Needing to hurry down the uneven slope blind as he's being knocked in the back repeatedly, the stress builds to a climax where he makes one wrong step, causing him to stumble forward and this time fail to catch his balance, leading him to fall and begin tumbling down the dune, being carried by the storm and gravity at an uncontrollable rate. He tries to dig his hands into the sand, even letting go of his knife to better grip the grains that just slip through his fingers.
Still he fights to find any control to stop his slide, desperately clinging to the ground, grasping at grains, just letting his hands reach wherever possible as he can't guide them with his sight anyways. He does somewhat slow down, at least in better control of his velocity, motivating him to continue this tactic, digging his hands into the ground, swiping for stability though he accidentally knocks his hand into a black branch which flashes white before being concealed in the yellow cloud.
Strolling down residential streets by the outskirts of the town, a mother holding the hand of her young daughter, both of whom are dressed in wide hats and kimonos, turns towards the dunes upon hearing that whistling wind, setting her eyes on the incoming sandstorm. She clicks her tongue twice before judging, "That looks pretty bad, we should get back home."
The daughter frowns and reluctantly agrees, "Okay…can we go to the market later then?"
"Of course dear," the mother assures as she turns around and begins leading her child away from the storm in a pace more hurried, though not in a desperate sprint, for an occurrence like this couldn't be something those who've lived in this desert are new to, their evasive protocols established and simple.
Under his tent, Tolger the butcher hands a bag of cut meat to another customer in a yukata. The customer thanks, "Thanks partner, have a blessed day," to which Tolger nods and wishes, "You too, take care." After taking the bag, the customer departs the booth, leaving Tolger to wait for another patron. He casually observes the plaza while waiting, to which he notices many shoppers face the direction of the oasis and mutter in concern, some of them pointing towards it.
Curiosity prompts Tolger to step out of the tent and turn to follow the fingers, facing the end of the plaza leading to the bright blue oasis, though their focus is on the massive sandstorm approaching them, already having breached the town, for it begins to crawl onto the far end of the oasis and keeps approaching.
Frowning at the sight of the coming storm, Tolger sighs in disappointment, his sigh noticed by another vendor standing behind a booth who calls to him, "Looks a lot worse than they said, huh? I'm not too sure if it's worth keeping open, everyone's gonna be going indoors now."
Tolger glances at the other vendor, and then faces back at the storm as other civilians dressed in more casual garments, many of whom are already carrying bags, begin to stroll in the other direction, murmuring to and pulling each other, for it does seem that many are choosing to depart, meaning business will fall quiet for the duration of the storm. That however isn't the concern of the butcher, whose frown shows a more personal worry, one he whispers to himself: "Are you home, son?"
Running down the neighborhood streets at the outskirts which would normally be mostly empty but is currently rather clogged from the crowd trying to get home before the fog rolls in, the two young boys chase each other, shouting and yelling back and forth as the one lagging behind tries to grab the other's back, constantly missing. They bump into other civilians finding their way home, eventually though the road does begin to clear at the very edge marked by the house where standing on the porch is the mother who spots them in the mob. Her eyes light up and she shouts, "Come in here right now, both of you!"
Both of the boys finally now oblige, running up the stairs to the house still in pursuit of each other, and the boy leading ahead reaches the top of the stairs to make a dash for the door but is snagged by the hand of the mother who reprimands, "You boys should've been here hours ago, making your mother worried sick," though rather than listening to the lecture, the second boy grabs the caught boy's shoulder before exclaiming innocently, "Hah, got you!!"
Recognizing that the sons aren't at all paying attention, the mother scoffs but lets go of her son, allowing him to race back in through the door but not without first shouting, "That doesn't count!" The second boy charges after him to which the mother just sighs, placing her hand on her forehead and contemplating in defeat, "When'd they get so rambunctious? Maybe I best get leashes for them or something," and shakes her head.
She's about to turn to enter the house until she hears a sudden uproar of terrified murmurs coming from the street, intriguing her to glance at the crowd, and upon doing so she's then prompted to turn around and face out of the town where the bordering dunes are. It's when she turns around that she notices the subject of worry: every black root she can see from the porch is actively pulsating with a luminescent white.
Entranced by the glowing garden in the desert lands, the mother just stands stiff, the crowd's shouts growing in volume as does the audience, more people noticing that same foreboding sight. It's then that over the voices of the dreadful many, the ethereal growls resonate.
Laying on the sofa, his hat sitting on his face like a sleeping mask, soft snores emit from the man in the otherwise silent room in the otherwise silent house. His body remains still, relaxed, having found a comfortable position and taking the opportunity to laze, no responsibilities planned left for the day.
Another snore releases from the man right before the tune of the alien growling infests the house, overpowering the snores from the man who immediately jolts awake, grabbing his hat and sitting upright. Jahl's face is already consumed by horror, as those sirens are ones that he's clearly become unfortunately far too well familiar with. He places the hat atop his head and stands up, his movements erratic as he glances at the door, and then down the dining room which he runs down, shouting: "ALLY? ALLY?!?"
Inside the dining room, Jahl approaches the closed bedroom door which vaporizes open to reveal the room inside, the disassembled katana still on the table, but no presence of the girl.
"Shit, shit shit shit shit," Jahl repeats as he spins around and dashes back into the dining room, turning towards the corridor leading to the kitchen and shouting louder, "ALLY??!! ALLY ARE YOU HERE!?!?"
He then turns towards one of the large windows in the dining room past the table, though the sight of the outdoors has been completely clouded in the yellow fog, making it impossible to even see the neighboring house. He chuffs and murmurs, "Shit, I didn't tell her about the storm," before he raises his hand, summoning a holographic flat screen of a long list of names which automatically scroll at a rapid rate as he murmurs, "Come on, come on," only to watch that list reach the bottom to which he reprimands himself, "How did I never get her Connect, the hell's wrong with me?"
He chuffs with clenched teeth in anger at himself for the multitude of failures on his part all of which result in the girl's endangerment, which he now finds himself unable to directly resolve. That's when he suddenly hears a sea of distant screams and shouts, not of extraterrestrial aggression but human panic, mix in with the growling which pulls his gaze up to the windows around him in horror. The contact list screen vanishes after providing no assistance, leaving Jahl only more fearful and without ideas on remedies which have suddenly felt more necessary. He faces down to the living room towards the lobby corridor where the exit stands to lead towards the source of those screams, contemplating an uneasy decision, to which he tugs on his belt to feel for his tanto, hoping it to be a source of confidence. Yet he can't help but remain troubled at the understanding that it'd do no good but at best provide a temporary distraction, but with the sheer quantity of growls surrounding him likely coming from all the roots surrounding the town, it'd be far unlikely for there to just be a few dangers he could get away with distracting.
He clicks his tongue upon letting go of his belt, glancing around to the dining room windows which display only the yellow haze, unable to watch the scene outside but able to hear it with absolute dread. Pulled from all directions yet unable to move his feet, the man just stands in place, wincing at the helpless screams outside, until finally facing back towards the exit which he takes one step towards until that very door vaporizes on its own, allowing Ally to race straight into the living room to Jahl's immediate relief, only for her to cry: "ONE'S AFTER ME JAHL," just as another being races into the house through that open door, but it's no human. While it is humanoid, far taller than Ally and even Jahl, its deep black skin absolute but for the dim white veins define it as otherworldly, its greatest identifier is the face whose only feature is the huge mouth in the center which unhinges to reveal its spiral of glowing teeth as it shrieks.
Immediately, Jahl reaches for his belt, though he halts and instead lets go, choosing to instead turn around and sprint straight for Ally's room where she charges too, running away from the Pawn that attempts to pounce for her, but instead flings itself straight into the couch Jahl had been sleeping on which splits on impact. As Ally reaches the dining room, Jahl stops in front of the desk in her bedroom and immediately begins picking up pieces of the disassembled katana, hastily picking up small components and placing them inside the open hilt pieces, some of them on the half that the battery sits in and others in the other. What looks like springs and small pills are slotted precisely into different parts of the chassis, each of which clicks upon placement, confirmation of the proper assembly.
Ally sprints inside the bedroom, screaming "IT'S COMING," just as the monster pounces into one of the dining table chairs, shattering it and landing against the table. Now in view through the bedroom door, Jahl clenches his teeth and studies the desk to find the only separated pieces left being the guard and the steel frame, though he first focuses on grabbing the guard to attach to the half not housing the battery, before then placing both halves of the hilt together to enclose the body as they connect, hiding the battery among the other components.
Ally runs behind Jahl, nearly clinging to him like a shield, screaming as she watches the monster stand back up and face the bedroom, growling and bending its knees, its mouth wide open in front of its prey.
All at once, Jahl grabs the steel frame with one hand as his other holds the completed hilt, and he slips the frame between the guard, letting it click into place thus snapping to position just before the monster pounces for him, to which he readjusts his grip with his hands on the hilt, squeezing in such a way that the steel frame ignites with a cyan plasmic blade that he drives straight into the monster's gaping mouth, passing through the mouth and penetrating out from the back of his head.
The body of the beast falls on Jahl's blade, terrifying Ally who jumps backwards, yet to Jahl's shock the monster doesn't strike him but rather the blade digs up through the rest of the head, splitting it open before the body collapses on the ground.
Ally stares at the Pawn in horror, though that horror loosens up as she gradually processes the quick action taken just before tragedy, and upon the understanding of the beast's defeat she shows relief with steady breaths and a face less fearful but rather bewildered by the success. She raises her head up to Jahl who turns around to face her with a similar expression, as despite being the one to have swung the blade, he seems hardly capable of believing the victory over the invincible alien. The ethereal growling that's been reverberating throughout the town fades away too, dispersing that dreadful tune.
For a moment they both silently acknowledge their safety with calm breaths which they wouldn't have had such luxury for had a single action gone wrong, and in what felt like sudden silence following those proximate shrieks, the two can recollect themselves enough that a gentle smile starts to open on Ally.
That's when other grunts and growls emit notably closer than the distant rumbling, coming from the direction of the door which the two face immediately. They then hear the sound of wood creaking, the wood of the entrance corridor, multiple sets of footsteps growing ever closer at a stalking pace. That relief on Ally dissolves back into anxiety, same as Jahl who hastily scans his surroundings before his gaze locks past Ally's shoulder, prompting him to shuffle past her. Ally watches Jahl quietly creep up to the bed and crawl over, reaching the window which he hovers his hand over, prompting a holographic screen in front of his hand to allow him to tap a few buttons before that screen then vanishes, and only a second later the entire window screen vaporizes into a cloud that then disperses, allowing not only the hazy light to enter the room as before but the sand of the storm too.
Jahl crawls to the edge of the bed and throws himself over the window just large enough for his body to slide through, guiding Ally to follow and crawl onto her bed next as that stalking draws ever closer. Upon crawling out of the window, Jahl lands on the sand floor, a slight fall given that the house is elevated with the porch, though it's nothing too great for the soft sand to pad. After landing, he assumes a ready grip on the sword and glances back, sharpening his stare to battle through the haze of the ongoing storm to watch Ally emerge from the window quietly and drop down next, wailing her arms and stumbling forwards upon landing.
She does at least catch her own fall and find her balance, not as graceful of a landing as Jahl's but sufficient. The two exchange glances through the sand fog, and Jahl leans towards her to whisper, "We'll head towards the oasis, it's the furthest from those damn nests. Stay close and keep an eye on me."
Ally nods with a fretful frown, anxious but at least attentive. It's enough for Jahl to face ahead and begin to stroll forth, his sword's hilt held tight in his hands, his arms raised to maintain his guard, the cyan blade pointing forwards, cutting between his line of sight. His footsteps are nearly silenced by the sand, only the gentle shuffling heard just a couple feet away, same as Ally's as she keeps to just a couple feet behind him, following his instructions. She rapidly glances around to check their sides, her head on a swivel, keeping watch for any flanks, though all she can see is the golden fog. She clenches her teeth, but faces forward to find the wall of the neighboring house emerge from the haze, able to even see the railings of the front porch as they approach the corner. It's only a few more feet and they reach that corner, which is where Jahl pauses right beneath the railings to cautiously glance around the corner, assessing the street or at least what he could. In the meantime, Ally glances to her sides again to confirm nobody in her sights, and curiously she turns around to face back down their path, yet she finds nothing there, for their house has been entirely shrouded in the sand as if it wasn't there at all. She glances down to find not even the footprints there for the storm has already swept it away: there was no path.
"SHIT, RUN FOR IT," suddenly cries the voice of a woman which alerts Ally, prompting her to face the direction of the source past Jahl's shoulder over to the corner he's been watching, where they can vaguely watch the silhouettes of two women sprinting down an intersection up ahead, followed by a few more silhouettes distinctly taller and lankier, who sprint and snarl in a far more animalistic nature for they weren't humans.
Ally freezes still upon the horrifying sight, as does Jahl, who clenches his hilt but doesn't dash in. He just silently watches the train of monsters run through the street and into the other intersection, unable to engage despite the weapon in his hand, the guilt of such worn on his face as he winces in conflict to his own lack of agency. Yet he doesn't shift from his stance, not until the group runs long far into the fog, completely gone from sight, and the shouts and snarls fall beneath the howling winds of the storm, leaving the streets seemingly empty at least based on their limited perception.
"Clear," Jahl apprehensively whispers to Ally who's only grown more nervous in the wild open. Regardless, they pass the staircase up to the porch which Ally glances at before returning forward, both of them lingering towards the right edge of the road near the houses, the neighbor's of which they soon pass, continuing in the storm that obscures any markers to even give a sense of direction.
Her mouth shut and her eyes squinted to keep sand from flooding her eyes while allowing enough light to –using her hand which hovers in front of her gaze to shield herself– , Ally follows close behind Jahl in their journey to the town's center, the only landmarks of a world beyond the golden fog behind the silhouettes of houses along both sides of the street, their presences subtle, obscured. While the growling that had permeated the town is no more, there's still shouts and screams coming from nearly all directions, yet only their directions can be registered as the sources are well behind the dome of visibility.
While she follows the guidance of Jahl forward, she hears another set of footsteps approaching from behind, a rapid set: running. She immediately turns her head around which Jahl does too upon picking up on the same sound with the same concerned expression, though neither of them can examine the source as it's past the cloud. That is until a silhouette begins to emerge of a humanoid sprinting for them, to which Jahl pivots his whole body to take aim towards the silhouette, stepping in front of Ally to shield her, steadying the nervous sway of his sword which is significant enough that Ally notices. Her attention returns towards the silhouette though just as it waves both hands and shouts in a human male voice, "YOU THERE, HELP, GET THEM OFF ME!!"
The human identification eases Jahl's aim to lower off the man, though his curiosity has only grown upon the vague request, but his unspoken question receives its answer moments after when several other silhouettes emerge from behind the man, all of them also sprinting in the same direction, and these silhouettes emit sounds too though they're growls and snarls.
Terror floods both of the survivors upon the sight of the train racing straight for them, and it's Jahl who chooses to spin around and shout, "Come, Ally" before running in the direction away from the pleading man, down the street that the train's headed. Without any ideas of her own in the heat of the moment, Ally follows Jahl and runs behind him, both of them hearing the man cry out, "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!?"
Ignoring his wails, Jahl rushes down the street, passing another house which he turns towards, leading Ally up the stairs to the porch, the wood creaking under their steps, the growls of the monsters drawing ever closer. They reach the top of the stairs and dart to the end of the porch where they find the door already open, but without time to question it they sprint inside the house which unlike their own immediately opens up into the living room straight ahead as there's no entrance corridor, the room sporting a square of sofas around a table, and at the end are two doorways with one leading to a restroom and another to a corridor. In that corridor however are three monsters all shoving each other to race to the other end from where a man shouts: "GET BACK YOU CREATURES OF SIN! GET!!"
Both Ally and Jahl freeze again upon the realization that this house wasn't a safe escape either, and they both turn their heads back towards the exit door where they could quickly depart back into the open to avoid this altercation. Yet they can hear the growls growing louder from there too, as that wasn't a safe route either, for there were none.
Jahl chuffs and clenches his teeth, deprived of an easy getaway, prompting him with the choice he takes of turning back to the monsters in the corridor, raising his sword, and charging into a sprint while swinging the blade. The first swing leaves behind a curved trail of cyan light, cutting straight through the top of the closest monster's head, causing it to squeal as it splits open, collapsing right after.
Both of the other Pawns stop their charge and instead turn around to face the two survivors and instantly charge straight at them with no other thought, roaring aggressively as they swing their clawed hands, their mouths unhinging to reveal their spirals of teeth. Jahl swings back at them, fighting them head on with a horizontal cut that slices straight through the neck of the next monster, causing the headless body to trip forwards and fall dead just short from the end of the corridor. As Jahl stumbles backwards to give himself space back in the living room, the last beast closes in immediately, reaching the living room and dashing straight for the other end where the two survivors stand, and as that Pawn pounces in the air and prepares to swing its arm for a slash, a third slash is made up through the chin.
Jahl swiftly yanks Ally off to the side, away from the body of the Pawn that falls where she stood, limp, defeated with a split head. They both face the corridor ahead, where at the other end stands what appears to be a kitchen given by the countertop that bowls sit on. It's from that kitchen that a man with receding white hair emerges from, holding in his hand a butcher knife with that wireframe design to support the red energy blade. Baffled by the save, the owner blinks before thanking, "Well thank you good sir, I don't think I'd have gotten out of that myself. What a shit show this all is, hell's gone lost its shit again."
Jahl nervously chuckles at the truth of that statement, shaking his head and agreeing, "No better way to put it." He then faces Ally to ask, "You alright," though she turns towards the door where among the howling winds are howling beasts, followed by the sound of the wooden stairs creaking.
She instinctively tugs Jahl's sleeve, signaling all he needs to know to drag her in front of himself and nudge his head to signal her to begin bolting towards the kitchen, letting him follow behind while shouting back to the man, "More of them, is there a window or something there?"
The homeowner takes steady steps back, not taking the same urgency as them as if doubtful of the intensity of the situation they warn of. He calmly places the knife, whose blade deactivates, on a countertop beside him and cautiously answers, "Uh, I mean there's some but if you intend to climb out of them, there's a back door here too," just as Ally and Jahl reach the kitchen to quickly inspect it.
The kitchen is notably larger than their own though it has similar equipment, counters along the walls with tops full of pots and plates scattered about messily, and closed counters on the bottom with silver panels instead of traditional door handles. While there are windows above some of those counters, they're rather small, maybe just enough for Ally to squeeze through but far too cramped for either of the men. There is indeed a closed door on the left end of the room like the homeowner claimed, which Ally and Jahl hastily dart to whereas the homeowner just lingers in place before hearing heavy footsteps from the living room which he faces, which is when his eyes set on the sight of a horde of monsters piling inside his home, snarling and growling.
At once, the homeowner's eyes burst wide and he exclaims, "Holy shit there's more," as Ally reaches the door which dematerializes upon her presence, which blows sand straight into the kitchen, propelled by the roaring winds. At her side, Jahl grabs the butcher's knife off the counter with his left hand, causing it to reignite, as he turns to face the homeowner and sternly alerts, "You need to get out of here, now!"
He raises his left hand before throwing the knife like a hatchet, though its red blade doesn't cut through the head but rather bounces off, failing to slow them down as they pass the living room.
Now confronted with the severity of the situation, the homeowner obliges with the appropriate haste, turning around and rushing for the backdoor which he runs out of as Jahl raises his blade, prepared for a last second escape.
Without even considering holding his position, Jahl takes steady steps back towards the backdoor, prompting Ally to run through it, leaving him the room to turn around and do the same. From the clean and relatively quiet house, Jahl enters the stormy, raging desert, battling against the winds pushing him back. The door behind him materializes shut as he reaches Ally's side, the homeowner following them close as he was quick to discern that he wouldn't be able to follow anyone at a distance. They pass the back corner of the house quickly, walking along the yard between the two houses, not in the street but between them.
From a cautious crawl, Jahl and Ally move with more of a hurried walk, not running exactly but trading safety for speed, though at least not being in the street itself provides them some safety still. The homeowner keeps up with them, not wanting to fall behind, though his own athletic ability seems to fall short compared to the two as he huffs and wheezes whereas the survivors remain steadfast and honed. Yet they aren't as fast as another figure who emerges from the haze behind them, practically sprinting for them, though neither of the three notice. They don't even hear the figure's run as the winds of the sandstorm completely conceal it, and so they're unaware of its approach. It raises its hands in the air as if waving before its womanly voice then cries, "WAIT UP, PLEASE!!"
Jahl glances back but he himself doesn't slow down, though Ally does instinctively as does the homeowner, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. Before he could leave their view, Jahl does the same and circles around, returning to their side as all three watch the figure reach them, close enough that more than her shape can be registered, revealing herself to be a young blonde woman in a white kimono, holding her gus hat down on her head by gripping its brim.
Finally having reached the group, the woman takes a deep breath in relief before thanking, "I appreciate it, there's so many of them on my tail, I don't know what I'd do alone!"
The homeowner's eyes widen and he asks worriedly, "You safe ma'am? You hurt?"
Jahl's eyes widen and he asks sharply, "On your tail? Did you lose them?" But just as the woman turns to face him, he can already hear the distant growling and gurgling of other worldly creatures in the distance from where she had come from. Many of them overlap, an unknown amount, a whole mob who grow louder the closer they are. Ally circles around to stand behind Jahl, and both of the townspeople follow her method, all of them staring ahead fearfully.
Chuffing from the late warning, Jahl glances back the way they were headed before turning to the direction of the growling mob, and finally faces towards the houses they've been running along. He then faces back towards the direction of the mob which he raises his sword towards just as three humanoids appear in the fog, their shape defined just enough to be identified, too close to outrun now. Without other options, Jahl raises his sword and dashes at them, his first swing cutting through the first monster's hips. As it falls in half, another swing is made, cutting down from the top of the head to the center of the chest, but as Jahl pulls the blade out of that monster to prime for the third, another four appear in the fog behind it.
Jahl takes steady steps back which the three others do as well, staying behind him, watching him behead that third creature, the head bouncing off his boot, the body dropping right after impact, but right as that body lands there appears many more figures behind that new four, all blending together into a shadowy train coming from the yellow mist.
Wincing at the endless wave, Jahl glances off to the side to find that they're passing another house, and at another tough decision he determines to command, "GET TO THE MAIN STREET, RUN!!" Behind him, the two townspeople immediately listen, turning to face the space between those houses beside them and darting straight for that space. Ally pauses in hesitation, but follows them, leaving Jahl to reaffirm the grip on his hilt, gritting his teeth before he lunges forth, swinging his blade.
Catching up to the two townspeople promptly, Ally runs between them as Jahl vanishes from their dome of vision, fading into the golden haze. Regardless, their vision is concentrated forward, reaching the side of a house which they run along, its neighbor invisible in the storm. At least the back of that one house is sufficient in providing a reference for them to run beside, as passing the porch and its staircase brings them to the street once more. Upon reaching the road, the three come to a full stop, neither of them sure of where to move from here, the two townspeople glancing down both sides whereas Ally turns around to face where she had run from, anxiously wincing.
Down the main street from where they had come from arises the treble of howls and shrieks among the bass of the stampede, and from that fog there appear many silhouettes waving their arms desperately, humans but those running away from something clearly approaching. Ally glances towards those fleeting townspeople as she remains still to wait, though the two other townspeople –unshackled by the same weight– turn around and take off to resume their flee. The man whose home they cleared however grabs Ally's arm and drags her with him, crying out "DON'T JUST STAND THERE," bewildering her as she tries to yank her arm off his hold yet her legs carry her in retreat rather than standing her ground. The man releases his hold on her, providing the autonomy to stop, and while Ally does turn her head back towards the corner of the house they had slipped around –which now fades into the fog– she ultimately grits her teeth and reorients her focus ahead. She shakes her head at the grim possibility but the one she'd have to accept else she too would be endangered, negating the selfless intent saving her, and thus she pushes herself faster to reach beside the two townspeople and surpass them, the sand blowing into her face forcing her to wince.
In a straight path forwards, the three survivors race down the narrow street until it opens up into the grand open plaza, where only seconds upon entrance they discern a few of the market booths dotted around, many of them covered in tarps composed of a protective translucent blue energy akin to umbrellas, warding sand rather than water. A few of the booths passed occupy a couple people, many of whom are crouched down, though some of the booths make use of thin tabletops that leave little room to veil themselves. They watch the three survivors race down the plaza before their focus leaps to distant shouts from the village past the plaza where the survivors had run from.
Ally glances towards it too, but frowns as the voice doesn't match him. Disappointed, she again faces forward to keep straight, continuing to follow the procedure provided to her for even at the plaza she wasn't at the safest. The haze does seem to be subtly fainter than earlier, allowing for a further range of vision, although the fog is still present and oppressive in that they can't see the other end of the plaza. They are at least able to chart a greater radius of their surroundings, the forest of booths clearer to them, even able to take notice to many villagers in the distance whether merchants or customers, some customers allowed inside the booths for protection. Some of them notice the three survivors before glancing over to another set of runners entering from another angle of the plaza, for there were many using the same strategy, all converging to the same space. In fact, a whole crowd of villagers swarms into the marketplace, which is then when many more shouts echo, but distinctly closer. At the edge of the plaza itself.
Terror thumps Ally's heart as she turns her head back at the realization that with all the townspeople seeking safety with the same strategy of moving closer to the center of the village, they'd all draw in the chasing hordes, only amassing a deadlier threat as the following shrieks and roars are of far greater amplitude than the stranglers they had faced earlier.
Her mind becomes consumed in this fear so much so she fails to focus on her own path, nearly ramming straight into another townsfolk stationed by a booth, who reaches his arms out to grab her before she rams into the table next. Both of the other townspeople continue ahead whereas Ally is stopped in her tracks at the peak of anxiety, compelling her to thrust her own hands against the shoulders of the man trapping her, to which the voice of Tolger apologizes, "Sorry miss, just gotta watch where you're going," as he lets go of her.
Ally stumbles back before regaining her balance, staring at the butcher who tilts his head in curiosity upon gaining a better inspection of her. His eyes expand before exclaiming, "Ay wait, you're the new kid, the one with Jahl right? Glad to know you're safe, but looks like this isn't the best spot no more. Best you two get to the water and maybe try around the shore." He then lifts his head and glances around before wondering puzzled, "Speaking of, where's…," though his own answers come to him as he trails off with a frown, returning his gaze back to Ally with a mournful expression. "Never mind, sorry about-," Tolger begins to apologize before raising his head again upon the sharply clearer shrieks, realizing: "They're close, this place's no good."
He reaches under his booth tables to reveal a machete with a steel frame blade –the hilt made uniquely with a wood-like material– and upon raising it in the open, the frame emits a cyan blade, tracked with the wave of his hand as he determines, "I'll get you outta here, come," before he turns and runs towards the other end of the plaza, leading Ally who does follow him but also turns head after hearing shouts much closer in a sea of screams and heavy running from townspeople and the horde. Through the storm's haze, she could watch many of the surviving townspeople cower for the booths, begging those inside to open the tarps while others desperately dive behind for any cover. Behind that layer of villagers is another mob just at the edge of visibility, though one taller, and with a dreadful silhouette. It moves not as a fleeing civilian, but an animalistic hunter, leaping and swiping its arms at those running away.
A few townspeople hiding behind booths take the risk of standing up and unsheathing their own swords that ignite with cyan blades which they swing at the Pawns passing by, the slashes successfully cleaving through the bodies, dropping black limbs and heads on the floor as the rest of the bodies then collapse. There are however still many more that overwhelm the plaza, more than what the few armed villagers can handle, and in fact those who bravely ward off the beasts only make themselves targets as others charge directly at them, resulting in them drawing ever closer to the other end of the plaza.
Away from the flood catching up to them, its splashes in the form of screams both human and monstrous, Tolger and Ally run across the marketplace, Tolger's hand clutching his machete as the only weapon the pair has, at least the correct color. Eventually ahead of them there reveals the edge of the marketplace, as past the railings is the golden shore, and past the trees whose green leaves are heavily seasoned yellow, is the expansive, open oasis still vibrant blue, its color unchangeable even against the storm.
Upon reaching the railing. Tolger begins climbing over though Ally pauses for a moment just to examine the view, noticing the further albeit gradual dispersal of the storm, for there'd be a likely chance she wouldn't have even been able to gaze at the waters from here at the start of the sandstorm. In fact, she can just slightly make out the silhouettes of the distant plazas around the oasis, able to even gauge vague shapes of the one directly opposite from her.
Her attention is swayed again by the sharp shrieking behind her prompting Tolger, who has climbed over the railing, to shout, "COME," which Ally hastily follows, throwing herself over the railing. Landing on her feet, she tails Tolger who rushes towards the water, though rather than running straight forward he runs off to the right given that the plan would be to walk along the oasis rather than straight into it.
Still blue water wets the sand at its edge, which Ally's shoe steps on as she reaches the ring after Tolger who starts leading her around. Drowning in a mixture of anxiety and guilt, Ally can't help but constantly glance back at the plaza, hearing the battle-hardened shouts among the desperate screams drowned out by the monstrous roars. Unfocused, she doesn't run perfectly along the shore but accidentally crosses into the water, soaking her shoes in splashes, as it's only that immediate soaked sensation that reels her attention down to her feet in awareness of her own movements.
Yet just as fast as her attention is restored to herself, it's diverted back up towards the plaza upon the crisp shrieks unhindered, for they come from a beast standing over the railing, its absolute black body defined as is its mouth opening between its folding head, glimmers of its teeth peering through, hungry.
Over the railing, the monster unleashes another shriek before grabbing the railing and flinging itself over, launching its body straight into the shore where it rolls to its feet, charging straight for the two runaways who've both stopped in their tracks, but the man raises his machete, arches his arm back, and swings.
That swing aims for the collar but gets blocked by the monster's flailing arms, forcing both Tolger and Ally to retreat backwards, though that arm is severed off the body. Noticing the partial success at that swing, Tolger lunges forward and swings the machete straight into the beast's collar, piercing through its hide, a deep cut to which Tolger jumps back as he's almost gotten too close to the monster. Ally stumbles back too, watching the monster's body go limp, to which Tolger yanks the machete back in his hand just before the body collapses on the ground.
Just as that beast collapses in defeat, a few more Pawns reach the railing behind it, and they all launch themselves over to roll into a sprint towards Tolger and Ally, the latter of whom backs up behind the armed villager, clenching her teeth in shame for being unable to assist. She can only watch without her own weapons, leaving Tolger to desperately swing rapidly at the second wave, moving practically aimlessly when faced against multiple opponents. One of those monsters leap straight at him, being miraculously cut through the middle of the head, though it once again gets stuck. Tolger quickly yanks the machete back, managing to do so but taking seconds, precious seconds the monsters take to close the gap to only about twenty feet, just as yet another figure steps up to the railing.
Tolger takes a few steady steps back as does Ally who's growing increasingly anxious as she watches Tolger struggle to calm himself and return to his readied pose, but he nonetheless tries as he again begins swinging, missing many swings until finally slicing at the collarbone and neck in sheer luck. That second Pawn does fall, but in the time it took to defeat it, the third has managed to reach close enough to make a single leap straight for the two, raising its arm and swings with its razor sharp claws straight for the two –prompting Tolger to instinctively shift aim his weapon to that hand–; its gaping mouth stares directly into both of them, the spiral of glowing teeth facing them, the ring around the shadowy abyss in the center of its mouth. Through that mouth abruptly emerges a katana's cyan blade, penetrating through and jutting out straight between Ally and Tolger, the later of whom is struck in the hand as he had unfortunately brought it closer to the beast, causing him to release a pained cry, yet the monster's hand doesn't manage to completely sever his hand as it loses its strength midway through and instead collapses in front of them, face planted to the ground to reveal the katana in the back of its head.
Both Tolger and Ally instinctively glance down at that katana before raising their heads to the plaza where they find that behind the railings, his body in follow-through, stands Jahl. He lowers his hand to breathe a relieved sigh even with a slight smile.
After landing the throw, Jahl's quick to climb over the railing and run down the shore, reuniting with Ally and Tolger while retrieving his blade from the corpse. His mouth opens, but before any words come out of his own, he hears more roars behind himself as turning around reveals several more Pawns flinging themselves over the railings, making a target out of the three. Jahl pivots his body and raises his katana, swinging at the charging monsters which prompts Tolger to attempt to join, though he grunts in pain as his hand is still badly gashed, the cut deep enough that his hand starts shaking uncontrollably. Only Jahl is left to repel the horde, as seconds pass and Tolger's unable to push through the pain to effectively wield the weapon. Jahl's unable to notice as he's entirely focused on the horde, for more monsters climb over the railings, though Ally does detect the injury.
Quick to acknowledge the haste of the situation, she acts on impulse and grabs the machete off of Tolger who has not the strength to resist, leaving him confused to watch Ally raise the blade at the Pawns and swing, her first one slashing off the head of the nearest Pawn, enough to drop that beast dead. She then steps forward to Jahl's side, being the one to protect Tolger with her own body as the injured man remains behind the two, watching them effectively swing away at the Pawns ahead with militaristic precision. Almost immediately there's a discernable effect as the doubled fighters double the repulsion against the mob, cutting them down far faster, no longer needing to retreat ground.
The pair astoundedly holds back the monsters, even as they climb over the railings as they gradually pull more attention to themselves. At first their pushback is graceful and swift, though the increase of density does allow them to begin charging more ground, and once more the flood starts to push against the survivors as every killed Pawn still allows the others to sprint slightly closer, reaching them sooner. Jahl and Ally attempt to match that pressure with quicker swings as well as rapid pivots to change aim to the next monster, but the effect it makes is minimal compared to the increase of density, only slightly slowing down their rate of approach but unable to halt it.
Behind them, Tolger hesitantly takes another step back, realizing that it's a matter of time before they lose their position, estimating not a full half minute until retreat is needed. He nervously watches both of them who also take a steady step back in this same realization, however all three understand that if they were to simply turn around and run, they'd all be surely dead, locking them into this dreadful drag to inevitability. All they can do is take minor steps back while firing as quickly as they can, all just to buy a few more seconds, seconds they're losing fast. Both Jahl and Ally wear this unease on their faces, the expression of defeat slowly consuming them, as their whole plan would only buy them more time but there was no effective means of total escape. This was the best they could do, and they were just about to reach the end of what they'd be able to do.
All they can do is backstep side by side, slashing the endless flood, their humming swings and their shrieks drowning out all sounds of the dissipating storm, all sounds but for the sudden roar of a beast far greater from directly above which immediately raises Tolger's head in utter bewilderment.
That roar emitted from high in the skies, a constant roar, one that travels and emerges out of the distant golden fog in the form of a sleek ambulance-sized pod diving straight down, one who reaches close enough that its silhouette is colored to reveal its black bodies. It's not the only to roar, as it leads a pack of four more who appear next as distant silhouettes, following the head all in that single dive.
Neither Jahl and Ally can raise their heads as they can't relinquish any of the pressure, though Tolger watches in awe as the leading pod races straight for the ground as if intent on crashing into the oasis, yet just before reaching the tops of the trees it pulls up and straightens before turning, revealing that on its side contrasting against the black bodies is a clean white shield crest, and next to it a large portion of the pod's wall dematerializes to reveal a group of men dressed in navy uniforms with those same shield epaulets on their shoulders, quick to raise their arms which guide longboard-shaped silver firearms hovering over their forearms, the black ballpoint tips facing straight at that coming horde before releasing a rapid barrage of bright cyan energy bolts which precisely rain down on the beasts, decimating them all in seconds and clearing the shore.
Stunned to find the endless horde completely eviscerated, both Jahl and Ally turn and raise their heads to that pod floating above them watching the group of soldiers stand tall as above them dive the other pods from the sky, lifting up a little higher and soaring off in different directions away from the oasis, branching out towards the various plazas in the distance as one of the soldiers shouts to the group, "WE'RE CLEAR, MOVING TO NEXT TARGET." Seconds later, that pod begins to drive off towards the closest plaza which the survivors ran through, and it's those survivors now who watch that pod fly over that marketplace as cyan gunfire rains from both sides as there's another opening on the opposite wall. Not only do the bolts fire at such rapidity, but they do at any angle from the ballpoints, effectively fanning bolts over the entire plaza as they steadily drive from one end to the other. Jahl and Ally glance at each other before turning to Tolger, and both Jahl and Ally decide to run towards the plaza, leaving the safety of the end line in curiosity, leaving Tolger to follow behind.
Townpeople scream and cry in the plaza as the monsters charge at them, chaos incarnate. A beast leaps at a young teen girl which it swipes its sharp claws at, to which a teenage boy dives to tackle her to the ground in evasion of the swipe, only for the beast to simply pivot and stand over the pair now on the ground. The two teenagers turn and stare at the monster, open its mouth wide and reach for the boy before three cyan bolts penetrate its head from above, leaving the body limp as it falls flat. The two teenagers turn towards the source of those shots to find the pod flying over them at a cruising speed, like a steady march that sweeps through the plaza, wiping out every Pawn at its sides. In fact the teenagers find that past them stand no monsters for they've all been slain, and upon turning the other way they find the same fate being bestowed to those Pawns, for even the beasts who attempt to dodge the gunfire are unable to when faced with a hailstorm that covers the land.
Children cowering behind booths in despair as monsters stampede around are astonished upon the release of heavy cyan rain from above that precisely penetrates the heads of those beasts, standing up cautiously to find that in seconds they're no longer surrounded in danger. Their heads raise to the sky to watch the pod over their plaza cruise to the end, drifting over the village as it continues raining down on the infested streets, the clearing skies revealing the hordes trampling over each other's bodies all at once from the instantaneous dispatching.
Men and women hiding behind their living room windows drearily watch their sandy streets flooded with aggressive Pawns roaring and shrieking on their stampede that shakes the house itself like an earthquake. It's then to their shock when cyan rays scatter from above, raining down on those streets and obliterating the beasts with ease, leaving a crowd of corpses in the matter of seconds. Couples look at each other in disbelief afterwards, double taking the view of the streets to confirm that their eyes don't deceive them, for the horde is truly cleared.
Mothers comfort their toddlers in their arms, laying on the floor with their back to their bed, hushing their crying as monstrous roars and howls rage around them most pressingly from the windows of their bedroom, muffled yet prominent. Yet even the mothers are perplexed upon hearing rapid booms above a deep hum pass over them, prompting them to raise their heads to the ceilings where those booms emit from, listening to it pass and quiet again which reveals the strange silence from the aforementioned roars and howls. They turn towards the windows past their bed while rocking their babies, stunned but feeling an instinctual sense of relief.
Passing intersections, Pawns roar as they spread out to continue trying to flood the city, though many of them stop and raise their heads in attention of the single black pod approaching them from above, its own engine completely silenced by the endless pinging of energy projection in the form of cyan rounds that seamlessly pauses all movement in the streets it passes, clearing entire neighborhoods as it just sails over. Some of the monsters charge for the pod, leaping in an attempt to sabotage them yet the beasts fail to reach high enough as the pod maintains a safe height, leading to those monsters missing and some simply making themselves easier targets to be caught in the fire.
Onboard a different pod strolling over their designated branch of the village where the countless houses stand, the squad of soldiers take no breaks to press fire on all those in their sights, clearing those houses of their surrounding mobs. In the cabin at the head of the pod are two drivers, one of whom announces, "COMMAND'S DESIGNATING US TO NEST EXTERMINATION NOW, JACKSON'S GUYS ARE COVERING OUR POST. FEEDING YOU THE NEST POSITIONS, CALIBRATE YOUR ARTILLERY APPROPRIATELY." A few of the soldiers glance at the cabin and nod as the pod accelerates from its cruising speed to race towards the edge of the village, momentarily leaving the monsters in the streets, a temporary yet purposeful abandonment. The soldiers pause their firing and inspect their weapons, one of them tapping it twice on the side before nodding to themselves. The soldiers glance at each other and nod confidently before watching the view out of the pod as it soars past the bounds of the village, approaching the surrounding dunes where the black roots jut from the surface, roots that had sprouted more roots like a demented tree from which Pawns climb out of, amassing the flood.
Upon nearing the dunes, the soldiers transition off their breaks as they lift their arms, guiding their firearms and waiting until the pod swerves to the side and descends, flying along the bounds of the village at such an altitude that the soldiers along the right side have a clear sight of the roots. At once, those soldiers release a barrage of cyan bolts distinctly more intense than before, louder upon ejection, brighter, thicker, even humming on their own in the moment between discharging from the ballpoint and making contact with the roots. Those very roots are swiftly riddled so immensely with holes that branches fall off, causing them and their base to wither and dissolve, decaying rapidly along with the monsters still trying to crawl out of them.
The pod doesn't slow down but continues on this orbiting path, as only a couple seconds after burning those roots, the soldiers catch another group jutting out of another dune, to which they make the same response.
On the slope, Pawns push themselves off the roots and begin sprinting towards the village, only for bolts of what feels like cyan lightning to completely obliterate those roots, razing them instantly along with the monsters attempting to join the mob, leaving them to shriek as they're torn apart and grinded. The remnants of the roots wither and disintegrate, as only moments after the pod soars past the dune, all remnants of those roots are erased absolutely.
Strolling down the plaza in awe at the safe state it's already been placed in, Jahl and Ally glance around to find the recovering merchants and customers among the general townsfolk who fled there for distance. They both lower their weapons in the realization that there was no fight they needed to continue, watching the several pods spread over the village while spraying their deterrents. Ally is first to catch a glimpse of the one pod that's circling around the town though Jahl soon picks up on the same sight, the two of them watching the pod bombard the nests that had allowed such an overwhelming horde to cover the streets.
The fear and dread that's pressed them since hearing those sirens now recedes as Jahl fully drops his guard as does Ally, simply there to watch the act, surrounded by townspeople offering each other's hands to help support those on the ground.
At the outskirts of the town, Pawns snarl and shriek while scurrying down the streets, with such density that the streets are almost not wide enough to give them the free space to roam without knocking into each other, or perhaps their aggressiveness takes precedence over any collaborative etiquettes. While watching this mass of monsters tear through the streets is horrifying at the receiving end, their tight formation results in them being easier to target efficiently, allowing the cyan rainfall to trip the horde behind before dealing with them instants next. Despite the overwhelming size of the mob, they're cleaned so swiftly by a steady force of a single pod carrying a single squad of just a few soldiers. With the skies nearing perfect clarity, the other three pods can be examined in the distance carrying out the same actions, cruising over the city and exterminating the invasive beasts, with the exception of the one orbiting pod in the distance conducting the bombing run.
Onboard the pod conducting the bombing run, they once again fly past a cluster of roots which they open fire on, and like clockwork they decimate the cluster at once, precise and deliberate. It takes not a whole second for their barrage to tear the roots apart and leave the remains to decay, and after leaving those remains those soldiers turn to the cabin upon hearing one of the operators report: "ALL NESTS HAVE BEEN CLEARED, COMMAND'S BEEN NOTIFIED. OTHER SQUADS ARE JUST ABOUT DONE, WE'LL HEAD TO OUR EXAMINATION POSITION." With that, the pod again swerves hard to the right and begins driving back towards the village, leaving a brief moment of pause for the soldiers to again inspect their weapons, banging against it if need be, and nodding to each other.
They take deep breaths, relaxing their postures, rolling their shoulders and tilting their heads. A couple of them bump their unarmed fists, unable to help but feel satisfied with their swift victory, having so quickly turned around a situation so desperate and horrid. Now they just stand around, admiring the view of the still village, appreciating the tranquil quiet.
That same tranquility is felt on the ground, in the plaza once a fiery battleground or rather massacre, where now those previously terrorized townspeople can recover, those who were wounded being supported by their fellow villagers. Not a single roar or shriek can be heard from the marketplace, not from Jahl and Ally who glance around as if peering for the danger, yet unable to find it. Their gazes both trail to each other, upon which they both find themselves smiling. Jahl sheathes his katana to rest it against his hip as Ally turns to find Tolger approaching them, to which she extends her hand to offer the machete back to him. He nods and receives the machete with his nondominant hand, keeping it on hand before lifting his other hand which is still bleeding rather severely, concerning both Jahl and Ally who frown at the sight.
That's when a hum approaches them, prompting their attention as well as that of the other townsfolk in the plaza, watching a pod approach the marketplace from the oasis. Upon passing the shore and reaching the plaza, it comes to a halt suspended in the air where it then gently descends down closer to the ground in an open portion of the square by the center of the plaza. The pod's hum quiets to a near silence by the time it reaches just a few feet from the ground, which allows the soldiers to then leap off the pod and begin spreading out, many of them shouting: "IS ANYONE CRITICALLY INJURED??"
Jahl and Ally turn to Tolger who nods to them before he strolls towards the pod as do a handful of other folk, some of them being carried by each other, limping or stumbling before receiving support. The two observe the oasis once more to find the other pods landing on the other plazas, likely for the same examinations of civilian injuries. That observation leads Jahl to face Ally again before gently asking, "You got hurt or anything? Sorry I wasn't with you, I tried to regroup earlier but-."
"I'm fine, Jahl, really," Ally interrupts to ease him, succeeding as he reclines to a soft smile. She lets out a deep breath before admitting, "I was more scared about if anything happened to you, you were gone for so long."
Jahl smirks and pats the hilt of his katana above his hip before remarking, "I had some useful mods to protect me."
Ally smiles back warmly and retorts playfully, "See, told you I was helping, you were so scared about me messing with that thing but look how things ended."
Jahl sighs and crosses his arms over his chest before lecturing, "Hey, intentions good or not I still don't like you breaking my stuff without saying anything. Just…ask next time."
Ally waves her hand and dismisses, "Yeah yeah, I could've charged you y'know, but I'm just nice like that."
Jahl chuckles and shakes his head, dismissing back: "Yeah yeah, don't get ahead of yourself." He then turns to watch the soldiers tend to the wounded civilians, some of them sitting on the booth tables to rest and others on the pod itself as soldiers wrap white towels around their arms and legs. Ally turns to watch the same sight, stepping to Jahl's side before leaning against his arm, tired but relaxed. The two just watch in relief, relieved to still have a home after such a terrible storm.