Chapter 31: High Alert

10:47 P.M.

MIKA

Mika Wakatashi scrambles to reinforce a broken window in the library as three zombies manage to climb in. Alek slices one zombie quickly enough as another reaches to grab for his arm from behind before being blasted by an energy bolt. She distantly hears grunting from the kitchen. After double-checking their defenses, she joins Grym in the rear of the house. Despite not being very quiet, Mika moved quickly for someone in full plate armor. It had taken her weeks to get used to the cumbersome metal. Now she hated taking it off. She felt defenseless. Vulnerable. Something no one should ever have to feel. Regardless, she always felt that way, especially when she was put on a different assignment than Alek and Taki. Not that she'd ever admit it.

Her breathing came hard as she ran full force into a shambler and smashed the undead into the wall with her shield. Bits of the plaster and wood splintered, creating an outline of the zombie's form. Grymlop quickly picked up a reinforced plank and filled the gap that was currently opened. Mika could see most of the zombies had impaled themselves on the makeshift spike walls they'd made earlier.

"Clear," Mika said just loud enough that Alek and Kana could hear it in the other room. Water sloshed the floor from the previously broken planks creating a cold, wet surface. The squeaking of the master dwarf's leather boots and her plated ones were masked by the constant pelting of the rain, which still hadn't stopped.

The two of them joined Alek and Kana in the entry hall. Kana peers over towards the stairs.

"Do you think they could have climbed up there?" Kana asks. She didn't wait for an answer and ascended the steps. Behind her, Taki followed, taking a liking to her after she let him curl up with her as they slept.

Alek peered at the duo a moment before joining them.

The master dwarf peeked in between the planks. "No movement."

Mika sighed with relief and slid down the wall to land hard on the ground. It didn't happen quite often anymore, but Mika would question if this would ever end. Suppose they would never be truly rid of the Whispering Tyrant. After all, these centuries and all they could do was trap him. Would she and her friends have to fight their entire lives? The thought, she had to admit, would send a ripple of dread through her. She was only human. She didn't have the years that Alek and her other companions were graced with. She was already near middle age, and she was tired. Most of their order didn't live that long. They died in the fight or in Mika's experience... Mika shook her head of the creeping memories that followed this line of thought.

A shift of movement next to her caught Mika's attention, and she was grateful.

"Thinking about that bard you were with the other day?" Alek asks a playful smile dancing on his lips. A rare thing she saw on his face. One that was quite nice to see when it did.

"Goodness, no!" Mika says with a roll of her eyes. "Way too into himself for my taste."

"I'm surprised he came out of the room unscathed," Alek said, closing his eyes. Mika was a big woman. Bigger than most men, even Alek.

She leaned back and punched him hard in the arm. The hit may have bruised or even broken anyone else's arm, but with Alek's unique…heritage, she knew he was fine.

"Ow!"

Taki shrieked and pounced on Mika, clawing playfully at her twice before retreating to Kana's lap. The young oracle sat on the other side of the entry hall with Grym. They looked on with amusement at the champion and her dhampir friend.

Kana lifted her arms so Taki could curl in a ball under them, then he licked her hands, begging her to stroke his head.

Mika lowers her head. To the others, it looks as if she is resting, but in a low voice, she spoke. "Bet you wish you were Taki right about now. Which would you want first? To lick her or to have her stroke you?"

Mika looks over at him, his eyes crimson and his face taut. He clenched and unclenched his hands. She wondered for a moment if he did because he was holding himself back from reaching over and touching his little oracle or punching Mika. The champion smiled. She was going to go with both.

"How long have you two been together?" Grym asks Alek.

He shifts his weight. "Too long if you ask me."

"Fifteen years. And despite Alek's bluster, he would miss me if I weren't here." Mika says with a smile. In truth, it was her that would miss him. He was what kept her sane all these years: he, Taki, and some of the others in the Reclaimers.

Alek grunts, closing his eyes. "Whatever you say, champion."

"We met when I was around nineteen, and he was," Mika counted her fingers, "like a thousand."

Grym and Kana laughed. The old master dwarf was of the same appeal as the rest of his race. His grumpy look in contrast to his personality. His scent was oddly comforting, though. Smokeweed was something she remembered from her grandfather. Mika welcomed that thought as she drifted to sleep, replaying sweet memories of her grandfather's stories and gruff exterior.


1:02 A.M.

Mika woke abruptly to Alek flashing over to the window. It wasn't a flash per se. He just moved with a speed that still awed her. Several zombies shuffled toward them. Three, already impaled on a few of the spikes. The heavy rain did nothing to wash away the stench they omitted the nearer they got. It didn't help that those who made their way inside had to stay inside as they couldn't chance going out with that many somewhere in the distance. Two groups of three made their way to the windows as they clawed at the planks. Once they'd been ripped off, Grym shot off a light beam. Mika shielded her eyes a moment. Before using the zombie's disorientation to her advantage. She jabbed the nearest one in the shoulder. Skewered on her katana, the zombie scratched at the blade. Its face was partially ripped. The jaw hanging by a piece of the skin by sinew strands.

Mika yanked the katana hard, and the zombie battered against the house wall. Grym blasts another of the shamblers. Behind her, Taki jumps wildly in the air, screeching. Mika looks out the window, the rain making it impossible to see more than a few yards in front of them. In the blink of an eye, something massive rushes towards the house. The undead creature pushes the other zombies out of the way. One with such force that it knocked to the ground, an arm and leg snapping off. As another beam of energy hits it in the head, it bursts, leaving pieces of rotting flesh, blood, and other bits scattered over the puddled dirt pathway. The burly monster pounds against the wall and reinforced window frame. Splinters fly back into the room. Grym continues his divine assault as Kana and Alek handle the remaining two shamblers outside. Mika unleashes a flurry of jabs and slashes. The monster roars, scratching furiously inside the window catching Mika on the arm, her armor now sporting a deep gash.

The creature was bleeding profusely now. One more hit, Mika says to herself. Sweat rolls down her face and stings her eyes. She lunges for a final blow right through the brute's throat. It sputters and slides to the ground.

They were all breathing heavy, and Mika's stomach growled. Between needing food and resting, they'd all chosen rest. But soon, their bodies would rebel. Mika took to the stairs to get her and Kana's pack from the room they'd slept in. She went back to the group greedily, shoving rations down her throat. She tried not to breathe in too deep, afraid she'd lose her appetite from the room's stench. Alek took his leave to eat in private, as Grym and Kana followed suit, eating and drinking as quickly as they could. Crackling whipped through the air, and an explosion sounded upstairs. The second story crashed into the kitchen. Fire igniting and just as quickly dying out with the onslaught of rain.

"You've got to be shitting me," Kana said, deflated.


2:06 A.M

KANA

Kana felt panic rise in her throat. She was generally of a level head, but truthfully she'd never been in such a dire situation, and no one knows how they'd be until they were in one. She swallows hard, pushing back a cry of frustration. They could no longer use the second story as 'Plan B.'

As if this was a regular occurrence, Alek gathers planks and starts to prop them up, constructing a makeshift wall. "We won't have spikes on this side anymore, and it won't be strengthened by the metal bars we found earlier." Alek lifted his head, addressing Mika and Grymlop. "Check the front. It was loud." He raised several of the planks. They must have weighed a few hundred pounds. Kana gaped after him. She knew what he was but had never met someone of his kind before. She didn't know what to expect from him.

"How does this not," Kana helped him shift things around as best she could. "Make you angry. Or frustrated?"

"I am frustrated." Alek comments. "But there isn't anything I can do but this. We'll be dead before morning if it doesn't get done."

Kana had to agree with him. "You're right." They worked quietly as Grym took his time healing their bruises and cuts.


3:04 A.M.

The adventurers piled the wood and braced it as best they could but could do nothing for a roof. The water was getting in, and someone needed to stay close to the wall and ensure it was adequately defended.

"I can stay here with Alek if you and Grym want to remain in the library," Kana says nonchalantly. Mika quirked a brow but didn't say anything as she and the master dwarf made their way back into the library.

Kana huddled on the floor against the driest part of the room. She looked up into the sky. No twinkling of stars or the luminescence of the moon. Just utter and total blackness. Taki padded over to her, as did the dark magus, his black hair pulled back tight around his face. His features were sharp, and she noticed before that she could faintly see his fangs when he talked. A part of her wondered what it would feel like to… She shivered and wrapped her arms around her knees. Taki stretched and wiggled his way into the pocket her arms and legs made.

"Really?" came Alek's accented voice. He sat beside her, his hand grazing her shoulder as he covered her with part of his cloak.

She gasped as a vision took her over. She and Alek were in a cave? Or was it a darkened room? She couldn't be sure. But sometime soon, it would come to pass.

Alek grimaced. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

Kana shook her head. Not only did she see the visions of the past and future, but she shared the feelings. Though they were muted, she could feel how he felt about her. She couldn't help but be taken aback, awed by his rawness. He was intense to be around.

"What did you see?" Alek asked quietly. His concern was endearing. Tell him the truth? Should she be so bold? Would he shun her with disbelief?

"We were. Kana stroked Taki's head, and he purred softly in his sleep. Kissing." She looked at him, trying to read his expressions. He gave none, and Kana's heart sank. He turned away from her.

Still looking away, "We should get some more rest while we can."

Kana chuckled nervously, "yeah."

Moments later, Taki jumped from Kana's lap just before Alek ripped her from the ground. Her heart beat so loudly that she barely heard the hulking zombie crash through the barrier they'd created earlier. Two zombies, or something like it, followed in behind. They had most of their skin, but it looked severely unnatural. A male and female, both armed with short swords. Taki hissed at them as he pawed the air.

Alek stepped in front of Kana sweeping his elven blade in a wide arch in front of him. One of the armed monsters blocked while the other had a gash in her chest. The brute lunged forward, and Alek sidestepped it taking Kana with him as they tumbled to the floor. He stood to his feet and dodged the male zombie's short sword thrust. Kana pivots in front of Alek, and a blast of sound emits from her hand. The female seems to shake it off quickly enough while the burly zombie and the male clutch their heads.

Clashing in the other room causes Kana to look back as Alek pulls her to him, and they retreat a few steps. The female stabs at Alek, who grabs her arm twists her around, rips her neck with a large clawed hand, and falls to the ground. The dark magus turns to her. "Lance the male," he says roughly. Gone were his burnt orange eyes. They glowed crimson again. Which Kana figured was what happened when his emotions ran amok.

Kana followed his direction, energy building in her hand. The bright light breaks off part of the male's skull to splatter over the wooden pieces behind it.

Broken wood, stone, and other debris flew through the air to hit the hulking creature. Sores and blisters cover its body where the skin has yet to fully rot—the assault causing some of the boils to rupture and release a stench vile enough to make her sick.

"Again, challah," Alek calls out as he leaps to the roof and crawls to drop down on the other side of the monster. The monster punches Alek, who slides back to a stop. He coughs, rubbing his chest. "Now!"

She again built up the energy in her hand. Her body shook from exhaustion. A blast of light hits the brute zombie in the face. Alek rips its head clean off before yanking its body to the ground so it wouldn't land forward onto her.

Alek and Kana race into the room where they left Grym and Mika, just in time to see them finish off the last of their zombies.

"What took you guys so long?" Mika said with a weak smile. She fell to her knees and gripped her stomach. Her plate armor indented.

Grymlop came up behind her to lie her down gently. "I have her. You must see if more approach." Alek nods and takes his leave. Grym unfastens her plating and lifts her undershirt. "Her stomach is bruised, likely internal bleeding or a fracture." Her breath was coming in small spurts, and she struggled to stay conscious. "You'll be okay, Mika. I'll see to it." Grym said.

Kana left to check the windows and walls. Her hands shook, and her vision blurred. She was running out of what little stamina she had. Everything was quiet on this end, and she prayed all was well on Alek's.


4:11 A.M.

Alek returns to give the all-clear and let them know he fortified the wall again as best as possible. They would need somewhere else to hold up if they had to stay another night. Absently, Alek rubs his chest.

"I can look at that for you," Kana suggests.

"Your heals don't work on me," Alek says quietly. "Plus, you look like you're about to pass out."

Annoyed, Kana stomps over to him and urges him to sit. "I'm fine." She gently lifts his shirt, willing herself to stay a aloof as possible when this close to his naked skin. He was cool to the touch. Smooth, yet hard. She closed her eyes as energy poured from her to him. His strong arms enclosing her were the last thing she felt before slipping into sweet oblivion.