He Who Rules Both Light and Dark

Banta

Ugh, why is the town so far awayyyy? I squeeze between the trees, my size making me need to go slower so as to not rip them out of the ground... The tree already inside me is almost dissolved, broken up into just the trunk and some of the larger branches, but it...doesn't taste the best.

I take a breath...or, a moment. It's still weird to not need to breathe, honestly. Dusk needs help. Hali needs help. I can give it. I just need to get there. Pushing further, I breach the dome of darkness surrounding Riverbend. The air is...chilled...unnatural. I shiver, accidentally eating even more of the nearby trees. ...gross.

With that, though, I finally notice a handful of skeletons around me, all trudging toward town. I run over one of them and...blegh. It's even worse than the trees...

I roll forth, no longer confident that I can stand the taste of eating so many undead...

Camilla

'Don't do it Camilla. It's just a trick.'

I stare at the outstretched, skeletal hand. It's tempting. My child was ripped away from me, and...this is a chance to get him back...however small it might be...

But what kind of life would that be? I look around, the army of zombies and skeletons all seeming even more decayed than they already have been. ...they're barely gripping onto life...

"[D] Time is ticking, dear. I don't have all night."

My gaze rises to the newly night sky, a tear streaking down my cheek. I'm sorry... "[D] No, you don't..." Another, shaky breath. I'm so, so sorry... I reach out my hand, taking his own...

and suddenly stab up through its ribcage, into its skull.

"[D] ...clever...bitch...but that's not enough...to stop me this time..." The light fades from his eyes. "[D] ...I will claim the nephilim's head..."

I withdraw my sword, the necromancer collapsing into a pile of bones and cloth.

Angry at everything, at myself, I charge into the remaining horde.

Dusk Blackwing

"There she is!"

I follow Demona's gaze, finding...a rather large slime, at least as big as a house. "I sure hope that's her..." Before I can protest, I'm picked up again, and carried off the balcony. "Wait, Demonaaa!"

"One Demon King tried to use slimes as mana batteries. It wasn't great, but it worked!" She flies us over, then circles around above Banta. "You just gotta focus!" Unceremoniously, she drops me down, and I take a quick breath before falling flat on my back against the slime, sinking in a few inches.

"...ow..." I take a shaky breath. "Banta, is this you?"

Slime encompasses my fist, nodding it along.

"Good, good...you got any idea what to do?"

There's nothing for a moment, but I can feel her shifting around below me. "Dusk, it's good to see you're alive." I look over, seeing...I think her name's Astrid? with a purple flower, her head being the only part of her sticking out of the slime.

"Rose, good to see you, too."

"I thought the slime would be helpful for handling the situation."

"Good, good..." I readjust myself again, once more spending the last drops of my mana to heal myself. The slime shifts under me again, and I'm flung upright, now buried chest-deep into Banta. Curiously, the slime feels rather soothing on my wounds, and I suddenly feel quite relaxed from it. "Alright...Banta?" One fist-nod. "I'm gonna need your help with this, okay?"

A pause, and the slime beneath us quakes before I get another, slower nod.

I take a deep breath, focusing on the slime. Last time she was this big, she got the extra mana from the wellspring, so...I should still have a connection to it, right? I try to feel at that tether that binds Banta to me, and focus on it. Please give me your mana, Banta. I need your help.

I feel another nod this time, but not physically. 'I hear you.'

I'm almost shaken out of it, but instead feel my focus strengthen, two people standing up for each other, lending each other their strength. I can feel my own strength return, surge even, before it begins becoming too much.

"Agh...in brightest day, in blackest night..." The words just come to me, as I begin focusing that extra mana into my hands. "No evil shall escape my sight." Light begins emanating from them, quickly becoming brighter than any bolt or blade I've made before. "Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power: nephilim's light."

And there's a flash.

Eve

I sprint through the trees, huffing so hard my lungs hurt. I never should've left. I should've just done it myself. Why can't I get anything right anymore?!

My gut had told me nearly an hour ago now that Dusk was in trouble. If I hadn't already been on my way back, I doubt I could've done anything about it, but...it feels really bad this time. With him being injured already...

I shake my head. No. He's okay. I still don't know how exactly how it works, but recently, I've always known what he wants. It's changed a lot even in just the past hour, but it's still there.

A sudden flash, almost like lightning, but with more...presence brightens the evening sky. Chief... I redouble my efforts.

Bel(inda)

I blink several times, the bright light blinding me. Shaking my head (as much as I can, at least) helps clear the haze, but does just as much to dislodge me from my precarious position atop this house. I tumble down the thatched roof, landing with a dull thunk on the ground. Ow...

I roll onto the back of my head with the last of my momentum, and I can clearly see the blue of the late afternoon sky. No darkness, no smoke...does that mean the necromancer is dead? That's good. Now the undead will stay down...

I take a deep breath. According to the Arch-Imago, it's just muscle memory, since I don't have lungs, but it still helps me calm myself down. Soon, my body will find me, and...

Shade obstructs my view, and a gloved hand knocks against me. Only a moment after, two hands grab the sides of my head, an armored, headless knight picking me up. Without hesitation, I'm placed on their neck-stump, and a whole array of different, yet familiar sensations fills me. It feels...alien, as I flex my new fingers. I didn't even know this was possible...

I slowly stand, finding my balance completely different...yet I have no difficulty keeping it. Must be more of that 'muscle memory'. Drawing my sword -a heavy longsword- I take aim at one of the nearby zombies. With one strong swing, I cleave it in two, both halves collapsing to the ground. Strong...this will be useful for clearing the horde...

Essraya

Damn it, Bel! What's going on with you?! My vines shoot forth, but she expertly sidesteps, her daggers nicking away at each. It'd be fine normally, but I haven't had a proper fight since the crusade!

Xerxes makes another swing, but his blade is even slower than my vines. Bel makes it look easy to not only avoid the blade, but stab deep into the minotaur's arm. Is this what she was like back then?

Another volley of vines, this time growing from the ground below her. The undead leaps up, using each vine as a step to climb higher and higher. She spins around midair, diving down toward me...

...but just before her daggers land, she suddenly spins around, crashing into me. Despite my surprise, I hold my ground (thanks, roots!), even taking the opportunity to wrap myself around Bel. She struggles, stabbing against me, but with some concentration, I completely restrain her.

Taking a breath, I relax a bit, only now noticing an arrow piercing through one of the undead's hands. Turning to see where it should've come from, I see a goblin -Eve; I think that's her name- struggle to her feet before running off toward the center of town. Did she have...a wing?

I shake my head, turning back to Bel -still struggling- as Xerxes approaches. Forcefully, he grabs her helmet and rips it away. "What the hell are you-" He pauses, blinking several times. "...you're not Bel..."

Dusk Blackwing

I collapse onto the ground, Banta no longer being big enough to hold my weight. I hold my arm above my head, feeling completely drained. "Geez...who would've guessed, that magic is so tiring?"

"You cast magic outside of your normal capabilities using a method only hypothesized in the magical community." I move my arm slightly, seeing none other than Citrinas sitting on her floating pillow.

I cover my face again. "Well, nice of you to join us. I don't suppose you can help with the stragglers?"

"I've already slain the remaining undead. There was no point to extend the fight."

Extend the fight? She says that as if... I groan. "How long have you been here?"

"I arrived at dusk 2 days ago."

Another groan. "So you could've stopped this whole thing from the start?"

"Yes."

Flexing my fingers before balling them into my fists, I take a breath. She's autistic. She doesn't know that that was wrong. Another breath. "Alright. Fine. It's fine." A wet nudge on my side, before a familiar blob climbs atop me. "Yeah, Banta. You did great." I run my hand along her, as she almost deflates against my gut. At least she came through...

"Duuuuuusk!" A cracking voice pierces through the still air. I don't even have enough time to look up before the green-and-purple goblin dives and wraps herself around me. "I'm so sorry!" She buries her face into my chest.

"Eve, Eve, calm down." With my free arm, I reach around and hold her head to me.

"I'll never leave you again!"

"Eve, it's okay, I promise."

"It's not okay!" She looks up at me, tears in her eyes. "I should've been here!"

"But you're here, now." Rubbing her back, I pull her closer. "It's okay, Eve. There was no way for you to know." She doesn't offer more protest, instead just desperately holding onto me, as if I'm going to disappear if she lets go. Another breath, and I lay my head back in the churned dirt. Not long later, footsteps approach, and I open my eyes in time to see Camilla laying down next to me, burying her own head into my shoulder. "You okay?"

She wordlessly shakes her head. Yeah, it's been a long day for her. I rearrange to include her in the group hug, too. A long day for all of us...

. . .

Murmurs echo throughout the crowd. 'So many attacks recently,' 'Harold's gone missing', 'Some of the guards died', 'Is it because of him?', 'It's gotta be, right?'

I take a breath, leaning back against the altar. Bringing my fingers together in my lips, I let out a loud whistle, trying to pump some mana into it to amplify in the same -but opposite- way whisper normally works. "Alright, everyone. I know things haven't been great, lately. This is the third, no, fourth monster attack in the past few weeks. I'm...I'm sorry. I should..."

Miki catches my gaze. With an affirmative nod, she urges me to continue.

"There's...a saying where I come from. 'You're only human.'" I blink, realizing that's not really applicable to me anymore in the literal sense. "It's not meant to be about race or anything. It's supposed to mean that...you're not perfect. You're going to make mistakes. It's...unfortunate that my own led to seven of our brave soldiers...losing their lives today." I swallow. "All I can promise...is that I'll do better in the future." Assuming I'm still here, but that's a different story.

Miki gives a thumbs up, waving with her hand to keep going.

"Though...ahem, despite my own faults...Riverbend...stands tall." I raise my shaking fist above my head.

It takes a moment, but after Camilla raises her own fist, others begin to follow. It's definitely not enough for everyone to join in -maybe a third- but enough where it's not a meaningless gesture.

"Now, let us mourn those who bravely sacrificed themselves, today." Looking to Gilford expectantly, he quickly makes his way behind the alter as Demona comes to pick me up, sitting me down next to Miki.

The priest raises his hands. "We gather here today..."

Though while he's doing that, I whisper to the kitsune next to me. "Can I borrow your house after this?"

She doesn't properly respond, only giving a sly smirk. "Who do you need?"

. . .

Despite her bigger abode, it still seems cramped in Miki's gathering room, with how many people are squeezed in.

"Alright. Miki, thank you for lending us your home as a meeting place." After a prideful smirk from the fox, I turn to everyone else that she had whispered to during the funerary rites. "Everyone, it's time we better organize our efforts. A lot of us are relatively new to town, but that's why we need to communicate. Let's start with the dungeon problem. Camilla, I'm assuming the sudden increase in monster activity isn't normal?"

The brunette shakes her head. "No. Three attacks in less than a week...it's usually that many in a month, and rarely any of the scale that we fought today."

I nod. "Alright. Eve, from here on, you're our scoutmaster. You'll lead a handful of individuals to patrol the surrounding area on 4-hour shifts. If you find anything out of the ordinary, I want to know within the hour."

The goblin in question looks surprised, but with a moment of thought, she nods with determination. "I won't let you down."

"That brings us to Camilla and Kara. When the scouts discover new dungeons, you'll lead raid parties to neutralize them. You'll have daily training with Essraya and Demona, who will help you learn how to handle different types of monsters." Of course, I'll be possessing Kara when she's in a dungeon, but if anyone asks, she's the one in the field.

The couple share a look, Camilla a pensive look on her face. Kara, though, takes her hand and pecks her cheek. "I'll be fine." Camilla hesitantly turns back to me, slowly nodding her head.

"That leads us to Essraya and...where's Demona?" It's strange that I didn't even notice she wasn't here, but I'm admittedly a bit distracted.

The potted verdure gives a half-smile. "She wanted to help with cleaning up the roads."

A sigh escapes my lips. "Alright. We'll talk later. Essraya, you and Demona will help train the guards how to handle certain types of monsters. I'm not telling you to teach them how to kill you, just enough to keep themselves and others alive."

The green woman thinks for a moment, then nods. "Sounds doable."

"Speaking of guards, Bel...and Linda." It's definitely strange, seeing Bel's head atop the armored body that nearly killed me. I didn't even know dullahans worked like that. Linda's nowhere to be seen, though.

"Linda is occupied at the moment." She says it matter-of-factly.

"...right. Along with Camilla, you'll be in charge of the troops, including the goblinoids. Organize patrols, help with training."

"Understood." She gives a salute.

Shaking my head to gather myself, that leaves only a few others in the room. I opt for Astrid next, Rose's proxy in the moment. "Rose, you're in charge of communications. If something happens on one side of town, you're responsible for making sure everyone on the other side knows as soon as possible. One of your flowers should be nearby Camilla and Bel at all times, so the guards can be informed of issues as soon as they arise."

Astrid nods, her purple flower shifting slightly. "Charlotte has unfortunately passed, but Nia and Darcy will stay close by. Should I have Mora join Eve as a scout? My range isn't back at full strength, but I'd estimate I'm just shy of a mile, now."

"That's perfect, actually." Next up is Olivia, but she's not here. "When Olivia gets back, she'll be in charge of inter-city commerce. Miki, she'll need to work with you on what we have in excess, and what we need."

"And that would put me in charge of logistics?" One of the gobi's tails flick. As I nod, she continues. "Where would that leave you, our fearless leader?"

"Coordination. Between everyone here, as well as between the humans and monsters. We still have several infrastructure projects we need to work on, too, especially with the roads all churned up, and we'll need everyone working together to make anything happen." I look to the others. "Any other questions?"

A/N Honestly wanted to have this one out November 1st, but I burnt out the last week of October. Sorry for the delay, but thanks for sticking with me!