. We have no conscious and shit WILL get bloodier from here on out.” He slowly stepped away and glanced at the others “So if you cannot stomach this, if any of you cannot stomach this then leave. You’ll only get in our way.”

Without waiting for a response Jacky walked off towards the staircase. Skill glanced at him descend the stairs then turned back to CH “He didn’t mean that…did he?”

Sparta shook her head “I haven’t been here long but he doesn’t seem like the type to joke around at a time like this. Also…I agree.”

Skill groaned as he scratched his head “Hell…”

CH said nothing further, he simply turned back to watching the monitors deep in thought and conflicted.