-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Despite four people taking the journey to the distant hotel section, it was perturbingly - but unsurprisingly - silent. The multitude of footsteps echoed endlessly against the poorly decorated walls, adding to the tension and solemnity of their march.

Perhaps the worst of it was that John could think of no reason or method to breach the silence. What could he say that would have any real value in their situation? What could he offer that would overcome their mutual desire to avoid the discussion that loomed over them? No, John could only take the time of their walk to reflect on their relationship, as well as the newfound information.

In spite of Moira's misgivings, John believed the story that they had been told. There weren't many confirming details, but the general tone and attitude of the man matched up with so much of what John had expected after their initial invasion. What else could explain the maddening pressure the Cabal had begun the war with, only to fail to even launch a proper counter attack after having one of their primary depots obliterated? This could have still been a part of some grander strategy… but John wasn't sure that was any worse than the alternative. He had gotten a taste of what the Albidian Society could do when Moira herself nearly fell to a single member. No matter whether they were more exclusive than the Cabal, even a dozen of them seemed powerful enough to wipe out most everyone in the Order, minus Lord Brighton, John's only unknown… the supposedly staggering power difference between the lord and the rest of the Order as well as the mysteriously unreadable level he displayed still concerned John.

"This is the hallway… and this does not bode well."

John was confused for a moment, seeing nothing other than the bland interior of the hotel continuing from his position. It wasn't until he took two strides further to catch up to Etriyya’s position that he noticed the bodies. Three Cabal and an Order Knight, face-down and still covered in fresh blood.

"They must have fallen during the battle... right? Why so nervous?"

Etriyya didn't respond as she strode to kneel beside the fallen Knight. She turned him over and revealed a blackened face, the Knight's skin wrinkled and discolored, ranging from dark purple across a half-dozen bruises and fading into deep yellows. The worst was on his cheek, just below his eye socket - there, the skin was pitch black, cracking and peeling away from a central point. No blood flowed from the wound.

"Wait… those markings are on the Cabal, too," John noted, taking a moment to look more closely at the fallen. All of them had weapon marks, indicating they'd been fighting each other, but each also shared a similar marking on the face, some with corruption penetrating so deeply John could see large sections of skull under the flayed and decaying flesh. Most of the Cabal also had several additional spots across their torsos harmed in similar measure, so many that black veins of taint flowed between the wounds.

"Yes. And this is Necromancy… I could believe that the Cabal had a Necromancer or two working with them, perhaps, despite it being a somewhat more complicated form of magic. But no Order Knight would ever use such a thing, even in the most dire of circumstances. Furthermore…"

Etriyya pointed down the hallway further. The hotel's décor was mostly intact, but there was a major difference that was easily noted. The doors had been removed, including the frames. In their place were thick metal slabs with slats for viewing at the top, as well as what John assumed were slots for meal trays at the bottom. The "renovations" were fairly extensive, even going so far as to reinforce the frames and immediate area around the doorways, and judging by the way they looked, the walls themselves may have been worked on as well, though it was hard to see under the tacky wallpaper. Most of the doors were open, but a few were still closed. Glistening runes covered the entire hallway, from floor to ceiling.

"…we are certainly not alone. No reports were made of anyone leaving this area by the other sectors. Further, our luck is not fortunate enough that all those doors are open because their cells are empty. Come, Newman. The Cabal have surrendered, but their prisoners have not."

"I can 'ear somethin'. Somethin' at the end of the hall, someone's… laughin', and cuttin' somethin' up. It doesn't sound good. Somethin' muffled too, like cryin'." Seras' eyes were torn between the bodies and the hallway, flickering as her nose flared ever so slightly.

"Well, that sounds… ominously terrifying. And here I was hoping we were through with fighting," John grumbled.

"For the Order, fighting is never over. You'd do well to remember that." Etriyya waved her hand over the Order Knight's face, and slowly the blackness faded away and the skin mended itself. "Remember this, too… we honor our fallen. We give them dignity in the embrace of the Lady. It's one of the things that separates us from the lawless and heathens that we fight so valiantly against. And dignity is something we are not often afforded in life." With a pointed glare, Etriyya took to her feet again and started to creep down the hallway.

"Yeah… she's still absolutely livid. I don't know if I can fix this one. Thanks, Gaia."

Seras and Sophia wrinkled their noses as they stepped around the bodies, putting as much distance between themselves and the corrupted corpses as possible.

"Their corpses smell of a **** most foul," Sophia murmured, glancing between each of the forms. "I pray that their end was swift. I have seen no magic such as this from our foes before, but my instincts scream at me to destroy whatever caused it."

"Righ', if this is what Moira an' everyone keep smellin' on me, I can see why they don't like it. Never found it on summin' else, though. Master, what did this?"

"Not what… who. It's Victor, the Necromancer they were talking about earlier. He's free now, and if you hear something like that, he's probably still here."

"Follow me, quietly, and we shall see."

Etriyya held out two fingers on each hand and tapped various places on her body. Runes ignited on her armor, and at once a quiet encompassed them as the ever-present sound of Etriyya's armor faded away completely.

"Silencing runes? Now that's utility." John once again reminded himself that, if this war ended, he might finally have a few moments to himself to consider uses of magic that didn't involve blasting people away.

Together the four of them crept down the hall, checking each doorway they passed. Most were completely empty… but two had bodies in them. Dead men, neither Cabal nor Order. John inspected the second one out of curiosity as to who else the Cabal had been grabbing.

Justin Teuterin
<Firesmith Academy>
DECEASED

"Dead prisoner. Some Academy I don't recognize the name of?" John noted, not recognizing the name. Etriyya offered nothing but a shrug, and then resumed their way forward. Four more doors had bloodstains leading out and toward the far end of the hallway, but nothing within to indicate where they had come from. Every trail led further down the hallway… toward where a faint source of noise steadily grew as they approached it. The noises were much like Seras had described - murmurs… cackling… flesh being sliced open, faint as it was.

Their procession continued until they eventually reached the hallway's end, with only the final two doors remaining, one on each side. One was steadfastly closed, metal barring the way with firm intent, while the other was wide open. The blood trails all led there, and the noise coming from within left no doubt in John's mind as to who he would find inside. The only question now was what. John couldn't see from where he was, but Etriyya had glanced within and did not seem pleased with what she saw.

Crouched behind the door, John was uncertain as to how to formulate a plan. They had likely gotten away with their speaking earlier only due to the length of the hallway. If he raised his voice now, there was little doubt anyone within would clearly hear them. Etriyya had her own solution - a solo plan, it seemed, for each of her hands began to act on their own. Her left hand was held behind her back, and from within a blue glow began to emanate. At the same moment, her right hand was held to where all of them could see, and it began a countdown, starting at five. John only realized this when the first finger fell. When the second came down, a hand gripped his wrist, stopping him from preparing his own spells.

John turned his head and found Seras gripping his arm. The vampiress shook her head, almost violently, then tapped her nose, followed by pointing to herself. John cocked his head in confusion, trying to find a way to express how confused he was. Then he heard a booted foot hit the carpet, and by the time he had turned, the fifth finger had already fallen and Etriyya was planting herself in the doorway. John followed as closely as he could, but her movement was so fast that by the time he could see into the room, her blast had already fired.

A blue missile of magical energy soared from her hand, toward what John saw as a shadowed figure. The room itself was poorly lit, but even despite the poor lighting an almost unnatural amount of shadows and darkness seemed to cling to the humanoid figure. What little John could see was covered in blood, save for a pair of eyes that glimmered crimson even in the blackness of the room. Before the blast had travelled far, just as it had at best crossed the midway point of the distance between caster and target, another figure entered the fray. Stepping in from the side of the room, revealing herself in the light cast by the violet missile, was a young woman. More accurately, John realized just moments before impact… the body of what was once a young woman.

The missile collided with the bloodied chest of the raven-haired woman, exploding in a violent display of **** and gore. Bits of blood, organ, and rib alike colored the walls, and even the distant figure that had been the original target. But none of them moved for a beat, not reacting in any way to the impact. The man in the corner paused only briefly in his ministrations to what appeared to be another corpse. The woman Etriyya had struck, despite now having a hole in her chest the full size of a head, did not move from her position guarding the other. Etriyya herself snarled, but did not immediately react to the interception of her cast.

"Noooo… you can't be here… it isn't complete, I am not yet ready! Five will be the ****, five will be the rebirth, no more, and no less! I have seen, and I will prevail - stop him, before he finishes what he started last we met!"

At the man's raving words, the corpse of what must have once been a very beautiful woman and two other corpses from the corners of the room arose in unison. All of them stumbled and staggered their way toward the cluster of Etriyya, John, and his allies - the lone exception was a singular figure, sat against the far corner and just barely visible in the dim hotel lighting.

Her extremely long, blonde hair swayed against her frame as she struggled away from the stripped hotel walls and wiggled back and forth across them. Dark tattoos shadowed her skin, accentuating rippling, well-toned muscles. Her hands were bound, but John could still tell from her struggles and the way her eyes locked onto his own that she was not only alive, she was aware of what was happening around her, and she was terrified.

That was all the time he had for analysis. Shortly after seeing the woman struggling for survival, John was surrounded by the sounds of moans. The woman whose chest Etriyya had inadvertently blown open shuffled forward, and the three he had already seen were joined by another, that being the one Victor had only just been working on. Each of them moved at varying speeds, most far faster than John was comfortable with after too many nights watching George Romero films, and all of them headed for the doorway.

"Um, Master, behind us!"

John glanced backwards to see that they had become quite thoroughly surrounded. Every corpse they had passed thus far was rising up, save the lone Order Knight that Etriyya had taken the time to purify with her spells. Drawing her blade, the magical warrior in question let loose a battle cry before warning John of her intentions.

"The element of surprise is gone, let us save at least one!"

"No, I need all five, it must be complete!" The Necromancer fumbled for a few moments, his obviously addled mind struggling against the sudden intrusion. John had a brief moment as he prepared himself for combat to contemplate exactly what Victor must have been through. The last John had met him, he was assuredly a vile man, who had a taste for what most would certainly consider foul, but he seemed otherwise in possession of all his faculties. To see him reduced to this, such a raving lunatic… what had the Albidians done to him? What magical pathways could they walk in the mind to throw men into such madness?

"Right, go for it! Seras, Sophia, protect our backs while we deal with this asshole!"

Victor turned to the woman still bound, with a collar around her neck and braces around both of her forearms. She had even been gagged, and had both of her legs shackled together. John thought it seemed like a bit much considering the fortification - most likely magical - of the building around them and the fact that she was contained within a Cabal Barrier to begin with, but it was certainly effective in preventing her from doing anything but struggling vainly as Victor closed in. She was fit, perhaps more so than even Sophia, with muscles flexing and straining against the power of her bonds, futile as it may have been. Tattoos covered her body from head to toe, even darting across her face in patterns that somehow reminded John of too many fantasy RPGs he had played.

Maybe it was that vague sense of similarity, but John was determined to save that woman at all costs. Partially ignoring the corpses assailing him now from all sides, John raised up two fingers and began to channel his mana. In an instant, the darkness of the cell was disrupted and cast aside by the brightness and intensity of the lightning bolt that flew forth from his palm.

32 DMG! (Ineffective against Target)
28 DMG! (Ineffective against Target)
49 DMG!

The arc of electricity was intercepted by two of the corpses, moving faster than John had believed they could, inserting themselves between John and Victor in the moment before his attack struck. One lost most of its neck, while the other had a hole placed in its chest not dissimilar to the one Etriyya had blown, though more narrow and focused. Meanwhile, Victor received the least of the blow - partially thrown off course and diluted as it was - but still suffered greatly, his living flesh rent asunder by the remnants of lightning that pierced his shoulder and dissipated into the wall harmlessly, mere millimeters from the woman held captive.

Etriyya focused in on the closest target to her, using a barrage of quick-cast spells and short strikes with her blade to hack away at it. Each blow whittled away at the flesh and bone of the body before her, but none seemed to truly impact it save for the rare ones which severed limbs. Behind them, John could hear a mixture of gunfire and grunts of exertion, showing just how hard these corpses were to put down. Either Victor had grown in strength since last they met or John was quite fortunate that there had been no corpses for him to **** during their first encounter.

But the man's cry of pain wasn't enough. Even as the first corpse fell in Etriyya's wake, the other three were closing in on them, and although Victor clearly stumbled in his path toward the captive girl, he did not stop. John wished desperately for a blade as a man with graying hair and pale skin lunged for him, forcing John to go heavily on the offensive. Hoping to conserve what mana he could, John Siphoned away Seras' mana and cast a Fire Orb that sent the reanimated zombie stumbling backward with its skin steadily peeling off. The creature was knocked to its back while the remaining two approached, arms raised in a groping desperation.

"This will end it… this will begin it again… let the fifth save us, let it damn us, let it-"

Victor raised a dagger in the hand connected to his undamaged shoulder, but Etriyya and John both had the same idea. In tandem, a blue bolt of fire and ice travelled alongside a white-hot bolt of lightning, both of them striking Victor in the elbow. His bones and sinews gave way, the arm falling awkwardly toward the ground under the onslaught of two well-aimed spells. The cry of pain wasn't enough, though. Victor turned toward them with a smile too victorious to stomach, and John caught only a glimmer of motion.

"Now!"

The remaining two bodies they had not currently dealt with each took one step forward, and then their abdomens exploded outward. John was focusing on Victor so much that he didn't catch the moves until it was too late; their spines tore themselves away from their skulls, rocketing suddenly needle-pointed tips toward John and sharpening into vicious, piercing projectiles. It was too late for him to dodge, but John had enough mana to phase through them.

Etriyya did not have John's hesitation, and made her own call before he had the chance.

The brave and far too valiant Knight threw herself in front of John moments before impact. The spines were clearly magically enhanced, for they pierced cleanly through Etriyya's breastplate and poked out of the back of her armor before dragging her to the ground. The cry of pain from John's companion made him stutter for another second, not expecting the savior's action in the least, but her follow-up whimper of pain as she hit the ground only drove him forward.

John's eyes locked with Victor, seeing the smug satisfaction on the Necromancer's face. John charged forward in a manner that would have been reckless, were he not already draining mana from Sophia and Seras. He would have been more careful about draining such a resource from Sophia since some of her abilities appeared to rely on it, but in that instant his entire being was focused on inflicting as much pain and retribution on Victor as he could muster.

Both of the corpses withdrew their spines, their upper bodies now sinking limply to the ground. As they fired at John again without pause, John activated Shadowform and prayed that reanimated corpses did not possess an ability to strike ethereal beings. John had a vague glimmer of pride as he passed through the intruding spines, allowing them to phase harmlessly through his being, but didn't allow himself to celebrate too early. Instead he focused on re-solidifying the moment that he had passed the walking corpses, not missing a single beat on his path toward Victor.

The Necromancer had switched his blade over to his other hand, his injured shoulder more reliable than his ruined elbow, but upon seeing John effortlessly passing his final two bodyguards, Victor's jaw only fell in terror.

"No, you can't- I was told- I must finish! I must have the fifth-"

Victor turned toward the trapped woman, but John was already upon him. Thanks in large part to how uneventful their siege upon Cabal territory had been, John had more than enough mana after draining his allies to prepare one decisive strike. Clenching his fist, John charged as much mana as he could into it, roaring as he let loose all that he could. A wave of menus signaled his Shard of Bishamonten kicking its basic boosts into effect just as his fist collided with the Necromancer.

"This is my fault, and I accept that… but I won't allow you to hurt another soul, ever again!"

John's fist exploded with lightning, a cone of electricity washing first through Victor's skull and then out into the wall behind him. John channeled White Lightning through his entire arm, feeling the familiar tingle of electricity… only in nowhere near as contained a method. John had never really adjusted his methods of casting a spell before; it was a heat of the moment thing, brought on as much by his rage as his desire to make sure Victor couldn't possibly avoid the strike. It worked, beyond even John's expectations.

198 DMG!

Skill Improvisation! New Skill Learned at Level 0!
Thunder Punch Level 0 - A hybrid technique, utilizing a physical blow to transfer magical energy in the form of lightning, released in a shotgun-like blast of arcing electricity. Deals 30% damage to targets behind the struck foe. Mana Cost: 100, [Damage: 30-35 + .4x Intelligence + Base Unarmed Damage].
Level 0 Penalty #1: Consumes 100% of currently available mana on use. Damage is multiplied by the % of base mana cost utilized in casting; 200 Mana consumed would result in 200% Damage. This bonus damage maxes out at 250%, but the mana drain is uncapped.
Level 0 Penalty #2: Has a 50% chance to affect friendly units behind the original target.

John only glanced over the window as Victor's suddenly motionless body was sent rocketing away from his massive blow. A wave of fatigue embraced him as Victor's corpse smacked into the wall and then crumpled to the ground. John was relieved that his gambit had worked, that his wrath had not gone without reckoning, but to his very apparent dismay, the sounds from behind him had not dissipated. Without even enough mana to cast an Observe, John did his best to make sure Victor was not moving in the slightest before he slowly turned around.

Despite Victor's apparent ****, neither of the two remaining corpses were stopping. In fact, as their necks and upper torsos slumped due to a lack of support, it became perfectly apparent that both of them were preparing to let loose with their skeletal weapons again.

"Shit… Seras, Sophia, I could use some help in here!"

John could still hear gunfire from outside; he wasn't sure how durable these things were, but even the one that John had set ablaze was now stumbling toward him. John grit his teeth as he prepared to embrace the pain that was coming his way, only praying that Etriyya was still breathing.

"By Gaia, you've got good aim!"

John didn't fully comprehend the words, nor the voice that spoke to him. What he did understand was that in the instant after those words were spoken, a golden blur appeared beside John and then soared past him. The corpses that were threatening John were intimidating to the young mage who had accidentally burned his entire mana reserve, but to the woman who now careened into them, they seemed as little more than obstacles. As the first blow landed and a golden blaze engulfed one of them, John took a brief moment to recognize and examine the woman who had been shackled only moments ago, now striking out furiously with a burning aura surrounding every part of her body.

The woman's golden locks that fell nearly halfway down her spine were swaying frantically, both from her own movements and from a whirlwind of energy soaring around her. The tattoos that coated her body were no longer mere ink, but now glistened and resonated with a yellowed magical energy, seeming to almost bring them to life as they twisted and twirled with the opening salvo of her blows. Every time her fists, elbows, knees, or feet connected with the closest undead, a golden explosion seemed to occur that rent rotting flesh and bone away from its owner.

By the time John had fully understood what was happening, the first corpse had been reduced to nothing more than a glorified paste. The woman's damage was impressive, but her movements were insane. As rapid as Kim had ever looked to John, even when he was a far lower level, the woman dipped to the side as the second corpse righted itself and launched its spine at her. She not only dodged the natural weapon but proceeded to grab hold of it, and a line of golden energy rippled across the spine. When it reached the corpse that had originated the attack, the body began to roast, a flame as yellow as a bumblebee encompassing the body of the reanimated prisoner and consuming it over the course of several seconds.

"Holy- SHIT!"

John enunciated the second bit as a spray of singed blood and guts washed over him, the woman's final strike disintegrating what was left of the charred body he and Etriyya had already fought. When John cleared the coagulated blood from his face, he saw only the woman herself, tattoos resonating with so much light that they illuminated the entire room. She stood over four corpses freshly slain, with Victor's body tucked into the corner, and Etriyya notably quivering in on the floor.

"For real, though, I wasn't expecting such a cunning move. Not only did you blow that bastard away, you managed to blast off that mana drainer he had on me. I thought I was dead for a hot minute; how long did you have to train to hit a target that small without blowing an artery out of me?"

John glanced befuddled at the woman in front of him, unsure of how to respond. "Uh, I mean, I guess just... lucky I suppose? I didn't mean to. You're welcome- I mean, thank you for- can you help Etriyya?"

"Huh? Her, I mean, maybe. I know a couple-"

The woman paused as she blinked a few times, her gaze shifting between Etriyya and John. Locking eyes firmly with the young Gamer, the blonde's eyes began to widen dramatically as she stared into his very soul.

"Wait, holy shit, you did that on accident, didn't you? Gaia’s tits, what the hell is wrong with you?!"