The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 49: Ash

Right in front of him lay the end of the basilisk's tail. Ash took a wide swing and cut the end clean off. If it was pissed off before, it was downright livid now.

The scaly walls began to close in on Ash with an alarming rate. He just about accepted his demise when a couple well thrown daggers distracted the basilisk just long enough for him to make another jump. He threw his sword forward to free his hands so that he could grab a branch from the nearest tree. He dropped into the direction his sword flew in, just as the snake's enormous jaws slammed down on the branch he was holding onto seconds before. A foil stench washed over Ash as the monster's mouth opened again to release the tree branch.

He managed to recover his sword and sheathed it somewhat aversely, as the thick fluid that the cut off tail produced was still generously coated on the blade and he didn't have time to get it off.

While he ran around the clearing, he pulled out a few daggers and chucked them at the snake, trying to give Nix enough time to get another well-aimed arrow in. Unfortunately, the oversized snake was quick to adapt, and it used its oozing tail as well as its deadly head to keep Nix and him equally busy. Even though it clearly didn't like the daggers both of them were throwing at it, they didn't do enough damage except to annoy the beast and some even glanced off the scales altogether.

Nix and Ash continued running around the edge of the tree line, but they didn't have an endless supply of daggers and the trees didn't provide them with enough cover. If they could, they would've gotten together and come up with a new strategy, but now that they had engaged, the snake would surely follow them anywhere they went.

Ash could spot Nix straight across from him and he saw that she threw the very last of her daggers before taking out the two short-swords strapped to her sides, readying herself for face-on combat. But with one of the Basilisk's eyes still intact, it would mean certain death.

Even though he still had some daggers left himself, he drew his large sword again. If Nix was going down, he was going with her.

With a stab of pain, he suddenly recognized the clearing. He had passed through here with his horse Valentine, Hailey clinging onto him with her eyes tightly closed.

With that memory fresh in his mind, he got ready to charge.

Then, suddenly, there were arrows coming from several different directions, high-up in the trees. The basilisk turned around in confusion, not knowing which way to turn as another round of arrows were planted into its neck. Ash ran towards the nearest source of arrows and spotted Brooke squatting on one of the top branches of a tree. She saw Ash and gave him a wink before shooting the purposeful arrow that blinded the basilisk fully.

With the snake confused and in pain, the Soul Hunters took their chance, and each charged the enormous monster. Ash located Nix side by side with Ben, running towards the tail that was furiously swinging around and staining the nearby trees with the same disgusting stuff Ash was half-covered in. From another direction came Leo and Zech, who had apparently found a way to get out of his political duties to join in this fun party.

Without the limitation of the basilisk's lethal stare, they could move more freely, using their hand-held weapons to hack at the snake's body. But it cleverly kept its most vulnerable areas high up in the air. They were out of long-range weapons and the scaly hide of the snake's main body was too thick to get through.

Ash found Leo's eye and his older brother seemed all too aware of the plan forming in Ash's mind and gave him a warning look. Before he could give Ash a definitive order to stand down, he looked away and took a few steps back for his largest leap yet.

His sword still in hand, he flung himself as high up as he could. This time he was aiming for the area in the middle of the snake's coil on purpose. Before he reached his destination the snake's head turned to him, its jaws opening. Ash was still in the air when the snake head came rushing towards him. The moment he touched the ground, he pushed up with all his strength, right towards the yellow fangs that became larger with every second.

Everything turned black and for a moment he thought, You are the stupidest person ever, you've jumped right into a basilisk's mouth like some voluntary sacrifice.

But then he felt his raised sword sink in right up to the hilt and he was sprayed with an unimaginable amount of ichor like substance, except it was slimier. He firmly closed his lips to not let any of the foul stuff get in his mouth.

He could hear his Team members calling out his name and felt the snake's body dropping to the ground all around him. Its lifeless head fell sideways, revealing an open space just big enough for him to step through.

As he made his way through the mess of scales and black slime, he attempted to clean his sword on his leg, which was somewhat futile as his legs were also completely covered.

"Anyone want to give me a hand here?" he asked while he made an attempt to climb over the last coil of the huge basilisk's body before he reached the tree line.

"Ha ha, no thanks," Nix laughed, keeping her hands in the air, still holding one of her short swords. Annoyingly, she had only a very limited amount of slime on her.

"You," Ben said, with a grin on his face, "are a crazy idiot."

Zech tried to keep a serious face, but he couldn't quite hide his smile. Brooke was also much too ecstatic, as usual.

"Yes! A basilisk was my number one!" she said cheerily, grabbing fallen arrows on her way towards him.

Leo was the only person that was clearly not enjoying the adrenaline after a good fight. He actually looked mortified, and his look stopped Ash from trying to get the worst of the sludge off of him.

"What is it?" he asked, and Ash's serious tone was immediately picked up by the others, who turned to Leo as well.

"Do you realize where we are?" Leo said in reply. Ash nodded gravely. This clearing was extremely close to Rosenberger Mansion, dangerously close. Ash hadn't heard of any dimensional breach managing to come this close to the Soul Hunter capital, let alone such an enormous one like a basilisk.

Leo was somewhat lost in thoughts while he systematically assessed each Team member for injuries and automatically started to strategize again. The other Team members hadn't just come here to help Nix and him, there were more breaches nearby.

Suddenly, Ash remembered something. It was an off-hand comment from a few days ago, nothing that he had actively tried to store in his memory, but it was there, nonetheless.

"Leo," he said quietly. Ash didn't get Leo's attention immediately as he continued giving out new orders, but Ash was too shocked to speak any louder.

Nix must've noticed his ashen face, because she grabbed Leo's shoulder and drew his attention to Ash. Everyone was quiet, looking at Ash and waiting for him to speak again.

He swallowed and then said in a voice that would've been too soft for a regular human to hear, "Alex and Hailey are out here somewhere. They were taking the carriage."

Leo's head swept to his right, as if realizing how close the road was in that direction. Then he turned back to Ash and said just one word.

"Go."