The Shadow Riders

The other squads moved through the city, walking the path the Wind users had cleared for them. Charlie and Bravo leapt from rooftop to rooftop, maintaining the high ground to make better use of their sniper focused tactics. Foxtrot and Delta squad move along the city streets, acting as a vanguard for Alpha squad, which trailed behind the rest of the squads. 

The sound of gunfire clattered through the air as the sniper squads engaged distant enemies. As Alpha followed behind, they ran past the evaporating corpses of the Shadows unfortunate enough to run into Foxtrot. 

"This is pretty boring..." Mira sighed, gaze drifting to the dead Shadows.

"Suits me fine." Luna commented. "Fighting is tiring." 

"Man, I should be up there with them..." Rin gritted her teeth, watching as the snipers fired on distant targets, Nin bullets soaring through the air and lighting up the sky. 

Rell gasped as he ran. He was unusually tired, and his head throb severely. He kept having flashes. Images of the shadow Rell would appear in the corner of his vision, like it was watching him. And then he started to hear something. It was very, very faint. Something was whispering...

"Rell." Hina flicker-stepped, coming along side him and breaking out into a run, despite her heels, dozens of light orbs flying around her. "Are you doing all right?"

"I'm fine..." He lied, the whispers growing louder, nearly drowning out Hina's voice as she continued to speak to him. 

"We have armor!!" One of the Light orbs screamed. 

The clatter of gunfire intensified as they engaged the target. Delta squad struggled to keep it back, but it broke through their lines, making a line straight for Alpha. The elephant Shadow was probably twice as tall an actual elephant, with four tusks rather than two. It let out its cry as it closed the distance, like a elephant distorted by an echo. 

"You just had to say it was boring..." Rin glared at Mira. The blue haired Sister intentionally avoided her gaze, a guilty look on her face. 

Nin bullets slammed against the creature's barrier. The Nin shield was almost broken, with several gaps in the armor. It sped up, running in a straight line towards Rell. 

"Luna, if you please." Rin directed. 

"Fine..." She sighed. 

The short Sister bounded forward, channeling her Nin. It danced on the ground around her, warping the very ground itself. 

"Stop." She whispering, slamming her shield violently against the ground. 

The earth shot up, a massive wall of compacted rock forming in a jagged formation. The elephant slammed into it, several of the spikey rocks piercing its barrier and digging into its body. 

"Now!" Rin directed. 

Mira launched up and over the wall, several gigantic floating icicles dancing around her. With a flick of her spear, they pierced the elephant, shattering the last of its barrier and causing it to collapse. 

"Easy." Rin grinned. "Let's keep moving. 

Rell watched the elephant. Images of an old elephant left to die in abandoned zoo flooded his mind. He snapped out of it, Hina tugging on his arm. 

"Right." He nodded, before turning an continuing, the whispers growing louder. 

Astra and Elena flipped through the air, before finally landing on a clear stretch of open road. They gale sprinted, charging down the roadway, a gust of wind kicking up the leaves behind them. 

"I can't get a hold of the others. They shouldn't have gone far..." Elena said. 

"Yeah... something's not right." Astra noted. 

They came to a stop, a single figure standing on the road. The Reaper tilted his head with a curious look. 

"What? Who is that..." Astra said as they came to a stop a good distance away. 

"It's him... the one from my dreams... the Reaper..." Elena muttered, trying to force her legs to stop shaking. She failed. 

The Reaper watched the two dolls with relative disinterest. It took several moments before he really looked at Elena, disregarding Astra. 

"Fascinating." He muttered to himself.  "Deal with them." He instructed, seemingly talking to himself. 

"Who is he talking to?" Astra asked. 

"Astra!" Elena screamed, tackling her sister. 

The great sword cut through the air above them, severing several strands of hair from Astra's braid. They tumbled across the ground, before rolling to their feet to face their opponent. The humanoid Shadow rode atop a horse shadow, tilting its head in much the same way the Reaper did earlier. 

"Another one of those Shadows..." Elena muttered. "We need to get out of here. That thing is way too strong." 

"Agreed." Astra answered. "I don't like the feeling I get from looking at it." 

The two Sisters Air Pushed, launching high into the air away from the Shadow's reach. Astra twirled, lifting her eyes towards the sky, only to narrowly dodge a spear attack, the weapon grazing her side. Elena Air Pushed out of the way of the other Shadow. the other one also rode on a horse, which seemed to be standing in midair. 

Astra plummeted to the ground, landing on her feet, her fall cushioned by Wind Nin. She clicked her tongue, assessing her wound. Elena landed beside her. 

"Where did that..." Elena dodged, the great sword slamming down where she had been. 

Astra responded as well, Air Pushing several knives into the great sword Shadow. They bounced off its barrier harmlessly, leaving small cracks. She rolled backwards, flipping with one arm to the ground, twisting out of the way of the spear attack as it came down on her. 

The two Sisters blasted their Wind Nin, kicking up dust and debris as they violently rose through the air, kicking off another blast with launched them back in the direction they had come from. 

The two humanoids watched with  curious expressions, tilting their heads.  The Reaper appeared from behind one of the horses. 

"Leave the blonde one to me; i'll kill her when this is all over. Kill the other one." He said. 

The humanoids nodded, before suddenly disappearing, leaving the Reaper there alone.