Rina didn't stop to think. When the spiders dropped from a second story window and attacked Kirtan, she just turned and ran, as fast as she could, toward the far end of the wall. She ran, not hearing the Argos pursuing her, just hearing her own breath. She rounded the corner, saw an Ash tree growing by the side of the building, and leapt, grabbing a branch, swinging up. She didn't feel panic. She felt a kind of exhilaration as she kicked and saw her legs rise up in front of her face, and she hooked her legs over a branch farther up, tightened her gut, and pulled quickly.
She was already twelve feet off the ground, and the arachnids still weren't following her, and she was beginning to feel pretty good, when she saw the first spider at the base of the tree. Its appendages were bloody, and bits of flesh hung from its jaws. She continued to go up fast, hand over hand, just reaching and going, and she could almost see the top of the edifice. She looked down again.
Two of the kind was climbing the tree.
Now she was at the same level as the rooftop, only four feet away. There was a door on the roof, as she expected; she could get inside. In a single heaving effort she flung herself through the air, and landed sprawling on the stone roof. She scraped her wrist, but adrenaline kept her rush intact. It seemed that she was playing a game, a game she intended to win. She ran for the door that led to the stairwell. Behind her, she could hear the spiders shaking the branches of the tree. They were still climbing.
She reached the door, and pushed it. Locked.
It took a moment for the meaning of that to cut through her euphoria. The door is locked. I'm on the roof and there's no way down. It's LOCKED.
She pounded on the door in frustration a few times, and then she ran for the far side of the roof, hoping to see a way down, but there was only a herb garden, planted in a straight line in huge pots. No ladders, not even a haystack. Nothing.
She turned back, and saw three jumping easily into the roof. Now they came slowly toward her, stalking her, slipping silently between the shirts and blankets that hung on the washing lines.
They were closer, starting to move apart, and unreasonably she thought: Why is it always this way? Some little mistake screws it all up! She felt the gaiety slowly slipping away; reality was grabbing hold, though she still couldn't believe that these monsters were going to get her, couldn't believe that her life was going to end just like this, just this instant. It seemed impossible. The arachnids hissed.
Then they attacked. Rina sprinted to the right, reached for the wooden basin filled with just-dried clothes, and jumped from the ledge.
And fell.
So unlucky we are 5. Arcender: Trials and Tragedies.
Edward lay on a crumpled heap of what was once a wooden crate, hurt but still very alive. Beside him lay another spider of much larger proportions, its head pierced by a five-foot wooden shaft, the tip that dug through the creature resembling that of a halberd's, the other jewel-encrusted, a sole azure embedded in steel, where a short serrated blade juts out. As he stood up, another group of monstrosities came, and those capable of ranged combat sent a volley of arrows and spears at it immediately. One beast fell writhing with a javelin, still warm from its forging, right through its body. Another breathed its last wearing a big gash, but the spear tip was corrupted with rust and didn't lodge itself on the flesh. Others were arrow-bitten, and they were all enraged. They charged forward to hew down the attackers, but fire exploded from the ground, barring their advance. The raging element caught them, reducing to the whole group to cinders, their tomb marker a fiery pillar that seemed to reach for the sky.
He had no time to ponder on who casted the spell beforehand. The air had come alive with fleeting forms, dodging, flickering, fading on every side. Wisps were abound; ethereal forms of grey-white, their makeshift faces composed of three rotating holes which served as eyes and mouth. The people were scared and in disarray; the air filled with unseen hushed voices, and they hacked and slashed and stabbed madly with their weapons. Arrows flew, and few hit their mark. A quiver fell, with a thud, at the doorpost in his left, pinning one of the Whispers, and Edward drove a frozen bolt at it.
Suddenly, a well-built man stabbed at him; and even though he foresaw the attack a split-second ago, crimson blossomed on his upper sleeve. He was stunned; unsure of what to make of this confusion.
He called out; What the fuck are you doing?
No reply.
The man lunged at him again, sword arm raised. Edward twisted his body aside, feeling the wind slicing by the back of his neck, and swung the pole wand, diverting mana into it. The halberd tip's hook caught the man's lower jaw, piercing the windpipe, tearing the neck muscles, and driving through the spinal column.
The he saw it: a semi-transparent white cloth of floating material, flaked with cold caked blood, caught by the frost brought by the blade.
"Possessed.." he uttered, staring back at the carcass.
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Rina tried to avert her eyes from the sight.
A curved bill dug down, then pulled back as it ripped a small hole on a shirt. It dove again, bobbing up with a sizable amount of flesh on its beak. It gobbled up the sinew, stopped to look around and spot any that might steal its meal, and issued a small guttural croak. The raven's lustrous black feathers, having a blue or purplish iridescence, quickly became adorned with red as it resumed feeding on the refuse.
"Sorry about this," she said, still not looking at the cadaver. A breath of wind blew, faint yet coming from all directions, and it scared the raven, fluttering back to a hole in a nearby roof. She was about to walk away when she remembered,
"Oh, and I'd like to take your hand guard too. Thanks."
Aside from that man, it had been ten whole minutes since she had seen or heard any hint of combat with the invaders. She had settled down now, and she decided that it would be better to sneak up the monsters from behind instead of charging in with no complete regard to her - and anyone's - safety.
So she wandered the back alleys. Every now and then she would see a lone Argos, probably strayed off its colony, sneak up as close as possible, slice off its head, then jump away as it squirms voicelessly to death.
She rubbed her bottom - it still ached from the fall. I shouldn't have done that jig, she thought. Wincing slightly, Rina continued onward, eyes keen to spot any movement revealed by her magelight - a valuable asset, made priceless due to the fact that she can bestow its light to allies, and hide it from everything else.
Here they are. As Rina neared the end of the alleyway, she spotted two targets. One was another spider, in the opposite alley across the main road. The other was a mist-like creature, a clump of gaseous material ten feet from where she stood. She searched her pockets, and extracted a red stone. It was rockish in texture, yet crystalline in appearance. Rina concentrated, breathed in deep, and ran towards the first opponent.
The myst creature spotted her. It formed an arm, which extended and rushed towards her. She ducked, swerved and rolled effortlessly, and plunged her arm - and the gem - to the smokelike body. Immediately the myst protected itself; It formed a shield, which it rammed at her.
The myst caught her squarely in the chest; she felt as if she was hit by a cushioned picture frame, which she thought was actually very comfortable, until she was shoved to a wall.
Her back hurt a lot, and she sidestepped away to avoid being engulfed with the other arm. The Argos noticed her now and began scuttling to their direction, emitting a distorted screech, a barely subsonic call. Still winded from being slammed to a stone wall, Rina spun to avoid another blow, and then threw a knife at the arachnid, which landed right in the center of its cluster of eyes.
"He's dead, you should follow his example!" Rina called at the myst creature, still dodging attacks, blocking them occasionally with her hand guard. Soon enough, the creature showed signs of slowing down, eventually turning into a porous stone figure.
"Bye then, gotta catch the others," She waved at the statue as she slid down the next alleyway.
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Reload.. reload.. RELOAD!
Lyla felt warm tears slide down her cheeks, as another man fell, a split second earlier than the monster did. But she pressed on, ignoring her emotions as she prepared for the next firing. The more time I waste mourning, the more people that I wouldn't be able to save in time.
The waves were increasing in number, and more and more tunnels have opened. Aside from the agile Argos and the ethereal Nightmares, Whispers and Mysts have appeared in their ranks, all the more surprising everyone.
The Argos spun in midair and landed on its back, legs twitching; violet liquid oozing from it.
The villagers have held their ground, fighting on a prayer. The blood of those who built the domed city still flowing in their veins, they manipulated every available resource for everyone's survival. But it was still a lost cause. The fact still remains: their numbers were falling, and the horde was increasing.
The iron ball shot out of the barrel, and it flew with the wind at it's side, piercing a Whisper. The ripping wind followed, tearing its clothlike vessel to shreds.
Out of bullets.. Lyla slung her arquebus on her shoulder, and went down the roof as fast as she can, climbing down the groove on the wall that served as the roof gutter.
"Hey," A voice called, and she uttered a weak scream. She whirled around, and saw the laughing figure of a young lady that she knew all too well.
"...Damn you!" Whispered Lyla, wanting to strangle the younger girl right there and then.
"You almost jumped out of your skin!" Rina exclaimed, trying - and failing - to stifle her laugh.
After a short fight - Lyla retaliated by biting Rina's upper arm - they headed for the plaza.
She was feeling better now; somehow all the pain went away in Rina's presence. Or maybe I just couldn't let her see it. Really, I am such a weak person... But it was only for a moment; for their walk through the disarrayed streets filled her with so much emotion that the bird's eye she had of the entire downtown - an open air view to everyone's trials and tragedies - seemed nothing compared to being there itself. The oil lamps nesting on ten foot poles that felt like sentries to the empty streets were uprooted; one of them still standing, reduced to a scornful metal rod, snagging a stray leg as if it was a prized trophy. It was a battlefield without the combatants. The remains that littered the place were few, yet the bareness of it all was maddening - the lack of life and death, and of existence. Meter-high bonfires - which ripped the darkness apart, both a gift and a curse to anyone - lit the scene; their hissing spitting flames, together with the smell of salt and oxidized iron, served as a spiteful yet empty background to the area.
"It's fine. Cry your heart out. You can't keep it tucked away." Rina looked at her with an empathic figure; green eyes full of concern, the usual thin sneer of her lips now a kind weary smile.
Lyla hugged her tightly, Rina's red hair barely long enough to cover the older girl's face as she let her tears fall for a second time. It lasted fifteen long minutes before Lyla finally spoke. "Thank you. But I have wept long enough. We have to find Edward and your father now." Lyla let go, wiping her red eyes.
After what seemed like half an hour, they encountered a lone young man, a few years older than Rina. He introduced himself as Krist, and all three of them were happy to wander the streets as a group.
"You sure you don't remember me, Miss Rina? I worked in Mister Romeleth's smithshop for quite a bit, it's impossible that you haven't seen me before!" Krist said, and then continued on his own. "Well, actually I was there for only two days, as I accidentally whacked my right hand with the Number Two hammer. I'm alright now." He smiled sheepishly, earning him stares from both ladies.
"Well I do remember you, now that I think about it. It's just that you look.. pretty ordinary." Rina shrugged.
Rina's statement made Lyla take a second glance at the newcomer. Evenly-cut below ear level black hair and bangs that cover everything above the eyebrow, topped by a green beret. About the same height as me. Lightly built frame, wearing a buttoned-up polo shirt, slacks and suede shoes. Not exactly 'ordinary' for me..
"So, you had a rough time?" Lyla asked him, eyeing the ruffled slightly-torn clothes, stained by soil and purple liquid.
Krist was about to question Rina's opinion of 'pretty ordinary', but thought Lyla's inquiry was a better subject. "Did I! Would you believe that when the bell sounded, I was in the northernmost wall? And look where we are now, downtown!" He sighed "I thought I was gonna be a goner for sure, not having held a weapon properly before. But it seems that these things like me." He showed two daggers, one a flexible curved blade, the other serrated and thick.
The three were enjoying each other's company a lot, but each reverted into uneasy silence when they inevitably encountered conflict.
Five.. ten... twenty.. "They're too many. We should move." Lyla spoke as she fitted her hands with metal claws.
Krist breathed deep before replying: "That would be difficult. The Unseen are with them."
"Follow my lead." Both of them did a side glance at Rina, who was eyeing the ghosts, who in turn were circling around them like invisible hounds.
Suddenly, for some unexplainable moment, Lyla felt the ghosts disappear, and she saw Rina's wrist glow white. She was about to question when Krist took her hand and followed Rina as they ran west, the unwanted company chasing them.
They took a left turn on a wider back alley, between the boutique and a store selling dry goods. The place had trash bins neatly arranged on both sides, and they made it a task to topple and scatter them around as they moved further. Argos came from above, jumping down from the two rooftops. Krist met them halfway down - he jumped off a tall garbage can, - slashing them dead, one beheaded cleanly, the other jagged and rough.
"Bravo," Lyla applauded him as he landed in a smooth roll, wooden soles clicking on the cobble. She sliced the chain link fence apart with ease, its edges melting slightly.
"Don't go slashing everything in the way; with your miniscule mana, you're bound to run empty sooner than you think." Rina warned amusingly, irking her, but taking heed nonetheless.
The alleyway continued in a long stretch; but it had numerous openings. The creatures were quickly catching up, finding alternate routes, ambushing them through doors and windows, canal openings and intersections. Where the hell are the people?
They stopped. The end of the alleyway was closed off by a high wooden gate. In front of it, stood a spectral horse figure, a tall withering grey with mane resembling both smoke and fire. Then the head was no more; a robe hooded figure took its place, readying its scythe, stomping its hooves.
"Get out OF THE WAY!" Rina shouted, and spheres appeared on her right wrist, circled her once, and then flew screaming towards the figure, blasting five huge holes in it, the last that the three have seen of the being before disappearing to nothingness.
They blasted through the barrier, and into an open courtyard. But it was not empty. Dozens - probably hundreds - of bodies lie peacefully on the ground, some covered with cloth, and most have maimed bodies. All were lifeless.
"Welcome to the eastern district fort. As you can see, we are the only ones left." Edward came from behind a line of trees. The three turned towards him. "Where is my father? Uncle?" Rina demanded, confused.
"They are... gone."