108 Shockwave

{RIKU POV}

The sudden impact of the shockwave threatened to kick Riku off balance as his whip barrier immediately collapsed under the weight of the attack. Thinking quickly, he used his body to cover Shizu's, taking the brunt of the shockwave as he gritted his teeth against it.

"R-Riku?!"

The former assassin clenched his jaw, taking the attack right to the face without so much as flinching. He could feel Shizu holding onto him behind him, and it only strengthened his resolve as the shockwave eventually petered out. The moment the force was gone, he fell to his knee, his chest burning from the exertion that he was wholly unprepared to do.

"Shizu, barrier!"

"R-Right!"

At his command, the fortune teller's [The Hermit] shone a bright light around them, momentarily protecting them from the stars that almost threatened to burn them to death at the loss of his defense. It was a stopgap solution, but it was going to have to do when there was clearly an enemy Champion now gunning for them.

"L-let me try and heal you," Shizu said, her panic evident in her tone as she audibly went through her deck. "It's got to be here somewhere..."

"No, just stack some buffs on us," he quickly stopped her. "If the card shows up naturally, then use it. But don't bother throwing cards away right now."

Shizu was taken aback by his sudden authority. She opened her mouth to try and protest, but her words quickly left her as another shockwave washed over their position. The barrier keeping them safe shimmered against the attack, but it held strong, thankfully keeping them safe.

"I gave us more speed and set our weapons on fire," Shizu told him. "I also gave myself [Strength], though I'm pretty sure that won't amount to much since I just throw cards around."

"It'll probably speed up your projectiles, Shizu," he quickly told her. "Now try and look for our target. Get ready to run in case it's really bad."

"I'll give you some time to recover, Riku."

The fortune teller gave him a reassuring nod, and Riku could only nod back in approval as he watched her quickly stand on vigil, letting the barrier defend them while also looking out past the shooting stars and towards the horizon to look for the enemy Champion. Likewise, he used this time to gather his bearings, allowing himself to remain seated on empty space before eventually forcing himself up. His knees wobbled beneath him, but it was more than serviceable if push came to shove.

"Now, where were we..."

With a small breath, Riku forced his lungs to expand, ignoring the searing pain shooting up his sides as he accustomed himself to the familiar pain. It was going to do a number on his stamina, but he hopefully wouldn't need it for long.

"See anything, Shizu?"

"Nothing so far," the fortune teller replied with a click of her tongue. "I already have another [The Hermit] for us if the barrier's about to fall too."

"That's good," he nodded in approval. "If we can't find where this attack came from, we'll keep moving forward. I just need to get adjusted to the pain a bit."

"Riku, are you sure you don't want me to heal you?" Shizu worriedly asked.

"Only if you can get it without sacrificing your current state of readiness," he insisted. "All the cards you have on hand now are useful to us, right?"

Shizu visibly flinched at his assessment, making it clear that his hunch was correct. Whatever cards she had on hand now were probably powers that she'd have a hard time finding again if she threw them out. They might all be defensive options too based on how much they've been relying on her barriers ever since they found themselves their current position.

"Well, yeah, but I can always ditch some of them and try my luck," she countered back with a frown. "You know what? I'll start looking for it anyway. I don't want to see you pushing yourself so hard, Riku."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her resolve. He wouldn't stopped her if he really wanted to, but who was he to do so? Perhaps he had misjudged her current capabilities, and such a thing would make him glad to be wrong.

"haaaa...."

The former assassin's ears perked up at the faintest shout coming from beyond their current vision. Again, it was the same thing he heard earlier, only now nearer than before... Which meant that he could start guessing where it came from! "Shizu! Four o'clock!"

The fortune teller turned on a dime, throwing out a singular card at the direction where he heard the voice. He could only watch as her projectile sailed past the shooting stars, only to then get decimated by the shockwave that washed over both it and the barrier keeping them safe. Not even the shooting stars were safe as they all disappeared, presenting a unique window where there was literally nothing out to get them.

Actually.... Maybe they can use this to their advantage?

"Shizu, we're moving."

"W-What? Aren't we supposed to-"

Not taking no for an answer, Riku grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along with him. Eventually, she started running with him, and her cards were all shimmering in her hands as she kept them ready for anything.

Likewise, the former assassin returned to his usual strategy of using his whip as a hasty shield. There weren't a lot of shooting stars currently assaulting, making it more efficient than having Shizu waste a precious barrier to keep them safe.

"I don't know what you're planning, but I sure hope you know what you're doing, Riku."

"We're getting free cover right now," he told her. "Just throw up the barrier the moment we hear the shout again."

It was foolproof. So long as the shockwaves kept coming, they'd have a free way to clear the path. Truly, whoever this Champion was, they were really doing a bad job of even trying to slow them down.