Declaration of War
"[Rashaad] double-crossed all of his allies and turned them over to the Marines."
Bo was stunned by the giant fishman's outburst, though the revelation did go a long way in explaining the 'deal' he apparently had with the Marines. Luckily for him, his frozen reaction was overshadowed by the obnoxious, mocking cackling of the most vocal prisoner. "Now, that sounds like a fun fella," he commented once his laughter finally trailed off.
The time that passed gave Bo the opportunity to adopt a more serious expression, shooting a sharp glare at the hauntingly gleeful captive. "And, what would you know about him?" Bo asked accusingly.
"Absolutely nothing; he's an enigma," the prisoner answered in tantalizing fashion, giving the feeling he would've added a hand gesture to visualize the point were his hands not restrained.
"And why should I believe you?"
"We can't have open dialogue otherwise," the prisoner answered with a wry grin. "'Sides, I'm a bit behind on current events if you catch my drift."
Bo mulled the cryptic response for a second, letting the words sink in before replying, "You escape?"
"Good behavior," came the droll reply. Silence crept in before the prisoner alerted Bo, "Seems you have more pressing issues, though. Come back soon," he smiled wryly.
Bo shut his eyes to work through everything, and had to concentrate to avoid the distracting utterances of the talkative, sardonic prisoner. About half a minute passed with Bo standing there eyes closed before his eyes shot open with urgency, and he rushed out the door as if shot from a cannon, sprinting through the ship at top speed.
Bo burst through the door and arrived at the ship's railing where he was met with a highly disconcerting sight. From the tree line near the horizon, scattered remnants of the scout party that had been sent out ran towards them in a mass panic. Less than half of the nearly two dozen men that had been dispatched were returning. But, even more worrisome was the massive horde hot on their heels, swarming over any stragglers like so many locusts over fresh, green plants. The inhuman growl that rose from their number as they speedily approached shook the earth and froze many of the terrified crew.
"Defensive formation on me," Johannes barked, asserting some control over the downward spiraling situation and instituting order in the crew's startled ranks. His composure and ability to bury his initial reaction helped calm the others and inspired some sparse confidence despite the bleak atmosphere.
The crew on the beach scrambled into position while the men on board the ship threw them as many guns, spears, and bolas (for the trained few) as they could in the rush. Bo hardly had any time to assess the situation as what remained of their scout party stormed towards them seeking asylum and the rampaging mob steadily stampeded behind them.
"Focus your fire! We must give our men room to escape!" Johannes stood tall in the stale air of wherever they were, an uneasy feeling creeping up his spine. The attacking horde had just gotten within firing range, and for the first time, their mad visages were visible.
Faces locked in demonic expressions, the inhuman pursuers were relentless, seemingly unfazed by the bullets tearing through their limbs and shoulders and moving forward despite their allies falling and stumbling around them. Taking aim with his bow, Bo locked his sights on a particularly torn and haggard monster, half its face blown off and right arm barely hanging by loose, sinewy fibers. With a well-placed shot, an arrow was fired right through its eye, knocking it back and into another one behind it, the precise arrow sticking into the chest of the second creature, which moved forward despite the dead weight now hanging from it.
One of the things attacking them moved faster than the rest, charging straight ahead no matter the obstacle. When a bullet flew through its shoulder, it continued to move forward undeterred. Even as a well-placed grouping of shots ripped through one of its legs, it hobbled at almost the same inhuman pace on its one remaining leg, still focused on the hunt as a bullet tore off half its face. The constant barrage of cover fire from the crew eventually waned noticeably as the psychological effects of the type of enemy they currently stood against set in, each of them unnerved and discouraged by the unfathomable sight before them. Johannes, though, quickly roused their spirits, prompting the gunmen to redouble their efforts just as he took off the head of one with a forceful bola throw.
As more and more of those hideous creatures fell, so too did a number of the fleeing scout team, pulled down and savagely ripped apart by the attackers, only for some to rise again a short time later, flesh pulled from bone and torn muscles hanging unresponsively, bloodthirsty monsters like those that chased them.
In all the commotion, a frozen Rose was on her knees in the center of the beach. She could do nothing as the scouts ran past her with no regard for anything but their own lives. In her silence, many of the monsters also passed her by, but as a ghastly few beared down on her, she let out an ear splitting scream that drew the unwanted attention of a great deal more of those hideous creatures and brought them converging on her.
She reacted purely on instinct and training as three sets of muscle baring arms reached out towards her, jumping as her high pitched wail reached its bone jarring crescendo. In the same movement, Rose connected a hard rising knee with one of her attackers, knocking its lopsided, loosely hanging jaw even more askew before landing on its head with a single foot and coming down with an extended leg drop to decapitate the other two as they leaned over where she previously cowered.
But, as the initial surge of adrenaline faded, she was left alone and in fear as dozens more surged from the treeline, attempting to overtake the beach, the crew, and the ship. Rose was once again paralyzed with fear as the unsightly mob thrashed around her, attracted to the new prey.
Bo could make out the details in the carnage even as more bullets were pumped into the advancing horde. He immediately saw the danger looming over Rose, but he was too far away to stop them and he had no way of firing the sheer number of arrows the situation called for even if clear lines of sight presented themselves. 'This would be a damn good time for Leon to get back with my primary quiver.' Bo silently cursed to himself, closing his eyes to shut out the sight of Rose's impending torturous demise.
However, his eyes went wide and his mouth hung in relief as a new presence entered the area. Leon had returned, jumping straight into the fray, drenched in seawater and standing protectively over Rose as thick, blackened blood dripped languidly from his blade.
"Leon. . . Wipe those bastards out!"
Leon smirked at the intensity and uncommon rise twinged with panic in Bo's voice. "I was gonna do dat anyway," he muttered to himself. Leon tore through the enemy ranks like a crazed madman, slicing them up with eerie glee, thrilled by the prospects as they continued to clamor and approach even after having whole limbs lopped off or being bisected.
Leon shook the water from his hair after clearing another row of the grotesque mob, forging a bit of breathing room between them and the cowering Rose. "Get moving, brat," Leon directed, his battle ready grin never faltering. "I ain't no babysitter."
"But-" Rose protested; as crazy as it sounds, being at Leon's back put the young girl somewhat at ease under such frightful circumstances, far more than any immediate alternatives, especially with his ire and killing intent directed away from her.
"Just use dat toy Bo gave ya," Leon advised, a gruff annoyance to his tone. "It's preloaded with a special shot from Ray."
With the added instruction, Rose nervously stood up, hesitant to move forward on her own until Leon nudged her from behind with his foot, knocking her into a crowd of the strange, humanoid creatures. She immediately reached into a pocket of her white coat, fishing around for only a split second before withdrawing a pinkish, conical shell. Pressing down on the back of the shell and aiming it at the nearest group, the strange object released a powerful energy blast wave that ripped through the weakly constituted attackers, downing them with pure concussive force and clearing a narrow path through which Rose could escape.
Feeling the effects of the powerful release, Leon's smile grew wider, gleaming his canines maliciously, as he thought, 'Now if only that panty waist chef would grow a pair, we could have some real fun.' However, he let his thoughts on that particular matter idle as he turned his attentions to more actualized and immediate pleasures, corralling the monsters away from the fleeing Rose and toward himself. Leon tightened the grip on Akuma-õ no Kiba and pumped up the muscles of his upper body as his growing smile threatened to tear his facial muscles, and released a boisterous howl, loosing a powerful swing of his sword almost at the same time as roughly fifteen of the creatures piled on top of him, aiming to tear him to pieces. "Leviathan. . . Rising!" Savage rising air currents lifted up those within range and shredded their already ragged figures in a fierce whirlwind before unceremoniously dropping them back down to earth, black blood painting the trash ridden, sandy beaches in the wake of the damaging attack.
The mass of monsters at Leon's feet lumbered into a standing position, Leon's attack taking a toll, but failing to permanently put down many of the resilient creatures as they ultimately rose in various states of decay and disrepair.
Meanwhile, Bo had ordered a full scale tactical retreat, pulling the entirety of their defensive forces back onto the ship save for the White Knights, who oversaw the steady retreat, and Leon. Leon took advantage of the opportunity granted him, cutting down wave after wave of the humanoid monstrosities until none could stand (or crawl) against him.
In the time it took Leon to finish up with the major groupings of enemies, the only three members of the scout party fortunate enough to survive the savage scrum finally arrived at the safe haven of the crew's front line, the White Knights, with only a comparative handful of the inexplicable horrors in tow. The wings of the White Knights' formation moved forward in lockstep, effectively corralling the mindless bunch before quickly and efficiently dispatching them by decapitation before they could cause further ruckus.
The formerly rebellion minded Charli and two of his followers crawled to the feet of Johannes and his top soldiers, panting heavily with each labored breath, their faces smeared with the blood of enemy and ally alike as each of them also sported a myriad of new scars and injuries, though nothing life threatening. With Leon's victory and the little that was left of the scout party having returned, the crew on board the ship let emotion overcome them, loudly celebrating their first real victory as a crew. But, Bo immediately put a stop to their action with a dire warning. "This isn't over yet! Get as many cannons usable as we can, and prepare to fire."
Johannes heard the command from his captain and looked down to the pleading man clinging tightly to the hem of his shirt. "What's going on? What are these things that attacked us?"
Charli's mouth hung open without giving an answer while the other two with him looked to be having panic attacks just thinking back on the horrors.
Johannes shook the gawking man at his feet, imploring an immediate, definitive answer. "Come on! Who? What?"
Charli solidified his resolve only enough to scream out one word in panic. ". . .Zombies. . !"
Much of the crew would be lying if they said the fantastical thought hadn't crossed their mind, but none wanted to admit to the possibility of that nightmare being a reality. Thus, the area stood in stunned silence, letting the farfetched idea as well as the reality of events thus far sink in. The moment of serene collective introspection, though, was abruptly shattered as a loud gunshot rang out. Charli's brains splattered across Johannes' shirt from an explosive head shot and all three remaining members of the scout party fell to the coarse ground with a loud thud.
Murmurs spread through the crew, starting fearful and quiet but quickly becoming deafening with the paranoia palpable. The talk of zombies gained traction in the panic as another wave of the subhuman monstrosities emerged from the tree line, rushing the ship with maniacal vigor. "Zombies!" The majority of the crew yelled out in abject terror.
"I don't know of zombies that shoot guns," Bo reigned in the feeling as best he could in the moment, giving the crew their new orders. "but zombie or not, we will destroy them. . . down to the last. . . whatever! Prepare to fire the cannons! We'll fill this beach and the enemy with holes!" As the men hurried to their designated positions, having to adjust to the slant of the ship on the fly, Bo called out to the crew on the beach. "White Knights, Leon, return to the ship now! The enemy is too unknown for a direct confrontation; we'll finish this fight from an entrenched position."
In the instant those words reached their intended targets, the crewmen that emerged alongside Charli lifted themselves up, deep, inhuman growls bursting forth from their twisted, snarling maws. As they lunged forward, the two White Knights directly flanking Johannes, Kray and a thin framed unknown young man dressed in loose robes with his head covered in dingy wrappings, only a single eye peeking through, instantly dispatched the two mutated crew members. The White Knights then proceeded back to the ship as commanded, dragging the carcasses of the defeated pair back with them, careful to avoid any precarious positioning and unnecessary risk as they did so. Leon, though, balked at the command, completely shirking Bo's directive and charging headfirst into the approaching enemy ranks, Akuma-õ no Kiba bared and ready.
In all the movement and reorganization as the second, even larger wave rolled in, Rose was left exposed and alone a quarter length of the full distance closer to the ship than the enemy. But, with the new, added threat of gunfire, the young Kaleb reacted hastily and dangerously in worry, jumping off the ship and jetting towards Rose. His brother, Kayden, was the first to react as those still on deck watched his stupid, passionate act, but Bo held the massive shipwright and acting helmsman back with all his strength and directed Ray to go instead, convincing Kayden that the shipwright's great strength was more needed below deck moving cannons.
Ray launched himself off the railing in a flash in pursuit of the two youths, losing no traction as he moved across the sands as if he were gliding over the surface. Once he'd significantly closed the distance on both of them, Ray pulled the segmented staff from the sash around his waist, gripping one bladed end and hurling the other past Rose. The chain housed inside the staff extended to its limit before doubling back around the young doctor as well as Kaleb, and, catching the returning end, Ray wrenched the staff, pulling the chain, and the two trapped in its length, back to him. He caught them with an oomph, the impact winding both of them as they crashed against each other (almost kissing) and into Ray's bicep and shoulder. In the same motion, Ray began his move back to the ship, the weight of the two kids barely slowing the experienced, but reluctant fighter.
Despite the tense situation, the carefree and seemingly oblivious Kaleb let a toothy smile spread his cheeks at being held so close to the girl he fawned over. Rose shifted for more leeway and freedom in response, inadvertently kneeing Kaleb in his pressing groin, though the action did have the desired result of curbing the boy's persistent, lovey-dovey behavior until they got back to the ship and were released.
Leon, meanwhile, dove headfirst into the enemy numbers, cutting large swaths of foes down in the chaotic mass. Despite their individual and overall speed and power being quite impressive, the recklessness and total disregard with which the mutated menaces moved forward and attacked made them the complete antithesis of the berserker swordsman. But, the damage they could take and still fight back thrilled Leon immensely as he ducked under the outstretched arms of a larger than average foe and cleaved the hyperviolent opposition in two before latching his hand over the snarling maw of the next in line. Impaling the savage creature on Akuma-õ no Kiba, Leon used it as a meat shield and drove his blade through three more, pushing the skewered enemies into a small clearing where, with a loud, ferocious roar, he twisted the blade around and ripped it up and through the skulls of the four creatures, sending blackened blood spraying from the split torsos and raining down on the swordsman as torn flesh and bone fragments further littered the ground. With not even a second to rest, Leon then used that chance and the downward momentum of his next swing to release a blood red tinted compressed air slash, sending it surging through the earth and his opponents as he continued on his path of blood and carnage.
Though Leon was involved in a large conflict with many dozens of the inhuman monsters, dozens more still moved past him, rushing the ship with single minded intent. However, the crew on board the ship was ready, firing cannon balls into the groups one after another, sending body parts flying every which way with each explosive shot that rocked the beach. The debris already littered across the beach served as additional shrapnel and a welcome addition in the crew's efforts to completely eradicate the monstrosities that ambushed their scout party and aimed to kill them as well.
With the ship's high sides acting as a last line of defense, the crew managed to completely wipe out the attacking horde while taking no further casualties themselves. All of the crew was proud of the accomplishment as across the beach Leon stood ankle deep in a pool of the thick, almost black blood of the strange zombie-like monstrosities, but none dared celebrate as the demeanor of their superiors told them it was far from over.
Leon, blood covered chest rising with each breath, stared into the blackness of the treeline, into an empty set of eyes deep in the darkness. As those creepy, expressionless orbs turned away and ventured deeper into the island's forest, he could hear Bo's loud declaration emanating through the empty sky from the ship.
"This is only just getting started! Everyone get ready; we're going to war!" Bo was again about to recall Leon as well, but the headstrong swordsman had already rushed blindly into the forests in pursuit of the man behind the eyes.
