“I’m all for multiple partners, but isn’t this a bit too excessive,” Lapis cursed to herself. “Bobby!”

The air next to her shimmered for a second and then a light blue octopus appeared next to her, floating in the air as if it was in water. The thing wore a monocle, a tophat, and had a little black mustache. “Yes, my lady.”

“Bobby, what do I do about all these things? I only have four limbs. Two for running, two for working.”

Bobby hovered there for a moment. The other shadows had all turned towards Lapis and were starting to slowly walk towards her as if being very cautious. Bobby returned with a light musical note in his voice. “Hmmm I say you either grow more limbs or run, or both.”

“GRAAGH!” Lapis screamed in frustration. “I can’t do either of those.” She needed to keep these people safe first and foremost, but if she set them down the shadows would just come for them. Noct might come right back after her once he got up, so she needed to hurry. The front gate was locked which meant that there was no escape. Getting into a castle was impossible but then again, so was getting out of one.

Then Lapis saw it, Rita’s workshop was across the courtyard. It might not be a way out, but surely it was a safe haven. Not only that but if Rita was caught unaware, it would be just as bad for her if not far worse due to her injury. The loud metal music coming from the workshop however only proved one thing. Rita was just as clueless to what good music sounded like as she was of the danger in the castle right then.

With ten shadows between Lapis and the workshop she had made up her mind. She was going to do this, she was going to reach safety and make everything okay. All she needed to do was run, dodge, and if she had to, fight. It took some energy, and a slight headache was already beginning to form but she created two tentacles on her back, and had them reach out like extra appendages.

“Thanks for the idea, Bobby.”

Bobby had already turned invisible again, but he replied. “I am here to serve you my lady.”

As far as familiars went, he wasn’t half bad.

Lapis didn’t hesitate. She charged forward. The shadows seemed to grow faster as a result and were all aiming themselves towards her. Lapis easily ran around the first two, even with their increase in speed, they were slow. The next one was right in front her, and she could already see its arms were stretching out like hooks to trap, ensnare, and harm her. Lapis waited until the moment it took a swing at her and put her two back tentacles on the ground and push off the earth propelling herself by a good ten feet up and over the monster. She landed behind it on her feet. A slight jolt of pain shot through her legs but she kept running, ignoring it.

She managed to run around three more before three of them had formed a sort of barricade in front of her. They were clearly wising up and had their hooked arms slightly raised up for if she tried another jumping tactic. Yet what they didn’t expect was for Lapis to start glowing and to place her two front tentacles in front of her pushing them into the shadow in the center line. The shadow exploded into a small cloud of smoke and nothingness upon contact. Lapis made it pass their line.

The final shadow was standing in front of Rita’s door, and Lapis didn’t have time for this. She swung her tentacles at the thing smashing it into another cloud of smoke. Then she wrapped a tentacle around the door handle and jerked. The door handle was locked.

“NO!” Lapis cried. “RITA! LET ME IN! THEY’RE HURT!”

Of course she wasn’t loud enough to get through the death metal music. Lapis looked behind her to see the eight remaining shadows all starting to encircle her. They were closer this time, making another charge impossible. A trickle of something hot and warm ran down Lapis’s nose and when she licked at it, she tasted copper.

Lapis began banging on the doorway with her back tentacles. She hit it twice before one of the tentacles vanished. She was losing energy quickly. Too many conjurations too soon. If she didn’t drop the other tentacle soon she might pull a Wonder and pass out.

“RITA! PLEASE!”

The other tentacle vanished of its own accord. The pounding in Lapis’s skull was too intense now. The shadows were only ten feet away. If she dropped the two injured people she might be able to put up a shoddy last stand, but she could feel herself beginning to feint already. Maybe if she was fast?

What else could she do? She couldn’t leave her friends to die.

The door swung open and a small hand grabbed Lapis by the shoulder yanking her back inside. Lapis followed through with the two injured people still in her arms. Once inside she laid them down on the floor just before her arms went back to normal. Lapis hit the floor with her knees and looked up to see Rita standing there with a determined look in her eyes.

“Rita,” Lapis sniffled, “There are bad guys here.”

Rita raised her left arm to reveal some sort of bronze metal gauntlet covering it. The thing was lined with five red gems. “I figured as much when I heard you crying.”

“I-I wasn’t crying,” Lapis wailed as she rubbed at the tears running down her face.

Rita looked down at her and smiled with a sort of confidence that few others could hold. “Don’t worry, I got this.”