Water was still dripping from all of our manes, after that insane fountain had attacked us. Well, those are words I never thought I'd say. My scabbard was rubbing uncomfortably against my damp fur, and all I wanted to do in the world was rest, but we hadn't found any safe rooms to do so yet. Tiber had been even grumpier than usual - apparently he couldn't stand the water. I spend almost all my time on the surface at the beach, so being soaked isn't unusual for me. Callisto was trying his absolute best to cheer Tiber up, but to no avail. In silence, we trudged along the passageway. We could see a light up ahead, and the floor beneath our hooves was becoming rougher, turning from rock to course sand. It crunched with every step we took, and the noise was unnerving. The passage was wide enough for all four of us to walk abreast, so we were. We stepped out as one, and as our eyes adjusted to the sudden light, I saw Tiber's eyes widen and he span around as he shouted "Quick, get back into the passag-".
His words were cut short as the door we had come through slammed shut. Tiber sighed.
"Oh damn," said Callisto, looking around.
I took in my surroundings. We were in a huge circular arena, with auditorium seats raised all around it, going so high that I couldn't make out any spectators near the top. The seats were all filled, though I couldn't tell you by what. It looked like creatures made of shadow, and they were all moving frantically. Gesturing and leaning towards the arena, though none of them seemed to dare to cross the threshold. As I was staring at the shadowy clouds, Skyline stamped his hoof urgently. I turned my head, and saw a Courser. No, not a Courser. It was as though a massive Courser’s shadow had come to life. It was black, but slightly transparent, and it had tattered gashes where weapons had once struck it, which let through the light entirely. Its face was featureless, but its body language was unmistakable. It was circling us, getting ready for a fight.
"Uhhhhh.. Tiber??" I called.
"There's no way out other than beating it. It can be done, but its tough. Everyone, take out your weapons now, and be prepared - you won't get any warning when it strikes."
With that, we all spread a little further apart, each of us ensuring that the others had the space to fight if needed. I saw Tiber duck down and shove some sand into his bag, and while I had no idea why, I did the same.
The courser was standing in one spot and swaying now, as though it was coming to a decision. It suddenly stood stock still, and then charged. Tiber was right, there was no warning. It lurched straight for Skyline, and even though I moved as fast as I could, my dagger caught nothing but air. My move had caught it off guard though, and gave Tiber a change to rake his sword against the ghostly being. As he did, a visible slit in the darkness opened up, and the ghost let out a screech that sounded truly otherworldly. It hurt my ears to hear it, and I winced slightly. It must have seen this, for it twisted to come for me next. Tiber reached into his bag, and threw some of the sand straight at the ghost's face. I wasn't sure it would have any affect, but the ghost stopped charging and shook it's head, clearly trying to shake sand from its vision.
Once it had cleared it's vision, the fight began in earnest. The creature was deadly fast, moving with a speed that shouldn't be possible for a creature so massive. Tiber and I both used our sand effectively, allowing Cal and Skyline to dart in and keep up a steady stream of slicing blows. The creature screeched every time, and this time it screeched right next to Skyline's ears. I saw Skyline reel backwards, almost stunned by the sound, and I watched the ghostly Courser rise up from the floor to take it's opportunity. Its jaw unhinged as it headed straight for Skyline's neck. I galloped straight for it and slammed Skyline out of the way. The ghost's deadly blow missed, but it managed to catch my back leg with the tips of it's unbelievably sharp teeth. Pain blazed up my leg, searing like fire, and I couldn't help but let out a roar of pain even as I kicked out and forced it to let go of me. I tried to put my weight on that leg as I backed away from the Courser, but all that earned me was another spike of pain. I gave up on that leg and limped backwards. I spotted that Skyline had recovered, and had rejoined the fight. The Courser had apparently gone for Tiber as soon as I'd backed away, and even I could tell that was a bad move. The only thing in this world that would make Callisto fight is if Tiber was in danger. And that Courser could fight. His blade flashed as he cut into the ghost time and time again. Tiber was helping as best he could, but it was becoming apparent that this fight was between Callisto and the ghost. Tiber watched, his heart in his eyes, as Callisto fought more expertly than any Courser id ever seen, slowly gaining the edge over the ghost. Callisto knocked it to the floor, but I'd seen what he hadn't. The ghost had spotted Tiber and I using sand, and had decided to do the same. It threw sand up into the air, into Callisto's eyes, and I couldn't bear to look away as the ghost launched forwards, and sank its teeth into Callisto's neck.