Page #9

As Kota stood he saw what had become of the guards. Above him strung up by the shifter’s silk laid the lifeless bodies of all twelve guards shriveled and dried like raisins in the sun. Fear rushed into Kota’s mind and heart. At that moment when Kota was stricken with terror the shifter leaped into the air hissing. Kota looked even more frightened for a split second as the shifter leaped right in between his cross hairs. A wonderful smirk replaced his frightened expression as he squeezed the trigger a bullet shot from his hatchet and hit the shifter in the shoulder. With a deafening cry “Aaaaggghhh!” the shifter fell to the ground and began to convulse, writhing in the agony. While the shifter was distracted by its pain Kota spoke these ancient words, “Ego summoneas te, veni foras acari flammiferum cane non” <I summon thee, come forth acari the flaming hound.>A flame flew from Kota’s gauntlet and etched circle the size of a coffee table into the earth. A tower of flames shot from the earth and high into the air what was left inside the circle was a pile of molten stone that was cast in the shape of a large dog. “Sick it Acari.” Kota commanded, the molten stone dog suddenly burst into flames as it sprinted towards the wounded shifter.  The shifter sprang to its feet and began to run up the wall of the jeweler’s store and into its webbing. This made little difference to Acari his stone claws dug into the iron side of the building and chased after the deadly creature. “What are you after shifter?” Kota screamed at the shifter as it fled from his hell hound. Undeterred the shifter spoke casually as it evaded the hound, “Idiot I only want your blood!” In that second the shifter used another attack launching multiple poisoned barbs at both Kota and Acari. Kota easily dodged most of the barbs but one of them hit its mark and protruded from Kota’s arm. Acari however managed to avoid all of the barbs by launching his body from the rooftop and landing in the webbing his flaming body burning through most of the web as he landed. “Now Acari, use your molten breath!” from deep within the stone dog a sudden burst of magma shot from its mouth and landed on the shifter’s torso. With a horrible ear shattering scream the shifter fell from the webbing and landed with a thunderous crash to the ground. “Now tell me the truth you retch what do you really want with me?” Kota began to walk over to the shifter to see if it was still alive. “The journal I want the journal now give it to me!” With what little strength she had left the shifter lunged forward and hooked one venomous fang into Kato’s unprotected arm.  The pain was unbelievable like acid running throughout his veins with Kota’s arm caught on the shifter’s fang Kota placed the gauntlet’s hand over the shifters head, “Don’t make me do this!” but the shifter did not budge, then he squeezed with all the power he had left crushing the shifters skull like a piece of fruit.