Monster Rancher Fan Fiction ❯ The Searcher Chronicles ❯ Lord of Shadows: pt 2 - Now It's Personal ( Chapter 10 )

Lord of Shadows pt 2: Now It's Personal

Disclaimer: I don't legally own Monster Rancher apart from the characters which I create

* * * * * * *

"He took your friend, will you be ok?" Tobias said, his face full of concern.

"Sure" Holly said, smiling weakly.

"Oh and who's that?"

I'm Genki, an...old friend of Holly"

Look, I'll take over her breakfast duties" Tobias said.

"Thank you" Holly turned to the noisy dining room and watched the chaos that was breakfast which for the young monsters, consisted of glasses of milk, toast and honey and porridge.

"Well, I better get to work" she sighed.

A few seconds later

Genki stood watching as Holly chased after Ebony who was chasing Rex around the table because he had swiped her bowl of porridge.

As for the others, Striker tore into a slice of toast and honey hungrily as Gabrielle blew on her spoonful of porridge before putting it in her mouth.

Daina took a sip from her glass, lowered her glass, then wiped the milk mustache away and Hoarder just ate his porridge quietly.

Crag kicked happily in his high-chair and suddenly smashed his spoon down in his breakfast.

The baby mash flew everywhere and a large blob hit Genki in the face.

"I HATE babies" Genki mumbled as Holly came over and gently wiped the baby mash from his face

"Is he your boyfriend, Miss Holly?" Ebony was watching them.

"No"

"Of course not"

Genki and Holly turned their gazes away from each other, both blushing.

* * * * *

That night

"Phew, I've never been so tired" Genki collapsed on the new bed Tobias had put in the boys' side for him.

"Welcome to the joys of child-minding" Blue smiled.

"Right, goodnight" the youth grinned back.

In a few minutes, everyone was asleep.

"Huh?" Blue looked round.

Suddenly a figure started walking towards him, Blue smiled.

"Master William" the Blue Hare started forward.

Suddenly Browny was in front of him, snarling with his hackles raised

"Browny, what?"

"That's not Master William" Browny snarled, glancing at Blue.

"Shut up, cur" the old bard aimed a savage kick at Browny, sending him flying.

The Hare Hound skidded to a halt a few feet away.

"Master William wouldn't never do that"

The figure just smiled and too fast for Blue to see, grabbed one of the rabbit's wrists and Blue desperately swung his free hand at the stranger.

"It's not nice to hit" the figure grabbed his other hand.

Blue gasped as he felt an incredible pressure squeezing his wrists, he fell on his knees, gritting his teeth against the unbearable pain.

"Who are you?" he gasped.

Genki slowly opened his eyes, there was a slight warmth just below his neck.

Looking down, he gasped, the medallion the Sorceress had given him was glowing and there was a portal in a dark recess of the boys' half.

The man he had seen in the world of shadows was standing, watching Blue about to enter it.

"What are you doing?" Genki sprang from his bed.

The Shadow-Walker just turned and blew a faint black mist at Genki, the youth dropped to the floor and his eyes slowly closed.

Before he fell asleep, he saw Blue disappear through the portal.

"No" Genki muttered sleepily as his eyes closed.

* * * * *

"Genki, wake up" Holly loomed into his line of vision.

"Huh, Holly"

"What happened?"

"That Shadow-Walker guy, he came again last night, Blue's gone"

Holly gasped, then she ran from the attic, how many more of her friends would she lose.

Genki and Minette glanced at each other and ran after her, no-one noticed Coal watching them, his scarlet eyes narrow.

"So the Shadow-Walker is back" he whispered.

Sitting down on the stairs, Holly tried hard not to cry.

"Don't cry, Miss Holly" a small hand slipped into hers.

Holly turned round, Gabrielle stood behind her, the young Angel sat down next to her.

"Ho'ly" Crag clambered up into Holly's lap.

"He's never spoken before" Gabrielle stared at the tiny Rocky Fur.

"Crag, was that, was that your first word, my name?" the girl smiled through her tears.

"Holly, you ok?" Genki's voice asked from behind her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, run along" she said to the two young monsters.

Heading back, they saw the second door to the attic was open and there was a note on Holly's bed.

Genki picked it up and read it

'To my comrades.

There are many things I haven't told you yet.

The Shadow-Walker is my late mistress' older brother and only the medallions can stop him'

Minette looked at Holly and Genki who was holding the note, fear in her eyes, she was the only one who didn't have one, did that mean.

Running all the way outside, she spread her wings and took off, heading straight for the lake.

"Minette" she heard Holly call after her.

With her eyes full of tears, she saw a familiar black figure standing by the lakeside, practicing his fencing skills.

She swooped down and sat on the ground, her arms round her knees

"Is anything wrong, milady?"

Minette looked up as Coal suddenly sat down next to her.

"The medallion protects you, but I don't have one, I, I"

Coal fingered his pendant for a minute before slowly removing it and hanging it round her neck.

"Here"

Minette looked down at it.

"Thank you" she whispered.

"Well, well, well, gallantry will be your undoing, Commander Coal"

Both monsters spun around as the Shadow-Walker emerged from underneath a tree.

"Get out of here" Coal said, glancing at the young pixie.

"But"

"Go" he gave Minette a quick push.

Sobbing, the young pixie spread her wings and took off back to the orphanage as the Evil Hare faced their enemy.

"Stupid creature, giving away the one thing which protects you"

Coal turned to run, but the Shadow-Walker summoned a small black shadowy star shape and threw it at the retreating Evil Hare.

It buried itself in Coal's back, his scarlet eyes widened as he fell to his knees and collapsed.

The Shadow-Walker strode over and grabbed the gray tuft of fur on top of Coal's head, lifting the Evil Hare's head up like this.

"Pathetic, if this was my sister's bodyguard, I'm surprised that she lived so long" he sneered as he let Coal's head drop back down.

Slinging the black-furred hare over one shoulder, he turned and ran a finger down in the middle of the air, the Shadow-Walker carried the unconscious Coal into the portal he had opened.

* * * * *

"Look, it's Minette"

The young pixie flew towards Genki and Holly and then she collapsed on her hands and knees as a white circular object hanging round her neck fell out of her top.

"Isn't that Co...." Genki started to say when Holly suddenly jabbed him in the ribs on seeing Minette's tear-stained face.

"What happened?" Holly asked gently.

"He gave it to me, but then the Shadow-Walker" Minette stopped.

Genki and Holly looked at each other.

"Stay here, we'll go help him" the youth said.

Then the two young humans were off, running in the direction Minette had come from.

Reaching the lakeside, they found nothing.

"We're too late" Holly said.

Genki's hands clenched into fists.

"We have to rescue them, all of them" he said.

* * * * *

Coal slowly opened his eyes, then saw he was being forced to kneel in front of the Shadow-Walker by Blue and Nancy.

"Aahh, my late sister's protector is finally awake" the shadowy figure raised his hand and suddenly struck the Evil Hare round the face.

"ALL.....THOSE.....TIMES.....YOU.....INFERRED" the Shadow-Walker shrieked, each word being enforced by another blow.

One, two, three, four times, Coal just took the blows in silence, each one forcing his head to one side.

"We could have became the Shadow-Witch, the greatest being in this world, but did you know of that"

"Yes, she had no wish to merge with you, become part of your evil"

"All the times you and that damn Lepus prevented me getting to my sister with those blasted medallions.

Do you know of the powers they possess" the Shadow-Walker knelt down in front of Coal "Why did you stop me all those times"

The black-furred Hare stared back at him, no fear in his scarlet eyes "You know why, because of the darkness in your heart"

The Shadow-Walker stood up and gestured to Coal's captors.

"Release him"

Blue and Nancy both stepped back as the Shadow-Walker lunged forward and grabbed Coal by the neck of his tunic.

Lifting the Evil Hare off the ground like this, then starting from the forehead, he ran one finger down Coal's face.

"I'll enjoy making you mine" he hissed, almost lovingly.

To Be Continued