Katsikolofos

Katsikolofos

It is a town of a few hundred inhabitants at the base of a mountain part of the chain that forms the region's natural frontier with the neighboring region Tiria.

Its proximity to both mines up in the mountains and feeding grounds for livestock, has made it an ideal place for a commercial town to grow. Now a days more and more roads lead there from within the region, as many supplier,s craftsmen, merchants of all kinds and wary travelers stop by the town to enjoy some rest, its products and its lovely scenery. Sheletered by the mountain range on its West, the town rarely suffers from weather phenomena but has run into trouble with landslides occasionaly.

The townsfolk, used to travelers, are warm and welcoming, although quick to suck visitors dry of their cash. The town has a wall on the mountain's side for protection from falling rocks, however the rest of it is open and free of access. A river runs some hundred meters to its East, providing a fresh water supply.

Worst Day

31 Octobre 4846

12:30, the Drunken Shepperd inn and tavern, Katsikolofos.

Ambiance:

Apollo, no doubt tired from his travels had ever so slightly overslept. Although his sleep was not yet as peaceful as he’d wish, it was definitely starting to make up for that horrible business a couple of nights ago. The soft bed and the peace of mind of a room with four walls, provided sufficient comfort for him to wear off his travel’s fatigue. It was once again one of these days where gentle sunrays pouring from your window gently warm your leg, begging you to rise, whereas you only wish for the peacefulness to go on and the world to forget you, just so that you can sleep five more minutes, or a couple hours.

The street’s distant chatter could barely reach the warden’s ears, nestled as he was on the inn’s second floor. Instead, it was the succulent odours coming from downstairs that rose him from his sleep. Something good was cooking! Real meat, not like the dried traveling supplies the young man had had to gulp the last few days. The smell briefly reminded him of that night at Axladi.

Once he made his way down stairs, he got contacted by his owl, ever the vigilant familiar, he had followed his master’s orders and had kept watch over his room the entire night, leaving only momentarily to feed himself on some passing mice. Although his hunt had been successful, he did not manage to see anything suspicious lurking around Apollo’s inn, human or otherwise. Furthermore, as the sun was pretty up there, we would now head off to sleep, in a shadowy cranny within the inn’s roof. He had waited for Apollo to wake up on his own before speaking with him, but was now due for some much deserved rest himself.

Upon reaching the common area, Apollo found it rather busy. Several people, both guests and employees were busying themselves left and right. Some were putting up decorations, some were carrying supplies to the kitchen, others simply sat and laughed enjoying their lunch. There was a vibe in the air Apollo recognised all too easily despite his lingering drowsiness. A panigiri.

Indeed, from the table he sat to near the front of the inn, through the now sparkling windows he could see everyone in the street making just as busy. More lanterns were put up, more ribbons and other colourful decorations of all kinds. Everyone, both inside and outside the inn seemed in a particularly good mood, all smiles and ready to party.

It was not long before Apollo learned of the reason behind all these preparations. He soon overheard it from a group eating at a nearby table. The king’s crowning anniversary. It had been 5 years since Dolmadaki the Second had stepped up to fill his father’s shoes. Apollo remembered reading something about that in a local paper during his stay at Axladi. Something about the king moving the national anniversary to a date later in the month, by respect for the previous king’s passing. So today was this date then.

Memory of a newspaper:

When the innkeeper brought him his food, some deer stew with a fair portion of red wine, Apollo was no doubt glad to hear, that both his stay at the inn and this meal were on the house, on account of it being the day it was. But ever the one to busy himself, Apollo was quick to get to work, perhaps sick of all the partying.

The innkeeper, answered the man’s questions truthfully and with no hesitation, seemingly used to passing around directions to his guests. At first however, he did not mention at all the route Apollo had taken to reach Katsikolofos. Instead he spoke of following the main roads which would take Apollo all around the mountains from the South, only crossing into Tiria at sea level, far far to the South of the region. This was apparently the safest way to go about it and the road taken by most people to undertake the journey. Quite the slog as he joked but definitely worth it if you wish to make it big at Tiria’s gold mines. After Apollo insisted a bit, the innkeeper did remember of the path the warden had taken. A steep path through the mountains, dangerous as much because of its poor condition and weather hazards, as for the fact it was used so little God only knew what nastiness had taken residence up there. Bandits, monsters, wild beasts. He did not recommend it to Apollo, they had lost many travellers on that path and the locals had all but forgotten about it. He did not mention any particular villages on the way to Axladi other than the ones Apollo might have come across on his way here. But he did mention there used to be one nearby. Apollo, ever the bright son of a bitch, caught on and inquired about it, as it was likely to be his destination.

And it was.

Saganaki, it used to be called said the innkeeper. Not that far from town, up in the mountains in a small plateau. A really poor village with but a handful of habitants and of no particular interest. But storms and landslides had all but levelled it reportedly, it had been years since they had lost contact with its community. People who went there could never find even if but the ruins of the place, even people who had grown there. It was determined the village had been tragically levelled during a mountain slide and that everyone there had died. Since then no one really bothered to check the place, except the odd tourist or the traveller in a rush to get his career started in Axladi. Yet, in an effort to spook out the warden, the innkeeper added with a frightening face and a whispering voice, that there were those who said they saw town lights up in the mountains on foggy nights, when they were lost away from town and looking for their way back. But the lights never checked out when they got nearby, as if they had never been there at all! Some say these lights appear exactly where the lost village used to be!

Of course then the innkeeper burst of laughter and gave a mighty slap to Apollo’s shoulder before turning away to let him enjoy his food.

From where he sat, with but a look outside, Apollo could see the clear blue sky with but a few white clouds here and there. Nothing suspicious seemed to be going on in town, at least as far as he could tell sitting there in his inn. All was peaceful with the world. It looked like it would be a lovely day.

By the time Apollo got himself ready and had performed the morning's task of gathering information, noon was close.

Emilia: "Let's just enjoy the Panigiri and start moving in the afternoon! Being well fed and rested will only help you focus on the task. Spring water and dried meat is good but will only take you so far!"

Apollo thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality and for answering his questions.

No wonder the road he had taken was so empty then! People just avoid it and take a safer detour! But that was not an option for Apollo. He was here for work, and naturally that meant he would go to all the wrong places at the wrong time!

As he was reconsidering his life choices, Apollo noticed a group of musicians outside the inn.

Musician 1: "What do you mean, Sotiris is too drunk to play? It's not even noon, God damn it!"

Musician 2: "His girlfriend is driving him crazy, he needs to drink a lot."

Musician 3: "AND IS HIS GIRLFRIEND GOING TO PLAY THE VIELLE WITH US? We're supposed to start before noon!"

Music! A good change of pace. And Apollo was good with a violin, a vielle would probably work the same!

Fifteen minutes later, Apollo was on a platform with the rest of the musicians, Sotiris's vielle in hand.

Musician 2: "Thanks for the help lad! Don't worry, we'll put on a good show!"

Of Cards and Kegs:

Even Emilia decided to join in on the fun, and positioning herself on the front, she started dancing to the melody of the musicians. Around them tables were set and people started feasting in celebration to Dolmadaki's reign.

Ambiance:

Following morning of the Worst Day, 04:36.

Apollo came to, slowly. He choked on the surrounding dust, he struggled to open his eyes, they burned and itched from the smoke. The air was hot and scorched his lungs with every breath. He was on his arse, back against what used to be a house’s wall, now little more than an unusually shaped rock. His clothes were covered with dust, dirt and blood, they were torn and burned in places.

He had been pierced on the left side of his stomach by a metal pipe, probably a part of the wall against which he had been thrown. The metal felt cool and painful, but at least it stopped any bleeding for now. Apollo was dizzy, his vision was blurry, his movements sluggish. His ears were still ringing from the explosion. A sharp pain from his right shin made a pretty clear statement that it was broken. Even healing magic would have a tough time with that.

Far above, thunder echoed in a sky covered with black clouds and greenish unnatural lightening. All around him, screams and crying were made manifest as his hearing progressively recovered. Before him, blocks upon blocks of empty space, were the town’s buildings used to be. Now smouldering ruins, pieces of burning wood, far in between smoking debris and broken lives.

How had it come to this?

A few hours back, none of this would have been imaginable.

Katsikolofos, 17:45, 31 October 4846.

Ambiance:

Apollo had enjoyed a wonderful and quiet morning. Filled his belly with warm and tasty food, and off he was onto the streets. The innkeeper had provided some valuable information, but nothing entirely surprising or alarming. If the situation with the ghost village had gone on for a while, it could certainly bear to continue a bit longer! Or at least so the Anansis thought! It would appear the local festivities and inclination to party had grown on them. That or the warden was really really sick of dried meat rations.

Either way, fate would have it he remains in town that day, instead of wandering the mountains.

ssssssssssssssss:

At any rate, Apollo was once again walking streets filled with laughter and joy. In his walks around town, he quickly noticed that while some folks were indeed very patriotic and happy of their king’s rule, most were just out and about to have a good time. To enjoy themselves, even if only for a little while, in these times of trouble. Even the city’s guards, usually so stern and prompt to doubt, seemed to have dropped heir worries for the day, they lazily patrolled the streets exchanging pleasantries with the populace.

By some interesting coincidence, the warden found himself temporarily the member of a band. His performance was caught by quite the crowd, which seemed to rather enjoy it at that! Though he was no doubt out of practice, Apollo managed to follow the tunes of his fellows well enough. Probably caught the eye of a couple damsels in the crowd while at it. After all his colleagues were not quite as handsome.

As the hours went by and the sky darkened, beautiful colours filled the heavens with the imminent sunset setting the mood for a night of fierce partying. Nary a cloud was in sight, a cool breeze swept through the town, reminding everyone that winter was all too close.

More and more songs could be heard across the town, as the lanterns in the streets were slowly brought to life, basking everyone in their warm light. Wine, as well as all other kinds of alcohol, began flowing generously once again, to fill the cups of locals and foreigners alike.

Much like at Axladi, the town’s squares and plazas soon transformed into impromptu dance stages. Once again, tables were brought together both in and outside of the many taverns of the city. The feast was all set and ready to go. As soon as the night had settled for good, fireworks would be thrown following the mayor’s speech and everyone would be free to get down to business!

Ambiance:

Is how it should have went down.

Apollo was still in the streets when it begun, on his way to some festivity or another. First came a quick but powerful gust of wind. Not cold, not particularly alarming, but abrupt and strong enough for those already well into their drink to lose balance momentarily.

Then twenty seconds later, another gust, this one lasting just a bit longer, came to shake things up. Some of the lanterns went out, some decorations fell from the roofs, the windows.

Many started to wonder what was happening with the weather, this was highly unusual. In the shadow of the mountains, they rarely had such strong winds out of nowhere. Not downtown at least. The third time, was as if a storm had brewed right into the middle of town. Most of the candles and lanterns went out, window shutters and doors slammed with violence from the winds. Maidens’ hats were carried off into the distance. As the last rays of sun faded beneath the horizon, dark clouds creeped into the skies. In but a minute, the entirety of the sky was gone, hidden behind ominous clouds. Although the winds eventually died down, so did the cheer in town. Though many tried to carry on with their celebration, even more, worryingly turned their eyes to the skies, expecting a thunderstorm of some kind. Some even starting packing things back into their homes and inns. After all, if it was going to rain, they would have take this inside.

But it was no regular old rain that followed, but something much, much, worse.

Far in the distance, towards the South-West, a huge thunderbolt was seen heading straight for the ground. The following roar made the buildings tremble, hundreds of kilometres from the point of impact, the noise was deafening.

Then followed a few precious seconds of silence. Everyone seemed frozen in place.

Then came a woman’s voice, ghastly and arrogant, it echoed throughout the heavens, all around the country. Her voice had a slight reverberation to it, as if she were some godly being. Or some ghost they had happily buried in their past, going by some of the psarosoupean’s faces.

" Good eveeeniiiiiiiiing Psarosoupa! "

Her tone was energetic, full of cheer, she sounded like a commentator for a big fight, like a wind unchained. A bird finally freed from its cage.

" It has been a WHILE! How are my favourite god-fearing assholes doing? "

The comment made none too happy, yet very few found it in themselves to shout back an answer to the woman’s taunting. Most simply stood there in awe.

" Aw, I see you have almost stopped killing each other! How boring. Talk about ruining the one thing you had going for you. "

She was clearly enjoying this very much.

" Anyway, we’ve been watching you have a good time lately, what with all the panigiria and all, so we got kind of jealous and we decided to throw one of our own! And what better day for it than today, since today is also the crowning anniversary of your king? This was today right? We wouldn’t miss it for the world!

So… rejoice! People of Psarosoupa! Tonight, is a Hexenacht!

Let us join in your festivities! Take our hands and let us dance the night away into oblivion! Oh, and congratulations to your emperor of course! He’s really killing it!

Shishishishi. Shishishishishi! SHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHIASHIASHIASHIASHIA! "

She had a laugh like death.

Her haunting laughter faded into the night. Yet remained in the minds of people for years to come. A malevolent scar, never to disappear. At the back of his head, even Apollo could not help but find it familiar. A sentiment that did not seem to be shared with Emilia however.

It was not long after her announcement, that the first explosions were heard. Bombs, magics, foul green lightening striking the town’s buildings, setting them ablaze here and there. Screams, panic, chaos.

The second gust of wind raised a few hair in Apollo's back, but he kept playing the Vielle. Emilia stopped whatever invisible mess she was causing, and turned her head in the direction of the wind, vigilant as a hound.

Ambiance:

The third gust of wind did it. Apollo stopped playing.

Emilia: "Brother. Something is wrong, it's go time."

Apollo: "Weather's getting bad. I suggest you guys get inside. I gotta go back to the inn. See you guys later!" -he said, addressing the other members of the band.

Apollo had had the good idea of staying near the inn, in case he needed to grab his equipment in a hurry. Unfortunately, it was a good call. A quick sprint through the street and back into the inn saw him into his room less than a minute after the wind died down. He opened his window, hoping to hear whatever commotion was going on outside while he packed his stuff and got his gear ready. He opened it just in time to see Tenjin fly in and to see one massive thunderbolt hit the ground, hundreds of kilometers away into the horizon. The kind of thunderbolt that could probably level a few houses in an instant.
Emilia mumbled a quick prayer to no one, addressed to the poor sods that must've taken that impact. There was no chance of survival to anything like that.

Apollo tightened his bag around his shoulders and waist. Grabbed his lantern in hand. Checked if his sword was still around his belt. All is well.

Apollo: "I am ready."

" Good eveeeniiiiiiiiing Psarosoupa! "

" It has been a WHILE! How are my favourite god-fearing assholes doing? "

Emilia: "I really dunno if we are, brother. Fuuck..."

" Aw, I see you have almost stopped killing each other! How boring. Talk about ruining the one thing you had going for you. "

Wow, she must be a huge bitch, each sibling thought to himself. As the rest of Psarosoupa stood there in awe, the Anansis ran down the stairs and out of the inn, and Apollo readied his horse, in order to be ready to ride in the direction of trouble when it would hit.

" Anyway, we’ve been watching you have a good time lately, what with all the panigiria and all, so we got kind of jealous and we decided to throw one of our own! And what better day for it than today, since today is also the crowning anniversary of your king? This was today right? We wouldn’t miss it for the world!

So… rejoice! People of Psarosoupa! Tonight, is a Hexenacht!

A Hexenacht. A night of witches. Apollo realized his mistake.

Apollo: "We had it all wrong. Axladi is not getting attacked. All of Psarosoupa is!"

The realization blew a cold wind in the sibling's backs.

Emilia: "At least, some people in Axladi will be ready! Let's make the most of it here!"

Let us join in your festivities! Take our hands and let us dance the night away into oblivion! Oh, and congratulations to your emperor of course! He’s really killing it!

Shishishishi. Shishishishishi! SHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHIASHIASHIASHIASHIA! "

As the witch burst into a frenetic laughter, the siblings finished readying themselves for whatever was coming. Apollo stood near his horse, Emilia in toe, ready to move in any directions as urgency would dictate. Tenjin landed to the roofs, ready to report any change in the city he could see. Apollo ordered him to also keep an eye out for their horse, which would certainly get separated during the confusion, at some point.
The laughing died down, echoing through the streets of the cities of Psarosoupa. All would remember this laughter. But Apollo... he remembered that laughter from somewhere. Where did he hear that laughter?!

Ambiance:

My first name is Ho-Ho Eh, my last name is Agouri. It’s fine, you can just call me Hochin if you are too stupid to pronounce them correctly. As you may have guessed if that head of yours is not just for show, I am half Izashean and half Psarosoupean. My father was from here, from this very town in fact. Mom was a traveller, she liked to skip around the world, meeting new faces and cultures. Of course, she would have to stop by Psarosoupa, as it had always been a big hit with Izashians. That was true way before this whole fad we have nowadays begun. Even during the war… Not so much as tourists then…. But there was definitely a need for warriors back then and the nation of the West was happy to provide. There were lots of Izashian mercenaries around here at that time, war is the mercenary’s bread and butter after all. Now, Arè’s Irregulars would not fight in such a war, but Izashi’s Wardogs? They were right at home! It does not matter for them who is right, only who has gold. For the right price, they will give you all the strength you could ever dream of.

But I digress, mom came across dad when taking a pit stop in this town on her way to mount Pangee. Then love happened, blablabla pheromones, blablabla chemistry and long story short, she decided to stick around a while. This time kept being extended until she finally decided to stay here for good. Although… Did the time when she decided this really came for her I wonder? Did she woke one morning knowing she would never return home? She never mentioned anything about it. Dad never liked to talk about this either. I think he was feeling guilty, deep down inside.

I was born and I grew up here. Bit boring to be honest, but nothing terribly dreadful. This town was a lot better than a lot of others in the empire. We often got travellers here, so they were always pretty chill about foreigners here. They did not give me much shit about being half-half. Well I guess the kids did, way back then, but then again what would you expect from snot filled monkeys with the average IQ of a wet rock? Anyway, not much to say about my childhood. As I grew I developed an interest in technology and sciences. I tried my best to study whatever I could, even though the material was scarce around here. Someday, my family brought together enough coin to send me off on my merry way to Anauroch. One of the best choices for me to pursue further studies. My parents were so sad when I left, it is quite a way off after all. Still, it’s not like I would never see them again. I came to check on them a couple of times. Once I was done with studies I was recruited by Eden and that has pretty much been it. I’m still working for Eden’s labs at the moment, up at the White Tower. As this is much closer than Anauroch, I did pop here bit more often. Not lately though, parents have been dead for a few years. Not much point in coming back to an empty home.

Still, I had some holidays saved up and I remembered the king’s crowning anniversary was bound to happen soon, so I figured, why the hell not? Hadn’t had a panigiri in a while, and I do have a friend here I felt like seeing. Speaking of which, I wonder where she is in all of this? Probably bashing undead skulls somewhere. Hopefully she does not draw too much attention to herself, she’s not that much of a warrior. Silly girl. Hopefully she does not die until I get to finish the upgrades on her forge. Ah shit… I hope the forge does not break down or anything in this chaos. Boy I don’t want to start all over again…

Well. Assuming I survive this. Which is pretty debatable at the moment. I mean. I can’t use magic, I’m not a warrior, sooooo… I’m pretty fucked aren’t I? I can’t fight for shit! Maybe I should have taken those self-defence classes they offered to the employees back at the tower. Not that I think a hold or tackle would do much against a ghost but, yeah…

Plus, let’s be real here for a moment, we are not getting any help. My guess is whatever is happening in this pretty little town is also happening just about everywhere else in the country. That means we can forget about any external reinforcements. As for the local guard… Well I’ll be sure to ask for help if I cross any guards! Assuming they are not all busy being dead or dying. From what I know of the town’s specs, their forces must be already engaged. Whether they win or lose is up to them, but I doubt they’ll have any men to spare. So what’s left then? God! Hahahahahahha!

Ah man! I had so many projects waiting for me at work too! Really wanted to finish that fission generator. Show to them lab rats what’s what. Speaking of which, I really want to kill my boss right now. That man has the ability to practically read into the future, that’s how much processing power his brain has, and all that ASSHOLE had to say to see me off was “you probably should not take your holidays right now”. Could have been “yeah Hochin, your country is totally gona burn. You’re gonna get killed by undead.” but nooooooooo! If I get out of this I’ll kill him I swear! Or I’ll at least pee in his coffee! Yeah, let’s do that. I’ll pee in his coffee, and then ill finish that fission generator.

There’s so much left to do!

I don’t want to die.

Ambiance:

Thus had begun the night of terror. Hexenacht was upon Psarosoupa and by extension, upon the siblings.

Apollo was unnaturally quick to react, a bit on edge following his encounter with Nikolay and way too smart to believe the peace of the town would last, he made for his inn and grabbed his gear top speed. Although his actions seemed strange to the crowd and musicians, they did not have the time to be alarmed and therefore did not react until the end of the voice’s announcements. Not that there was much they could have done.

The mood in the town shifted radically in but a few moments. Explosions echoed in the streets as panicked citizens made for wherever they believed they would be most safe. Some of the buildings had been rigged with explosives which seemed to go off randomly. Far at the end of the street on which the inn was located, Apollo saw a family of 6, father, mother and kids of all ages, head into a building only to have it collapse upon them in a fiery crash but a couple seconds later.

Some unlucky sods in the streets started getting hit by bolts of malevolent green lightning, as if the heavens themselves had turned on Psarosoupa’s people. It did not take long for the Anansis to understand the true nature of this phenomenon. The lightning was death magic, necromantic energy of some sort or another, really pure one. There could be no hope for anyone hit by this, living or dead. Never mind their lives, their very souls would turn to ash. The prospect was terrifying, all the more so as the town was now mercilessly whipped.

Fires, screams, chaos and destruction. War.

It was a lot to take it. And the siblings, in the midst of all that… Had they ever seen such a scene before?

Whether they were ready or not, the time to act was now.
Apollo was out there in the street with the chaos, he held his horse strongly and had given his commands to his owl. The horse, for all its good upbringing, was already quite frightened from all the noise, the fires and everything. Doubtless it would turn tail very soon, as expected. The owl on the other hand, showed an exemplary calm, as if it had seen all of this coming. As if it cared not, what could happen to all these humans.

Yet, even he dared not brave the skies in their current state. With lightning seeking prey all the way into town, it would be all too easy for him to get roasted up above. He stuck at rooftop level and kept to his duties from there. Before the situation gets completely out of hand, he manged a quick round of some nearby points of interest of the town.

In the meantime, Apollo managed to get a pretty good grasp on the situation himself.

Ambiance:

The alarm bells of the town were ringing full swing, guards and citizens alike had already been mobilized to deal with any potential threats. It was not long before the siblings spot the first invaders themselves.

From the end of their street, they glimpsed at a dozen lightly armed skeletons running further along and engaging in narrow pathways between the buildings of the neighborhood. They were running, mostly disorganized, following scared and weak preys. This lot were likely out to kill as many as possible indiscriminately. Luckily, they did not spot the Anansis and instead disappeared in alleyways from which screaming would shortly be heard from.

It was not long after that that Tenjin made his return. Her communicated the following elements to his master, in a hurry.

The situation is awful, the streets have turned into battlefields and most people have not yet made it to safety and are being slaughtered left and right by undead. The town’s forces are decently organized and are rushing towards any enemies they can find and seem to be winning most skirmishes against the common skeletons. However, a huge battle has already broken out at the town’s cemetery. But it is going really bad for the guards and doubtlessly they will be pushed back by the enemy’s great numbers. There is little to be done there. Big fights will break out at any moment at choke points, point of interest and plazas really soon. People within buildings are in a lot of trouble between the pursuers, the lightning the fires and the ongoing explosions. Undead are also spawning from the ground at random locations, cutting off retreating citizens.

Finally, he managed to sense 4 particularly magic casters which are likely necromancers. One is nearing a young woman wearing a lab coat at a small plaza but 200 meters away from Apollo. Another is fighting a spellcaster who seems to be with the inquisition, in the opposite direction at about 300 meters. The third seems to be going from house to house slaughtering civilians at about 500 meters to the South of the Warden. The final enemy is stalking the rooftops a good 400 meters to the West, same direction as the girl in the lab coat. It seems to be waiting for something.

Of course, all of these are distances from a bird’s eye view, it will likely take Apollo quite more time to reach any of these destinations, especially in the ongoing chaos! There is no guarantee that he will no literally need to fight his way there!

All in all, the town was pretty much going to hell. Time was of the essence and it was doubtful the warden would manage to save everyone in town, especially as more people were dying by the second. As if the surrounding cacophony was not enough, Apollo was abruptly hit by a rock to the head, thrown from behind him. Turning around he met the gaze of his innkeeper, who stared at him with eyes full of terror and anger.

As he leaned to pick up another rock, Apollo heard him yelling his way.

“Necromancer! Necromancer! Help! Look!”

He pointed at Emilia, before lobbing another rock towards Apollo.

Ambiance:

Bless, his, fucking, luck.

Tenjin came back soon enough, with extensive information about how absolutely awful the situation was and how excruciatingly painful everyone's deaths would be.
The flames of anger rose inside the siblings as the necromancers indiscriminately slaughtered civilians left and right.

Apollo: "They'll pay with their souls if they have to."

Emilia nodded as Apollo saddled his already panicked horse. The horse would hopefully take him to his first target, at least. After that, Apollo would let him run for the rest of the Nacht.

Apollo: "We'll go after the spell casters, only us and maybe the inquisitors can go toe to toe with them. Open up with a seal, stay under cover and pepper them with bolts. Tenjin, stay close and above us, we will need your mana reserves in this fight. We are going after the closest spell caster, move it!"

At that moment, a rock hit Apollo in the back of the head. The hit was light, and the warden was fairly tough for a caster, but Apollo was still surprised by the move, which came from someone Apollo assumed was friendly.

“Necromancer! Necromancer! Help! Look!”

Steadfast and quick to understand, Apollo answered firmly, while casting an E-rank calming spell on the bartender, opening him up to Apollo's words.

Apollo: "I AM NO NECROMANCER, BARKEEP! I AM A WITCH HUNTER, AIM YOUR ROCKS AT YOUR REAL ENEMY!"

Emilia was just as quick to react. She was not saddled behind Apollo on the horse yet, and so she discretely materialized, picked up a rock and threw it in the barkeep's face.

Emilia: "WHO ARE YOU CALLING UNDEAD YOU FAT PIECE OF SHIT?! YOU WANT TO FIGHT? I'LL FIGHT YOU ASSHOLE! CALLING PEOPLE DEAD AND SHIT! ARE YOU UNDEAD? HUH? HUH?!"

Apollo: "Em! We have work! Later!"

Turning back to the innkeeper and anyone around, Apollo drew his sword and yelled.

Apollo: "Now is not the time for kin to fight kin! Now is the time to band together and repel the undead! TO ARMS!"

Before anyone could properly think about what they had seen, Emilia had joined Apollo on the back of the horse and they had started riding in the direction of the closest spell caster (the one close to the lab coat woman). While they were riding at full speed, Apollo cast the incantations for [Noxian Strength], [Piltover Agility] and [Genius of Zaun] on himself, as well as summoning the [Red Star], his magical bladestaff.

Apollo: "We're getting that lass out of harm's way, hold the reins!"

The siblings drove the horse right onto the necromancer whose attention was fixed on the lab coat-wearing woman on the ground. When Apollo was in range, he used his [Dimensional Crossing] spell to teleport instantly behind the necromancer's back, and, while still under the momentum of his horse ride, pierced the necromancer in the back using the Red Star before the necromancer could react.

Apollo: ""

As Apollo opened hostilities with the necromancer, Emilia drove the horse besides the lab coat wearing woman and grabbed her onto the horse as best she could, slowing down as little as possible, and continued riding, just to get the woman as far from the melee between the necromancer and Apollo as she could.

Ambiance:

Steve Spagoulis’s the name, heresy’s the game!

At least it used to be.

Ever since I was a child, I had magical powers. Thought myself better than the rest for it too. Better than the other brats, better than the nobles, better than my parents… Poor folk. They tried their best to raise me. To keep my magic secret, my bullshit hidden. They were doing a pretty decent job of it too! But I was not to be reasoned with. No, too stubborn, too arrogant and drunk on fake power. I would not stand to be beneath them. To be held back.

When I got chased out of my home town, a small town not entirely unlike this one, down in the Stoxeri region, it was not long before I turned to banditry to survive. I met a band of rascals, they feared me, but I was useful to them and them to me, so we put together a splendid partnership. They welcomed the fire power and I was a part of a community of sorts. At the very least, I was safer with them than at the hands of the inquisitors who were looking for me.

This went on for a while. Until we got beaten to the ground by the authorities. Makes a lot of sense when you think about it, unless you are a part of something really big, lawlessness only pays for so long around here. A lot of my “friends” were killed or sentenced to a life time of jail. My fate was, oh I’m sure that will blow your mind, the pyre!

Funny thing, the convoy taking me back to my home town so that they could burn me in front of neighbors, got attacked by left over rebel forces. Of course, they did not care to see me free so my fate would not be much different at their hands. Well aware of that, when my cage was broken during the fighting, I started fighting back with my magic. Figured I would take a few more assholes down with me since I got the chance. But it was then, that knowing my strength, one of the escorting inquisitors suggested a deal. Should I help them fend of the rebels and then turn myself in… Maybe my sentence could be lightened, and I could spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins as he put it.

Now, ill be frank with you, I mostly saw that as a way out. Either the rebels got me, I would burn or he would shoot me on the spot. His careful hand was already pressing his pistol against my head when I noticed him. I took his deal. I figured, I can get rid of the rebels using him, then flee in the chaos or kill him later.

Plan did not go as expected. I fought my lot, but got injured and knocked out cold. When I woke up I was hospitalized and bound by irons and scriptures. But never the less alive, and I was shortly informed that I was no longer to burn either. The inquisitor had kept his promise. Instead of burning, I would serve the rest of my years in the Ordo Necessarium Malum of the Church. Using my “gifts” to wage war against those like me.

Of course, at first, I was still looking for the slightest chance to escape. But they were aware of that. And you can bet your ass that if the Necessarium allows you to live, they are going to watch your every move like crazy. The security measures and mechanisms they have so that you never betray them send shivers down my spine.

Long story short, I got assigned a partner, or rather a “handler”. His name is Paul, he’s in this mess of q town somewhere. Could not agree on a damn thing when we started but now we’re pretty tight. I have to admit that after a few months being forced to “do good”, the concept started growing on me. A few years later I started regretting killing my parents, I started fully realizing the weight of my sins, as well as the danger that magic posed to our world, to the common folk. It is necessary to fight against it. To fight against all the evil that hides in the alleys and on the other side of the mirror alike. I want to do that. But old habits die hard. I will not die for anyone. Not Paul, not God or the church and much less for nameless nobodies being killed off in street corners by skeletons. Fuck that!

We’ve had our fun but it’s the end of the run. If I find Paul he will want us to join the local forces and fight off the invaders but I’ll be damned if I lose my head in a rigged game! No no, I am out. As per the initial plan, just with a few years of delay. Although…

I am branded by the Necessarium. Should I run now. Wherever I go, if an authority checks me, I will have to explain where my handler is. “In the grave” won’t be much of an answer then. The explanations we got on the matter were so clear I still remember them. In order to ensure that none of us betray their handler, if we are caught without them we are to be executed on the spot. If the handler dies for any reason, no matter how far we were at the time (which we shouldn’t be by the way because hello capital punishment), we are held responsible for the death. No. Matter. What.

A man could stab a handler in front of the guard’s eyes and the charge would be executed for murder on the spot. Which means… That as long as we live, we cannot get away from our handlers, and we cannot let them die no matter what. I have seen both possible outcomes of this situation happen a few times, there is no doubting that punishment will come. I guess that is why some of us end up laying down their lives to protect their handlers. It’s either now or later…

Fuck it. I hate this.

But I will not go back to a life of running and hiding like I did when with the bandits. I cannot take that anymore!

New plan then! Find Paul, knock him out, flee the city carrying him and later explain how that saved both our lives. Yup, sounds great. Let’s go with that. Like hell I’ve been through all this shit to die now!

I don’t want to die!

Ambiance:

The sounds of battle and the desperate cries for help grew ever louder all around the city, silenced only by the periodic striking of lightning. A few moments following his departure from the inn, as he was riding by him, Apollo saw a man get hit by the deep green flash. There was NOTHING left, he was not even sure the poor sod had left any ashes behind. Maybe, he heard him screaming at the time of impact. It was hard to know, the thunderclap covered everything in the following instant.

At any rate, upon leaving the inn, Apollo managed to gather his party and all were accounted for. Even the horse which although scared shitless, had decided to stick around a tiny bit longer. Tenjin had made a report of what he had managed to glimpse during his scouting of the town, basically it was pretty much Hell. No room for ifs ands or buts. Act now, or die.

And Apollo was never one for giving up so act he did. He saddled his horse and was ready to take off, if not for the innkeeper’s interruption. He, as well as visibly all others around him, could clearly see Emilia in her ghost form. Fancy that.

The warden tried his best to calm their spirits in the midst of the chaos. He cast his spell to make the task easier, and it did seem to prove effective when tied to his inspiring “hero about to charge the enemy” speech. Though perhaps most effective of all was Emilia throwing a rock at the poor man and calling him names. That seemed to convince people that she was human enough!

Plus they were panicked, Emilia now seemed material enough. Maybe they saw wrong, maybe it was a trick of the smoke. Whatever, it would have to do. While they did not applaud the warden or commend him for his bravery, they did drop his case and broke off to attend to more pressing matters such as arming themselves, finding their loved ones and getting the hell out of there.

Apollo managed not to get lynched by the ones he would soon fight to protect, a victory if any were to be taken.

As he rode through town, he did not have much time to think between his casting of spells and actually keeping the horse in check and getting it to go where he wanted. He did not know the town by heart either. The roads were already in a pitiable state, bodies lying around, blood spatter and pools covering the previously shining white pavements. Bolts of thunder and explosions had filled the streets with holes and debris, from the roads themselves as well as from the surrounding houses.

In every street he passed people were fighting undead creatures. He glimpsed soldiers here and there, but most seemed to him like common folk, militia at best. Many held their own against the lightly armed skeletons with no armor whatsoever that seemed to comprise the majority of the enemy’s forces. But many others, did not. Elders, children, women too weak or too unwilling to fight, and even the disabled and cowardly men fleeing for safety. The siblings saw them massacred before their very eyes as they rushed on horseback by them, unable to help, focused on the one task they could do. Some skeletons came after Apollo and his horse but were quickly left in the dust. Which made them turn their attention to any other available targets in their immediate vicinity. For these two, it was 10 year old girl paralyzed in fear at the loss of her mother, who a few feet away was mouth agape, back against the pavement, oozing blood from lethal sword wounds.
Already far ahead, the siblings did not see her fate, but they could definitely hear it.

Still, around them, the fires were spreading, how long would it take before the whole town becomes a burning hell and everything burns to the ground? How long before whatever magic was animating these bones breaks and returns them to their rest? Would stopping the necromancers Apollo had targeted really put an end to this? If so, it had to be done now, while they were still people left in the town.

Speaking of people, with their destination drawing ever closer, now but a couple of streets away, building rows blocking the siblings from the small plaza Tenjin had spotted the woman at, the two could already hear the cries of the damsel in distress.

Ambiance:

She was yelling at her enemy. In a surprisingly loud fashion, for what would soon be revealed to be a person of relatively small stature.

“Come get me you fuck, I’m right here! I’m waiting for you! Look at this, bitch! Did you take a look at the photo on my ID badge? I’m wearing the badge WITH the photo on it IN the photo! HOW DID I DO THAT HUH???”

Ho-Ho Eh Agouri

As the horse finally made it into the plaza, the siblings quickly spotted a tall figure, clad head to foot in a heavy black coat, steadily making its way towards a sideways turned wooden table turned barricade by the lab coat wearing woman Tenjin had seen. The girl was back against her improvised shelter, and was maniacally playing with her fingers while sweating a river at the thought that the guy she was shouting bullshit at for the last 5 minutes would finally reach her. Among distressed people, she was a class of her own.

While Apollo busied himself with backstabbing the villain, lady Emilia rode to the scientist’s aid! As best she could.

While the necromancer was writhing in pain from Apollo’s strike, Emilia and the horse shot past them and next to the table the girl was hiding behind. The not really so ghostly anymore ghostly sister extended her arm and somehow managed to grab in passing the target of their rescue which she half tossed on the horse like a bag of potatoes. She only had that much strength after all.

“Eeeeeeeeeh??????”

Then off they were towards the edge of the plaza, navigating their way through the maze of destroyed tables, leftovers of promised festivities that would never be. Having taken the necessary time to acknowledge her new state of being (a potato sack rescued by glorious queen Emilia), the woman shouted a quick thanks to her savior.

“You got it sister!”

The girls managed to cover a fair amount of distance, however… Here’s the thing. Actually riding a horse, at the best of times, is waaaaayyyyy different than watching someone ride a horse. And Emilia, has never rode a horse. Not a single time in her life. Especially in situations like this, where the horse is half going ape shit and looking for a way out, it takes a lot of skill and a lot of physical strength to keep such a horse under control. Little princess Emilia sadly has neither, which is why as soon as they reached the end of the square, they violently crashed into the half-destroyed wall of a house.

“AAAOUTCH!”

Bet she was glad to have been saved…

Still, though now covered with rubble, she was indisputably alive. Displaying more energy than what would have expected of someone in her situation, or her size, she kicked off the pieces of wall that had fallen over her.

She started looking for Emilia and offered her hand to raise her up if need be.

“Where did you learn to ride, in a circus?!”

Her face was not particularly severe as she spoke these words, her facial expression was sort of stuck between the happiness of being rescued and the displeasure of “you crashed me into a burning wall so don’t push it right now”.

With the both of them in safety (and the horse long gone for God knows where), Ho-Ho Eh took Emilia aside to exchange a quick word.

[Tenjin can either follow the horse or stay with Apollo. Mana transfer will not be possible if he leaves.]

“Thanks for picking me up back there! I was in a bind. Say, I don’t imagine you have run into a stupidly beautiful blond woman, about my age with, a blacksmith apron and a face covered in dirt and soot on your way here have you? I’d imagine she’d be waving a sword at the undead or something.”

Ambiance:

In the meantime, big brother Apollo had carried out his magnificent strike against his opponent, to great success.

Teleporting from the back of his horse, he had plunged his Red Star in the back of his opponent who never saw him coming and was struck completely off guard and with the full momentum of a horse’s charge.

The man screamed in pain, in with a surprisingly smooth voice.

Apollo’s bladestaff pierced cloak and flesh alike and left a pretty deep wound on the man’s back, but did not succeed in piercing through him entirely. Apollo had just freed his weapon and was readying a follow up strike when he suddenly felt a sharp pain over his whole body.

The feeling staggered him momentarily and was enough to allow the necromancer to push him away and quickly retreat further back, putting a solid 20 meters between them.

But what of Apollo? He had not eaten any attacks to the face, at least not to his knowledge! As the immediate sensation of pain started fading away, he remembered this feeling. Feedback damage. His no-good sister was up to no good again! In this case she was headbutting walls on horseback.

Oh well, there went that chance to finish this quickly.

The man was now catching his breath a safe distance away from the warden, bent over, hands on his knees.

“Sunnuva bitch! That stung like hell boy! What is that baton of yours made of?!”

He stood up properly and with a grand gesture removed his cloak and threw it away, revealing his true form.

“I am Gringo, of the Killing Four! Let’s get this evening started, baby!”

Gringo, of the Killing Four

Ambiance:

The siblings has this covered. While Apollo dealth with the necromancer in an epic display of necromantic arts, Emilia had to become the savior of the innocent, bravely rescuing them from the clutches of darkness!

Emilia had waited her whole afterlife for this. For too long she had been powerless. For too long, she had stood on the sidelines, incapable of bearing her share of the burden.

But that time was past. She would be a bystander no longer!

Emilia: "Come with me if you want to live!" -she yelled, grabbing the girl as best she could.

Huehuehue: "You got it, sister!"

Yes, finally, she was in the game! She would save lives too! With her package finally secured, she grabbed the reins of her mount and, for the first time...

Emilia: "Of fuck."

...Realized she couldn't ride for shit.

As any proud member of the Anansi bloodline, she remembered the family battlecry, to be sung in these most perilous, these darkest moments.

Emilia: "OFUKOFUKOFUKOFUKOFUKOFUK"

Her final words as they crashed into the wall with this particularly panicky horse were "I regret nothing".

A set of particularly stupid feedback-thoughts crossed Apollo's mind as he pulled his Red Star out of his adversary, followed by a surge of blunt pain all over his body. He quickly turned towards his sister. Materialized for 30 seconds and she was already this beat-up?!

Apollo: "Step it up, dumbass!"

From the ple of stuff they had landed in, Emilia raised a mildly annoying "thumbs up" sign. *Really?* - Apollo thought. He turned back towards his for, only to realize his adversary had put quite a distance between them.

Apollo: *He's fast!*

Gringo: “Sunnuva bitch! That stung like hell boy! What is that baton of yours made of?!”

“I am Gringo, of the Killing Four! Let’s get this evening started, baby!”

Apollo: "Shut the fuck up, you disgusting worm! All of the dead today? I'll make you pay for them tenfold! I'M GOING TO ERASE YOUR FUCKING SOUL!"

Huehuehue and Emilia got out of the pile of debris they were in.

Emilia: *Caugh, caugh* "Sorry about that! That was my first time on a physical horse! That was crap!"

The girl she crashed into a wall like a test dummy seemed thankful, though. Cool!

Huehuehue: “Thanks for picking me up back there! I was in a bind. Say, I don’t imagine you have run into a stupidly beautiful blond woman, about my age with, a blacksmith apron and a face covered in dirt and soot on your way here have you? I’d imagine she’d be waving a sword at the undead or something.”

Emilia: "No, sorry! Are you okay? We need to watch out! Can you fight?"

Emilia turned towards the imminent duel. It seemed like this Gringo dude was mostly interested in Apollo.
Emilia smiled. Grave; grave mistake on his part to ignore the girl who knew all the annoying spells in the world.

Tenjin stayed in pisition nearby, ready to feed Apollo with magic, and observing any evolution in the behaviour of the other necromancers.

Ambiance:

As increasing quantities of smoke escaped the buildings to darken an ever-ominous sky, the two girls cleared themselves of the rubble and made way to the side of the road, around the corner, out of sight.

Hochin, although disappointed to hear the siblings had not run into the person she was looking for, did not seem surprised in the least. It was after all, her own fault, for being so hopeful and optimistic in such a situation.

Emilia’s question brought her back to the grim reality of their current situation.

Emilia: "No, sorry! Are you okay? We need to watch out! Can you fight?"

Ho-Ho Eh: “I’m fine! Better off than dead at least!”

She declared, glimpsing at her previous hiding spot, the wooden table she had selected as her last stand location against the approaching enemy.

Ho-Ho Eh: “Sorry to disappoint, I can’t fight for shit! Wouldn’t be in that situation if I could!”

As Hochin was dusting off her clothes, she caught Emilia looking on the imminent duel and smiling.

Ho-Ho Eh: *Ah shit!*

She was one of those crazy people!

Ho-Ho Eh: “Say you’re not thinking about going out there are you? These guys kill people you know! We should totally fuck off while that awesome dude is buying us time!”

In the meantime, the man himself, was about to get the show started.

Apollo: "Shut the fuck up, you disgusting worm! All of the dead today? I'll make you pay for them tenfold! I'M GOING TO ERASE YOUR FUCKING SOUL!"

The adversary did not seem impressed.

Gringo: “That’s a lot of yapping from a backstabber! Let’s see you try boy!

Without further delay, he brandished his two pistols towards Apollo and unleashed a pair of shots.

With well-trained movements, he quickly reloaded each pistol using his extra hands. All jokes aside, this actually represented a significant gain in time as he was able to shoot a second volley mere seconds later.

Gringo: “I was getting bored of this dead audience!”

Arbitrage:

Gringo: “That’s a lot of yapping from a backstabber! Let’s see you try boy!

Apollo: "Says the wimp shooting unarmed civilians with firearms! Get shit on, will you?!" - the Warden yelled.

As he noticed Gringo raising his guns, Apollo ran for cover, vaulting over the tables behind him and pushing one to the side, like a wall, behind which he hid. His goal was just to break line of sight, in order to force Gringo to guess exactly where he was shooting. Meanwhile, Emilia was waiting for an opportunity to strike with Apollo.

Hwo hwo hwo: “Say you’re not thinking about going out there are you? These guys kill people you know! We should totally fuck off while that awesome dude is buying us time!”

Emilia: "And go where? We won't sneak our way out of here. And who said outside the city walls was better? The skeletons have to be coming out of somewhere!

Look. If we kill this dude, this plaza, with this awesome dude (he's not as awesome as you think but i'll let this one slide), will be the safest place in the city. One fight and we'll be just a bit safer. Just one." - Emilia wasn't lying. They would be indeed safer if the gun-slinging corpse stopped shooting her brother for a while.

Not by much though.

Scientist girl with a pokemon's name had not been wrong about Emilia, shed did intend to fight the undead cowboy.

What was wrong with women in this day and age she thought, couldn't they just let the boys handle all of this sort of shit among themselves? Did they absolutely have to be a part of this too? Why???

Well, at least they didn't expect her to fight so all's well on that front at least.

Emilia: "And go where? We won't sneak our way out of here. And who said outside the city walls was better? The skeletons have to be coming out of somewhere!

Look. If we kill this dude, this plaza, with this awesome dude (he's not as awesome as you think but i'll let this one slide), will be the safest place in the city. One fight and we'll be just a bit safer. Just one."

Hoot-Hoot: "Sorry, but you're probably wrong on this one. As far as I could tell, the undead are bursting from the ground, and it's not like all of them were there to begin with I wager. This seems like some sort of summoning magic to me. If their target is the town, then it's likely that there are a lot less of them outside of it. As for this plaza, crazy gunner or not, the place will be burning up in a few minutes! Even if the fires themselves do not reach you, the heat and smoke will do you in."

She was very quick, but very passionate about her explanation. She wanted to get the message across. Especially since it was the only thing she would be doing to repay her saviors.

Holelalayooouuu: "Listen, I can't force you to do anything, but on the West side of town there is a big stone wall which protects the town from rock-slides and the like. It is a bit to the side of town and is always quiet and deserted. The structure is also pretty thick and solid. I'll make my way on the other side of that thing and hide there. I reckon we can hide some people there, should you save any others, I would advise sending them there! I gotta go, best of luck to you!"

And she took off running, leaving Emilia behind to worry about her beloved Onii-chan. The chances of her reaching her destination were likely low, but what was there to be done about it?

On the fight side of things, Apollo was off doing his own thing.

As he was close enough to the tables behind him, he was able to reach them with no problem before his adversary had time to unleash his opening salvo. Turning a table and hiding behind it was not much of an ordeal either.

Some of the shots got blocked by the table, others went through but luckily missed the warden.

Reminder:

Apollo's state:

It is now the warden's/Emilia's turn to attack.

Holelalayooouuu: "Listen, I can't force you to do anything, but on the West side of town there is a big stone wall which protects the town from rock-slides and the like. It is a bit to the side of town and is always quiet and deserted. The structure is also pretty thick and solid. I'll make my way on the other side of that thing and hide there. I reckon we can hide some people there, should you save any others, I would advise sending them there! I gotta go, best of luck to you!"

Emilia quickly gripped her arm before she could run off.

Emilia: “Look, you WILL die if you go alone! We’re Wardens, okay? THERE IS NO BETTER UNDEAD HUNTER IN THE CITY! We will escort you into that stony place, I promise! We’ll head there with whoever we can find and hunker down until things pass!”

Emilia pointed at Gringo.

Emilia: “Look at him! That’s already a nasty wound he’s got! No matter how much he shoots, my brother’s still unscathed! This will be over within two minutes, and then we can get the hell out of here! If you get out there, you’ll get skewered by the first skeleton you find, just like the thousands of people who are dying right now! You can chose to get a specialized escort, or get stabbed to death like the countless people around us! Your chances are far, FAAAAR better with us! I’m just asking you to stay put for two minutes and we’ll be gone!”

Emilia frowned. Trying to keep that chick alive had cost her her opportunity to strike with her brother.

Apollo was still on the ground after Gringo’s multiple salvos. Some had actually been blocked by the table, and the cover had prevented Gringo from actually hitting the warden with the rest.

Payback time, bitch!

Without leaving his cover, Apollo once again teleported.

Apollo: “Liikkua.” -he whispered.

His spell brought him behind Gringo as he was readying a new volley. This time, Apollo pushed Gringo onto the ground with his full weight, his bladestaff planted into Gringo’s back.

Apollo: “FUUUUUUUUCK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!” -the warden yelled, as he repeatedly stabbed the grounded gunner with his bladestaff.

Ambiance:

Emilia quickly gripped her arm before she could run off.

Emilia: “Look, you WILL die if you go alone! We’re Wardens, okay? THERE IS NO BETTER UNDEAD HUNTER IN THE CITY! We will escort you into that stony place, I promise! We’ll head there with whoever we can find and hunker down until things pass!”

Excellent call! Now the scientist had a chance to survive!

Though, way to go shouting your secret identity. Perhaps luckily for you, Ho-Ho-Eh has no idea what a Warden is. At least not in the sense the siblings mean it.

On the other hand, if they really did that, perhaps they would not have enough time to save as many people as possible. Decisions decisions…

Emilia: “Look at him! That’s already a nasty wound he’s got! No matter how much he shoots, my brother’s still unscathed! This will be over within two minutes, and then we can get the hell out of here! If you get out there, you’ll get skewered by the first skeleton you find, just like the thousands of people who are dying right now! You can chose to get a specialized escort, or get stabbed to death like the countless people around us! Your chances are far, FAAAAR better with us! I’m just asking you to stay put for two minutes and we’ll be gone!”

Ho-Ho-Eh quickly moved her eyes from Emilia to Apollo to the undead cowboy and back to Emilia. While still high with adrenaline and visibly worried, she still decided to trust Emilia’s words. After a quick, nervous nod, she disappeared into one of the buildings (outside of the arena). One that was not about to catch fire. There she would be safe until the end of the fight.

Back in the actual fight, Apollo bravely dashed from his cover, a few meters ahead, he teleported near his opponent. Sadly the confusion from all the surrounding noise, the smoke columns, the dancing flames and the deep anger he was feeling, caused him to miscast (or perhaps misjudge) his spell which brought him right in front of his opponent.

Sure enough, Gringo was quick to react. In but a fragment of a second he raised his guns towards Apollo. However he did not manage to shoot in time, the warden had come in pretty close and pretty hot after all.

Unfortunately, Apollo’s own offense did not go as well as he had planned. Halfway between a striking and a pushing motion, this would have no doubt worked if he had arrived at his opponents back. But since Gringo saw him coming, he was able to redirect the man’s strike, suffering minimal damage.

Apollo still manages to push him into the ground and to stab him once in the stomach.

If only it were so easy to kill the dead!

Just as two of Gringos hands are busy trying to remove the bladestaff from his belly, the two others unleash a couple of bullets into the warden’s upper body. The impact is almost at point blank and proves unavoidable. The silver lining is that the bullets go trough due to proximity and force and they do not get stuck in his flesh.

One went through his left shoulder. Intense pain aside, he still seems to be able to move everything just fine. The second shot went through his upper right chest, but luckily at an angle that spared him any lung damage. It probably grazed a rib pretty badly though. This won’t survive another hit (and has a fairly good chance of giving in to any intense physical action).

Apollo does not get the chance to chain any additional attacks.

Gringo swiftly gives up on fighting off the warden’s weapon and instead focuses on offense!

Gringo: “There goes my everything!”

His two smoking guns are swiftly reloaded, while he fires the other pair on the warden still on top of him. His many hands are so swift and adept at handling his hands everything seems to be reloaded in less than a second! He unleashes another four bullets at once (2 first salvo, 4 the second).

Apollo will have will have a hard time dodging everything at this distance. Even if he was to teleport away, it is likely he wont have the reflexes or skill to pull the cast in time. What will he do?

Apollo's first strike and shove is basically a graze and does minimal damage: 24 dmg

His tp costs 10 pm and his physical action 35 pe. His next strike a further 25 pe.

His second strike however, is a solid hit and the weapon is effective as ever against the poor undead: 346 dmg.

But Apollo also eats two solid hits to the face: Apollo has a pretty solid armor all jokes aside, and only takes 197 per shot for a total of 394 dmg.

Apollo's state :

Ouch. That first salvo hurt for real. And Apollo really didn't want to feel another anytime soon.

Gringo: "There goes…!"

Apollo: "FUCK YOU!"

Apollo wasn't about to let him to anything. He was above the undead, he had a melee weapon made of fucking light, which, by the way, probably burned his hands fairly badly when he pulled the blade out of his stomach. This corpse was going to eat shit. Apollo interrupted Gringo's attack announcement by planting his bladestaff somewhere below his throat. With the shaft in the way, Gringo probably wouldn't be able to see shit.

But then Gringo was still preparing to shoot, the bastard! He may be fast, but currently Apollo had more strength. Apollo grabbed two of Gringo's hands that were holding the guns and pointed them towards Gringo. He unloaded the first salvo of Gringo's shots from his first pair of hands to his second. That'll teach the bastard!

Ambiance:

Once in close quarters combat, things have a tendency to move quickly. Unless you are a veteran of this fighting style, it is not always easy or possible to stay on top of things, to think through your next move.

Apollo found himself in such a situation.

Luckily, his advantageous position on top of the undead played heavily in his favour. Even as Gringo was raising his arms for his first two shots Apollo was quick to lodge his blade into his opponent’s throat, which nearly finished him off and threw one of his shots off target.

As for the second one, it landed alright, piercing his right abdomen in a similar fashion to the previous bullets.

The shot hit near the edge of his body, with just a bit more luck, this could have been a graze or have missed him entirely. There was not time to dwell on this however, Gringo, although dazed, was readying four more shots. They were a pain Apollo could live without.

[Insert finisher here.]

Thankfully his shots were not to be. His last effort was cut short.

As was the warden’s victory cry…

Just as Apollo unleashed his ultimate finisher of final doom on the corpse, the thing’s flesh went “poof” and was replaced by a stack of hay. Which quickly rolled off in the charring winds of the battlefield.

Was it substitution? Was he truly hay all along?

Apollo would have loads of time to think about it now that the fight was over and done.

He had gained them a precious, brief moment of respite.

Luckily there were no further enemies currently in the plaza. Though nor were there any people left to save either.

As for the flames, they were bound to consume the rest of it within minutes. Even though the tiled floor of the place would not catch fire, soon the air would be utterly unbreathable and the heat would reach unbearable levels as well. A slow death, filled with agony.

Best not dwell here too long eh?

Still his moment of peace was short lived.

Was it two minutes later, three? The girl in the lab coat had not come out of hiding yet. Probably barely enough time for him to patch himself up, had he intended to do so. A most mundane of occurrences, came to shatter their minds by manifesting in this utterly extraordinary context. A very common thing indeed, now seemingly impossible in the midst of the blood, the screaming, the heat. Apollo’s icristal vibrated.

On pickup, he would be greeted by the unfamiliar but soothing voice of a woman.

Ambiance:

“Good evening Mr. Anansi! Apologies for contacting you in present circumstances. Tonight is a rather busy night for all of us therefore I’ll keep this brief. My name is Valeria Eisenbel. I was hoping to enlist your services as a bodyguard.”

The voice he did not know but that name he had heard before for sure! In fact, not having done so would have been a crime given his occupation…

Valeria Eisenbel. Aka, the head of the Encre-Blanche Initiative, one of Eden’s four pillars and widely believed to be the most powerful information network on Haerii. She was a famous socialite in her early thirties. Someone well loved by all but her business rivals. During her peerless career, her effectiveness and personality earned her many titles. The prettiest spy. The fiend of a thousand parties.

The woman who knows everything.

Earlier today she was supposed to be a commentator for Eden’s tournament at Dormnuill, one of the biggest events to look forward to. Apollo remembered having seen a poster about it during his brief passage at Daena’s capital. It now seemed a lifetime ago.

And there she was now, calling Apollo on his private line at 19:40 on a Wednesday! Such as small world!

“There is someone in that town who Eden wouldn’t like to lose. Her name is Ho-Ho Eh Agouri, she is a small woman with pale greyish hair, half izashian. She is one of our scientists working in the White Tower. I can assure you that her loss would be a setback for Haerii. While I am certain you have other concerns at the moment, we would be deeply grateful if you could ensure her protection until she can meet up with our agents on the field. All we need from you is to make sure the little genius is safely delivered to our men tomorrow (don’t worry, they will find you)! For your time and cooperation, I can offer 10 000 Dormns, in the coin of your preference and I would also be glad to arrange for a Blackstone account to be opened under your name. I will even throw in a storage chest as a commercial gesture. This would place your total reward at 15 800 Dormns.”

There were places in the world where you could have someone shived for a hundred Dormns. While the sum discussed was not a jaw dropping amount that would allow someone to live the rest of their lives in opulence, it was definitely nothing to sneeze at, especially for a mere night of work!

“Unfortunately we are a bit pressed for time so I cannot discuss further details with you. Feel free to take up the offer or ignore it. Either way, I will be calling some other people nearby as well, for insurance. I do wish you a very lovely evening Mr. Anansi! Though to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t see it happening!”

This was a type of informant too. A different kind that the man with the cinnamon cigarettes to be sure!

Like a perfectly controlled storm, she had come out of the blue and within seconds she had stated her identity, purpose and the things the Warden stood to gain for his cooperation, all in a very professional, yet somehow cheerful tone.

Now, the young man was left to his own devices.

Huehue had left her hiding spot and was slowly walking towards him, visibly impressed by his feat of strength in taking down the Gringo. She had been too far and probably had not heard a thing of his conversation.

What would the Anansi’s next moves be?

Terror: Wouldn't you like to know!

Previously it was at 36...

Oh horror! My horror!

Apollo is still very much in the high of adrenaline, magic, and duty fueled righteous rampage that has seized him since the beginning of the hostilities. While horror still plays a role and is calculated, its effects are currently hidden and kept at bay. This won’t be the case forever though…

On with the show!

A victory! Perhaps a turning point!

You have slain one of the Killing Four! Wouldn’t it be funny if there were five of them?

This can only be a good thing!... Right?

An offer:

You have been made an offer by a person of influence.

Maybe you’ll get rich, maybe you’ll get double-crossed by a huge corporation. Maybe you will get gutted by others seeking the rewards for themselves. One can never quite know with these things.

Apollo's current state::

That son of a bitch! Carthage's thrice burned underpants! Apollo was caught pants down when Gringo managed to evade his most-deserved retribution!

Furious, Apollo got up. No way Gringo was in a shape to continue the fight. Apollo had been had by a simple contingency spell, which was a common tool used by many spellcasters. Simple command spells with simple trigger conditions were easy enough to prepare. Gringo's contingency spell was probably along the lines of "book it if I get stabbed repeatedly."

First order of business, get to the others. Apollo got out of the burning market whilst healing himself until he was topped off. He then summoned Tenjin to recover some stored mana from the Owl. Within a minute, he was back in shape and ready.

Soon enough, Huehue and Emilia showed up again. Emilia was slightly displeased with the fact she didn't have time to intervene in this fight, but Apollo's swift victory and recovery meant things were in the best shape they could be. She quickly positioned herself above one of the standing roofs to scout out the area while Apollo remained on ground level with Huehuehue.

Then, the familiar ring of Apollo's iCristal filled the immediate surroundings. Mechanically, Apollo picked up. Only a few people had his number, and Apollo was expecting a call sometime soon.

He was expecting a call from Captain Flabbergast, though, not the frinking No. 1 of Encre-Blanche!

"Good evening Mr. Anansi! Apologies for contacting you in present circumstances. Tonight is a rather busy night for all of us therefore I’ll keep this brief. My name is Valeria Eisenbel. I was hoping to enlist your services as a bodyguard."

The mention of Valeria Eisenbel sent Apollo screaming internally. How would YOU react if Brad Pitt suddenly called you whilst you were in an ongoing hostage situation?

"Greetings Mrs. Eisenbel. It's an honor. I'm listening."

Apollo knew the girl was busy. No point dragging things along. He had a slight suspicion that her everyday life was more busy and packed that his own personal current predicament in the middle of a burning city filled with undead and displeased Psarosoupians.

He was slightly surprised that she had his personal iCristal coordinates though! That was very impressive. And Apollo thought he had successfully maintained a discreet profile!

"There is someone in that town who Eden wouldn’t like to lose. Her name is Ho-Ho Eh Agouri, she is a small woman with pale greyish hair, half izashian. She is one of our scientists working in the White Tower. I can assure you that her loss would be a setback for Haerii. While I am certain you have other concerns at the moment, we would be deeply grateful if you could ensure her protection until she can meet up with our agents on the field. All we need from you is to make sure the little genius is safely delivered to our men tomorrow (don’t worry, they will find you)! For your time and cooperation, I can offer 10 000 Dormns, in the coin of your preference and I would also be glad to arrange for a Blackstone account to be opened under your name. I will even throw in a storage chest as a commercial gesture. This would place your total reward at 15 800 Dormns."

Just as he said that, Huehuehue got to him, with her badge clearly visible, as all corporate badges are. You wouldn't want your manager to actually remember the names of ALL of his employees would you?

Internal scream number two. *ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!*

With a straight poker face, Apollo announced:

"Your employee happens to be with me. I'll do my best to keep her safe through the night. However, I'm afraid I need a quick piece of information right now: Is what is happening in Katsikolofos happening elsewhere?"

Apollo knew something was going to happen soon, as he'd met Nikolay. He had warned Captain Flabbergast. But he expected something to happen in ONE city, not in the remote town that he was in too! With the earlier announcement he had received, it also certainly looked like the entirety of Psarosoupa was under attack.

"Unfortunately we are a bit pressed for time so I cannot discuss further details with you. Feel free to take up the offer or ignore it. Either way, I will be calling some other people nearby as well, for insurance. I do wish you a very lovely evening Mr. Anansi! Though to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t see it happening!"

"I wish you the same. If you do have more contacts in the area, feel free to tell them to join hands with us. Strength in numbers will matter here. Until next time, Mrs. Eisenbel."

And with that, both informants (although putting both Apollo and Valeria in the same bucket was a fantastic mistake) hung up. Apollo then adressed Ho-Ho Eh.

"I'd have liked to meet under more pleasant conditions. My name's Apollo. Your...employer just gave me a call and wanted me to keep you safe, which I will attempt to do. First of all, are you hurt? I'm guessing you have already spoken with Emilia?"

Ambiance:

The old man and the sea.

My name is… Well, it really does not matter at this stage. No one’s called it in years anyway. Call me Bob for all I care.

I was born in a fishing village to the North of Psarosoupa. A small place, with few, but good people. Our hauls were nothing to keep the empire fed with but they largely sufficed to subside and even trade with towns further inland, such as this one.

There was never much to do there, but it never bothered me. Nor did I ever thought about leaving my family and village behind to go on any adventures, or find a more lucrative job in some far away town. That life was good enough for me. I grew there.

I only had eyes for the sea. That wonderful, unending blue horizon.

It offered us it’s bounty, dreams of exploration and treasure, our entire livelihoods. And all it asked for in return, was hours on the deck, hours on the mast, the sweat of our backs and sometimes, our lives.

It shames me to admit it, but the happiest day of my life was not my marriage but the day on which as a young lad, I was finally accepted as a sailor on a boat. Of course, I had been many times afloat before, in my family’s fishing boat but it was only that day that I could be called a proper sailor. My first official voyage was little different from my previous ones. It was still for fishing, but this time in a proper ship, with shipmates, a captain and all. We headed far into open sea and captured fishes I didn’t know existed. Later on, when I grew into a proper adult, I eventually made it into a trading ship. The pay was better and I no longer washed in fish guts, but the journeys were longer and took me further from home. I enjoyed every bit of them!

How I loved the sea!

Yet! Despite what I believed my entire life up to that point, she ended up not being the only thing to claim a place in my heart!

I’m talking about love my boy! Love… True love!

There was a woman in the village. Knew er since we were kids. Always fancied her a bit I reckon, just never realized till I was properly settled in my life. We were alike and very different the two of us. She also liked the sea, but not with the crazy passion I did. She had no desire to explore it, to brave the waters. She was content, just living on the shores of that village. Mending nets, selling fish, gazing at the sea. Initially in wonder. Later, waiting for me to come home.

God she must have been lonely. I am so sorry. So sorry my dear.

I was away so long. So often.

For you see, even after our wedding, in the end my love of the sea proved stronger. She repeatedly asked me to stop the long travels. To go for shorter routes. Eventually, to stop altogether. To return home, start a family. I wanted to. But I just was never able to find the time!

There was always the next deal, the next port to head to. One last voyage! Just this last one! Before I quit the oar and sail.

I was a boy when I fell in love with the sea. Then I grew. I became a sailor. I loved.

Then war came. Then love died. Then I was no longer a sailor, just a murderer.

War. That most abhorrent of machinations. What good is it for I wonder?

I did not care for it. And it did not care for me either.

I was away when it happened. As I always was.

I had no way of knowing of course. That such a thing would happen.

But God… I wasn’t there.

When the ship dropped me back home.

Well.

There were but dust and ruins.

The village got attacked during the civil war. I never bothered to learn by which side or for what reason.

After all, what good would that do me?

She was gone now.

The future that was patiently waiting for me back home. The future I had taken for granted and which I kept postponing in my mad love for the waves… It was no longer an option.

I never managed to set sail again after that.

The guilt, was too much.

I stayed in the village again for a while. Tried to rebuild it with some of the survivors who had managed to run away in time.

But alas. The memories. Seeing the sea that cost me my wife, wide open before me every single day. It was too painful.

I fled.

Far from my village. Far from the sea. Vowing never to return again.

I could not bear to.

I went far, far inland. Where I would never see the sea again. Where with few skills of my own other than seafaring, I ended up becoming a sell-sword, capitalizing on my experience fighting off pirates. I started protecting merchants as they crossed the dangerous roads of our fine country. This is what I’ve been doing, this entire time.

The sell-sword thing, not the caravan protector thing. My actual roles changed from time to time depending on what was on demand.

And one day, just like that, I grew old!

And look at me now…

Now. After all this time. Now that it has come to this…

I want to see the sea again!

I don’t want to die!

Apollo, whose icristal totally did not ring as it was on mute, unless he was a complete idiot traveling the home country of the holy inquisition with a clearly magical time bomb in his pocket, promptly made his way out of the burning plaza.

Which was widely regarded as a good move.

While he was now safe off in further streets, one could not help but wonder for how long that would last. Same went for the entire town really.

After all, he did not need Emilia’s or hooter’s mascot reports to see the columns of black smoke reaching for the sky all around town.

With his wounds fully healed and his mana reserves… Well, you tell me… Apollo was now ready for his next challenge. Which revealed itself to be a very pleasant one indeed.

A call from the one and only Eisenbel-senpai. How wonderful.

Their conversation proved brief, yet they still found the time for an educational exchange.

Apollo: "Your employee happens to be with me. I'll do my best to keep her safe through the night. However, I'm afraid I need a quick piece of information right now: Is what is happening in Katsikolofos happening elsewhere?"

Eisenbel: “That’s wonderful news! Please keep her in one piece.”

She did sound pleased.

So much in fact, she did not hesitate to grant Apollo’s request, to some extent at least.

Who gives merchandise away for free after all?

Eisenbel: “I am afraid most of Psarosoupa is experiencing a rather distasteful Halloween party at the moment. As for the rest of the world… Well, I’d pick up a journal tomorrow if I were you. Not the Psarosoupean stuff though. Their worldview has a tendency to be rather... short-sighted.”

And then the call was over and done.

Had that changed the siblings present situation in any way? Not really!

Yet, a tornado might have as well just passed them by.

Now, Apollo finally had a moment to take a good look at Ho-Ho Eh.

He didn’t know that, but before coming out of her hiding place, she had actually straightened her clothes, cleared her head of any rubble, dusted off her face and had put her hair back into a semi acceptable shape.

She was now standing close to him, face gleaming and eyes full of stars.

Apollo: "I'd have liked to meet under more pleasant conditions. My name's Apollo. Your...employer just gave me a call and wanted me to keep you safe, which I will attempt to do. First of all, are you hurt? I'm guessing you have already spoken with Emilia?"

Ho-Ho Eh: “ Hi! <3

Thanks for the save! Didn’t think I’d make it out of that one!

I’m Ho-Ho Eh. You can call me Hochin! "

She said holding up her badge with a bright smile.

As if the world wasn’t burning around them.

But then she seemed a bit surprised at the rest of Apollo’s words.

Ho-Ho Eh: " My employer? You know Ansem? Is he really trying to keep me safe after all? "

Her face lit up with the colour of unexpected joy.

Ho-Ho Eh: “ Don’t worry I am fine, just a couple of bruises but nothing life threatening or that’ll keep me from running around. Assuming Emilia is the rider from hell, yes I’ve met her. She’s your sister right? Cool gal! ”

Hochin shared with Apollo as well her concern for her blacksmith friend and her plan to make it out of town in order to hide behind the wall on the West side.

Ambiance:

As for the two scouts on the rooftops, they had the following to share.

The town’s forces have been pushed entirely out of the graveyard’s neighbourhood. Most of the fighters there retreated, the rest seem to have died there. It is straight up suicide to go that way anymore. This is on the South-East side. Most of the civilians there seem to have kicked the bucket as well.

Speaking of which, the group finally realizes the alarm bells fell silent a while ago. Now there is mostly the sound of lightning strikes and that of the raging carnage across town.

In the alleyways around town (at least those they could peer in from their vantage points), the scouts were able to see more hordes of low-level skeletons going about their business. Though it would seem that the area immediately around the plaza they fought at had been cleared a bit for some reason. Which may very well have been the fact that there was not a single living soul around there anymore aside from Apollo, Hochin and Tenjin. The hordes of darkness had moved on to find places with juicier prey.

As the two scouts made their report, a bolt of violent green lightening hit the ground disturbingly close to them, but a few meters away. Half blinding and deafening the group for a few seconds.

Further away, people trapped in buildings are falling like flies to the invaders and the destruction sustained by the town. Most them are southwards. They won’t be long for this world.

The town’s guard seem to have a solid hold on some of the city’s main locations and important chokepoints, but they have stopped reaching out of their defenses to save citizens. They also do not seem to have noticed the presence of the remaining 4 3 necromancers. A main bastion of defense seems to have become the center of town, where a lot of civilians and warriors alike have gathered in an effort to rally.

Though they have a clear area ahead of them in any direction, it will be impossible to go beyond 200 meters without having to smash some bones.

Map reminder:

Decisions decisions!

Apollo's state:

Hooter's best boy's state:

Maybe it was the shock, but that girl was definitely more of a weirdo than Apollo expected.

Apollo: "Nice to meet you Hochin!"

Ho-Ho Eh: " My employer? You know Ansem? Is he really trying to keep me safe after all? "

Apollo: "Ansem? That's not the name I was given, funny! Anyway, someone wants you safe through the night. Who's Ansem?"

Ho-Ho Eh: “Don’t worry I am fine, just a couple of bruises but nothing life threatening or that’ll keep me from running around. Assuming Emilia is the rider from hell, yes I’ve met her. She’s your sister right? Cool gal!”

Apollo: "Of course my sister's cool! She's my sister!"

Now was not time for small talk though. Emilia came down and gave a rundown of their current situation. She also explained Hochin's plan to hunker down on the western side of town.

Apollo: "You girls have things figured out I see. I like this plan, let's do it. We make our way West. We can't afford to leave a necromancer roaming anywhere near us, so I'll engage him or her while you two and Tenjin find a proper place to wait this one out. Once you've found a suitable place, barricade it, and Emilia, you come and join me to finish off the necromancer. Sounds good?"

Ambiance:

Ah... You are back here again...

Teary eyes, hazy and stinging. Dizzied by the contrast between the brightness of the flames and the darkness of the skies. Periodically illuminated by violent flashes of green.

Toxic black smoke filling your lungs with every breath. Burning your throat with the ashes of the dead.

Hot gusts of wind that scorch your face. They bring the embers of households to your cloak, to your hair. They bring nauseous odours to your nostrils. It burns. It hurts.

Everything around you is burning, yet there is so much cold here. You can almost feel its skeletal fingers grasping at your ankles.

How fast does one grow accustomed to a battlefield? Did the soul wrenching screams really stop, or can you no longer hear them? Are the people safe, or where they slaughtered to the last? It is hard to make up anything past the lullaby of the flames.

The head grows heavy, the body weary. The breathing… laboured.

And amidst all this chaos, a single thought. Is this really the world’s fate?

Ambiance:

A flash of green and an earth-shaking roar splashes reality back into the picture.

The thunderbolt struck a mere half a meter away from Emilia. This is too close for comfort. It keeps striking closer and closer to her. To all of them. This is no random thunderstorm discharging death magic at random. It targets them. It hunts them. The living and the dead.

Time to move, the group agrees. Preferably to another continent, if it was not too much to ask.

The immediate surroundings of the now deserted plaza, were themselves, depressingly empty and void of life.

At least running through them gave them a couple more minutes to discuss their plan.

The Warden approved of the girls’ plans. A wise choice.

With that, their next destination was chosen. Safety for the others, more battle for him. Hopefully, that would not turn into a habit. Lest Apollo ends up a bloodthirsty warlord. Or, more likely, you know… dead.

Apollo: "Ansem? That's not the name I was given, funny! Anyway, someone wants you safe through the night. Who's Ansem?"

Hochin: “Ah. So he’s not the one who called you after all.”

Her face briefly fell into disappointment, perhaps even disgust. She was quick to recover though, rivalling in cheerfulness even Emilia. Though, her denial of their current situation could potentially be seen as alarming.

Hochin: “Ansem is my boss. Direct superior, research supervisor, whatever. He is a Drifter from the same world as Ayanami Klein and the emperor of Izashi. He is the kind of ridiculously intelligent genius you only get once per world. The dude can practically read the future by running math in his head! I was kinda hoping he would have seen this mess coming and would have sent for me. However, evidently, that was also me forgetting he is an emotionless piece of shit!”

She was not pissed. She was flaring!

Hochin: “Anyway. He works for Eden now. Hmmm… Maybe I should say he works with Eden instead. That feels more correct. Who did he have call you anyway? Did he ask one of the lab rats to do it?”

Soon after the end of that exchange, the time for discussion came at an end. They had reached enemies.

They weren’t too many just yet. Six or so skeletons, spread a few meters apart along the paved road flanked by burning buildings. Lightly armed, but alarmed to their presence.

Ho-Ho Eh hid a few steps behind Apollo’s back, clearly not harbouring the slightest intent to fight.

At this distance they can still take a detour and avoid this lot, though it will lengthen their traveling time and there is no guarantee they will not run into more of these, possibly getting surrounded.

A big house crumbles behind them under the relentless attack of the flames. A big cloud of smoke, ashes and embers is spread on their side of the road. It will cover the group in but seconds.

The city!

It dies!

It dies!

Ambiance:

A clear purpose, a path towards the light.

The unlikely quator made up of a Spirit Warden, a Cheerful Ghost, a Frightened Genius and a Spirited Owl made their way West, towards safety for some, and towards more conflict and strife for others.

But on their path were standing more of the undead.

Spirit Warden: "We are breaking through, RUN!" - he said, as he charged, launching two [Spiritual Blasts] into the packed skeletons as he made his way through the breach caused by the explosions. He made sure to keep Hochin and Emilia behind himself, who was casting [Al-Rasheed's Isolation] as necessary, to prevent any undead from entering within harming range of the group.

Once through, Apollo made sure everyone was in one piece, and there were no issues or any other obstacles in the way. They then continued West, as much as possible.

Spirit Warden: "~~Hooter-boy!~~ Tenjin! I need some vision ahead! Find the safe area mentioned by Hochin for us!"

Ambiance:

As much as Ho-Ho Eh would have loved to stick around and chat with her handsome saviour, the would-be hero had other plans. He needed to get her out of there and to safety. Not only because it was the right thing to do, but on top of it because there was moneeeyyyyy now involved as well!

I also assume that he did not feel keen about the idea of dying swarmed by skellies or suffocating by all the smoke.

Running around in the burning streets of Katsikolofos was becoming harsher by the minute. Thankfully the group was arguably heading in the safest direction, away from most of the flames as well as the legions from undead.

Of course, there were still fires here and there caused by the lightning and the chaos, and while the streets were not yet swarming with undead, they were still very much present.

Realizing that a confrontation would prove inevitable, Apollo decided to use the cover of an explosion of smoke to make his group dash through a small horde of undead.

With the additional cover of a couple magical explosions of his own, everyone went through safely and continued running well after having passed the undead. No shields were required this time. The warden had the pleasure of seeing some of the bones fly all over the place, but worryingly, a lot of the skeletons were still up and running. Thankfully, they did not chase them for long, preferring instead to focus on less nimble targets. It was not long before they lost them entirely.

The state of the city did not look good.

What would have happened to them if they had actually stayed back to fight these? Chances are, if they had taken too long, they might have actually been swarmed by these. This would have ended very poorly…

Hoot Hoot came back, some time during the commotion.

He reports that there is indeed a large stone wall slightly outside of town to the West, as mentioned by Hochin.

It would seem that some of the residents who managed to get out of town on their own have already taken refuge there. There is no armed force to protect the refugees there, but there is a lot of space and there is no enemy presence nearby. At least for now, it seems like a safe haven that has escaped the notice of the undead.

With that said, there is an alarming number of corpses in the area right ahead of them, between them and the edge of the town beyond which the wall is located.

The owl has not seen any enemies and the flames have not entirely engulfed that area yet, but the smoke and the fear of getting his soul roasted by death-lightning prevented him from sticking around to make sure. Speaking of which, he will only accept to scout once or twice more at most, before sticking to low-ground next to Apollo.

If you’d ask him, he’d probably want to go hide under a rock right now. Which to be fair was more or less what Ho-Ho Eh was suggesting!

Rubble, fire and undead force the group to make detours a couple of times, but they are able to cover most of the ground between them and the safe spot. Occasionally Ho-Ho Eh has to take point to lead the way as the visibility is not great, although she takes care to only do so when the field is clear of enemies. Although she is not in full panic mode, she is barely containing herself. Seeing her home-town in such a state, not to mention the great danger they are all in, is sure to strain her way more than what she lets appear.

Finally, they reach a corridor of buildings offering a straight line to the edge of town. While the stone wall is not yet visible from here, once they cover these last 50 or so meters they will pretty much be out of the woods for a bit.

There is no enemy in sight.

Ho-Ho Eh, in a spur of equal part bliss and despair, manages to outrun the rest of the group by a bit. Suddenly, she stops, a few meters away from them.

She is instantly killed. She is sliced. Limb from limb, in a shower of blood and gore! Apollo sees it! He knows it!

Ambiance, Loop it!:

She eagerly points with her right arm and a face full of joy and relief, toward the end of the road.

“ There! Right there! We’re almost there! “

The rest happened so quickly, in the span of a single breath. Of a second, frozen in time.

The group heard someone screaming in their direction.

“ WATCHOUT! “

The shout came from atop one of the buildings to their left.

They barely had the time to see the shadow of a figure on the rooftop, before a green flash started overtaking their sight.

The party was utterly blinded as a bolt of death-lightning came down a couple meters ahead of them, striking Ho-Ho Eh’s extended arm.

“ MAAAAAAAAAAAKE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! “

The last thing Apollo has the time to see before his vision fully fades to white, is the poor girl’s arm disintegrate. The rest of her following shortly.

“ GGYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! “

A heart-rending scream.

His vision returns.

In front of him, Ho-Ho Eh is still there. She is on her knees hugging her right shoulder, screaming in pain and tears, as blood pours out of her arm which has been severed, roughly at the elbow’s level.

Next to her, a white clad stranger is still frozen in a striking motion, her katana still held above where the young girl’s arm used to be. She is short, her stature seemingly a child’s. Her eyes kept shut in pain. Her breath quick and hazardous as if she had just finished the sprint of a lifetime.

Time flows once more.

“ Shit! I Can’t see! I can’t see! “

Apollo feels a bump on his right side.

“ Damnit! I’m sorry! I can’t fight like this! I’m taking the girl! You deal with this! “

The small woman sheathed her sword in a swift motion, before picking up in her arms the still screaming and in shock Ho-Ho Eh. She then dashed off with eyes still half closed, towards the edge of the town and the safety of the wall.

Good.

.
.
.

Now, why was there so much blood on Apollo’s coat?

.
.
.

A quick inspection, followed by the sinking feeling of pain, reveals that a big chunk of his flesh is missing, roughly between his right shoulder plate and his side.

A voice a couple meters behind them, yanks the group’s attention from the wound.

" I am Sif. Of the killing Four. Prepare to die. "

The enemy breaks into a dash towards Apollo.

He has no time to understand exactly what is going on or to analyse the enemy’s equipment. As she was barely two meters away and given her speed, he barely has a 1-2 second reaction window.

The only thing he has the time to notice, is that she has opened her arms widely to her sides as she charges him.

Simultaneously, Emillia hears a faint “clink” coming from the ground. At her feet, she sees a small glass vial, filled with a transparent liquid which immediately starts shinning blue.

Apollo and Emilia start on the defensive, with literal demi-seconds of reaction time.

Apollo's state::

Yo,

The Christmas special is up!

https://worldofhaerii.forumactif.fr/t181-the-wailing-banshee#2879

It only took...

*Checks watch*

Three years and the better part of a day!

Enjoy!

Katsikolofos …