Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

Either Baannat was lying or Ryson had a reason for not entering. Maybe as a delver he could sense something and that was holding him back. Maybe he could hear her even though she couldn't speak. She focused even harder on trying to warn him to stay away, to find another way to help them. She fought through all the fear and torment to send one clear warning for him turn back.

#

Ryson did not sense any message from Linda. He only believed he could save her, and with that, he leapt into the shadow rift.

In the physical plane of the dark realm, Ryson's body simply passed through the break as if it fell through the beam of a gray beacon. His figure crumpled below the portal, but somehow it looked different than the other two bodies that it now rested near.

Enin and Linda appeared as they always did. Their expressions remained blank and lifeless, but their bodies looked normal in every other way. The delver's mortal shell, however, appeared somewhat out of focus, not quite there, as if the finer definition had somehow been brushed away. It was almost as if a light fog had fallen all about him and blurred his body to anyone who looked upon it.

Within Baannat's shadowed dimension of nonexistence, Ryson found himself standing in bizarre surroundings. The world about him was gray and empty. There was no air to breath, no horizon to see, no sky above and no ground to stand upon. Still, he was actually standing for he maintained a remnant of his form. He could also move, for just like Baannat, he had arms and legs… a body that was not complete, but substance nonetheless. Even in partial structure, he held to enough physical attributes to maintain his form.

He immediately sensed three other forms in the nothingness. Baannat was clear to him, but there were two other lights. He knew one was Enin and one was Linda, but initially he could not tell which was which. As he peered deeper into the formless entities, he felt a deep connection with one. He knew immediately that it was Linda.

"Are you alright?"

Linda couldn't speak. She had not yet developed any control over her spiritual essence. She was lost in a lifeless world. Despite her limitations, she threw her complete attention upon the delver. As improbable as it seemed, she could make out Ryson's figure. He was more than a simple beacon of light. He appeared like an angel to her, a silhouette of hope.

While Linda could not respond, Baannat chose to remain silent. The delver's appearance clearly concerned the ghoul, and Baannat considered the implications with a miserable scowl.

It was Enin that replied first.

"Ryson, you're here?"

The delver looked upon the other glowing entity.

"Apparently so."

"But how? How were you able to bring part of your physical existence into this plane?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a theory."

Baannat finally stirred from his silence. His confidence returned as he realized that despite the delver's trickery, the realm was his. He was the master and he would rule with savagery.

"So the delver has a trick up his sleeve? Do you think that can save you?"

The delver turned upon the slink ghoul. At first he did so with fury in his heart. He wanted to tear Baannat limb from limb, but he stifled the desire. Instead, he forcefully made his demands, demands he expected to be followed.

"You're going to let them both out of here now. You're going to send them back to their bodies and allow them to walk out of the dark realm."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are because if you don't I'll do everything in my power to destroy you."

"You tried that once before, you even cut me in half. Didn't quite work out as you hoped."

"No, it didn't, but it's different now and you know it. You ordered the caelifera to bring Linda here. She didn't choose to come here."

"So?"

"So that makes you responsible."

"I'm responsible for a great many things. Let me show you."

The slink ghoul raised his hand with his claws extended towards Linda. He went to slash at her soul, but his arm was stopped in mid swing… against his will.

Ryson moved at incredible speed. The silhouette of his own hand speared through the gray emptiness and grabbed Baannat's wrist. Both the delver and the ghoul were only shadows of their former physical beings, but both held enough substance to actually make contact in the otherwise empty plane.

Ryson glared into the ghostly face of the slink ghoul.

"You will not touch her, not ever again!"

Linda rejoiced. She knew there would be no more pain. She did not know how, but Ryson had the ability to fight the ghoul and he would not let Baannat hurt her again. Relief poured over her soul. She had not yet escaped the emptiness, but removing the pain was like walking into heaven.

Enin also celebrated the turn of events, and he pointed out a few simple truths.

"He can hold you, ghoul. That means he can attack you as well. For some reason, he retains enough physical presence here to offset your contrived state of existence. He is also a delver. You saw his speed. You can't match him."

"But he is only a delver," Baannat snarled. "And I am far more!"

The slink ghoul yanked his wrist out of Ryson's hold. He then threw his hands outward and called on the magic he retained. No circle of white power formed anywhere about him, but the energy flowed out of him like a bolt of lightning.

Ryson leapt away from the strike with ease. In fact, he felt more nimble than he ever had before, as if he was light as a feather but could still move with all the speed and grace befitting a purebred delver. Utilizing the full advantage of his free movement, he jumped behind the ghoul, grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped him aside as if Baannat was nothing more than a paper cutout.

Showing no sign of pain or injury, the slink ghoul rose up in the gray nothingness and released a burst of magical energy that shot from his form like a spherical explosive blast. The shock swell did nothing to Linda and Enin-their glowing forms simply shimmered in the force wave-but it sent Ryson flying across empty space.

Ryson felt the brunt of the initial blast. There was pain in the immediate concussion, but that is where the attack ended. There was no back wall for him to smash into, and no hard ground to land upon that would add to the impact. The momentum propelling him backward slowly came to a halt and Ryson controlled his movements once more.

Hoping to catch the slink ghoul by surprise, Ryson raced with all possible speed back at Baannat. He ignored the absurdity of his surroundings, flushed it from his mind. He didn't understand how he could move. There was no solid ground for him to run upon, yet he moved by force of will. He simply propelled himself against the gray emptiness as if he could bounce off the wind itself.

Bounding directly toward the face of his foe, Ryson took hold of both the ghoul's arm and pulled them together. Pushing forward, the delver pressed himself firmly against Baannat's chest.

"Try that again and you'll go flying right along with me," Ryson growled.

The ghoul spat into Ryson's face. It wasn't saliva, even though it looked like it. It was hate.

"Will you now hold me for an eternity?"

"I could if I had to, but I don't. Enin's going to get us out of here."

Baannat laughed and more spittle went flying.

It was Enin who corrected Ryson's apparent misconception of the situation.

"I can't. I am cut off from the magic. I have my will, but that's all."

"You're cut off from the magic out there," Ryson corrected. "Not from the magic in here."

Baannat stopped laughing and eyed the delver with suspicion.

"The only magic within his reach remains within me. Do you think I will let him steal any energy from me?"

"He doesn't have to steal it, and he won't get it from you. He's going to get it from me."