Awakening

20: Attack

The pressure on his back and limbs were lessened slightly. A quick glance told Blake that the Shadows atop him seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the scythe. Or perhaps...it was fear he noticed.

Don't think about it, now's your chance! Blake seized the moment, swinging the scythe around and back. A few screeches rang out as he twisted his wrist to complete the swing. Despite the discomfort of the move most of the weight on his back from a few seconds ago had disappeared. Blake snatched his opportunity and stood, a stinging soreness radiating throughout his legs as he did so. But the sudden surge of adrenaline dulled some of the pain.

An agonizing ache still flared in his left arm though. The small Shadow still hung on but its silvery eyes had now widened.

In a smooth and swift motion, Blake twisted the scythe and pointed the blade at the creature, the tip mere inches from its face. It released his arm in a heartbeat and fell to the ground in a dark and wispy heap. It struggled to scamper off but Blake swung the weapon down and caught the creature in its abdomen before it could escape. It released a long and hoarse screech before dissipating, with Blake pulling the blade up and out in the same instance.

Blake's focus now rested on the surrounding Shadows, many of which looked hesitant to even approach. Blake caught a quick glance of the stranger; he had this expression of very subtle disbelief given the faint twitch in his cheek, and he took only the tiniest of steps forward as his gaze on Blake intensified.

In an instant Blake spun around; a small and lean Shadow charged at him from below. In his periphery, and as if by some kind of sixth sense, he noticed two more leaping at him from behind on both sides. Thinking fast he jumped back and turned the blade of the scythe backwards. Closing his eyes a brief moment and relying only on instinct, he swung towards his rear, opening his eyes just as he clipped a foot off of one of the assailants. The other one charging at him leaped but Blake had enough time to kick it away as hard as he could. When he turned he held the staff in front of him as a third dark wisp bore down, so he twisted and pushed forward to redirect the creature away from him.

An angry snort from behind then caught his attention. A bear-sized monstrosity charged right at him with shocking speed. Blake twisted around but not in time as its form crashed right into him, forcing him onto the ground face-up.

The staff kept the Shadow from biting him, but surrounding assailants showed signs of joining in. A little one dashed in on his left, the side unguarded by the blade, so Blake took a risk by letting go of his weapon and punching the small thing with his left hand. The Shadow atop him inched closer leaving Blake with little strength to lift up the staff again with both hands.

Remembering one of the haphazard tactics at the park, Blake switched his left hand over and gripped the part of the staff closest to the blade. His arms now crossed, and with the blade now twisted in a different direction, Blake pulled the scythe up and left with all his might without flipping over. The sickle caught the creature's throat and left a massive gash; it lifted its head and howled up into the air as its neck began disintegrating, the wound radiating outward. Blake pulled himself back only a small bit, and swung the weapon to the right again. The slash mark on its neck widened and extended to its shoulder, and within seconds the creature collapsed while Blake stood up straight again.

None of the other Shadows moved, and a couple on the fringes of the rooftop even turned and jumped off the building. Blake took initiative this time, running towards the closest Shadow in his sights. The cat-looking creature scrambled to the left as Blake pulled the scythe back around his right. He swung but missed, and the Shadow's attempt at dodging gave Blake another chance. Instinct told him something approached from behind, so he spun the scythe around almost in a complete circle. He again missed one dark wisp, but managed to slice one clean in half as it dove on him from above.