We Can Be Heroes ...?

26

A mad scramble ensued as the others caught sight of the transformed ghost. A frigid touch lanced through Shion as she ran and she knew she wasn't running fast enough. In fact, that touch appeared to slow her down and the gates to the castle still stood a long distance from her. With every ounce of will she could muster, she forced her legs to move, but another ice-cold touch rendered her almost immobile.

Without a thought, Jova turned in mid run and pounced back, flashing by Shion, her huge, double-headed axe in hand and Shion heard the rumble of her strike. Barely able to move, Shion looked back to see the red ghost bouncing in the air to fall back and hover, mere inches from the ground. Half of its red bar had turned black, but even now it began to tilt upright, but Jova hadn't finished.

She swung the axe in a mighty arc, after-images of the blade following in its wake and a little more red disappeared. The ghost reared up, pointing a spectral, clawed finger toward Jova and it looked as though frost had covered her entire body. Her 'health' bar dropped, matching the ghost's, but she swung her axe again and, as it hit, a little red reappeared in her bar as a similar amount reduced from the ghost.

Back the other way, Shion heard the noises of battle and she could only assume that Mila and Dave had also disturbed a ghost, turning it from the pacified blue into the furious red of the one that had touched Shion. She began to feel the cold in her legs recede and turned back to Jova, summoning her staff and immediately sending out her ranged healing, giving Jova precious health.

"Don't worry about me!" Another swing of her axe gave Jova a little more health and took from the monster. "Get to the gates!"

Of course Shion couldn't do that. If Jova and Dave could ignore orders with impunity, then so could she. Her magical staff energy lanced out toward the ghost, hitting it square in the gauzy chest of the creature and returning magical energy into Shion's reserves. It only had a little health left in its bar and Jova pulled back her axe, driving it up, cutting into the monster and removing all trace of health from its bar. It dissipated, becoming nothing but twinkling dust that fell to the ground like rain.

Able to move again, Shion turned back to the others, only to find them surrounded by three red ghosts and the bars above their heads reduced far too low. She ran to them, casting her ring of healing as she ran and the very edge caught Mila and Dave, bringing them back from near doom. She cast the spell again, returning even more health to her companions, but she knew she would soon run her well of energy dry.

Now Jova raced back to her sister and Dave, once again leaping forward, landing her powerful blow that sent the ghosts flying backward through the air. Shion took the opportunity, striking out with her staff to drain as much magic back into her as she could. She saw Bobs, three of them now, hopping and bouncing toward one ghost and beginning to kick and scratch at the diaphanous form, reducing the red in its bar, if only a slight. Dave flew through the air, knives cutting outward in twin arcs as he attacked another.

They were working as a team, but they still had some way to go and more blue ghosts still floated between them and the castle gates. A wild swing of Jova's axe caught all three ghosts in its arc, restoring even more health to her bar and destroying the ghosts, their essences twinkling to the ground, glowing yellow and telling Shion they held plunder.

"Forget the loot!" Mila began to run toward the gates, only to stop after a step, allowing another blue ghost to float by. "There are too many of them, we could end up disturbing more as we fight. Spread out, watch the patterns, aim to reach the gates without touching any more."

Shion saw one ghost, floating in the general direction of the gates and stepped in behind it, watching to both sides. The ghosts crossed each others' paths too often to not remain vigilant. The others had also chosen ghosts to follow, but Shion couldn't think about that now. The ghost before her took a sharp turn, away to the side, heading away from the gates, but she saw another about to pass through the ghost she followed. She let it pass and fell in behind it, only noticing at the last second another blue ghost coming her way. She pirouetted, the tip of the ghost's elbow missing her chest by a fraction of an inch and she thanked the gods that she wasn't endowed with larger breasts.