Kingdom of Runes

Chapter 13

As everyone went back into their rooms for the night, Shadow stayed outside, walking around the deck. Aside from the waves underneath, it was relatively quiet.

Shadow went over to the edge of the boat and sat down, staring up at the night sky. The same stars and moon shone above, bringing bits of light to the otherwise blanket of darkness. A view he doesn't get to sit down and enjoy often.

If there was one thing that he missed about the world he came from, it would be seeing a view like this whenever he wanted.

Eventually a few clouds appeared as Shadow watched the night sky. A small blemish from the otherwise flawless sky. Either way they would pass soon.

But rather than the cloud just move along with the breeze, it stayed where it was, obscuring the light of the moon. Matter of fact, it looked like it was getting bigger.

No that wasn't it... the cloud was getting closer.

Shadow slowly stood up, examining the strange dark cloud. As it got closer, its shape was clearer. It was clear that this 'cloud' wasn't a cloud at all. Rather some kind of creature with wings.

And there was more than one.

Whatever these creatures were, they seemed anything but friendly.

The captain, who was never too far away, glanced up at the sky as well. His face paling at the sight above them.

"I reckon you don't gotta clue what those things are." he asked the dark mage.

"No but they're not here for a quick hi." with the snap of his fingers, Shadow created a protective forcefield around the ship, stopping the winged creatures in their tracks. They growled and clawed at the sudden shield. "I'll get the others. You go and hide."

The captain quickly nodded and retreated into the nearest cover he could find. Meanwhile, Shadow went to the cabins, banging on all the doors he came across.

"Look alive! We got company!"

At the shout and constant banging, everyone darted out of their rooms. Weapons in hand. Some looked panicked while others looked annoyed.

Green sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "Shadow, who did you piss off this time?"

It was then that they heard a roar in the distance. They scrambled outside to see the winged creatures trying to break through the barrier. Some clawing at the force field while others were ramming themselves into it.

"Oh gods..." Margot gaped. "What are those things?"

"Guess these things aren't normal if you and the captain are surprised by them." Shadow noted.

"Either way, looks like we got a fight on our hands." Ghost said as she readied her daggers. "The last thing we need is for to be stuck at the bottom of the ocean."

All the fighters scramble into position, each of them standing where they can properly protect the most important parts of the ship. Once they had their weapons readied, Green looked over at Shadow and gave a curt nod.

Seeing that, Shadow brought the forcefield down with the snap of his fingers and the winged creatures came rushing in. Now that they were closer, it was clear to see that they were made of stone, nine of them in total. All had a gargoyle like appearance.

As soon as they landed on the railings of the ship, shadows stretched and wrapped around them, preventing them from moving any further. Wolf shared the same confused expression as Margot.

"What? Where did those..."

"Guess if here's the one good thing that came out of these guys showing up late. They'll be easier to handle." Blue said before looking over at his brother. "Got a good hold of them?"

Shadow stood in the middle, his eyes glowing red. "Yeah they won't get far. Let's just get this over with."

Thanks to the enemy's limited movement, this fight was more one sided than the thieves in the plains. The rest did whatever they could to destroy the gargoyles.

Green cut through the wings and allowing them to fall once the shadow's released them, unable to reach back up to the surface. Red used his ice rod to freeze some, which were also just tossed into the middle of the ocean once it was impossible for them to move. Blue simply smashed through them with his hammer. Vio, with arrows infused with light thanks to Zelda, shot through the hearts of the stone creatures close to him. Wolf, following in her mentor's footsteps, also sliced through the wings of the creature in front of her, letting sink to the bottom of the ocean. Meanwhile, Ghost finished off the last one with a bolt of lightning, the stone crumbling away as it was it was struck.

One of the left over pieces rolled at Margot's feet. She picked it up and saw a rune on the other side of the rock. She felt her stomach churn at the sight of it.

'Did someone send these things our way?'

It was the only thing that made sense. For a rune to appear on something, it had to be drawn by someone. But who would want to do this and why? Speaking of runes...

Margot glanced down at the rune on her necklace and saw that it was glowing. The light lasting a few more seconds before it faded away.

Seeing that the chaos had died down, the captain slowly emerged from his hiding spot, looking around at all the chunks of stone littered on the ground. "First you repair my ship and now this? I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

"The free ride to the castle was more than enough." Zelda assured him. "You don't owe us any more than what you've already been doing."

"Even so, if there's a favor I can do for ya, don't be afraid to ask." the captain then looked over the railings, studying the current condition of his boat. "Looks like she only suffered a few scratches. I'll be able to start sailing again at the first sign of sunrise. We'll make it to the castle sometime tomorrow."

"We'll stay out here and keep watch." Green said. "To make sure that nothing else tries to ambush us."

Though slightly more relaxed now that the fight was over, everyone kept their guard up as they kept watch. Meanwhile, Margot kept studying the stone she had picked up. One way or another, these creatures were brought to life by someone so they could wreck havoc. She had to find out who.