Shadowman, page 25
part #1 of The Valiant Universe Series
Jack began stepping back as the shower abated, setting his sights on the dandelion demon through the fanlike twirls of his staff.
The stunned creature watched as the irreverent mortal began moving his spinning weapon from side to side, swatting away the last of its needles. The vigor had diminished from his movements as Jack casually began bouncing one solitary needle against the slowly weaving sengese. Before the demon could react, its needle was swatted back and sent clean through its forehead. The shocked expression remained on its face as it dropped to its knees and fell forward.
Jack turned toward the two remaining brutes from the horde, undeterred by his deadly performance. These clumsy goofs are too easy—he continued as one of them threw a punch—all I gotta do is keep baiting them into killing each other.
Continuing to do just that, Jack gently used the hook of his sengese to ensnare the wrist of the brute and guide it toward the face of the other. As soon as the fist made contact, he pulled the weapon clean through the monster’s wrist before mortally slashing both of their throats.
Jack landed atop the resulting mound to see the rest of the howling demonic legion hungrily converging on his location. “Not enough,” he stated confidently as he released the sengese. “This was getting too heavy anyway.”
“Do not—”
Bossu tried to warn him, but it was too late. Jack had already sent the weapon away. This time, his harnessing the appendage left him gasping violently for air.
“Oops,” he said, clutching his chest. “I . . . forgot.”
“Indeed.”
But why do I feel this spent physically? he began silently. It’s like all the energy that I used decided to take its toll all in one go.
“It would be much more severe if this were the Liveside by daylight,” Bossu replied. “Now get ready.”
Jack exhaled with his cheeks as he sped from the mound, attempting to increase the distance between himself and the vicious mob. He continued struggling to catch his breath as the legion descended upon him, forcing him to reconsider his likelihood of succeeding.
The intensity with which the monsters fueled their strikes and tackles seemed to be without end. Unlike Jack, they were relentless rather than winded. He soon found most of his energy being devoted to not getting swarmed. Using the dregs of his stamina to corral the hordes into one manageable mass, he planned to dispatch them all in one go.
Unfortunately, summoning the sengese this time took Jack to a whole new plateau of exhaustion, significantly worse than what he previously endured. He held his breath as he swung the weapon at the multitude, running it through as many of them as he was able.
No longer did it feel like a hot knife through butter, but every sinew of flesh seemed to sap his strength when cutting through.
Holding his breath to kill off as many as possible, he could see Samedi with the woman, Marinette, walking through the bits of his dismembered denizens while observing him amidst the chaos.
Just as his heart felt like it was about to burst, Jack ended the spectacle, propping himself up against the weapon as the entrails littered the area. He could make out one more demon advancing toward him but was too exhausted to do anything about it.
WHAM!
The attack was enough to make him release the sengese, sending him tumbling toward the bridge. Jack quickly scrambled to his feet, readying himself for the demon’s follow-up.
Though he had his hands up and could see the enemy’s movements, Jack’s body was unable to move with sufficient speed.
This must be what the undead from the blights feel like.
The monster struck him freely without suffering any counterattack.
Meaning to duck under a blow he thought he had seen coming, Jack instead bowed into an uppercut. He stumbled away from his assailant. The pain from the head strike seemed to be rebounding through his entire body.
It was the first time he had felt a punch more painful than Jamal’s, and to make matters worse, the monster was fast.
“No way,” he panted, retreating to a column.
The demon let out another battle cry as it watched Jack hobble toward the makeshift underpass.
Upon entering, he was consumed by a profound restorative feeling, like coming up for air just before drowning. It was not a moment too soon as the foe had already bounded toward him.
Eyeing his weapon, sticking from the ground a few yards away, Jack thought to summon it to him. But having only just caught his breath, he decided otherwise and counterpunched the demon.
Though slightly surprised by its opponent’s sudden burst of energy, the monster remained undeterred from its pursuit. Fortunately, the succor Jack was receiving from the shadows enabled him to stand his ground against the dogged attacker.
His relief turned to dismay as he heard a scream, similar in sound to the demon currently fighting him, being belted out by yet another.
Wielding his appendage, Jack gingerly directed it toward the sengese as if stealing something. In response, he immediately felt the energy begin to leave his body, forcing him to release the psychic hold.
Bossu, who had been intermittently vocalizing an assortment of reactions since the fray commenced, let out a three-syllable tone of pity while the appendage recoiled like the weapon was hot. “What are you going to do, Jack?”
As the demon shook off the impact from his light cross, Jack prepared himself for the second, who had just arrived. Watching them seemingly join forces with a shared glance, Jack returned his appendage into the void in a hurried attempt to palpate some crows into form.
I might get DQ’d if I step inside.
“There is no might,” Bossu replied, “only certainty that you will.”
Just like before, Jack continuously swept the birds forth from the walls of the other dimension until he could hear the flapping of their wings resound in his head.
He did this while simultaneously defending himself from the last two foes who had begun to progressively demand more of his attention. His intent was to abstain from unnecessary movements so that his revitalization occurred quickly, and then wait for the opportunity to land a killing blow.
However, these two seemed tailor-made to thwart his efforts.
So, Jack began, think you can send some crows out here?
“Do you truly want me to intervene?” the Lwa asked. “After all, this is something you can do for yourself.”
His host sucked his teeth.
Though these definitely were not brutes, they were not bottom-feeders either.
Jack initially attributed their overall capability to his exhaustion, which was currently abating thanks to the shadowed area beneath the bridge. But as he continued to fend them off, he realized that their attacks were not the recklessly enraged type he had come to expect.
Due to their tactics, Jack was compelled to intermittently flee from the shadows or engage in bursts of prolonged skirmishes to buy moments of recovery.
It was clear that they had an unspoken plan to wear him down.
“What’s you guys’ prob—” Jack paused his outraged inquiry as he finally took the time to notice the two demons’ appearance. Far from the random variety of characteristics displayed by the diverse denizens of the Deadside, these monsters complemented each other.
They both had fur lining most of the unclothed parts of their body and appeared feline.
The facial proportions of the first were rather normal, aside from its mouth. Its pupils appeared as orange slits, vertically cut across the smoky orbs couched within its eye sockets. The demon’s muzzle was in a permanent state of spread necessitated by its unnatural array of teeth—a saber-toothed tiger with all sabers.
The fur of its arms ended just above its elbow while the rest seemed to be composed entirely of bone.
Unlike the forearms of the baron in which the ulna and radius remained visible, these bones were like a vambrace. This macabre armor covered the wrists and hands. Jutting from the elbows were sharp projections that rose toward the upper arms. Though bipedal, the demon’s calves presented like the hind legs of a giant cat, causing it to appear to be standing on its toes.
The second demon had a similar facial appearance except at the mouth, the lack of teeth allowing for a wiser and more dignified demeanor. The fur of its body continued through its arms, with no bone covering to speak of. Its hands were humanoid, but clawed and somewhat oversized. It also stood on raised feet, but the physiology was more demonic than feline, like those of a gargoyle.
Jack’s observations were abruptly ended by their advance.
The first darted toward him with its two fists pressed against one another across its chest, the flex of its elbows extending the projections outward. Despite the relatively fixed position of its upper body, it managed to remain fleet of foot.
Its partner ran more traditionally, swinging its arms like fierce pistons in conjunction with its muscular demon legs.
The first started the assault by spinning forward with its elbow spikes jutted, as if trying to dance its way to the young opponent. The second soon followed with, to Jack’s surprise, a frontal attack. It clawed at him with its oversized hands before trying to snatch his head with the downswing kick of a front flip.
Jack thought he saw an opening with critical blow potential, but he was unwilling to commit to the maneuver, so he let the opportunity pass and shuffled away.
Jack thought, addressing his Lwa, I need the crows to distract them long enough for me to get the sengese. How do I do something like that from the outside?
Still observing the combatants, he noticed that the one with the elbows would never brandish them when the other was near, preventing them from being weaponized against its teammate.
“How do you do it?” Bossu said. “There are many ways to explain it theoretically. But since you have already done it, the easiest advice is this: Fancy yourself an idol.”
The young host rolled his eyes despite coming to an immediate understanding.
He stepped from the shadowed area in order to enact his plan and saw the demons move to attack, apparently pleased by his decision.
The second decided to give the first a wide berth by delaying its approach by some seconds. Seeing this, Jack established a firm hold upon the void and began opening an aperture right above its position.
The first demon resumed throwing elbows. Spinning like a top, the assorted hues on its body turned into streaks of color due to the ferocity of its turning.
I can’t lose sight of the other one, Jack thought, before commencing a series of backflips. But I can’t risk this one noticing me look, either.
While vaulting away, he managed to subtly maintain his sights on both opponents by glimpsing at one and then the other in rapid succession. Jack tracked the first demon’s advance by glancing at its feet before eyeing the crows emerging above the second.
He noticed the circular shuffles of the first demon finally coming to a stop. He’s just about finished. One more flip should put me out of range from that killer elbow’s final turn, and back into the shadows. Ha-ha . . . Oh sh—
While his spatial calculations proved spot-on, it was impossible to anticipate everything. Instead of bringing around its right elbow to complete its counterclockwise spin, the demon flexed the arm into a haymaker. Its reach now extended, the foe’s surprise attack struck Jack’s head.
Hard.
Standing in awe at the crows that had been flowing from the mysterious hole torn through space-time, the already bewildered second demon became all the more so as the murder of crows suddenly glitched.
Jack rebounded from the blow, though still seeing stars from the impact, and instinctively grappled the demon’s arm in the middle of its follow-through.
Quickly locating the elbow, he clutched the base of the bony protrusion and in one smooth motion, ripped it out, peeling it along the monster’s forearm and down its hand before tearing off the pinky. Once removed, the hardened vambrace that once lined the demon’s forearm instantly lost its rigidity and reverted to a texture no different than any other skin.
Having processed the pain of having its arm degloved like shucked corn, the demon took a deep breath and cried out to its entranced companion.
But Jack reacted too quickly.
Immediately leaping into the air following the bloody grapple, he violently plunged the still-hardened elbow protrusion down the demon’s throat before stuffing the rest of the arm’s newly socklike skin into its mouth.
Simultaneously discerning the condition of the crows while gagging the demon, Jack realized that the unexpected blow to his head had triggered a change in how he perceived his mental connection with the crows, enabling him to compartmentalize the various communications and feedback that used his sixth sense as their medium.
While psychically maintaining the glitching murder, Jack telepathically commanded three birds from within to retrieve the sengese, directing them to fly it to him before the demon returned to its senses. Snatching the staff from their beaks, he thrust the blade into the shadows of the underpass.
The staff’s business end, just immersed in shadow several yards away, immediately reappeared, emerging from the spot of shadow created by the crow swarm. The sengese jutted into the demon’s throat, rocketing upward behind the chin and through the jawline before descending back into the dark just as fast as it came forth.
Jack pulled the weapon from the shadow, having cut off the demon’s face in one stroke.
He heard the familiar, too hard, almost brittle clacking as Samedi stood in the midst of the dead bodies, clapping with a crazed enthusiasm. The bird woman had been walking about, assessing the quality of the lad’s bloody work before advancing toward her celebrating cohort.
Noticing Jack watching him, the mad skeleton clapped with increased vigor, his eyes glowing with more intensity as his applause began bursting the corpses asunder.
He sustained the clapping a bit before finally ceasing. “Don’t be ashamed, boy,” he said, “you did well.”
“Jack Boniface!” Marinette began, cheerfully calling out to him from afar. “The baron told me something that I had to come and confirm for myself. Were you seeking the chance to kill me?”
Jack suddenly remembered the incident in Black Pearl, causing him to nod at her with renewed anger.
“CA-CAWW!!”
Seemingly unable to control herself, the woman erupted with an animalistic cry of excitement before transitioning into a witchlike cackle. The exceedingly shrill giggles continued to echo as the woman resumed her speech.
“I didn’t send any of my pets to the Liveside,” she explained, “not yet, anyway.”
The landscape became strangely silent as the two Lwa waited for a response from the young host.
“Doesn’t look like he found it funny,” Samedi stated loudly.
“Cheer up, young Boniface,” Marinette began. “We will eventually identify who is responsible for your current state of woe.”
Whatever, Jack thought, all you Lwa are freaking liars anyway.
Blood had seeped from the mouth of Jack’s mask and began to drip from its fang-like extensions. Jack stared at the skeleton in silence as he wiped it away.
From across the field, Samedi pointed at the lad’s injuries. “Look, your wounds are already healing, so do not fret. Soon you’ll be as good as n—” The skeleton god stopped short as Jack suddenly vanished from their presence. “Awww.”
CHAPTER 18
The day after the attack, Jack had been riding through the neighborhood of Black Pearl accompanied by Dox and Alyssa. The mayor of New Orleans, Eric Goodwill, was scheduled to give a press conference about what had transpired in front of the military base on the outskirts of the neighborhood.
Jack had told Dox and Alyssa what he had done to prevent the discovery of the corpses by the town’s residents, a decision they agreed with.
“Why didn’t you get rid of the werewolf though?” Alyssa asked.
“I wanted it to be found,” Jack replied. “It’s the only way I . . . I mean we, will know what we’re up against. Samedi wasn’t behind it, which was known, but Marinette claimed it wasn’t her either, and I kinda believe it.”
“How do you know she’s not lying?”
“She just wouldn’t,” he stated, shaking his head. “If she was behind it and you didn’t know, she’s the type to tell you herself.”
The car fell silent as Dox stopped by the collection of police and media vehicles to let the two youngsters out.
Jack and Alyssa made their way through the steadily forming crowd and positioned themselves close to the temporary podium albeit off to the side.
Jack stared at the vacant area and leaned over to Alyssa. “This should be interesting,” he said softly. “It is reported that a werewolf attacked the neighborhood of Black Pearl.” He mimicked the mayor.
Alyssa put her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. “That’s assuming it didn’t shift back to its human form a little after you killed it.”
Jack’s eyes widened as he quickly faced forward. “Crap!” he hissed. “I didn’t think of that!”
“That’s what teammates are for,” Alyssa replied, no longer stifling her amusement. “It’s not a big deal, you took care of the more important st—”
“Excuse me, ma’am.” Alyssa gasped before setting her eyes on the blushing officer. “Sorry, miss,” he said sheepishly, “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that the mayor will be arriving shortly, and we may need this path to the podium.”
Jack watched from the corner of his eye as Alyssa successfully concealed any signs of annoyance and smiled.
“I’m sorry, officer.” She made like she was headed out but stopped, her abruptness catching the man’s attention. “You said this is the way he’ll be using to get onstage?” she asked, her voice singing with innocent curiosity. “Because I think I see him.”
