The world of Shadows

Movement in the shadows

After leaving the settlement, Shadow explains to Skye the situation and the place they're going to. Skye, still trying to understand all this, follows Shadow. A couple of hours later, Skye is exhausted and ask Shadow to rest just an hour. Shadow is against the idea but accept none the less since some rest could help them both. Shadow and Skye decides to rest under a tree then something wakes up Shadow. There's something around lurking so Shadow turn to wake up Skye to see a familiar face. The female dragonoid from before in the marsh, the one that had hr home burned to the ground. She was searching Skye and her bag for food and somethings useful until she sees Shadow looking at her. She runs away before Shadow could say a word or even react.

Shadow: Skye! Wake up! We've been stolen!
Skye: [Waking up] Huh? What? 
Shadow: She came back! Come on, get up! We gotta go!
Skye: What happenned?! Who came back?!
Shadow: The dragonoid from the marsh!
Skye: The one who you burned down her home? She's alive?!
Shadow: YES! Now let's go before she comes back!

They both starts to walk toward the whispering mines which is not that far from them now. Upon arriving near the mines, the atmosphere changes to a more dead decor. Dead trees, withered grass, fog and an eary silence can be seen and felt. Like the doctor said the entrance of the mines is collapsed but a small opening can be see not far away. Skye uncertain about entering but Shadow remind her why they're here so she decides to enter, after Shadow of course.
The entrance has not much going on in it but it is partialy lit as most of the the lights where burned out or broken. After Shadow enters through the small openning, Skye enters too following Shadow. They walk through narrow passage way until they arrive to what looks like a huge room with almost no light. Shadow could really well in the dark but Skye in the other paw didn't see well in the dark. Since Shadow's unusual ability to disapear in the dark Skye had to hold Shadow's paw which Shadow didn't like that much but is forced to do to not lose Skye. But that didn't last long until Shadow's paw slip out of Skye's crasp, leave her to search for Shadow in the dark. After some panicked searching, Skye finds Shadow's paw and hold it thight. As she hold Shadow's paw, she feels like Shadow is colder than normal. Actually Shadow's paw feel different from before and right after that a spark illuminate Shadow. Then Skye realise that it not Shadow but a crystalized anthro who is looking right at Skye.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Skye's scream echoed through out all the mines which made Shadow realise Skye wasn't with him anymore. Shadow rushes toward the scream to see Skye frozen in fear near the crystalized anthro.

Shadow: [Worried] Skye! Are you okay?! What happenned?!
Skye: [Disturbed] I... I thought i was holding your paw and instead this... This thing was there!

Shadow look at the crystalized anthro closely and tries to inspect it. By the look, it seem like the anthro was still alive when it happenned. By the touch, the crystalized anthro seem to be pulsating like a heart. Whatever happenned to the anthro, they need to keep their guard up. So they keep walking finding a couple of other crystalized anthro of all kindbut then one of them was... Strangely different. And another one... Wait no, 3... 6... Many weirds statues and THEY'RE TWITCHING!
As Shadow realise that Skye gets grab by the paw and Shadow punches the "thing" grabing Skye which hurted his paw but freed Skye. They are circled by those "things" until a lit flare is thrown toward Shadow and Skye which stuned the "things" around them.

OVER HERE, RUN!

Shadow and Skye didn't care who it was, the only thing that matters is that it saved them. So they runs toward the yell and enters what look like a vault door and the mysterious hero closes it. It open the light to reaveal his apperance. He is half wolf half cybernetic, his right arm, left eye, left ear, nose and right lower leg are cybernetic. is fur is a mix between white and black making a skeleton patern. he wears a battle armor with a coat over it and an old fashion gas mask.

Stranger: We are safe here. You're lucky i heard the scream. Then again they wouldn't of wake up if you wouldn't of screamed.
Skye: Thank you for that, by the way. Im Sk...
Stranger: Why are you here?!
Shadow: We're here for help.
Stranger:  Why come here from all places?
Shadow: Because she's dying!
Stranger: Well, go see a doctor then! Plus who told you i was here, huh?!
Shadow: Funny you say that because a doctor told us to come here to look for you.
Stranger: Which doctor?
Shadow: Didn't said his name but you gave him a note book and...
Stranger: Wait! What does she have?
Skye: Abyssal something.
Stranger: Abyssal curse. I see why he sent you here in that case and you must be really desperate to come all the way here.
Skye: So you're going to cure me?
Stranger: That's not what i said...
Skye: What?!
Stranger: Let's continue this discussion in my experimenting room. And before you say why we should trust you, know that YOU came to me.

Shadow and Skye follows the stranger in his "experimenting room". A ton of table with a bunch of crystals of all color and size with multiple tools and equipments.

Stranger: This is where i test new way of understanding the crystals and where i make my own prototypes.

While Skye follows the stranger, Shadow's attention is focus on a familiar crystal. One that was similar to the one in the Dread Halls but this one seem to not affect Shadow at all but before Shadow could touch it...

Stranger: Dont touch that! That's really fragile!
Shadow: I've seen one like this before...
Stranger: They are pretty common.
Shadow: But the one i saw was glowing and...
Stranger: You mean you've been in contact with an active purge crystal?! Interresting...
Shadow: How so?
Stranger: Let's focus on your friend first then we can talk about it in private.

So the stranger proceed to put Skye in an hibernation state before commencing the tests.

So Shadow, how far are you willing to go for her?