Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Little Slave Girl ❯ Just In Time! ( Chapter 27 )

Ryven felt them before she saw them. Snowblind's white ears pricked up and his nose tilted towards the sky, whining he looked at his bond. Standing at the mouth of the cave she normally shared with Piccolo, she placed one hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright afternoon sun and felt her heart grow cold. A dark shadow had begun to grow, coming closer and closer. Automatically, Ryven reached behind her and pulled her sword out, waiting, heart pounding in her ears, blood cold in her veins.

The shapes were closer now, she could see the ugly ki vampires as they're wings beat against the blue of the sky, mouths half open, fangs dripping spittle. Then she realized they were't alone. Gasping, Ryven saw the smaller, sable-haired elf flying downwards towards her. Her body glowed with an odd light and power seemed to crackle all around her like static, her eyes held a frightening hunger within.

"R-Rowyn?" Ryven said, her sword raised, but unwilling to strike at her friend, "What are you...I thought you were going to stay with Dende and..."

Without warning, two of the slythwasps attacked, Ryven moved lightening quick and managed to slice off one's arm before it could dart away with it's fellow, but the monsters touched her and managed to pull from her more of her vital energy. She felt her swordarm weaken a bit and struggled to hold it upright. She remembered what Tel had been saying and jumped clear of three more slythwasps before they could touch her.

"Wait!" Rowyn's mouth opened but it was not her voice that Ryven heard. The slythwasps all hovered around Ryven, just about to dive onto her and devour her whole, "This one is ours!"

Sweat dripped from her face and plastered her clothes to her body as she saw the slythwasps move away from her and Rowyn float down to her silently. Backing away, Ryven thought frantically, I can't let her touch me! I can't let her touch me!

"Rowyn! Rowyn!" Ryven cried, trying to get through to the girl she knew was still inside the body, inside the mind, of this creature facing her, "Please! It's me, Ryven-chan! Remember? Your friend! You don't have to do this! You can fight them, Rowyn! Please, I don't want to hurt you..."

"Hurt us?!" Rowyn laughed, "How can you ever think you will be able to harm us?!"

Ryven raised her sword upwards once more, trying to still the trembling of her hands, "Don't come any closer."

"If you slash at me with that pigsticker, girl," Rowyn laughed, "It will only make it worse on you."

Ryven didn't want to hurt Rowyn, she really didn't, but she wasn't about to become a feast for a bunch of leeches! With a sudden scream, she ran headlong into Rowyn, cutting in a downward arc with her weapon. Which Rowyn deflected easily. With a simple movement of her wrist and arm, Rowyn sent the blade twisting out of Ryven's hands and clattering to the ground several feet away.

She was weaponless and if she engaged her in hand-to-hand, Ryven knew that she would only suffer her ki being drained all that much faster. She backed into the cave wall, desperate, scared. Snowblind growled and whined with her own fear. Then, her heart in her throat, she felt it. She felt him! She saw a flash of green and purple just as Rowyn's hand hovered inches from her face, she could feel her strength leaving her as the fingers came close enough to brush her skin.

Then, suddenly, Rowyn was jerked backwards roughly.

"Ryven! Are you all right?"

"P-Papa! Look out! She's coming back!" Ryven cried, as Rowyn, having been pushed so hard away from Ryven that she ended up over the side of the cliff, came flying back up at breakneck speed, followed by the other leeches, "Don't let them touch you! That's how they tap into your ki!"