The flames of the city cast deep shadows across the landscape, far longer and deeper than even the moon could eradicate them with its light. The massive creature hovered above E-Rantel for a few more seconds, before floating back downwards onto its perch.
Ninya's grip only tightened on the staff the smaller mage carried, her ribcage constricting around her lungs as another bout of negative energy reached her.
Her stomach rumbled and pushed bile up the back of her throat, and her skin crawled as if a thousand spiders were making their home. Her hair stood on end, as her breathing grew more labored and a more clear picture of what awaited them in the city came to mind.
I...I didn't think anyone would ever be strong enough to summon one, and so many undead to overrun the city. It shouldn't be possible, unless…
Ninya's eyes widened, and she turned to the one person she felt would be able to understand her trepidation.
"Aria," Ninya said shakily, "that thing we just saw flying over the city, there's only one thing I can think of that would give off that much negative energy. If there's really one running around, then I don't like our chances here."
Aria glanced at her with those warm brown eyes of hers, and she could feel butterflies beat back the bile in her throat. Even under so much heavy clothing, she could still see the beauty that was hidden within, the skull of a grinning wolf obscuring features that would, in Ninya's opinion, make any noblewoman jealous.
The exotic woman was a cutting figure, even with her more modest attire. She still stood head over shoulders over even the tallest warriors that Ninya had seen, and she was a magic caster, just like her. Burgundy ringlets flowed from the bottom of her helmet, pooling around her shoulders over the top of her fur cloak.
From what little of her body Ninya could see, Aria was powerfully-muscled, though not so much as to detract from her feminine beauty. Ninya could feel a hot blush coming over her as she traced her eyes over Aria's form, the shaman leaning against her staff and giving her a full view of her biceps.
Ninya snapped out of her admiration to observe the city, Sir Momon and his other teammates walking towards the entrance of the city. Ninya noted that Momon held up two fingers to the side of his head, only to put them back down moments later.
He must be amping himself up for the fight, Ninya thought. Even if I helped to take down the Usurper myself, I'd be hesitant also to go into a city of the dead.
Another groaning roar echoed from the city walls, the gurgles of lesser dead intermingling to create a cacophony of the damned. When Ninya checked the expressions of her teammates, no, her friends, they also seemed unsure about the fight ahead.
A tiny part of her wanted to go back to Carne Village, to dance with Aria again and spend the night watching Archangel Flames rebuild the still ruined portions of the large town. She wanted to be able to spend the night studying their new capture, to learn all there was about his fusion of body parts that made him so fearsome.
But most of all, Ninya wanted to be able to find her.
If she died tonight, then everything she would've worked and strived for would have been for nothing. She might as well keel over in front of everyone if that happened.
There would be no shame, a voice whispered in the back of her head, why bother risking your life for a city that is most likely already consumed?
A hand grasped her shoulder, scaring away that miniature influence. She looked up to see the ever-confident and grinning smile of her leader.
His eyes grew fond and soft as she looked up to him, the way she imagined an actual father would.
"Don't worry, man," Peter said reassuringly, "We'll get this figured out. We've got a pretty badass team of adventurers here, so I wouldn't even worry about anything."
Ninya's eyes slightly hardened. "But what about the hordes of undead? Or that terrible monster that was just flying over the city? We can't just run in all unprepared and expect to get good results! This isn't just goblins or ogres this time, Peter."
"Relax, Ninya," Lukrut drawled, unslinging his bow and nocking two arrows. "With Momon and his partt, we should have no problem taking these guys down. Hell, we even managed to do something, too, when fighting the Wise King's killer!"
Dyne inclined his head. "We'll take plenty of precautions, of course, but all we're saying is that with the eight of us, we have significantly better chances of not dying."
Worry had burrowed itself deep into her psyche, but when she gazed up the burning ramparts of E-Rantel, hearing the screams of innocents as they most likely ran for their lives against a foe they couldn't understand, she made up her mind.
"Okay," she relented, "but even with so many adventurer's at once, I don't want any of you guys taking risks we shouldn't. I don't know what I would do if any of you...if anything happened to you."
"Not to worry, friend Ninya," Momon said over his shoulder, resting a broadsword against it. "We'll make sure to amply plan ahead for the venture to come, though I wouldn't worry about anything catching us off-guard or harming us in any meaningful capacity."
"How can you be so certain, Sir Momon?"
"Well, let's just say that my team and I might as well have another few sets of eyes in the back of our heads."
Ninya frowned at that, but she would have to ruminate on his cryptic message another time. What she needed to focus on now was a feasible plan.
"First, we're gonna need a map of the city. I don't think it's a good idea to try and go in through the front." She looked at Momon. "Do you think there's a sewer grate or something that we could use to enter the city, instead?"
Momon reached into a plate of his armor, pulling out a crumbled but rolled up piece of paper. He knelt, rolling out the paper to reveal a map of the city itself.
"When my friends and I first arrived in the city, we purchased a map to help us get around. Then we met you guys, so we had no need for it until now," Momon explained.
Ninya trudged over, the rest of the Swords of Darkness joining her in studying the map of the city and crouching. Roger and Aria stood guard, their respective weapons armed and ready for combat. Momon towered over them all, his raven-black armor seemingly absorbing all traces of moonlight around him.
To Ninya, Momon was a walking siege tower, twin broadswords just as much meant to be battering rams as they are for slicing foes. His armor was finely crafted, even as scuffed as it still was in some areas, and worth more than some kingdom's entire treasuries by her estimate. The earth seemed to shake beneath the warrior's feet when he walked, and his confidence was so staggering that Ninya half wondered if he was a king at one point.
Momon exuded power, no, he was power. A walking force of nature powerful enough to hold back the arm of a monster that had killed the old Wise King with apparent ease. He inspired in her the same sense of leadership that Peter did, only he was impenetrable in nearly every regard.
One day, that guy is gonna go down as a legendary hero, Ninya mused, returning her attention back to the map.
The map that she had been supplied with was fine for what it was but, unfortunately, it was not detailed enough to give her the information she wanted. Ninya hummed frustratedly, standing up from her crouched position.
"Can't think of anything that would show we can enter the city a secondary way," Dyne said, standing with her as well.
She shook her head. "The only other places I can think of are the side entrances for the guard barracks and for the merchants. They're smaller, but I don't know how populated they were when the undead overran the city. Could be we walk into a horde or we find a completely empty building."
"My team and I would be more than happy to go in and clear the way, should we run into trouble," Momon offered.
"Do you really think that we could enter through the guard's barracks or merchant's entrance? Which do you think might be safer," Peter asked, concern etching his face.
Ninya tilted her head in thought. "Merchants don't really make the big trip until the end of winter, and beginning of Spring. That means they already would've made the trip and gone home. The merchant's entrance also serves as a warehouse for where their goods are stored."
"Which would mean that it's not unlikely people fled there to try and get supplies, and either fight off the horde or wait it out," Lukrut said.
"What about the guard barracks? How likely of a chance is there that they were less populated?" Cerise asked, her voice monotone as always.
Ninya tapped her chin. "Best-case scenario? All the guards left as soon as the fighting started, which means it would definitely be the most empty. Only problem is, the door is locked from the outside, so we would need a key."
Peter gave her a "really?" look, gesturing towards their adventuring tagalongs. "Pretty sure our friends here could knock and break down the door. We don't even need to think about a key."
She giggled at that, and leaned down to pick up the map. "Then I say that we should try out the guard barracks first. Even if there were some people around, there won't be enough to pose a problem."
"Lord Roger and I will scout around the walls," Cerise declared, hefting her long hand-cannon. "We'll ensure nothing escapes the city that is not within parameters as a friendly."
Momon nodded. "Alright. Lead the way then, Ninya."
All of them sprinted to the outskirts of the city walls, Aria leaving the wagons of supplies behind but bringing the one that carried the Wise King's Usurper. Ninya felt her stomach churn at the way the beast grinned, canines glowing in the moonlight.
As they got closer to the wall, Cerise and Roger split off from the main group and went in the opposite direction. The rest of them crouched as they hugged the walls, pausing only when the same raspy roar from earlier would ring out.
It was a snail's pace to get to the entrance of the guard barracks, a small stable marking their target. They evenly spaced out, Momon standing in front of the comically small door with both broadswords drawn.
He raised a sword to tear through the flimsy wood, bringing it down with heroic might.
BOOM!
Where the door had been was now a gaping hole in the wall, pieces of rubble striking down the (thankfully) empty stable. Ninya had to cover her eyes from the heavy dust cloud, waving away stray particles.
Momon was the first to step through, having to duck slightly as he walked forward. Aria was right behind him, dragging the wagon with the Usurper.
Wait, that wagon's gonna be too big to fit into the barracks, how are we gonna make room–
Ninya's jaw dropped when she saw that not only had Sir Momon's hit completely leveled the door, but the force of the wind it generated had penetrated through to the opposite end and destroyed all the furniture in the way.
She could spy some of the housing just beyond the second hole, a few of the bricks knocked loose by the burst of air. Ninya gaped at the sight, gently stepping over the rubble and heading into the much more accommodating barracks, her team right behind her.
As they passed though, Aria lifted her staff, a baby blue glow emanating from the orb at the center of the curled tip. There was a high pitched whine as the damage was reversed, beams of wood and pieces of the wall flying back into place with blinding speed.
Once the spell ended, the wall looked as it had been, not a single trace of destruction left behind. Ninya squealed internally at the casual display of magic, not recognizing it from any school that she formally knew.
The Swords of Darkness guarded the flank of their party as they passed by the ruins of some tables and chairs, discarded chainmail and other assortments of armor littering the floor. Like with the door, everything was put back into its place as they passed.
Tables mended as chairs slid into position, the misplaced gear making their home either on the top of the tables or on the backs of chairs.
Once they finally made it out into the street, which was barely wide enough to carry the cart that the Usurper was on, the final hole was sealed, showing the inner city entrance to the barracks as they were.
"That…was the most incredible display of magic I've ever seen," she whispered excitedly, jogging back to the door to feel at the places where the wood had been broken.
To her surprise, not only had the demolition been reversed, but the wood actually looked newer, as did the bricks of the wall that had been shattered.
"My friend is capable of far more than merely reversing damage done. By the time the night is through, you'll see exactly what she's capable of," Momon praised, clapping the slightly shorter shaman's shoulder.
Aria rubbed the back of her neck, looking slightly bashful. Though Ninya felt nothing but pride, something insistently itched at the back of her mind.
Before she could really identify what it was, it vanished as soon as it came.
She shook her head as she observed the street, seeing no signs of any other people, living or otherwise. Despite the howls and moans from earlier, the city was eerily quiet. The wind itself, much like in the forest, seemed to be holding its breath.
They advanced at a steady pace, taking care not to accidentally kick a stray barrel or some other hunk of garbage. The buildings near the guard's barracks were unexpectedly clean, almost too clean
They reached an intersection near a familiar market place, when the Usurper suddenly perked up his head and sniffed.
"I smell corpses. Rank ones."
Momon held up his hand to stop. Ninya and her friends were on high alert, her staff purring with mana and her eyes glowing. The Swords of Darkness were back-to-back with one another, covering blindspots that would have been impossible to account for.
Clink...clink...clink...creak…
Her breathing quickened, the miasma of decay reaching her nostrils before the feral growls did. From around the street corner shambled a crowd of zombies and lightly armored skeletons, the latter wielding rusty swords.
There was a significantly larger skeleton that led from the front, a jagged sword in one hand and a cracked tower shield in the other. It was clasped in ragged cloth and charcoal grey plate armor, its biceps, thighs, and midsection all exposed. It wore a horned helmet upon its skeletal head, flaps of skin dangling from its scalp.
Much like Momon, it shook the earth with each heavy footfall, throwing around its great bulk. It's soulless eyes rooted Ninya in place, staring right through her rather than at her. The skeletons which followed gave deferential distance to it, parting whenever it had to walk through those in the front. It loomed over them all, casting a shadow deeper and darker than the graves of those who had passed.
It wore the face of death, and just by raising its blade did the other undead rally to its banner. It was unwavering and unyielding, even in the face of so many adventurers before it.
Crap! There's an actual Death Knight in the city?!
It reared back and roared, far deeper and throaty than from the others. The other undead joined its clarion call, before the lead abomination charged like a bull.
Momon was the first to act, dashing to meet the Death Knight head on, sword-to-sword. Aria planted herself in front of the Swords of Darkness, her eyes glowing in tune with her staff. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed out two objects no taller than writing quills.
They rapidly grew in size when they landed in front of the other zombies and skeletons, totems of similar make and mold to what Aria had used against the Usurper in the forest. They emanated the same, ghostly-blue glow as back then, with the inclusion of a visible perimeter around ten feet in diameter.
The undead horde were either too slow or too stupid to realize the danger they were in, instantly dissolving the moment their feet touched the barriers. Those near the back slowly circled around with shambling steps, bashing their subpar equipment against the buildings of the street.
The Swords of Darkness rose to meet them, Peter leading the assault this time around.
"[MARTIAL ART: FORTRESS]," Peter shouted, his form encased in a bright red glow. He hacked and slashed through the first wave of undead, their clawing attacks and sword swings either bouncing off or missing him entirely.
Dyne and Lukrut were right behind him, the druid ducking as the archer rolled over his back and began rapid-firing arrows at those in sight. Every shot landed directly into the head of a zombie, crumbling it and having the undead further in the back stumble over the remains of their comrades.
Her bearded friend swung his mace left and right, bashing in the skulls of the skeleton warriors which rushed him. Anytime one got close, he laid a hand directly onto its ribcage, and a mass of roots erupted and tore apart the skeleton from within.
Ninya followed but still kept a healthy distance back, buffing her teammates with various spells and taking out undead that came up on her teammates blinspots with bolts of fire or blasts of steamy acid. Aria stood right behind her, augmenting her attacks and unleashing bouts of spiritual energy that would chain to nearby targets, disintegrating their enemies' frail bodies.
Ninya could hear some light grunts from beyond, where Momon grappled with the Death Knight with his bare hands, his broadswords sank into the ground nearby. In a feat of incredible might, Momon actually managed to pull the Death Knight into an overhead carry.
He tossed the legendary undead as if he weighed no more than a river stone through the side of a nearby building, burying it under a mountain of rubble.
That didn't seem to bother the Death Knight, who burst from its temporary tomb with an explosion of negative energy. It shook off the remaining dust, turning its malevolent gaze towards Ninya with a snarl.
It pointed a sword at her, and she could feel herself internally buzzing with unprecedented agitation. The Death Knight tore off the last of the rubble stuck to its form, waving its horns at her before charging her.
Waves of murky blackness rolled off its body in waves, overwhelming her as she was slammed full-force with its aura alone. Her limbs locked up, unable to raise and defend herself from the approaching behemoth. A chill overcame her, and she shivered despite the ordinarily warm clothing she wore.
By the time she was able to snap out of it, The Death Knight was hulking above her, sword raised and ready to bisect from forehead to toe.
A staff shot out from the corner of Ninya's vision, smashing the Death Knight full center and driving it backwards. A splat of ectoplasm clung to where it was struck, slowly sinking into the Death Knight's emaciated chest.
As the knight righted itself, the space inbetween its ribs began to shine with ethereal light. While the knight raised its sword to strike again, Aria placed herself between Ninya and the hostile legendary undead.
Aria's face was contorted into a feral snarl that would make her helmet jealous, smacking her open palm where the Death Knight's new shine was coming from.
The Death Knight imploded with a ghostly howl, a vortex sprouting from the cobblestone street where it had stood. From the swirling portal lunged the spirit of a massive-dire bear, smashing the crossway into pebbles with considerable force.
FWOOM!
A shockwave rippled out, tripping over the remaining undead and allowing the Swords of Darkness to pounce on them and finish them off at their leisure. The bear disappeared, and by the time all was said and done, the only thing remaining of the undead minions were their bones and the dust of their mummified skin.
However, the Death Knight had left behind its zig-zag greatsword, buried blade-first in the remains of the intersection. Aria was bending over to pick her helmet back up, blowing the dirt off of the eye ridges.
Ninya blinked, realizing that when the knight had been defeated and dropped its sword, it must have accidentally knocked off Aria's helmet. The moonlight shimmered through her burgundy ringlets, and shadowed her face in a celestial glow. Aria gave Ninya a soft smile, small dimples forming before she finally put her wolf skull helmet on.
Her ears rang, and she swore that her heart skipped a beat.
She only started breathing again when Peter walked over, looking no worse the wear, and gave her a once over.
Peter possessed an excellent poker face, but some faint trace of amusement twinkled in his eye. She gave him a questioning look, but Peter gave no further response, a smile finally breaking through as he shook his head.
Ninya tilted her head, and prepared to ask her leader what he thought was so funny. The footsteps of Lukrut and Dyne interrupted her and, much like Peter, they bore similar looks.
Ninya could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as they all silently stared at her for a moment, and she almost stamped her foot in frustration to ask what was wrong.
"Is everyone alright?" Sir Momon asked, breaking the impromptu staring contest, "I apologize if I accidentally harmed any of you when I threw that monster, but I got a little caught up in the fighting."
Peter turned away from her, adopting a more serious display. "We're all right over here. It looks like Ninya and Aria finished off the Death Knight themselves."
Momon nodded. "That's good. We should keep moving from here. We need to discover where these undead are coming from, and we should see if we can find any survivors."
The lot of them bobbed their heads in agreement, wading through the piles of dust and sand that had spilled out from their fallen foes. When Ninya glanced over her shoulder, she saw that Momon had stopped to inspect the blade of the Death Knight.
The raven-black warrior craned his neck up and down the length of the sword, presumably studying it. She saw that he picked it up and held it against the moonlight, before finally strapping it to his back with his dual broadswords he had retrieved.
Aria ran back to the alleyway to grab the cart that held the Wise King's killer, yanking it by the chains which bound the amalgamated beast. When Ninya saw the Usurper, he looked suitably annoyed.
They walked at a moderate pace this time around, quickly weaving through the streets and finding more and more bodies of innocent civilians or slain adventurers. One such individual they passed had been cleaved in two, a blood splatter staining the wall of the red brick behind him.
Ninya passed by the remains of a father covering his two children, his back covered in various stab wounds and claw marks. The children beneath him had died wide-eyed, their mouths frozen in shock and abject horror.
A couple further down the street had died in each other's arms, their faces covered in a swarm of buzzing flies, strips of pale skin and bloody muscle hanging from their cheeks and jaws. There were noticeable chew marks around their foreheads and ears.
She nearly hurled at that last one, but she pushed past the feelings of nausea and sprinted past the bodies.
This kept on for several, agonizing minutes, the streets growing more familiar as she realized that, apparently, they had all quietly agreed to go and visit the adventurer's guild in E-Rantel...or what remained of it, Ninya supposed.
When they finally arrived, she was astonished to see that, save for a few loose stones and a bloody handprint on the door, the adventurer's guild was relatively unharmed.
"HALT!" a gruff voice yelled from inside. "If you're with those damnable cultists, I'll have you know that we have some of the best archers this side of Re-Estize stationed on top of every building surrounding the guild! State your business or prepare to meet the Six!"
"Hail, friends," Dyne said soothingly, "I am Dyne of the Swords of Darkness! We have just returned to see the city under siege! We mean you no harm, and we would like to know what is going on."
The voice from inside the guild fell silent. Ninya had to strain her ears, but she swore she could hear angrily suppressed shouts from inside. A small crash echoed, but then all was quiet once more.
Finally, a grizzled-looking man stepped out from the guild headquarters, shoving the door aside. He was in his later years, as evidenced by his completely gray but well-kept hair and handle-bar mustache. He still possessed the musculature of a prime adventurer.
His clothing was covered in a fine layer of soot and ash, but was devoid of any sort of blood. He stood with an impatient air, as if he were waiting for an overly-late merchant rather than facing against six adventurers.
His stormy eyes passed over Ninya and the Swords of Darkness, briefly inspected Momon and Aria, before finally landing on the mammoth form of the Usurper behind them all. He raised an eyebrow at that, but otherwise made no other comment on the matter.
"Two of you are new to me, so I'll briefly introduce myself. I am Pluton Ainzach, guildmaster of the Adventurer's guild here in E-Rantel. State your business and where the hell you've been while this shitshow has been going on."
"Greetings, Sir Pluton," Momon said cordially, "My team and I are new adventurers, having only signed up for the role a few days ago. We have been under the guidance of the Swords of Darkness since then."
"We originally struck out into the Forest of Tob to try and capture the Wise King of the Forest," Peter added, jumping into the conversation. "Things… did not go according to plan."
Pluton said nothing, starting to walk to the cart that held the Usurper in his confinement. Ninya was tempted to warn the guildmaster not to get too close, that even bound, the Usurper could kill him in a number of potential ways.
As if reading her thoughts, the guildmaster shot her a warning look, and then promptly looked the Usurper in the eye. The Usurper held his gaze, and they seemed to almost have a mental conversation of their own.
A moment passed, and Pluton was the first to break away. His stoic expression hadn't changed, but his shoulders were noticeably tenser than they had been before.
"Whatever the hell he is," Pluton said, "He isn't your Wise King."
Lukrut scoffed, "No duh, this guy admitted himself that he killed the old Wise King of the Forest and took over. He's very powerful."
Pluton hummed, pacing back and forth in front of the monster. "I'm assuming he can speak freely, if that's what you were able to deduce? Unless you somehow found the old king's corpse–"
Mekongawa let out a low growl, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"I will NOT be ignored! I HAVE a name, and I DO believe that I shared it with the Swords of Darkness as a sign of my respect! Release me from these damn chains already!"
Gasps were heard from inside the Adventurer's guild, several adventurer's of various rankings piling out to observe the Usurper. Ninya noted some familiar faces, but there were also a great many more that were missing.
Ninya felt her chest constrict at that observation, but she powered through it to watch the Usurper.
Mekongawa puffed up his chest as much as he could, the chains creaking. "I am the Beast King, MEKONGAWA! Killer of the old Wise King of the Forest, and the apex predator of these lands! Your fealty would be greatly appreciated, but I will settle for groveling instead, little morsels."
Mekongawa...It is a fitting name for you. I'm sorry I haven't given you that much respect at least.
The adventurer's crowded around Mekongawa, whispering among themselves as some gingerly reached a hand out to touch him.
The chimera's serpentine tail hissed, spreading a strange, scaly hood from its head. Venom poured from the needle fangs in its mouth, steaming against the cobblestone road.
Holy cow! I thought the scripture mages said it just paralyzed people. Maybe the venom has some sort of double-action feature then?
Those who had tried to touch Mekongawa jumped away, and the serpent retreated back to its previous position, watching them all with beady, black eyes. A forked tongue shot in and out of its mouth repeatedly, but was otherwise still.
The beastly warrior chuckled. "It seems to have a mind of its own, so don't touch me. Once I'm out of these chains, I can begin proper introductions, as one befitting my station should. Until then, I refuse to speak further."
"Right… and we have what assurances that you won't just eat us all and fly away, leaving the rest of us to die?" a chain-mail-wearing adventurer snarked.
"Not to mention that if you managed to kill the old Wise King, I'm not exactly liking our chances," exclaimed another, who looked barely out of her adolescence.
Mekongawa's noble lion-man face contorted in rage. "You DARE question MY integrity?! I should slay you all on the spot… but I won't. These Adventurers who fought well against me do not wish it, and since they put me in their debt, I will not."
"Debt?! Since when have we accrued a debt?" Lukrut asked, aghast at the revelation.
"Since my defeat in the forest, you dim-witted fool! Your leader fought MOST impressively, but YOU yourselves wrestled and bested my pets. ALL of you have a hand over me, as much as I both adore and DESPISE it."
That hit Ninya like a kinetic blast. She felt as if she had just been given control over an entire battalion of gunners on the castle wall. To know that she was given such power, especially over someone who had needed the combined might of two adventuring teams to take down, even if it was shared...
Dyne stroked his beard. "How should we play this out? We could let him out, and force him to help in the fight against the undead, if what he really says is true."
Peter shook his head. "I don't know. He could be using the plot of a 'debt' to get us to lower our guard, so that way when we free him, he can finish us off or just escape altogether."
"Even still, I don't see any reason why he would lie, especially if he truly believes that we beat him fair and square. Not to mention he's most likely also considered the possibility that we'll just entrap him again."
"In my opinion, this is no place to do a science experiment, gentlemen," Pluton butted in, crossing his buff arms. "Despite his apparent loyalty through combat, I don't like the look of him. I think it's best if we just leave him be… but you're the ones who caught him, so it's up to you whether you're confident you can bring him down again or not."
Ninya scanned the faces of her teammates, who still looked unsure. She then turned her attention to Momon, who seemed almost annoyed by the whole situation. She wouldn't have blamed him, seeing as how the Usurp–er, Mekongawa, had bodied him into the earth.
Her last stop was Aria, who met her eyes. She expected for the shaman to share some sort of spiritual wisdom, or that the moment they looked at one another, she would be struck by a sudden bout of inspiration. At the very least, Ninya expected that Aria would shrug her shoulders and then proceed to do nothing.
Instead, Aria gave her a nod, gesturing with her chin towards the cart.
Ninya's face broke out into a grin as she practically skipped towards Mekongawa, gently sliding past Pluton and another adventurer, both of whom displayed surprise at her sudden appearance.
"You're right, King Mekongawa," Ninya said with as much authority as she could muster. "Let's get you out of there so that way you can stretch."
Mekongawa oozed self-satisfaction, turning his nose up at the other adventurers as if they weren't worth his time. For good measure, he flexed his right bicep, jingling the chain.
Just as she bent to dispel her portion of the chains, she felt the wind shift, a familiar stench reaching her before the noises did.
Flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap.
Mekongawa's nose twitched, and he grimaced. "I know that smell…"
She frowned, as it sounded awfully close to a flock of-
"Are-are those birds? What the hell are a bunch of birds doing all the way over here?" one of the adventurers asked, a younger woman with untidy, fiery red hair.
"They kinda look like crows," said an older, clean-shaven man with platinum hair. "Might be here to feast on the slaughter."
Ninya didn't miss the way in which Momon and Aria tensed as they watched the birds get closer, swarming in and around each other like a hive of bees. The moonlight reflected a metallic black color off of their feathers.
Once the flock was within range, her hairs stood on end as the mass of birds hovered in place, gaining speed by the second.
Momon tackled Aria, dashing to grab and cover Ninya and her friends once he hit the floor. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN NOW!"
A wall of feathers shot out from the tightly enclosed orb of birds, the projectiles embedding themselves into the landscape as easily as a knife through butter. Almost all of the adventurers present followed Momon's advice and hit the floor.
Some were not so lucky.
The older man staggered, toppling over right after his head had slipped from his body, blood pouring and staining the front of his leather jerkin. The fiery red head screeched in agony as her right arm dangled by a thread, clutching at her wounds as she rolled around in the dirt of the road after collapsing.
A collective squaw reflected off, the birds disengaging from one another to swoop down with talons outstretched, eyes like coal burning with unfathomable hunger.
Adventurers who were more attuned to heavy armor and shields were the first to recover, scrambling to cover their comrades with their equipment as best as they could. Thankfully, the talons slid harmlessly off of the denser plate.
Ninya curled into as tight of a ball as she could, her teammates scooting closer under the large bulk of Momon. The sound of the bird's talons on Momon's armor was like nails on a chalkboard, and she slightly cried out from the noise.
"ARIA! Summon the loudest bell that you can to drive these Stymphalians off of us," Momon shouted over the din.
Aria, who was curled up next to Lukrut, shoved her staff from underneath Momon's right arm and charged it with mana. The shaman lightly shook it, and the clearest peal of a church bell resounded off the stone walls of the buildings surrounding them.
The birds cawed in fright, immediately flying off to sit on the roofs of nearby buildings. Momon immediately shot to his feet, unlatching and slashing his swords through the air. Streams of wind sliced through a small group of the newly-named Stymphalians, while the rest took to the air and congealed into another ball of feathers and avian fury.
"MEN," Pluton yelled, "SHIELDS UP!"
The plate mail adventurers created a shield wall, dragging the wounded behind it so that some of the nearby mages could tend to them.
Another volley of razor-sharp arrows flew down, driving through the heavy armor much more easily than the bird's talons had. Some of the adventurers wailed as they lost fingers or hands, yet the shield wall stood resolute.
Ninya had summoned a small magical barrier to protect her and the other Swords of Darkness, the feathers thankfully bouncing off of her mana-fueled protection. When the volley ended, Ninya shot a blast of acid towards the flock, melting some of their number directly out of the sky.
Aria summoned some spiritual falcons to harass and eat the much smaller Stymphalians, the aerial dogfighting showering the adventurers in rotted gore and congealed blood. The stench was so unbearable that Ninya gagged.
A hulking beast lunged over the shield wall, flapping mighty wings that carried a bulk comparable to a bear. She saw a beaked mouth, wide open and chomping lower flying Stymphalians. Its razor sharp claws slashed through the air, taking down some of them.
However, it couldn't remain in the air for long, being bombarded by metallic arrows and particularly brave Stymphalians. It crashed to the earth with a heavy thud, where a younger man and an older, wilder looking compatriot that could've been his teacher or his grandfather.
They worked as a team to fend off the horrendous birds, taking down their fair share of them. However, more swarms of the birds joined the depleting flock, augmenting their numbers and darkening the sky in a show of metallic plumage and bronze encrusted beaks.
"There's too many of them! What are we gonna do?" Lukrut asked, firing and reloading his bow as fast as his nimble fingers would allow him. Though he hadn't suffered the worst of the damage, thin cuts covered his boyish face.
Dyne crouched with a hand to the earth, the road glowing yellow as vines shot out and impaled the Stymphalians that got close. "We need something that can kill them all at once! Sir Momon, do you have anything that you can use?"
Momon stepped back, both broadswords unleashed and wildly slashing the air as he sent more air waves to cut down the horde. "Even back home, these damn things were annoying! We need some fire! And we need a lot of it!"
Wait, we need something that can give off lots of fire? I can't possibly produce that much, but I think I know who can!
Ninya turned back to the cart where Mekongawa was, the Usurper watching the entire fight with an interested eye. A small pile of feathers was all around him, most likely having bounced off of his scaly and furry hide.
She slid as she ran towards the bound beast king, her hands waving over her batch of the chains and dispelling them one by one. Aria must have seen what she was going to do, as she joined her in removing them.
Mekongawa stared at them the whole while, the tips of his whiskers twitching. His eyes began to glow, and the inside of his maw became home to a steady flame no larger than an apple.
When the final chain fell away, dissolving in a cloud of inky-blackness, Mekongawa slowly rose to his feet, stretching each individual arm out in front of him. He yawned, scratching at his chin as he took in the scene around him.
Ninya and Aria backed away, the both of them giving the beast king the space he needed to do...whatever he needed to do.
"Well, I heard you call for fire, yes?" Mekongawa asked casually, as if he were enjoying mid-afternoon tea on a summer day.
His primal features split into a gruesome grin, drops of liquid flame flowing from his snout and onto the earth. "It would be my pleasure."
He knelt on all fours, launching himself into the air with a blast of air and debris. Aria shielded Ninya from the brunt of the attack with her body, but the two mages kept their eye on the ascending Mekongawa.
Once he had reached sufficient altitude, he spread his wings with a crack, roaring in challenge to the Stymphalian flock. The birds squawked in return, preparing another volley of feather arrows.
They never got the chance, with Mekongawa opening his mouth as wide as he could. With a ROAR that shook her bones, he released the full, unrestrained power of his fire.
The direct center of the swarm burnt to cinders instantly, the birds twisting and weaving through the air to escape the barrage of dragon-like embers.
Ninya's forehead was perspiring, and when she chanced a look at her fellow adventurers, they were in much the same shape. Those who wore the heaviest of armor near instantly collapsed from the intensity of the heat above.
One portion of the original flock flew high above Mekongawa's head, dive bombing him with their bronze beaks. He swatted the whole batch with a wing, as if they were no more significant than house flies, their bones shattering as they splattered against a nearby building.
Another swarm flew directly underneath the Usurper, perhaps to try and peck at him where he was most vulnerable, only for his serpentine tail to lash out and spew twin streams of venom.
The birds that were hit dissolved into puddles of goo mid-air, and those who survived found themselves handily fended off by Mekongawa's secondary defense.
All the while, he laughed and laughed, like a child out in the forest with his friends. It was so pure and happy that Ninya couldn't help but to laugh lightly with him, watching as he carved a path through the undead birds.
The remaining portions of the super flock descended upon the adventurers on the ground but, much like their brethren, they were quickly whittled down to no more than a few dozen. The surviving Stymphalians attempted to fly away, but were merely shot down by either arrow, blade, fire, or some other medium.
When all was said and done, the adventurers still standing were coated with sticky feathers and scraps of maggot-riddled flesh. They were out of breath, huffing and puffing both from physical exertion and unrelenting terror.
Aria let go of Ninya, the younger mage realizing that she had been held onto for the remainder of the fight after Mekongawa had taken to the skies.
I think I'm gonna need a vacation after this. A really, REALLY long vacation...I wonder how the beaches of the Holy Roble Kingdom are?
The Usurper landed before them all, a light cloud of dust billowing out from his abrupt landing. Adventurers gasped as they contended to get away from the beastly one the quickest.
When he stood, he towered over Momon, who crossed his dual broadswords over his chest in defiance. The two apexes stared one another down, before he shoved past the warrior to stand before Ninya and Aria.
He lowered himself into a low crouch, keeping his head up so that he wouldn't accidentally gore Ninya with his mountain-goat horns.
Despite herself, she found that she could at least look him in the eye, and she found that there was a small hint of pride in his ember eyes. He was so close to her that she could pick out flecks of obsidian in his irises.
"YOU showed initiative," Mekongawa said, never taking his gaze off of her. Ninya continued to stare back.
His face broke into a friendly grin, and he lightly tapped her shoulder with his index finger. "Not bad, little human. What would you have me do?"
She finally allowed herself to breathe and, for once in her life, she could feel all eyes on her. When she focused her attention on those around her, she could see her teammates beaming at her with admiration. Sir Momon gave her a thumbs up, considering that his face was completely covered by his helmet.
Aria rested a hand on her shoulder, and she could feel her face slightly heat up from that. She allowed her inner warmth to fade away and took another deep breath.
"We need to help cleanse this city of undead. I don't know where the source is coming from, but I do know one of the bigger suppliers of negative energy is flying around too. If we can take that out, at least, we should be able to handle everything else here."
Mekongawa inclined his head. "I am always one for a great battle! Come, little human, let us take to the skies!"
"Wait, the skies? What do you mean–Woah!" Ninya exclaimed, the massive titan picking her up by the scruff of her clothing, like a mother cat would her kitten. He sat her down on his shoulders, just above the bristly spines that lined his back.
His mane was excellently groomed, so soft and velvety that she was tempted to lie her head down in it and take a nap. She swept away such thoughts, straightening her back as she finally stood head and shoulders over everyone else.
Her leader rushed forward with his hand out. "Ninya, wait! You shouldn't go alone, we can come with you, just give us time to recover and make sure that everyone here is alright at least!"
Pluton nodded in agreement. "He's right, son. This 'Usurper' may have helped us out with these damn murder crows, but I don't like the look in his eye. I would highly advise against going alone with him."
Mekongawa snarled, falling to all fours as he bumped his snout against the guildmaster, forcing him to stumble back.
"I. AM. INDEBTED...My honor dictates that I do not harm even a HAIR on this gi-boy's head. If I'd wanted to escape or kill you all, I would've done so before the pigeons did it."
The guildmaster's expression remained as solid as stone, save for a single drop of sweat that traced itself down his brow. He did nothing like visibly gulp or go on his hands and knees to grovel, but his brows did furrow.
"Apologies, Mekongawa," Pluton said respectfully, "My distrust of you is merely a result of my lifetime as an adventurer. Your savagery is noted...but so too is your honesty. I won't make that mistake again."
Mekongawa said nothing as he returned to a bipedal stance, his hooves clopping. Ninya allowed herself one last look to her friends, who still looked up at her imploringly. Momon and Aria both stared at her, probably waiting to see what she would do.
She reflected upon everything she had done to get up to this point, and why she was even doing it in the first place. She knew, even with the vicious might of the new Wise King she sat on, she very well could die, especially if she knew what it was she knew she had to kill.
I swear to you...I will make it through this night alive, and I will come and find you. That is my promise and my mission!
"Peter," Ninya said, "If I don't make it back, I just want you guys to know that I don't regret a single thing since I joined up with you all. Sir Momon and Lady Aria, it was an absolute honor to get to meet you guys. You'll make legendary adventurers one day."
Momon held up a hand. "Worry not, friend Ninya! I will make sure that you have all the support that you need when you do what you must! Me and the others will hunt down the summoners, while you take care of that source of negative energy from earlier. Aria, if you would please."
Aria's helmet jangled as she walked over to Mekongawa, who squatted so that she could reach Ninya on his back.
She felt the hand of the shaman touch her knee, and a sudden warmth of some foreign spell she didn't recognize fortifying her.
Her blood felt electric, and her muscles felt noticeably denser to a certain degree. When she breathed in and out, there was a slight undertone to it, as if someone was breathing alongside her. It was an odd feeling, but overall not-unpleasant.
Aria gave the younger mage another one of her radiant smiles, patting her knee before returning to Momon's side.
"Shall we, little human?" Mekongawa asked, crouching into a familiar position with his wings raised.
Ninya laughed, despite herself. "Yeah, let's free this city!"
Her sentiment was echoed by the remaining adventurers who rushed back into the guild to prepare, most likely for either another assault or to hunt down the summoners as Momon had said.
Her teammates were the last ones to enter, all of them giving her a morose smile, as if she were leaving home for the first time. One by one, they all turned and pushed the door, Peter's back being the last thing she saw before Mekongawa launched himself.
She could quite literally hear nothing past the sound of the rushing wind and Mekongawa's roars of jubilation. Even from her vantage point in the sky, the city was gigantic, but she could already see her target resting in the center of E-Rantel itself.
Even with the full moon out that night, Ninya had been unable to grasp the true enormity of the source of negative energy she had felt earlier, but from her studies, she had a pretty good idea of what it was.
She knew it could not slumber, but it did enjoy lounging around when there was no notable sources of positive energy for it to feed upon. It sat upon the mayor's manor, its roof caved in from the considerable weight of its newest resident.
As Mekongawa spiraled overhead, it raised its head, scraps of meat and shards of bone tumbling from in between its thorny crown of horns. What made it different from other specimens of its kind was that it possessed two pairs of wings, four forelimbs and two rear legs, and a tail as thick as a redwood tree and as long as a city road. Near the tip of its tail, it split into two smaller halves, which operated independently.
It radiated such decay and utter hunger that Ninya felt like a mouse before a mountain lion. It had six crimson eyes that glowed dimly in its skull, and all of them focused right on her with the intensity of a lighthouse.
It was both the most beautiful and abominable sight that she had ever seen in her life.
Gotta admit, seeing an amalgamated skeletal dragon wouldn't make for a bad study, provided it didn't try and ravage a city first.
The undead reptile roared, both ear-splitting and rattling from its torn vocal cords. It slowly rose to its feet, the extra forelimbs rising above its shoulders and flexing talons as dense as steel. Its split tail razed an entire street corner as it lashed about.
Mekongawa grunted as he hovered in mid-air, bouts of fire curling from his nostrils. "That's IT? I expected… MORE from a city destroyer. It just looks cheaply made."
The younger mage's eyes bugged out of her head. "W-what?! That's an amalgamated skeleton dragon! It's easily twice as strong as any other of its kind! How can you just so casually dismiss something like that?"
Mekongawa shrugged, nearly bucking Ninya off into the spines just below her. "I've got keen eyes, and a good sense of smell. I know what I can do, and I can usually just tell these sorts of things. Speaking of which…"
The Usurper looked over his shoulder and gave her a knowing side-eye, and she remembered his near vocal slip-up when he had confronted Pluton earlier. Her heart sank as the repercussions of him knowing exactly what she was began to settle.
"Your secret is safe with me, little human," he reassured, "I, too, know the value of secrecy. So long as you wish it, I'll tell no soul, though I believe your comrades will NOT damn you for it."
Ninya looked off to the side, seeing all the buildings just below her that looked no bigger than toy houses. She felt a hollow memory surface, one of a kinder, gentler face, one who would've given up the world for her.
"Because it's not their fight," she muttered. She felt childish with how meek she sounded.
Mekongawa tilted his head, taking care not to smack her with his mighty horns. "It doesn't need to be, whatever that means, but I would guess with how well you all fought me, you are all close. I will not claim to know your circumstances, as you would not know mine, but I do understand the concept of 'friends', as you call it."
The skeletal dragon roared again, stomping the rest of the manor it had taken for itself into the dust. It wagged its head with impatience as its pairs of wings boomed. It slowly rose into the air, each pair of wings flapping one after the other in a synchronous rhythm.
"It seems our small talk is over," Mekongawa said. "It's time to end this."
Ninya aimed her staff over the beast king's shoulder, the tip glowing acid green with tinges of aqua blue. "You're absolutely right. It's time we take back this city."
For all of their own might, the Usurper was only as tall as one of the forearms of the amalgamated skeleton dragon, its colossal bulk blotting out the stars and moons when it came eye-level with them both.
She knew she should've been scared, that she should've tried in vain to get away. Yet, a strange sense of peace came over her, and she knew that by that point, there was no turning back.
The skeleton dragon swung a claw at them, and Mekongawa dodged to the side with a barrel roll. Another limb, big as a tree, attempted to intercept them, but a powerful flap of the Beast King's wings moved them above its swing.
The skeleton dragon reared back its head, a purple glow gathering in its neck that made Ninya's skin shudder. Having fought Mekongawa, she recognized the motion as a charging breath attack.
The chimera charged his own, and at the same time, two bursts of light appeared in midair between them, one bright and loud and hot, the other purple and sickening to even look at.
BOOM
They collided, throwing shockwaves in all directions. Below them, ruined buildings flattened and flames were blown out by the combined force of both attacks. Ninya could only hold on for dear life, as the amalgamate of bones seemed to match Mekongawa's power.
He seemed to take offense at that, and he HOWLED, forcing the dragon's negative breath back with his own. After a moment, it reached the dragon, and the fire began to burn away the rotted flesh of the undead nightmare in front of them.
The beast screeched, as old sinews and more organic bits caught aflame. The wings especially seemed susceptible to this, as they burned up the quickest. It fell, crashing down into the city and leveling a city block in its wake.
Mekongawa dived, tucking his wings in close to his body while Ninya buried her face into his mane, the wind rushing past her and clouding her vision. The amalgamate had landed on its back, rolling back and forth to right itself.
Just as it had gotten back into a more advantageous position, he smashed his claws into the spine where the wings were, punching a hole straight through its great bulk and out the other side. Mekongawa had landed feet-first at the last second, shielding the younger mage from the full force of his impact.
The amalgamation careened into the side of another building, the upper half crashing down onto its back legs and fracturing its hip bones. The undead wheezed, its eyes flickering for a moment as its head lowered.
They stood inside of the ribcage of the skeleton dragon, which housed them both comfortably with room to spare above their heads. It had no sternum bone, or a draconic equivalent, so Mekongawa's hooved feet stood upon the broken cobblestones of the street.
A strange collection of addled organs and moldy bones littered its chest cavity. The smell was overwhelmingly musty, moths fluttering from one end to the other alongside massive flies.
"This is the grossest thing I've ever done," Ninya commented.
"Agreed," Mekongawa said, the rib cage rumbling.
Moonlight started to filter through as the amalgamated skeleton dragon stood back up, some of the bones inside of its chest cavity sliding along canals of putrid flesh to repair the damage that had been done to its outside body.
Neither beast king nor mage moved a muscle as the skeleton dragon's chest cavity rose around them, as it reasserted itself on its legs, backing up into several other buildings with fwooms.
Mekongawa turned casually to face the fully repaired monster, all six of its eyes focused on the both of them.
"So smashing through its proverbial heart didn't do much. Perhaps the head next?"
Ninya stroked her chin in thought. "We can try that, but considering it has an autoheal feature, maybe we can-"
Ninya never finished that thought, as the undead raised one of its extra forelimbs and slammed it upon them with all of its might. The Usurper merely held up his arm and a wing above his own head to shield her from harm.
The bony limb splintered like glass, fragments of fingers and the palm flying out in all directions. When her vision was unobscured by Mekongawa's wing, she watched as the amalgamated skeleton dragon observed its destroyed appendage quizzically.
"You were saying?" the Usurper asked from below her.
"...aim for the head, I think I know where its weak spot might be."
He nodded, lowering himself to all fours as his hind legs tensed, the hooves breaking up the cobblestone street. With a blast of wind he launched himself directly at the target's head, and split the undead's snout in two.
The colossal creature wobbled, more pieces of its body shattering upon the earth below as they fell off. Though Ninya still had Aria's protections upon her, she could feel the tips of the broken bones scraping along the hem of her cloak.
The Usurper got them far, almost half way down its throat when she saw what she was looking for.
"There!" Ninya shouted over the dragon's gurgles, "You see that thing glowing near the end of the esophagus? I need you to tear that right out!"
"As you say, little human!" Mekongawa tore away at the fetid muscle.
The beastly king spewed more bouts of fire, charring whatever little organic matter remained and coming upon the object of their desire. They were both near the center of the chest cavity, not quite in the ribcage but further than the end of the throat.
It sat on a cushion of cardiac muscle, slimy with mucus and reeking of vomit. It was the color of jet, with a pulsating membrane as if it were an egg ready to hatch. It was repulsive, and it needed to be vacated right that second.
Mekongawa wasted no time, plunging his hand through the membrane and grasping onto the melon-sized orb. It made a sound like glass being scratched as his talons dragged along the edge of it. When he ripped it out of its home, it made a wet schluck sound.
The orb cracked, and then crumbled away into dust as it was deprived of its native environment.
The whole cavern shook, the amalgamation wailing as it was cut off from the source of its unlife-force. The sound of tearing could be heard as bones and dead muscle shifted around, most likely the undead splitting back up into its original components.
The Usurper knelt and took Ninya off of his shoulders, wrapping his wings around her as their moist space tore itself apart around them. The wailing devolved into two distinct roars, and moonlight could be seen through the thin skin of his wings.
When Ninya peeked past the corner of one of the wings, she saw two smaller skeleton dragons fumbling with their surroundings, cracking the walls of buildings and crushing wagons, benches, and light fixtures under foot.
It almost feels like I'm watching some newborns trying to walk for the first time. Whatever the case, I know I still can't use magic on these guys.
"Okay," she started, "We've done the hard part now, so now we gotta finish off these two. You should have no problem tearing through these guys right?"
Mekongawa shrugged. "Actually, take a step back. Something smells off, and I think I know what it is. Avert your eyes."
The younger mage frowned and turned to look at him. "Wait, what's that supposed to mean–?"
"TACTICAL NUKE: INCOMING!"
A crackled voice seemed to call down to them from the heavens, and she could hear the whistling of a projectile soaring through the air.
Ninya looked directly upwards and she saw an oval-shaped vessel, like a large rounded wine bottle, fly over the heads of the buildings, and land directly in-between the two dazed undead.
KA-BOOM!
The word "EXPLOSION" didn't even describe what happened next.
One moment, she saw the two skeletal dragons righting themselves on their feet, only to be engulfed in an ever-growing field of pure light. Branches of forked lightning struck at nearby buildings, vaporizing them within moments.
Whatever sweat Ninya had accumulated over that night evaporated instantly, and her skin blistered from the heat… only to immediately swell down as Aria's protection went into effect.
It was so bright that even as she did as the Usurper suggested and turned away, she could feel the light of that attack through the back of her skull.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a secondary sun of unimaginable power.
The air sucked in at the impact site as an aftershock blew away the majority of the fierceness she felt.
Her ears rang, and her pulse skyrocketed as the searing blast receded. When the light finally faded, she had the courage to turn back around.
Her jaw dropped, as she beheld a sight she would always remember.
Where the two skeletal dragons had stood, was now a crater the size of the city block. The stones glowed molten hot as they melted and flowed into the center, solidifying into a murky-colored glass.
There wasn't even powder left over, just scorch marks burned into the ground where the two undead had once been. The air felt extremely heavy, and even oppressive at times.
The sizzling she heard reminded her of fresh-cooked eggs and thick-sliced bacon on an early morning. Her stomach rumbled at the first thought, then heaved as she collapsed to her knees.
"What…," Ninya whispered, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Her legs spasmed, and her body felt tight and loose at the same time, as if she couldn't decide whether to run away or curl into a ball. Maybe either would've been preferable if it meant she could regain her muscle control.
She shook her head, and tried again. "Wha-what just happened? They were just there, and now… now they're NOT…"
The touch of a hand encompassing her shoulder, settled her nerves. She felt Mekongawa kneel behind her, giving her a pat on the back. His serpentine tail encircled her legs, looking up at her with a curious but gentle gaze. It nuzzled the tip of her left boot.
"What you just saw," he said, "was the most devastating weapon to ever greet the world before this one. Be thankful THAT one was much smaller and less powerful. Were it at maximum strength, this entire city would look like this crater."
Ninya nearly fainted.
The whole city?! Not even the most powerful magic caster in the world could manage that! And what's this about another world?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!
She never turned to look at him, but she asked all the same anyways, even if she knew she knew she might not get answers. "Mekongawa?"
"Yes, little human?"
"Just how old are you?"
He was, understandably, silent on the matter. He did not rise, but the serpent raised to meet her at eye level. It licked her cheek, and then returned back to its usual place behind him.
Ninya finally stood up, and she decided that her job here was done. When she pivoted on her feet, she could see Mekongawa waiting for her, head bowed and on a knee to let her climb back up on his shoulders.
She did so, and with a tug on his mane, they both took to the skies. The moaning of the dead was few and far between, now that the source of most of the negative energy had been dispelled. They flew in relative silence for most of their trip, and it was only until the familiar shape of the Adventurer's Guild that he spoke again.
"I'm old enough to remember what it was like."
Ninya startled out of her empty thoughts. "What? I don't understand."
They landed, and Ninya slid down the bicep of the Usurper. He raised to his full height, and looked down at her somberly.
"I remember a time...when there was no green. When there was no peace or happiness, in the general sense. There were only the cities, and the human zombies they held. It was a hellish existence, perpetuated by war and petty greed. Be thankful you never have to see it for yourself."
Ninya said nothing, allowing those words to absorb into the very core of her being. If all else failed tonight, if she made it out of this mess alive and intact…
Whatever he knows, I need to find out. He knows something that I and nobody could ever even comprehend. Whatever it takes, I'm gonna have him help me on my journey to find HER. Whatever...it...takes…
Ninya squared her shoulders, and then she re-entered the Adventurer's Guild.