37 First Contac (1/2)
The quaking ground signaled the beginning of their troubles; Reed gathered his resolve and the surrounding Anima responded to his summons. Motes of light formed out thin air and coalesced into vibrant spheres of crackling hot radiance.
A dozen orbs of radiant, pulsing heat and light hovered around Reed like natural satellites orbiting a heavenly body. It made for an awe-inspiring sight as dense, sweltering Anima waves rocked the shaky, unstable house as if it were made of straw.
Esparon stared at Reed and found himself unable to utter a single word. Where did this guy get his strength from? Why was he able to act so confidently even now, at the eve of despair?
”I want to live, so I'll fight and keep struggling until I... find peace. How about you? I won't judge you if you choose to give up, but don't expect me to help a dead man,” Reed spat out.
”I'm going to focus on living, breathing people — so hurry up and make your decision.”
They were cold, firm words that made his position on the matter clear. Reed didn't like speaking like that, but the situation demanded it. Nevertheless, his declaration snapped Esparon out of his lull in a flash.
Death was an excellent motivator, no matter the situation. There was nothing else that had to be said about the subject. All men stood vigil at the gates of death, especially those burdened with the office of the warrior.
He who held such an office was privy to the sweet whispers of Lady Death, who foretold the end of his life from the deepest part of the world. Many failed; those who met her left this bleak and cruel mortal coil for what lay beyond the senses of man. Elsewhere.
Reed stretched out his hand and Esparon hurriedly took it. The matter was settled then and there, without a single extra word spoken aloud.
”They're coming, so we have two options, friend. Either we take a stand against them, or we retreat immediately. The issue is that if we run, we're likely to cause an even greater disturbance in our escape. I assume you understand what I mean by this, yes?”
Esparon nodded gravely and said, ”I read you loud and clear. There's an unavoidable fact we can't ignore — this is their home — kicking up a larger racket here will alert the hive, so to speak...”
Reed peered out of a broken window and saw nothing outside, but heard the screeching cacophony in the distance getting closer.
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He walked over to Esparon, put a hand on one of his shoulders and a bitter look formed on his face. ”We can't implicate them with our troubles. Everyone has to clean up their own mess; that's common sense, right? At the very least, we won't be dragging our friends down with us -- that's what real warriors should do.”
The ground shook with wildly; dust, dirt, and ashes covered the pair as the broken roof peppered the duo in filth. A disgusting stench assaulted their noses -- the smell of death.
Reed and Esparon channeled Anima and an azure glow shimmered around them in the darkness. Esparon tensed up and his body locked up in an awkward hunch. Reed noticed that his companion still had some last-minute nerves and harshly patted him on the back.
It shocked Esparon and he looked at Reed with a dumb look on his face. Reed grinned and said, ”Relax, I'm gonna do the heavy lifting, so stay next to me and look cool, alright? Heroes don't hunch like grandmas, man, they stick their chests out and do cool poses.”
A terrifying scream -- something that resembled a dying beast's final roar and the wail of a demon -- echoed across the silent neighborhood.
”We'll get some real nice Vynovian food after this whole shitshow is over, man. I know the perfect place, went there about three wee-”
An explosion rocked the house and the pair stumbled around for a brief moment until they gathered their bearings. Dark, twisted tongues blue-violet flame covered the houses outside in an instant. Shrill cries of demented fury filled the air with total abandon -- the monstrosities had come.
The air shook and another explosion blew their house into pieces, to the pair's surprise. A slew of abominations charged into the flaming debris in a mad rage, shrieking and bellowing out wretched cries of delight. They had found prey to hunt. Things to kill. That alone satisfied the perverted fiends.
When Reed saw them up close, something deep inside him arose, an unknown feeling. It was more than simple anger, or mindless rage -- no... it was far, far more than such a trifling, base emotion.
What he felt was different. It came from within his own self, not of his Alma. A blackened, contorted white-hot madness bled out of from the deepest part of his heart. He wished for nothing more than their destruction down to the very last of their essences; to wipe them clean from the world in their entirety.