(Titan Quest: Ragnarök - Asgard)
About an hour after they separated, members of team JNPR regrouped and killed the last Grimm present in their surroundings. They returned to the road, convinced they would find Braylon waiting for them. One more hour had to pass before they could hear his voice echoing in the forest. Replying with a shout of their own, the students of Beacon Academy found the Vault Hunter in a state worse than before they had landed. He wasn't injured heavily. His eyes looked tired and he begged them to keep quiet about it, insisting they had to go forward without further delay.
The road led towards another hill, much bigger and larger than the previous one. The whole island was, in fact, gifted with hills and valleys between each, where flora and fauna spread far and wide, untouched by Humanity. There was even a mountain out of their reach. As they walked, Braylon checked out said mountain, squinting when he noticed a brief flash of light from somewhere near the snow-covered top. The whole thing made him shudder. They arrived at a small cluster of houses, abandoned and left to rot. Each house was ransacked. Nothing but furniture was left. Even the doors were missing, in some cases.
"Looks like someone took the opportunity to profit from the tragedy of others." Braylon acknowledged. "This must've been the place where those people lived."
"That's horrible." Jaune grimaced. "Who could've done something like this?"
"If we knew, we wouldn't be here." Seeing how Pyrrha looked at him he quickly added: "But I bet it was the same person who... killed all those people."
"What if there were more than just one?" Ren asked. "I fail to see how could one person bring so many people with them and on such a long distance."
"Something's not right here." Braylon added. "Why would anyone kill so many people away from their homes? And in that port of all places." He came to the idea of checking the topographic map of the island through internet sources. But for some reason, his PDA warned him that it was impossible. No signal. It even freezed for a few seconds. "Hmm... that's a first. Hey, does anyone mind using their Scrolls for some internet surfing?"
"Strange." Pyrrha murmured. "No signal."
"Same here."
"No signal!"
"Nothing, I'm afraid."
Braylon frowned. "Jamming." That got their attention. "Someone, or something, is blocking the signal on this island, meaning we are stuck here until we find the jammers."
"Just great." Jaune whined. "I've got us all into trouble."
The Vault Hunter turned around, following the road with his eyes. "They aren't joking this time. If they were able to jam my PDA, then what else can they do? That ritual attracted Grimm at the port, making a perfect disguise for unsuspecting victims. What if other Huntsmen came here before us? Where are they now? Fuck, shit just got real." After Pyrrha said how it wasn't Jaune's fault, Braylon turned around and asked them if they knew anything about the island and its inhabitants.
"I've searched about this place on the internet at Beacon." Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I think there should be a big town somewhere around here. Can't remember where, though."
"Then our only option is to follow the road and see what happens."
Not long after they left the houses, the group of Huntsmen-in-Training found a valley. It was surrounded on all sides by other hills of various sizes. The road led to a village surrounded with a makeshift stockade made of wood, where purpose was more important than aesthetics. It went through, then left, seemingly at the mountain itself.
"Gods..." Jaune muttered.
Braylon understood Jaune's bewilderment. The valley was nothing short of chaos given form. Where trees once grew proud from the dirt below, now stood dozens of stumps, left to rot under the sun and rain. The road to the mountain was populated with craters and trenches that no longer could fulfill their purpose. Emerald green grass was replaced with soot and drought and scorched earth. Even the village, if someone could call it that, was a dark and horrible sight. Braylon's PDA inserted the old textbook pictures of favelas in his memories. Only this looked even worse.
"Did a war break out in here?" He tried to joke, only to meet glares that told him how it was uncalled for. "Sorry I said anything... jeez..."
"We must go down there and find out what happened." The blonde knight ordered with some confidence Braylon never thought he had, probably because of the sight.
"Hell no." Braylon refused.
"What? Why?"
"Maybe you need glasses. Do you see this place? Whatever happened, it was huge. Everyone could be dead as far as we know."
"We will never find out if we don't go."
"And what if the same person, or people, are waiting for us? What if it is an ambush?"
"We can defend ourselves." Jaune was baffled.
"Can you kill?"
"What?" He looked like someone slapped him, just like his teammates.
"If you can kill a man, then there's no problem. But if you can't..." He grimaced.
"And you can?" Pyrrha asked.
He shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."
"We came here to help." Jaune insisted.
"Nu-uh. Maybe you" Braylon pointed at Jaune "came to help. I came to see what's going on around here before I pack my bags and leave this Grimm-infested hellhole."
Jaune's fists tightened. Looks like I tocuhed a nerve, Braylon thought.
"All right." Braylon rolled his eyes. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Let's go."
(Resident Evil 2 – The Basement of Police Station)
They reached the front gate, guarded by a man on a small tower not far from it. The man's eyes widened when he saw them, their dash prompting him to grab his rifle and start yelling. In a few seconds a woman jumped out from behind the stockade. She had light blue shoulder length hair and lime green eyes. She was ready to use her weapons, two sickle-like blades, when she suddenly lowered her guard.
"False alarm." She said as the group of teenagers reached them. "It was a false alarm. These aren't monsters. Thanks for the heads-up though."
"No problem, Miss Azuli."
"Wait! We come-"
"I know you come in peace, blond boy. You'd be dead if you didn't."
"Oh."
"Name's Azuli. I'm a Huntress."
It was safe to say that Azuli liked to draw attention of men. Her "combat gear" was designed to expose her skin, muscles, breasts and legs. Not too much, but enough to make someone wish for more. She actually smirked when she noticed how Jaune and Ren blushed, to large variations. That smirk died down when her eyes fell on Braylon, who deadpanned.
"That's... um..." Jaune coughed in his fist before introducing everyone.
"So what made you come in this gods-forsaken place?"
"We heard something strange was going on on this island. You lost contact with the outside world, so we came here to help you out as much as we can."
Azuli chuckled and shook her head. "My team wanted to do that too."
"Wanted?"
"They're all dead. If they are lucky."
Everyone could hear Jaune gulping.
"Just like the guys before them. And the team before that... you get the point."
"Are you serious? How many Huntsmen came here?"
"Doesn't matter. We'll all be dead soon."
"Why?" Braylon asked.
"Come in. See for yourself." She gestured to the man to open the gate. The group followed her closely behind, getting a clear view of the village. Everywhere they looked they saw scared children, worried parents or silent old people. Clothes were hanging from some windows and pets ran around without a care in their mind. They passed by a small clearing where a pile of corpses burned. It wasn't normal fire. It was aetherial green and smokeless. And while others stared at the fire that gave no heat, yet burned like a normal fire would, Braylon couldn't believe what his eyes told him; that those corpses were something that God himself would find disgusting. It couldn't be natural, for their appearance strongly reminded him of the creatures the Flesh Artists unleashed on him back then. Only more grotesque, more disturbing, at the limits of human nature. What depraved mind could brew such a monstrosity that was the living antithesis of aesthetics as understood by Humanity? More importantly, does it have to do with the discovery at the port? Azuli waved at the two men near the fire.
"Like the view? You'll get used to it. There's lots of that around here."
While travelling around Remnant thus far, Braylon couldn't help but think about the whole situation. First there was that demon in the graveyard, then the one in the Forever Fall and now, definitely, here. What was the purpose? Were they trying to locate the Maidens? Not very successful at that. He was sure the voice knew what he was doing, thanks to that thrice-cursed sign. It would probably watch him as if he was putting on a show for it. He was smart enough to doubt some pieces of the narrative it gave to him, being a creature that hates mortalkind and all, but it was all he had at the moment. Uncertainty has recently grew about it all. The whole thing was sketchy. Maybe this was yet another distraction from the real objective. Maybe not. Regardless, he needed to stop whatever plan the demons had in store for Remnant.
"What was that?" He asked Azuli.
"Something you'll be seeing around here." She led them to a small office where she sat behind a wooden table and sighed loudly. It was a sigh overflowing with a kind of tiredness that sleep couldn't fix. "I tell you, greenhorns are the last thing I need right now. You want me to die with your deaths on my consciousness?" She leaned on the table, making sure her chest could be seen. "Which year?"
"First." Jaune replied timidly.
"So you really are greenhorns." She nodded. "Well. You are useless. To me or everyone else."
JNPR didn't like that comment. Pyrrha and Nora liked Azuli even less.
"Oh, really? Why is that?" Nora huffed.
"Sweetie, did you see what was burning there? Does it look like a Grimm to you?"
"Nora." Ren put a hand on her shoulder. She turned her angry gaze at him, which made him back off.
"But..." Braylon played dumb. "What was that... those things?"
"I don't know." She leaned back on her chair. "What I know is they are unwilling to give up destroying this place."
"When was the first contact with the things?"
"My team came here few weeks ago. We reached this village after fending off some Grimm. Stuck here ever since. Well, not exactly. We, me and my team, came right when those damn monsters started attacking. Stopped the assault, barely. Went to find where were they coming from. Only I came back."
"What happened to your teammates?"
"Dead. If they are lucky. Sometimes I have nightmares about them, you know? Nothing that sharing a bed with someone for the night can't fix." She glanced at Jaune and smiled. He became as red as a tomato.
"Can you stop that?" Pyrrha countered at the blatant display.
"Why? You two lovebirds?" She laughed when she saw Pyrrha's face.
"You better be careful how you talk to my friends."
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, blond body?"
"Stay on the subject." Braylon exploded with tranquil fury. "How did you kill them?"
"Dismember them. Any limb will do. Bullets to the head or chest are a waste, unless they explode. If you see some strange crystals you can easily hit, focus on that instead. Instant death."
He frowned. "Crystals?"
"Best if I show you." Azuli stood up and went out. Following her, Braylon and team JNPR came to a small cabin near the stockade. At first sight, it was nothing special. Just a typical cabin made of wood. That's when the group was able to sense the smell. Everyone felt their stomach turning upside-down, especially Braylon who had enhanced senses. He was used to horrible smells on the battlefield, but even this was way too much. It was like the place was littered with plague-infested corpses.
"The stench of death." Azuli commented to the painful groans behind her. She endured it better than others. "Always present when they are around." She knocked on the cabin door, then opened it. "Hello, four eyes."
Inside the cabin the teenagers found three tables, one for each corpse. Some scattered notes and documents were laying on the ground. A man in a lab coat stopped writing down something and turned around. "Oh, it's you." He quickly got up from a mattress in the corner and reached Azuli. Braylon noticed a rusty table with a chemistry set and a microscope on the other side of the room. Even the equipment was somewhat filthy or old-looking.
"Meet the new meat shields." She chuckled slightly, as if the situation was funny in any way. Probably a psychological trick to stop herself from falling into the darkness that is a frail psyche. The man gave his hand to each teenager, saying his name was "Taupher".
"Show 'em the monsters."
"Sure. Come." JNPR and Braylon came near the tables. Taupher pointed at two bodies. "For the sake of making things easier, we'll call these two Troopers*, because they are the most common type. The third..."
"How about Abomination?" Braylon offered.
"Any objections? No? Abomination it is." Taupher coughed in his fist. "So... I've done some research with the tools I have here. Nothing. I found no anomalies on the molecular level, except for decaying blood cells. This led me to believe that this... things... are clinically dead. I took tissue samples, I tried to study their anatomy as best as I could, but it's pointless. The one on your left had its inner organs taken out. The one on your right had them in places where they shouldn't be. What I do know is their "rank"."
Taupher pointed at the Abomination. "See how different this one is from the other two? It's somewhat bulkier and has two blades made of bone for hands, obviously for close combat. The troopers don't have that. They have one hand-weapon for close combat and one hand replaced with this small cannon made of iron, although I have no idea how they use it. So on the micro level, there is nothing strange. But on the macro level..." He grabbed a nearby lamp and brought it close to a corpse. "Notice the skin. Looks like paper when you crunch it in your hand, right? That's because the skin is melted together, not sewn. Just like muscles, which explains the deformities."
Groans escaped from JNPR. Braylon kept listening.
"Okay, I'll focus on something else." He pointed at the head of one of the Troppers, at some pitch black stone that stuck out like a sore thumb. "This thing right here is very, very interesting. This is a crystal of a type I've never seen in my life. When these things are "alive", it glows with some greenish color. That color fades once the crystals are either destroyed or the things are dead. It should be obvious to you that they are batteries of sorts, but..." He shrugged. "I don't know. Every piece I try to remove from the body crumbles into dust. So we just burn the bodies. I'm sure you've noticed how that turns out. It's really hard not to."
Braylon pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "Dear God, it's so much to take in. Can you give us a room for the day? I bet my friends here think the same, right guys?" A loud gurgling sound came from one of them. "Do you have any food while we're at it? Please? I fucking hate my life."
The Vault Hunter offered to take the role of an additional guard during the night shift, as a way to express his gratitude for the food and beds the locals provided. It was a lie that couldn't be far from the truth. In reality, he did this because he became extremely paranoid the moment he saw that fire. A pair of demonic hands were behind it all, he was sure of it. Maybe the first one he encountered on Remnant came back for revenge, along with its followers.
And they already prepared an army.
"What the fuck do I do now? How can I get out of this?" He thought as he drank water from a bottle. He heard footsteps. Someone was coming up.
"Hi there." It was Azuli.
"Couldn't sleep?"
She chuckled. "Nobody can. Not even your friends. Everyone thinks an attack might happen soon."
"Can't blame them."
"...You're hiding something, aren't you?" She asked bluntly after some minutes of silence. Braylon coughed due to spitting out all the water.
"What are you talking about?"
"I saw the look on your face when you watched those corpses. Told me more than I needed to know."
"So you think I'm hiding something just because of my face?"
"Everyone looked like they might vomit. You were pissed off. Like when you really hate someone."
"Is that so?" He took another sip and sighed.
"You know what those things are?"
"Yes."
"Did... did they appear somewhere else on Remnant?" She asked with a hint of hesitance.
"No, as far as I know."
"Then how?"
He looked at her. She still wore her attire from earlier. "You sure you want to know?"
"I've been in the middle of a real life zombie apocalypse for weeks now. Cut me some slack."
"Even if I want to, I can't. You might spread it around."
"Is it a secret?"
"A secret I'my trying to keep from public knowledge, yes."
"Why though?"
"Argh! Women! Mass hysteria mostly... and suicides. Definitely mass suicides."
"Whoa. Now you got me interested." She smiled mischieviously.
"Want the soft truth or the hard truth first?"
"The hardest one. I can take it."
"Alright then. You a believer?"
"Yup. Brothers Grimm."
"Fucking seriously!? Their gods are called "Brothers Grimm"? What's next? A frog prince? Whatever! Wait, you mean..."
"Please don't tell me you never heard of them."
"Why?"
"Maybe 'cause they are known all over Remnant?"
"Ah... "them". I remember now, yes. Alright." He coughed slightly and leaned on a fence. They were both on a small watchtower. "Your gods are false. They are actually two entities who work for an evil force that seeks to destroy the multiverse. Or so I've been told..." He dropped the truth with such nonchalantness that Azuli just stared at him.
"...Is that it?"
"Sorry?"
"You have proof of your claims? I'll punch you if you lie." He shoved her the marked hand. "Nice tattoo you got there. Your point?"
"This is the sign of the evil I'm speaking of. Right now I am working for one of them for-"
"Them?"
"Demons."
"What's a demon?"
"Right. Different reality. A creature far beyond human comprehension. It has no physical body, so we can't perceive them. They can make one for themselves, though it's usually some kind of a monster. You'll recognize one when you start feeling a type of fear you've never felt before." Her eyes widened slightly. "I guess you are familiar with it?"
"I... every time I see one of those creatures you saw at Taupher's, I get this urge to run away. I get the goosebumps just thinking about it."
"They are merely one of their creations. Definitely made from human cadavers."
"That's so messed up."
Braylon spent half an hour telling her everything he knew, including his arival on Remnant. The way he dropped the truth, without any care for the imminent emotional breakdown of his listener, was far worse than anything he could sugarcoat or tell in a much nicer tone. He told her about Hell, about the Grimm, about Faunus and their soulless state. She was skeptical at first, as every sane person would. A stranger dropping out of nowhere and telling someone that their beliefs, their worldviews and the way they saw the creatures that plagued Remnant were wrong all along? Who could do otherwise? In order to prove his words, he told her to touch the marked hand. The cursed smybol did not give her any proof that would confirm his story. However, it gave her brief glimpses of Hell itself. Flashes and sounds and smells that traumatized her, as evidenced by her scream.
"Fuck." Braylon cursed silently. "Keep it down, will you?"
"What... what was..."
Her eyes were saucers and her face pale as snow. A face that reminded him of his reaction when he was first exposed to all of that. How could he ever forget?
"What's happening?!" Shouted a man below.
"Nothing." Braylon replied. "We thought we saw those things in the dark. It's kinda creepy, to be honest."
"Ugh. Don't scare others like that, okay?"
"Yes."
As if on clue, Braylon rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. When he moved his head to actually check the darkness outside the haven, there was a faint glow in the distance, on top of a hill, that caught his attention. Fearing the worst, he materialized Omni-Cannon and used the scope. Three Troopers were slowly moving downhill. Those three quickly became twenty.
"Shit! Everyone!" He shouted as loud as he could. "Monsters! Monsters!"
It didn't take long for the lights to appear on every house window he could see. Men with weapons quickly ran out from their homes, ready to defend the last piece of land they had. Azuli was sitting in a corner, unmoving. Someone asked him what did he see.
"Troopers. Twenty. Might be more."
Curses were thrown around from those who looked like they saw some actual fights, complete with armor and all.
"Where's Azuli?"
"Here. She... can't help?"
"Why?!"
"Wait!" He shook her. "Azuli, wake up! The town's in danger."
"I don't care... I don't care..."
"Listen to me! Do you want these people to suffer by the hands of those monstrosities? Do you?"
"I..."
"What about the children? If their fathers die tonight, who will take care of them?"
She shook her head.
"Listen, very carefully. If we don't stop them right here, right now, they are going to spread all over Remnant. Then it will truly be over. Do you want that?"
"No...?"
"Then take your weapons and fight, for fuck's sake! No time to act depressed!" She nodded once and stood up. "I'll try to take some down from here."
(Project Warlock – Main Theme)
Turning around, he aimed with his sniper rifle. He saw dozens of aetherial green dots in the darkness, each more horrifying than the last. It was easier for him, for those lights were equal to someone pointing a target at themselves that could be seen from miles away. Remembering Azuli's story about how she killed them, the Vault Hunter picked off various Troopers, always with different outcomes. Some went down after one limb was severed. Others had to loose both their head and something else to finally drop dead. Those who didn't die with headshots had their crystal clusters blown apart. Each time he destroyed said crystals, he could see a faint greenish steam that immediately evaporated. An Abomination or two were killed from time to time, as the horde became increasingly bigger. He heard a cannon firing from the roof of a home and a gatling from another watch tower.
"This isn't working. The moment I kill one, two more take its place. What the fuck is that?"
A group of Troopers on top of the hill was suddenly smacked away by a wave of aetherial green explosion. It was caused by a tall, humanoid creature that reminded him of a Flesh Artist. It had an additional head growing from the left cheek, stuck in a scream while the main face had a perpetual, teethless frown. The eyes were nothing but two cyan pinpricks. One hand twisted into a pincer, the other just a mass of mutated, glowing flesh where those wretched crystals the size of an arm grew like mushrooms in a forest. Two clusters of crystals grew on its shoulders. The legs looked like they were struck with elephantiasis, covered in disgusting green blisters. **
He fired one shot at it's head, which exploded into a mass of aetherial green blood and flesh. But it still kept moving forward, uncaring that it just lost a vital limb. Why should it when a large tentacle grew to replace it?
For the first time he fought the demons, he didn't feel fear. Or precisely, he did feel fear but it was to a much lesser extent than before. A new emotion sprawled from within him. It was anger. A type of anger that delighted itself when he pulled the trigger again, hurting the new creature by blowing away one leg. It told him: kill, kill, kill! Make it suffer!
This one wasn't like fear. Fear would be a physical impediment whenever he faced a demon. He was sure it could even block him from daring to move a finger, if pushed enough. This was not the case with anger. While he certainly felt it just by looking at one of those deformed hellspawn, it felt like a secondary, more nagging, emotion. It was more akin to a suicidal fly that kept pestering a short-tempered human. The strange mix of fear and anger made his head spin a little, but it wasn't enough to keep him out of the battlefield, as proved when he finally killed the creature. It was a sadistic kind of anger.
The number of monsters began decreasing, though it didn't stop the brave men from going out and take the battle to them. It was a full-blown guerilla warfare that would make the siege of Stalingrad look like chamomile tea. A group of paesants that had never seen war before, with improvised weapons that even the most ill-equipped armies would find embarassing, were the only thing that stopped a horde of nightmare-inducing beings from escaping the island. Still, those rusty shovels, those pathetic pickaxes, those laughable hammers were, apparently, very effective in killing the Troopers. Abominations, that couldn't be killed with such tools, were taken down by those equipped with makeshift wooden crossbows, where arrows were replaced with small Dust-based explosives attached to wooden stakes with duct tape.
"Was that it?!" Braylon cried out after the last living Trooper fell.
"Not even close!" Someone below shouted. "That was just the warm-up!"
"Of course it was." He murmured tiredly. Team JNPR was outside the walls as well, near a sandbag wall.
Some villagers brought out a tiny mortar. It was mounted behind a tiny wall made of bricks. Few kids helped the adults by bringing the ammunition as fast as they could. The wounded were immediately taken care of by Taupher and a young woman whom Braylon didn't knew. For twenty minutes straight everything was silent as much as a graveyard, despite the battle. A bright, aetherial green fog that enveloped the top of the hill marked the end of their collective rest.
"What the hell is that..." Braylon wondered out loud. He didn't like that fog. It gave him goosebumps.
(Doom 2 – Opening To Hell)
A cacophony of spectral wails brought everyone out of their comfort zone. Braylon noticed how some villagers became visibly worried. Team JNPR was fidgeting behind their cover and Braylon prepared himself to kill whatever came next.
He looked through the scope.
There was an outline.
"A deer? No... wait..." More outlines could be seen coming out of the fog. All of them were animal-looking. Deers, wolves, rabbits... critters that belonged in a forest. What could possibly demons do with those? The answer became obvious when the animals began flying, when he could see them for what they truly were.
"Ghosts?!" Braylon cried out loud. "What the fuck?! Animal ghosts?!"
They were ghosts indeed, or they took the semblance of such. He could only see the frontal part of their bodies as they flew, bearing the same colors as that wretched fog. Everything else was hidden behind an aetherial green veil of smoke. ***
"How am I supposed to kill ghosts?!"
"Fire, fire, godsdamn it!" Someone shouted. The spectral chorus sang its cry once more before splitting apart, each individual for themselves, making it harder for the villagers to hit. Meanwhile, more Troopers and Abominations came out of the fog, along with three of that two-faced monstrosity Braylon killed before.
From there, everything became a chaotic mess. The real battle had begun. All that solidarity, all that cohesion humans should have in a war was gone in an instant. The demons managed to spread confusion and panic among the enemy. Some attacked the ground units, Braylon and others were occupied with the animal ghosts that constantly roamed the skies, screeching like a banshee. The Vault Hunter saw one of the ghosts fastly approaching a villager. There was nothing he could do to save them, for when the ghost passed through their chest, the villager shook violently, shouted and fell. God only knew what happened to them.
Braylon gasped when he saw that same ghost going for him. Without thinking, he fired a shot with his Omni-Cannon. It screamed once more before dissolving into harmless steam. He now knew they could be hurt.
Pyrrha and Ren, remembering how to deal with the Troopers, did their best to destroy the crystals, already taking down three. Nora bombarded the field with her grenade launcher. Jaune charged at the nearest Trooper, stabbing it into the chest. He gasped as the monster staggered for a moment, before smacking the human away with its mace-like hand. It growled, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Jaune!" His partner shouted. Raising her shield, she defended her leader from the attack. Pyrrha replied by stabbing the crystals on its head, killing it. "Are you alright?"
"Y... yes..." Jaune shook his head. Like his team, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. A terrible fear embraced his very being every time he saw one monster. Same with his teammates, but he guessed they were a bit braver than him. Pyrrha smiled as she helped him stand up.
"Thanks." He quickly nodded, then grabbed the sword, cringing. "This is a nightmare."
"Agreed." Pyrrha nodded. "But we are Huntsmen-in-training. We must help these people whatever the cost."
"I'm not sure I can help myself. These things freak me out."
"Watch out!"
She pushed Jaune away, saving him from an attack of an Abomination. A stake pierced its head, exploding. It was dead.
"Holy..." Jaune didn't have time to finish his profanity. Yet another Trooper reached him, trying to pierce his chest with its blade-arm. He thanked the gods for having a shield. Swinging awkwardly, Jaune cut its head off. "Damn it! That was close..."
Pyrrha screamed.
JNPR's leader turned around, frightened. He saw his partner on her knees, seething in pain. A Trooper used its weapon to fire at her. "Pyrrha!" Jaune defended her with his shield from another shot, allowing Nora and Ren to take care of the Trooper. He took her in his arms. "Are you alright? Pyrrha!"
"I'm... I'm fine..."
"Nora, Ren! I'm taking Pyrrha back!"
The duo soundlessly agreed to follow their leader, defeating every monster that dared to come close. At one point, however, they encountered another type of creature. It looked like an armless human toddler, standing on its two legs. The ashen-colored skin wasn't even as terrifying as its head; a jack-o'-lantern with an expressionless face. Aetherial green fire roared out from the missing stem and top. It babbled in a high pitched voice as it shook its head, releasing tiny green fireballs at JNPR. These fireballs exploded like tiny grenades at their feet. ****
Ren fired two shots at its head. The bullets went through the head. "Bwahba?" The creature cried out. "Bah-bwawa! Bwa! Bwa!" It threw more fireballs at them.
"We must move!" Ren shouted. "Nora!"
"On it!"
Nora turned her grenade launcher into a hammer and brought it down on the tiny abomination. However, it exploded upon death, injuring her.
"Nora!" Ren had to take care of his partner now. There was nobody left to help them.
"Damn it! I'm sorry!" He repeated at the unconscious ginger in his arms as he and Jaune ran. "I'm so sorry!"
"I don't understand, shouldn't our Auras defend us?!"
"I don't know!" Ren and Jaune reached the walls. "Open, please! Let us in!"
The situation worsened by the minute. Braylon defeated four of the animal-like ghosts. Many more were flying above the village, going through the roofs to attack the unsuspecting civilians. He also killed what seemed to be an armless human with a jack-o'-lantern for a head, which left scorched earth behind itself after the explosion. The invader's numbers were dwindling, yes, but at a much slower pace than before.
Team JNPR was out of the game for the moment, as were some villagers. Those still capable of fighting retreated back behind the walls, letting the gatling take care of the remaining monsters. They had to inspect each house in order to destroy every animal ghost still alive. It was impressive how such a conflict ended in such a short amount of time, with piles of dead meat from both sides. The fog was still present. Even after all creatures were massacred. Braylon didn't like it.
"That road seems to lead to the city, up on the mountain. Is it safe to say that they come from there? I have to find out. But how?" Braylon looked at the villagers from his watch tower. He doubted they would notice anything if he left. It's JNPR he was worried about. He wanted to go alone. If he told them that, they would almost certainly follow him. If he kept it a secret, his absence would end in hysteria. It would be worse when he would come back. If he would come back. "Do I help these people fending off the assault? Or do I go while they are all distracted?"
As much as he would hate himself for doing it, he had to tell them where he would go and what he would do. That way, he would probably deflect most of the topics he refused to share with others. With a tired sigh and a lot of regret, he jumped down from the watchtower and went to see his colleagues, team JNPR.
"What happened to them?"
"They got hit. By those monsters." Jaune replied as he sat on a chair, near Pyrrha's bed. Ren walked back and forth. "I made a mistake."
"Didn't we all by accepting this crappy job?"
Jaune didn't reply. For being just friends, he was really worried about his partner, much like in a couple. At least, that's what Braylon thought about couples. He wasn't really lucky when it came to love. Lots of bad memories from that.
"I'm going." Braylon said bluntly. Ren and Jaune looked at him.
"Where?"
"These things probably come from the town in the mountains. If I can get there, I can find what creates these monsters and hopefully destroy it."
"And you want to go alone?" Ren asked, perplexed.
"That's my intention, yes."
"I can't let you do that." Jaune said as he stood up.
"I knew it. Why?"
"Because I'm going with you."
"What?" Braylon made a face as if he heard a joke.
"I am the leader. I made a mistake." He pointed at Pyrrha. "I caused this. And I can fix it."
"By getting yourself killed?"
"I brought us all into this mess! If anything, I should be the one going there alone."
"Christ. I hate the emotional types so fucking much." Braylon pinched the bridge of his nose."These aren't Grimm, Jaune. They can hurt real bad. Are you even aware of what you are talking right now? Maybe you should just sit down and have some time off..."
"I will go there. With or without you."
"It's suicide, I tell you."
"And for you isn't?"
"I..." Braylon cringed slightly, rubbing the side of his head. He was walking on thin ice there."...I can make it. I'm not new at going solo. And, and who will care for them? Do you want them to be here? What if the monsters come while we're gone?"
"I'm sure these pople can handle it. They did go so far, no?"
"You stupid... fucking... Alright! Damn it, alright! We three will go together. If you die, your problem."
"I won't die."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I still have people to protect."
Their conversation stopped when they heard a bell outside, followed by a loud "monsters!". The three teenagers looked at each other before running outside. They asked a nearby villager what was going on. He replied that monsters were coming. "Again?" Braylon complained. "Fu... I'll be on the watchtower!" And with that, the Vault Hunter reached the same spot as before, ready to bring down any beast those demons prepared for them all.
The fog became thicker. It was now impossible to see what came through, even with the sniper rifle's scope. He didn't really need to see, if we have to be honest. All the clues he needed were already there, in front of him. It was loud. It was mechanical. It reeked of rotten flesh.
And it was really, really big.
(This is also an answer to TheBroJo) Yes, I've seen the new episodes. No, I won't follow that bullshit. I'll probably make it more grimdark, if I can. I'm sure I can somehow fuck this up even further.
Anyways, next chapter will probably be even bigger than this one. Maybe 10.000 words big. It all depends if I want four or five chapters for the arc.
Like the monsters? I made them specifically for this arc and this arc alone. But wait, there's more!... in the next chapter, that is.
Please leave a comment and share the story with your friends. Let's see if we can make an even bigger audience. Also, thank you all for following this story. I really appreciate your effort and time spent reading it. We are soon reach the one year anniversary so stay tuned!
PDA Biopedia:
*Entry #80: Aetherial Trooper
Type: Demonic Corruption – Aetherial
Faction: Legions of Hell
Description: "Behold, a dead body, not undead, that acts like a wooden marionette on strings. But who is the puppeteer? Who moves this dead meat? The answer lies in those crystal clusters. Each crystal contains an imprisoned Condemned, who returns back here as soon as the crystal is destroyed. So, are Condemned the puppeteer? Of course not. It's the wrath and despair and hatred that moves the creature; this dead body, not undead, that can think and act like a living being! But then why it is so savage, so brutal, so mindless? Because of the mentioned emotions, converted into raw energy. Yes, the Condemned souls are nothing but fuel generators. And how do we force them to produce this fuel? By gathering the most vile of them into a cluster, where none can even think of cooperation, stuck in a permanent struggle for the vessel they were promised to receive, should they overcome others stuck with them. Nothing but an empty promise. So then, what degenerate mind can create such an abomination that even Anathema finds disgusting? There's only one type of beings who can do that. One that is even more depraved than the Flesh Artists..." (Deals bonus aetherial damage)
**Entry #81: Fleshmender
Type: Demonic Corruption – Aetherial
Faction: Legions of Hell
Description: "Sense freaks are something I just can't stand. How to describe someone so obsessed with such trivial matters? More importantly, how can one define a sadist who indulges in sensory overloads? You mortals will never be able to comprehend how outright evil my brothers can be. Fleshmenders are a great example of that. Their physical bodies, made of dead meat, are further enhanced with those crystals. However, they let the Condemned be aware of the body's state, yet leave them unable to control it. Think of your eyes. You can see, but they move on their own. Painful, isn't it? As if that isn't enough, whenever the body is damaged, the Condemned souls feel twice as more pain, while a brother will feel everything except pain. They are responsible for making these aether-infused monsters. Their signature is use of aether crystals on everything they create." (Deals bonus aetherial damage)
***Entry #82: Haunted
Type: Aetherial
Faction: Forces of Hell
Description: "To an untrained mortal eye, they might look like ghosts. They are not. A Haunted is born when an animal carcass is exposed to residue of aetherial energy from Condemned souls. These quasi-solid beings lack any real intelligence or will, so they attack other living things in their surroundings. They can, however, be led by Fleshmenders like dogs on a leash. Don't let one touch you though. You won't like it." (Deals bonus aetherial damage)
****Entry #83: Aetherial Pygmy
Type: Demonic Corruption – Aetherial
Faction: Forces of Hell
Description: "The best weapon is the one your enemy knows nothing about. Surprises in warfare are a prerequisite for victory. I'm sure this is why such a monster was created. It removes any possibilities of predicting an attack, since it has no arms. This leaves its targets with their guard down as it throws tiny aether-based explosives. Even its death is fatal for the enemy, as it explodes the moment it receives fatal wounds. A fine instrument, if you ask me, though it is a waste of perfectly good pumpkins." (deals bonus aetherial damage)