The Calamity: Chapter 17

The smoke was clogging worse than the smell of the burning demon on the ground. Their blood was very flammable which was a shock between both the Sanguiknight and the twin. Morrigan helped Alistair back to his feet who stumbled and leaned against her for support.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Okay is not the word that I would choose.” She said gritting her teeth and then spitting on the floor. Her vision was deep in red and the taste of her own blood was an annoyance.

The now fire lit armory was small and the explosion had blown a hole open in one of the walls. There was a chittering echo of sound, clicking from just outside the armory door and neither of them were keen to investigate it.

Coughing on the smoke for a few minutes Alistair pointed toward the hole in the wall. “Out through there.”

She nodded quickly and looked out of the hole. The ground was a deep drop that she wasn’t sure she could survive easily. So, she looked just beyond them and the rooftop wasn’t that far off from where they were. At her hip was her katana and rapier which made her feel way more at ease than she realized. She also had the blade and revolver of Vincent on her other hip.

“Get over here.” She said holding out her hand.

Alistair grabbed it his free hand holding the short sword that his sister practiced with and the great sword across his back. “What’s your plan?” he asked.

She couldn’t help but smirk her red eyes glowing a bit brighter. She gripped his hand tightly as she looked at him. “Well you may not like it much. Brace yourself.”

“For what?”

The question was never answered. Gritting her teeth she turned and threw the twin through the air. He shouted almost immediately in shock and panic as he was sent straight over to the other side.

He hit the other side and rolled crashing into the ground. His body ached where each part of his body slammed into the ground. Groaning and dizzy he coughed his chest aching. As he looked in the direction, he was thrown he glared. “You could have warned me!”

She laughed as she took a few steps back and with the blood roaring through her ears launched herself through the air. There was a loud sound like snapping behind her and she didn’t look back as she kicked her feet toward the spot. Rolling forward she landed and popped to her feet.

Slowing down standing near him she chuckled. “It worked out, didn’t it?”

“That’s not the point.” He said getting to his feet slowly. “We need to get to the ground. And hopefully not like that.”

Morrigan turned to look around them and then froze in her tracks. Because she hadn’t saw this coming. She looked ahead of them and there it was. The massive demon laying waste to the city was looking in their direction. She stared at the creature as it stood over the building she was on. The demon wasn’t near her, not yet but its gaze was on them. Or at the very least in their direction.

It took a step forward and she felt the rumble underneath her feet. Alistair was next to her and she felt the fear radiating off him. “I assume you still can’t access your magic.”

“You would be right. The drugs are too strong.” He said. He tried to move his body but it wasn’t reacting to his urgings. “I’m just a normal human right now.”

“Well, at least you somewhat know how to use a sword.” She said gripping her katana’s hilt.

Before she could try and come up with a plan for their next course of action, she could hear a flutter of wings. Suddenly a shape surged from beneath them. A demon showed in front of them, a demon with a pair of insects like wings flapping so quickly it looked like four. Its face tiny and rodent like.

Hissing it lunged at the two of them and this was much easier to deal with. Morrigan drew the katana. She blocked a swipe of claws from one arm when the other came flying at her. She ducked under the attack and spun low slashing the bloodied blade through its hips.

It screeched and sank to the rooftop suddenly, its wings fluttering sporadically. The bloody ichor sprayed onto the ground. It crawled forward another screech leaving its mouth. Morrigan drew the revolver and fired three bullets into its head. She glanced at the gun and raised her eyebrow. “More elegant then I gave it credit for.”

Another demon lunged at her its wings leathery and a whisper on the air. She turned to attack it when her arm jerked forward. The other demon had grabbed her katana in its death throws. At this angle she was trapped and couldn’t react in time.

Alistair rushed to her side the great sword already off his back. He thrust it forward the blade going straight through the demon’s chest. Black blood exploded out its back and he grit his teeth at both the burning sensation and the smell of it. But its thrashing limbs couldn’t reach him as he held the thing at bay.

Twisting the sword in hand he grunted pushing back against the demon as it scrambled against him. But he heaved and shoved the demon off letting go of the sword. It was already smoking and being eaten away. Shuddering he wiped the demon’s blood off his face and turned to Morrigan who whipped her sword clean and sheathed it.

“Good stance.”

“I have a good teacher.”

They smirked and felt the ground shift underneath their feet. Both turned back toward the towering demon and watched as it’s mouth glowed a dark color. As if black could glow. It felt like something was drawn toward it. A small suction effect that made them stumble forward. The wind began to roar sharply and the buildings creaked.

“What’s it doing!”

“Nothing good!” She said and grabbed him by the arm and started running toward the edge of the building. She jumped off the edge and braced herself. Thankfully they were only two stories off the ground. Still when she hit the ground the pain made her stumble forward and drop Alistair.

He rolled across the ground wincing and falling onto his back. Staring at the sky he watched as the night sky was torn open. A single beam of obsidian light that went on to infinity and dazed him as he looked at it. It seared and burned his eyes and he couldn’t keep looking at it. Rolling away he covered his eyes screaming his terror and pain.

Morrigan rolled to her elbows and knees, crawling forward as she went toward the twin. Dragging him forward she moved herself over him, using her body as a shield. Even though the beam of light was above them she felt the power of it all as if it were on her back searing away the skin.

When the energy that faded away finally and the pressure went with it. She stood up and looked down at him urgently. “Are you alright?” she asked trying to breathe and clear the crimson haze from her eyes but the blade at her hip knew danger wasn’t gone yet.

He stared into her eyes and nodded slowly. Even when she was like this, he trusted her. Getting up with her hand to help him, he groaned. The impact from hitting the ground earlier was still making his body shake.

When he looked above him it was as if the sky was messed up. The stars above warped around where the beam of dark light had passed through. He wondered if that was temporary or if the sky was permanently scarred. Regardless he turned at the sound of horses sprinting forward.

He looked up in time to watch two horses, one glowing green, arrive. It was Vayne, Vincent and his sister and seeing them in one piece filled him with more relief than he expected. Letting out a breath he sighed and then smiled at them. “Well, I assume you saw that.”

“Yeah we fucking saw that,” Vincent replied with and shook his head. “Blaze is still spooked. I’m fucking spooked.”

“Yes yes. It was strange and powerful.” Vayne said impatiently. “Let us move forward.  We’d rather leave this place befor the demon does that again.”

“It can do that again?” Alison asked.

“It might. Now let’s move.”

Without further ado Morrigan drew her blade and spun it slowly. The soft whistle called her horse to her. A grey ghost of a beast that came forward slowly and calmly. “Well met, Eaergo.” Alistair said in recognition and the horse snorted at him.

She leaped onto his back and Alistair got on behind her. She rode up to Vincent and tossed him his sword and gun which he caught happily. “The revolver. I may want one for myself in the future.”

Vincent laughed, “I’ll let Samuel know. Now we can leave this place in one piece.”

“What about all of those people?” Alison asked looking around them. There were so many bodies littering the streets around them. Mutilated and locked in their final moments of horror and pain. Some alone and some with their arms around another. She looked at her brother who had a similar torn look on his face.

“There’s no hope for this city. The demons have taken it and soon the occupants will be slaughtered. Most likely eaten.”  He said in some thought as if he wondered what that would be like. Or if he was maybe speaking from experience. “At best we can escape while their attention is diverted. But if we wait any longer, we’ll be asking for the same fate as them.”

“How do you suppose we escape?” Vincent asked. “All the exits have got to be blocked by people trying to escape or the demons.”

Vayne got off the undead horse his magic channeling. Pressing both his hands against the ground, light exploded to life digging into the ground. It spread across the floor like a web of neon cracks. They raced across the ground going deep into the distance and out of sight.

One by one the dead answered the call. They pushed themselves off the ground slowly eyes and wounds aglow with green. They grunted, groaning under their own weight. Men, women, children, and knights stood slowly. An army of the undead all looking directly at them.

Blaze took a very slow step backwards unsettled and each of the four of them tried to hide the exact same feelings. The demons were one thing, a necromancer like this was another entirely. When he stood again his eyes glowed green but they were pitch black. His cheeks were a bit more sunken and features sharper.

“We have our own entourage.” He said and his voice was raspier, like he’d been shouting for hours. Walking toward his horse he mounted the zombie creature and it took off down the road. Eaergo and Blaze chased after him at the urgings of their riders.

The zombies watched them pass but stood still. The power that Vayne wielded was awesome to behold but equally terrifying. She wondered if she would ever get to be on that level. Or if she even wanted to at this point.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a screech. She watched as a demon crashed down from the sky, a group of zombies hanging onto it from its wings and its body. The zombies struck and dug their fingers at it, tearing away chunks of flesh from it. It struggled to free itself but other zombies joined in smothering the creature.

She looked into the distance and saw similar shapes happening as demons tried to fly or run toward them but the zombies served as a living wall to prevent them from interrupting. The path that they were taking curved slightly and took them to a side. One of the walls had been broken down entirely.

From that hole in the wall there was a swath of destruction but only on onside of the city. One side showed the signs of the demons breaking through doors and walls and smoke and fires. But on the other there weren’t any buildings period. Just rubble and stone and wood in huge piles across the ground.

“This is where the demon came from.” Alistair said and Morrigan nodded.

“It walked straight through the walls,” She said gravely. “We were lucky to survive the one that we found if something like that exist.”

Alistair glanced back at the huge demon which was slumped toward the ground. Whatever blast of energy it had used must have taken something out of it. He looked back toward their path. The hole they were aiming at was full of rocks and crushed stone. It wouldn’t be the easiest way to get over them but the big demon had done the majority of the work.

Looking at the line of zombies he couldn’t but wonder who they were when they were alive. Their family, friends, or ambitions. Hell, or even their names. But he couldn’t dwell on that, they were all dead. They couldn’t come back. At least not the right way. It made him think of the spirits, the only thing keeping them alive was their need for revenge.

Something caught Alistairs gaze ahead of them. Fighting within the zombie ranks. The zombies were holding back a group of people. They were shouting, one of them armed with a sword attacked. But the zombies didn’t budge and even less didn’t back down from getting caught in their path.

“Don’t look at them.” Morrigan said not looking back at him.

“But those people-”

“Are not our allies or our friends.” She said interrupting him. “And helping them won’t save them. It just might doom us.”

He didn’t look back, pressing his forehead against her back with a frown. “It’s that kind of kindness that got me and my sister here.” He said under his breath.

Morrigan didn’t respond to that but she understood. Knew the benefit from the kindness of strangers. But she didn’t tell her mount to stop or turn around. So, the shouts and pleas of those people fell on deaf ears as the zombies added them to their ranks.

The hole in the wall was finally upon them and Vayne got their first his zombie horse leaping over the rubble. He cleared it in one smooth jump landing on the other side. The dust kicked up as he landed and the open plains before him was a strange sight after spending so much time in one of those cells.

He heard the equestrian grunts behind him as the other two joined him. They didn’t slow down as they kept going across the plains. It could have been a few minutes or an hour. Time wasn’t exactly something they were keeping track of. It wasn’t until Vincent called for them to slow down that they did, going up to a clump of trees and pausing.  

The four exchanged looks between one another and Vincent finally turned, Blaze stepping with him as he looked toward the city. Its walls were high, a couple dozen feet. He could barely see the shapes of demons flying above them and just barely see the demon’s head above the walls. He saw the faintest hint of a glow emanating from within the walls.

“Well we’ve made it out alive. That was fun.” Vayne said chuckling and hopped off his horse. The zombifed thing groaned at him but he ignored it.

“What were you doing there?” Alison asked finally now that they had space to breathe and not be in danger.

He shrugged his shoulders slowly. “We let our guard down while traveling through the city. It took some time to regain our powers but that’s when we knew the Calamity was coming. We wanted to see the fireworks.”

He was so nonchalant about the massacre that happened there. “Those people didn’t deserve to die like that.” Alison said softly.

“A lot of people don’t deserve the fates they’re dealt. Good and bad.” He shrugged. “We’re just doing things for ourselves.”

“Okay seriously, why are you talking like this.”

Vayne looked toward Vincent and tilted his head slightly in minor confusion. “What do you mean?”

“The we and us talk. There’s one of you. At least I think and hope there are.”

“That’s information more so for that one there,” he pointed at Alison. “Though we can attempt to explain it to you as well.”

“Man you’re a pain in the ass.”

He laughed tilting his head back. “Do you have a house or something like that?” Alison asked.

“Something like that. A village long abandoned. It’s not incredibly far from here.” He turned in a direction almost adjacent from the city. He just started walking and not bothering to wait for the rest of them to follow. Snapping his fingers, he called for the horse and jumped onto it’s back and started riding.

Vincent looked at the rest of them. “This is really who we came here for?”

Alison frowned and gave a short nod, stroking Blaze’s neck. “Maybe. Though this isn’t what I was expecting.”

“I don’t know what I was expecting.” Alistair admitted.

“He’s a relic from an old age. An age that’s familiar to me.” Morrigan said and turned Eaergo and indicated for him to start walking after him. “Temper your expectations and then lower them further.” She said toward Alison.

Vincent glanced down at her and then followed behind them. “You sure you want to be taught by this guy?”

“I may not have a real choice.” She said with a small frown.

She held her hand and she watched as a small spark showed in her palm. A tiny sparkle of ice and she closed her hand on it taking a shuddering breath.

“At least it’s finally coming back.”

Another nod and the rest of the ride dipped into silence. The sun was slowly climbing over the horizon illuminating their path. There weren’t any demons or people out there. It was strange to go from all of that violence and horror to this unnatural calm.

They were walking down hill, something that none of them had managed to notice during their earlier capture. The grass moved with a gentle breeze over them. The light of the sun stretched across the horizon chasing away the darkness of the previous night. As the light stretched across their backs it glinted on the horizon.

Fighting, getting captured, thrown around none too kindly, more fighting and running for his life. Morrigan had done whatever it was she did and looked as healthy as ever. But Vincent felt tired, more tired than he had in a long time. And he could only imagine how bad the twins were doing.

He felt a slight push against his chest and glanced down. Alison had fallen back against his chest, her eyes closed and mouth slightly open. She was fast asleep and snoring. He couldn’t help but smile at her. Guess that answered that. Adjusting himself slightly to make sure she could lean back comfortable he fought his own yawn and kept Blaze on track with his knees. He dozed off a few times in the saddle, the gentle gait of the horse a soothing rhythm.

A presence woke him up and the sun should have been hanging over his head except for the fact that a mist was hanging over the air. It was thick to the point where looking to his side he could barely see Morrigan beside them, just a dark shape. In front, he was pretty sure he could tell where Vayne was.

He glanced down at Alison who was moving around slightly as she looked through the mist. She looked toward him and he was taken aback by the fact that her eyes were glowing. She didn’t seem aware of this. She looked over at her brother who met her eyes and they were glowing too.

He pointed to her face and she pointed back at him. He touched his eyes and she nodded. “Why are both of your eyes glowing?” Vincent asked focusing on Alison.

“It’s because this place is rich in magical energy,” Vayne said from somewhere in front of them. No one could see him, the fog even thicker than before. They were blindly following the sound of his voice as the fog grabbed onto them like a second skin. It was hard to breathe and even harder still.

And then the fog began to clear. It spread away in front of them and the ground beneath their feet turned into wooden planks. The echoing sound of hoof on wood surprised Vincent. When he looked on either side of them his eyes widened as he stared at water on either side of them.

It was deep and dark. Not clear or reflective. When he stared into it, it was like it ate away his reflection. When he looked back at Alison her eyes were still very much aglow as were her brothers. But when he looked at Morrigan her eyes were a deep crimson. “Jeez I really am the only normal person here.”

Blaze snorted at him and he pet his back. “You’re right. Both of us are.” He said and frowned. At the end of the boardwalk was an island, a home sitting on the edge of it. The building wasn’t that well put together, somewhat leaning against the side and old. A lone tree was near the home, not quite behind the house but hanging over it. When he looked up there was no sky to be scene. Just a gray cloudy sky hanging above. No moon or sun or stars. Just overcast.

“Where the hell are we?” Vincent mumbled.

“We’re at our home.” He told him with a shake of his head.

“I thought you lived in an abandoned village.”

“It is.” He paused for a moment.

They arrived at the base of the home, the grass very brittle underneath their feet. Vayne got off the horse and the moment he walked away it collapsed to the ground with a groan. He walked straight toward the home. Vincent slowed Blaze and stared at the former zombie horse and then pat Blaze again before sliding off his back.

Alison looked at him as he got off and he helped her slid off until she was floating comfortably again. They looked toward Morrigan and Alistair who had done the same. “So, any idea of where or how we got here?” Vincent asked.

“If I had to guess the fog is like an illusion. Keeping this place separate from prying eyes. Or unwanted visitors.” He rubbed his jaw slowly. “But with the amount of just raw magical power on the air, I wonder if he set this up or if it was here before now.”

“He’s powerful but I don’t think he made it that way. I think it was like this before and he made his home here.” Alison said softly staring at her hands. There were no glowing veins there but she felt so much more powerful here than ever before in her life.

She floated a few more feet off the ground and felt comfortable. Not even like she was doing anything special. Shivering she looked down at them and smiled brightly. “This is beyond amazing. I have so many questions.”

“Just be careful of the answers,” Morrigan said slowly as she looked at her and then started walking toward the small home. Alistair lingered on the bank staring at the water. It had a slow ebb and flow of a tide. But it didn’t froth. The water was inky blackness no matter what. He felt tempted to touch it but didn’t stoop down and do that.

Eventually they all walked toward the house’s front door. The door was slightly open and she pushed it the rest of the way. Floating inside she noted the lack of light within it. There was a table, one of the legs looking ready to fall apart. It had a plate on it but also bowls, a grinder, and utensils. Not many of them looked like they were for eating either. There was a chair near one of the corners and a bunch of books on the floor that looked as old as he did in the cell.

There was another door off in the corner but Vayne was walking through it now. He had a mug of something hut, steam coming out of it. He glanced at them his eyes glowing just like the twins.

“Is Blaze safe out there? He’s not gonna suddenly float away or breathe fire?”

“Your horse will be fine. Unless it has some latent power. Maybe it’s more talented than you are.” He laughed and sipped from his drink slowly.  Walking toward the table he sat on the floor and motioned for them to do the same. Vincent walked toward one corner and sat down, hands on his knees.

Morrigan sat beside opposite him and the twins between them, Alison next to Vincent and Alistair next to Morrigan. Vayne looked at the four of them and pushed the bowl aside putting the mug on the table.

“So, we can see why Poppy told you to find us. Especially you.” He pointed at Alison who was still floating off the ground despite being cross legged. “Power oozes out of you like an over turned faucet. You’re going to be the death of yourself.”

“I know.”

“We had a close encounter on the way here.” Alistair said catching his sisters’ eye.

“Let us guess. Blue veins?”

She nodded. “I was unconscious for some time.”

He nodded slowly. “Over exerted yourself. Output more than you can handle.” He nodded slowly. “Power attracts power. And we see a lot of power in you. But it remains to be seen of how much that power is worth.” He said and looked at her brother. “What’s your stake in this? You’re nowhere near her level.”

“No. She’s the powerful one.”

“She’s the powerful one but you have something going for you. We can tell by these.” He tapped his eyes and pointed at Alistair.

“What?”

“That glow. The mist only makes them glow if you’re strong enough. You share blood with her. You may not be strong enough on your own but you’re not a waste of time.”

“So, what you’re going to help them out?” Vincent asked.

“Still deciding,” Vayne shrugged his shoulders. “And what are you two. Their body guards?”

“I am. She’s got ulterior motives.” Vayne met Morrigan’s gaze unflinchingly. She didn’t glare. Just stared and then looked away and sent her gaze to Vayne. “It’s true.”

“Yes. My Queen fears the Calamity. That it’s getting stronger. And will soon it will kill us all. She wants me to find out about it. And a way to stop it. Or at the very least prevent it.”

Vayne stared at her and then he simply started laughing. Quick snorts of laughter. He had to cover his face and push his drink away to the corner of the table. Morrigan glared at him and started to stand up her hand going to her hip. “As I said before. Watch what you say. Or I will cut you down.”

Vayne met her eyes and he smiled slowly. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes and it wasn’t because of their glow. He stood as well and chuckled softly. “Octavia must really like you. To have sent you away like this.”

Her grip tightened on the blade and she hissed out, “Sent me away? My Queen gave me a mission. A task to complete. Even if it looks impossible, I will find the answer to this. I won’t let her down.”

 “We believe that. Your loyalty is like tempered steel. Too strong to break. But too thick to see between the lines.”

“What are you trying to say necromancer.”

“We’re saying that Octavia sought to save you from death. A death she saw coming. The Calamity isn’t something you can just stop. It’s not something you can control. It can’t be stopped. It’s a part of this world just like any other storm or phenomena. One day it may wipe us all out. Well at least most of you.”

Vincent glanced between them and then focused on Morrigan, “What are you talking about?”

“The Calamity is growing. And certain people in our world can see it coming. Octavia is one of them. We are one of them. The High Priest of the Sanctum. The Great Leader of Noria. The demons that came out of the gate last night, they were a byproduct of this. The next one is going to be happening up North. Far North. Away from most civilizations. It’s why the Norians are on the move right now. This is their chance to safely launch a coordinated assault on the Sanctum. Finally stake a real claim on them.”

Morrigan’s eyes arrowed in thought and then she mumbled, “Further north?” She eyes widened and stood up straighter. “No. No. I need to go back. I need to go back!” She turned immediately and moved toward the door but Alistair got up to stand. He grabbed her hand and she jerked to stare at him. “Let go of me Alistair.”

He met her gaze shocked and surprised by it but bit his lips and kept her gaze. “What’s wrong Morrigan?”

“My Queen needs me!” She shouted and that’s when the first sign of panic truly entered her eyes.

“You can’t save her.”

She looked past him to Vayne. Stared at him with a gaze that could kill the necromancer would have to revive himself. “Say that again.”

“You can’t save any of them Sanguiknight.”

She let out a scream and drew the sword in one quick motion. She leaped across the room and the blood was already on the tip of the blade. Vayne’s green eyes focused in on her and chuckled. A green skeletal hand appeared out of the air and grabbed the sword.

She blinked in shock for a second and he smiled as a second hand appeared. With a jerk it threw her toward the ground. The second pinned her against the ground. He tsked at her as it threw the sword away and both hands dusted themselves off. “That was foolish. And emotional. Very unlike what a proper Sanguiknight is meant to do.”

She got to her feet quickly, none of her fire extinguished. She made a move to stand but he leveled a gaze on her that weighed down like a ton of bricks. She stumbled back down to her knees and he glared.

“We’re not the one you have a problem with. It’s with fate itself.”

“What the hell are you talking about,” Vincent asked. Vayne met his eyes and chuckled. “Just give a fucking straight answer.”

She forced herself to stand up. “I’m leaving this place.”

Alistair’s eyes widened, “What?”

“You won’t be able to save them.”

“I won’t believe that until I’m dead.” She hissed and stalked out the door.

The trio looked at one another. Vincent moved to stand and so did Alistair. But he looked back at his sister. “She can’t go alone. And none of us are going to convince her not to go,” Vincent said.

“We both don’t have to go. Someone needs to stay with my sister.” Alistair said and frowned again.

“I’m right here you know,” She scowled at her brother and Vincent but she floated to her feet and touched her brother’s shoulder. “Go.”

“What?”

“You don’t have to be with me all the time. And you want to go with her.” He looked at her surprised. “Yes. I know you. Now go. Before she takes off with her ghost horse.”

“Eaergo.”

She flashed him a smile that said ‘I told you so’. He ignored her and instead hugged her tightly. She hugged him back just as tightly and sighed. “First time we’ve been apart in a long time.”

“I know.” He nodded and then looked at Vincent. “And know you’ll be in safe hands.”

He put his hand on her head lightly and pat Alison’s head. She made a face and he smiled, “Just keep the grumpy one safe.”

A short nod and he ran straight out. Vincent and Alison turned back to Vayne who was sipping from the mug again before pointing at Alison. “Well now that that’s settled. Let’s begin with you.”