Reality's Blade

Chapter 21: The Count of Midnight

I pressed my back against the rough stone cave wall, trying to make myself as invisible as possible against the grey rock, I didn't want to get hit by the blood-batryx flying in and out. I wiped the remaining water off my face, trying to gain some focus. Shivers erupted down my spine, and a jittery feeling made my fingers twitch. Was it from the rain having made me cold? Is that what had lodged this ice in the pit of my stomach?

Come on! Focus!

I took a deep breath. Hikage was beside me, monitoring the cave, I had nothing to worry about, I reminded myself. I was the apprentice of the legendary Dark Samurai, a couple blood-batryx should be no sweat!

I needed to assess my enemy, I knew they could fly and they could do so at tremendous speed. I watched a few as they dived in and out of the cave. My eyes widened, as soon as they entered the cave they slowed down and stopped zig-zagging, Hikage had put us at the perfect spot for catching the ones that had slowed down. I felt a smile pull at my lips. Attacks were unknown, but logic told me there was a good chance of biting and blood sucking. So all I had to do was swipe them out of the air right?

A snuffling sound brought my attention back to my surroundings. I looked down in the direction of the sniffing, crawling towards me was one of the bats, it's head searching back and forth as it sampled the air and kept creeping toward the scent. It was bigger than I had first thought, almost the size of cat, it's deep grey body was round and fluffy, four leathery wings attached to it's limbs, which ended with sharp claws. It's squat little face was like that of an ordinary bat, with dagger like teeth occasionally visible as it lifted it's face to sniff.

"Are you going to stare at it or do something about it?" Hikage's calm voice probed.

The blood-batryx stopped it's snuffling and listened, alarmed by Hikage's voice, then seemed to stare straight at him. I drew my sword and swung, the sharp blade taking it's head clean off, then both body and head turned to dust. That was unusual I thought to myself, but the appearance of a black projectile heading straight for me quickly made me forget my train of thought. I sliced in front of me, catching the bat down it's centre, it too crumbled into dust.

So far so goo-

A sharp ringing sound split the air like a siren, Hikage made some swift motion and the sound stopped, a bat fell to the ground and disintegrated. Hikage was holding a wooden bow, he lowered it to his side.

"It was trying to alert the others, I suggest you kill any that may have heard it's alarm before they resume the warning too." Hikage's fast words took a moment for me to comprehend, my mind temporarily distracted by the appearance of a bow, but I got the gist.

I pushed off from the wall, my cover had been blown, it was time to go on the offensive. I swung my blade through the air, catching a few of the creatures mid-flight. The wailing noise began again but was quickly silenced by Hikage, who smoothly knocked an arrow and fired precisely all in one calm motion. More and more bats were beginning to appear.

A hissing noise captured my attention, perched on the wall at head height a bat was watching me with squinting eyes, it drew it's head back as if coiling for a pounce, I reflexively dodged, but it was not the bat that came flying at me. Black slime splattered my cheek, I automatically touched the strange substance, it stuck to my fingers as I pulled them away. A tingle started which rapidly grew to a fierce burning where the slime had reached my skin. I wiped frantically with my sleeve, trying to douse the prickly fire that had erupted on my face.

The blood-batryx leapt for me, it's attack having preoccupied my thoughts with it's searing pain, and latched onto my arm that held my sword. Not able to utilise my blade I looked at the creature perching on me in horror, my mind went blank as I stared into the rows of serrated teeth that were about to sink into my skin. A whooshing noise passed my face and the bat dissolved, I'd been saved by Hikage again.