Rudicus stared out the window at the cloud of crows and then frowned, before he faced me. "What do you mean? The birds are coming, what does that matter?"

It was a fact that had escaped my notice, the legionnaire trained to fight the ordinary Plague and not whatever it was Nixi utilized. "The last time I saw a cloud of crows like that it was right before Vicna was attacked," I explained to Rudicus. "Most likely there are two hundred or some odd Plague beneath that, and they're coming this way."

Jesson had approached us, though he stayed back out of arms reach as a precaution. "What do you mean the Plague are coming, there are no corpses here!" he declared, loud enough that the injured Braddicus stirred on the couch and started to wake up.

Nala had stepped down the stairs, garbed in a simple night gown although she held her dagger at the ready. She had been concerned with my actions and followed me, only to hear the word Plague while still half-asleep. "What's going on?" she asked, blinking her eyes as though to shake off the drowsiness.

"I have to agree with Jesson," Rudicus bluntly stated. He eyed the cloud of birds again, yet it barely impacted him. "There are no fresh corpses around here, and that could simply be a migration. I've seen it in the past before."

A little voice rang through my head, one of warning that came from so far away. "Believe me, I wish it was otherwise but I know for a fact that it's the Plague and they're coming," I told them, almost pleaded with them. "We need to get out of here before they arrive, if they catch up to us they'll outrun the horses!"

"We can't leave!" Nala exclaimed, before she pointed toward Braddicus. "He's far too injured to be moved, if we put him on a horse even a slow pace will kill him!"

"Agreed, we can't leave until Braddicus is stabilized," Rudicus responded, before he lifted up a hand to halt my protests. "You might be High General Sciroco's favorite but I can't show you deferential treatment because you declare something to be fact. However, I will have Alex check on the gate when the sun comes up and see if it can be salvaged."

To me they were being dumb, though he was reacting as he should based on the situation. The Legion faced off against the Plague every year but they never saw large groups that walked around on their own. Even at Vicna the size of the Plague attack had been degraded when Taryn baited so many of them away.

A knock at the door from outside caused every single person in the room to jump, and our gazes all turned in unison to look at the door. Another knock, then another came and finally a voice came from outside. "Help?" was the quiet voice, a voice that sent a chill down my spine.

Jesson moved to the door with sword drawn, and then inched it open even as I began to yell. "Yes?" he asked through the gap, he peered into the dark and could see nothing.

When the woman shoved the door open it was with a strength that shocked Jesson, he could only fall to the ground on his back while his sword slid across the wooden floor. Nala's dagger lifted up into a defensive position, while Rudicus began to stride toward the figure even as he pulled his blade.

"Eat!" a voice cried from the misshapen thing that had once been a beautiful woman. Her hair had mostly fallen away leaving bald spots here and there on the scalp, while the skin was as pale as moonlight. What she was proved obvious to anyone with enough knowledge, a vine with thorns looked to be tattooed on her left arm. Her arms and legs were gaunt, they lacked meat and muscle, yet the woman seemed to have no problems with strength as she leapt into the room.

Before anyone else could respond a spear made of silver, with a bolt of crimson that jaggedly ran down the side of the blade, pierced into the head of the Plague. The force of the tossed spear was enough to carry the stricken woman all the way to the wall and nail her to it, her body gone limp. I strode across the room and wrenched the spear from her head, then flicked the gobs of rotten flesh and blood off of it.

"What the hell! The Plague don't talk!" Jesson declared from the ground, even as I walked over and kicked the door closed.

"They don't knock on doors either," Rudics pointed out as he stepped over and helped the soldier up. Once he was up off the floor Rudicus turned toward me with a glare. "Since you seem to know what's going on, maybe you want to talk about this?"

"The Plague you've fought aren't the only kind that exist, some of them are smarter and faster and attack in small armies," I commented. At that point in time the absence of Nixi's name in the discussion never really triggered in my head. To me not talking about her felt like second nature, but later on I would begin to notice it didn't make sense. Nixi was important information, yet I never talked of her with any of the legionnaires. "I figured they'd all arrive together though..."

"A scout?" Nala inquired from behind, she shuddered every time she looked in the direction of the dead Plague, the hold on the dagger so tight it made her knuckles whiten.

"Only one though?" Rudicus mused aloud, before he swore. "Not a scout! A decoy!"

He shouted that out as he ran toward the stairs, his sword brandished and ready to be used. Rather than taking the steps one at a time he leapt up them, bypassing half the stairs and climbing the rest in a split second.

Above there came the sound of a loud yell, one that reminded me of the only person missing in our group. From the couch Braddicus gave a shout, as he tried to force himself up into a seated position. "Don't you dare!" Nala told him, her dagger pointed at him while she glanced at the ceiling.

"I'm on it, you two watch Braddicus!" I called out while running for the stairs. My spear shifted into a gauntlet on the right hand, one that had nasty looking spikes which ran across it.

When I hit the second floor there were already a bunch of the Plague there, three of them that blocked the hallway which lead to the distant bedroom. Even down the hallway the reverberations from the conflict were obvious, so I wasted no time in diving into the opponents before me. The gauntlet slammed out and ripped a head clear from the shoulders from the first, then before the second and third could pounce I manipulated the spikes to shoot out like lances.

Each of the remaining Plague were pierced by shafts of thin silver metal, their bodies quivered on the ends of the attack before slowly going still. When they no longer moved I retracted the blades, and then converted the gauntlet into a short sword. Before the weapon even formed I had already reached the doorway to the bedroom, the door itself completely unhinged and lain on the ground inside.

The sight within sent a cold chill through my body, there stood Alex with his body mangled by multiple spots he had been gnawed on, the culprits were in the process of being chopped to pieces by Rudicus. The general showed minimal concern as he swept through each and every one, quick swing that cleaved through the bodies with ease.

Yet there was blood which trickled from his right arm, the right hand in turn had a hint of red on it. He had been stricken by one of the Plague at some point during the conflict. While he finished off the last of the Plague he let out a long sigh, then turned to the fallen Alex and quickly rammed his sword into the head of the legionnaire. It was best for the dead to stay dead, after all, and Rudicus had no urge to watch his companion turn.

"Rudicus!" I called out as I stepped into the room, carefully maneuvering over to the side of the general. "You're bleeding, are you okay?"

Rudicus grunted in response, as he sheathed his sword and then lifted up the damaged arm. The blood came from a gouge in his right arm in the shape of a bite, one that could only have come from a Plague. Before I could even ask he uncovered his left arm and exposed the forearm, which was blissfully free of any dark tattoo.

"I'll leave this exposed, if you or any of the others see the mark appear kill me, I have no urge in suffering the sickness," Rudicus bluntly stated. He glanced at the dead Alex, then walked away from him and back out the door.

When he left I could only stare at the room, the devestated chamber which would no longer be useable. There on the bed laid the deceased Alex alongside a few other of the Plague. The ground was littered with body parts and bodies that intermingled and made it hard to count the quantity. The windows on the wall had been left open, perhaps by Alex before he went to sleep. It was even possible that the Plague had simply slipped them open, with Nixi's help they most likely had the intelligence to do that.

On the horizon the dark cloud of crows had grown closer, the birds more defined. The moon had begun to set and cast an even darker look across the canopy of the forest. When I walked out of the room there were no words of goodbye to Alex, but rather a hope that I would not become like him.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

The legionnaires and I had relocated from the mayors house, the slow march through the quiet town nerve wracking as we had no idea when the next Plague would appear. By the time we reached the alarm tower near the center of the village the fire we had started in the mayors house had grown beautifully. The entire night sky was illuminated by the flames as they licked hungrily at the wood of the home, and even threatened to spread to some of other buildings.

Out of all the places we could go to the alarm tower made the most sense, it was always the sturdiest construction in every town. This one was constructed with a strong stone base and brick walls, with a wooden roof that held the large bell. There were no windows on the tower, the only point that allowed viewing the outside world was the bell chamber.

The size of the tower was not very large, with all of us settled in the bottom floor near the winding staircase it was a claustrophobic experience. Braddicus had been slowly lifted by Nala and myself while Rudicus and Jesson kept watch during the transit from the house, and then placed on the floor.

"Jesson, you're taking a horse and heading to the east. It should take you about a day or two of travel but you'll eventually hit a town, and once you get there find the nearest Legion barrack and get reinforcements," Rudicus told ordered while Nala was in the midst of wrapping up his arm. "Do not stop to fight or play or anything, get on the horse and go."

Rudicus looked to Nala, even as Jesson nearly ran out the door to follow his orders. "You're going to need to go up the tower and settle in at the alarm bell. Anytime you see anyone who isn't one of us you ring it, if it's a Plague shoot them with your arrows. If it looks like they're climbing the tower and going to reach you pull back and bar the door from the inside."

My hand went up when Rudicus looked in my direction, I had already chosen my place in what was to come. "Don't even bother, I'm going outside and guarding the main gate. I'll escort Jesson to the horses, and then I'll wait for the Plague," I told him. Before he could even respond I had stood up and walked to the door, opening it wide.

"Are you insane?" Nala cried from behind. Braddicus and Rudicus echoed her sentiments, each yelled at me to rethink what I was going to do.

Ever so slowly I turned my head so that only the left side was visible, and I stared at them all with that singular eye. Nala cringed, Braddicus gasped and Rudicus frowned visibly at the crimson eye that looked at them. "Don't worry, I have a score to settle with the Plague," I told them before walking out the door.

The outside air was cool enough to help calm the slight boil that had started to build within. I did not hate the legionnaires but rather worried for them, they were not ready for what was coming. Jesson had ran on ahead as he didn't know that I would step out, and so I followed him slowly while keeping my senses on full alert.

So far the horses were left unmolested, something that I had worried might have turned out different. He nearly leapt onto the horse in his hurry to get out of the town of Oakvale, a normal reaction in my opinion to the oncoming swarm of Plague. "Jesson!" I called out to him while walking closer, though I stopped far enough away that he wouldn't feel crowded.

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"What? Liliana, what's going on?" he asked while he climbed onto the horse, taking the reins in one hand. He kept his other hand on the hilt of his sword, while suspicious eyes looked at me.

"I know that you were taught the basics of the Plague, that they're slow and dumb but don't listen to any of that," I said. "They're going to be fast, faster than your horse maybe and they won't ever slow down. Even if you stop to kill one or two there'll be a swarm on your tail in a matter of seconds, so don't stop!"

Jesson guided his horse forward slowly, nodding his head toward me in confirmation. "Thanks for the info, if I make it to the town alive I'll bring back as many men as I can so try not to die!"

The horse bolted to the gate of Oakvale, and then it whisked out and dashed off toward the east without pause. The man on the back of the horse crouched down onto the backside of his steed, eyes squinted half-closed with an obvious look of fear on his face. When I couldn't even hear the sound of his horse as it galloped away I walked to the destroyed gateway of Oakvale.

There was little time that remained and I had work to get done, so my Shatterblade was formed into a giant ax. An hour later the trees closest to Oakvale had been chopped down and resized, then turned into a makeshift wooden barrier where the gate used to be. There was only a single small hole in it, one that was small enough for two people to stand side by side. The Shatterblade shifted form once more, this time converted into a war hammer.

It was there that I stood, leaned against a war hammer that was easily greater than my own size. To the east the sight of the rising sun greeted my eyes, a wonderful light that painted the sky in multiple hues which lifted my spirit slightly. For a moment I stared at it, closed my eyes and let out a long tired sigh, then fatigue that had built up claimed me momentarily.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

"Are you ready?" his voice asked, while his hand rested on my shoulder. He stood next to me, though his gaze was set on the northern horizon of the forest.

"Can you ever be ready for Her?" I asked of him, my eyes closed and body tired. In truth all I wanted was to sleep more, I did not want to deal with the nightmare again.

"Are you afraid?" he asked, this time his question held more urgency to it.

"Of course I am, if I get devoured by her you won't be here to stop it," I honestly replied, my eyes opened and I looked up at Taryn.

"Didn't I tell you, Lily?" he spoke, before he did his sad smile at me and patted my head with a gentle touch. "You hold a part of me, forever. Nixi can never hope to touch you again, unless you cast me away."

The honest words that he gave to me made my heart lift upward, and then I smiled back at him. It wasn't hard to understand why he was saddened by his actions, he had never asked me for permission before splicing our souls together. No matter what happened we would always be attached to each other in a way that ascended the physical.

"You won't get rid of me that easily," I responded.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

I snapped out of the daydream with a lurch, nearly falling to the ground. My eyes blinked and with a start I turned to look toward the sound that had awoken me, as the great bell in the alarm tower rang loud and clear. My grip tightened on the war hammer, even as I stood up straight and glared toward the northern horizon.

When the dark figures emerged my left eye once more blazed a crimson hue. Already the arrows started to fall from the heavens as Nala took aim and fired, though the distance was such that half the arrows missed. She was obviously panicked by the sight of the dozen or so Plague who had already emerged.

Their approach was not as fast as I had expected, they moved forward cautiously as though expectant of some sort of trap. Even as they stepped along slowly I made no move to meet them in the middle, for the moment I wished to hold the makeshift chokepoint. It was thanks to that slow pace that Nala managed to hit even as many as she did.

As the first of the Plague came up close to my little gateway the hammer flashed out and smashed the poor thing backward ten yards. The body hit the ground and did not stand back up, while a short while later a few more Plague were tossed back to join their fallen brethren. With a twist of the wrist I whirled the war hammer about, and then planted the end of the handle against the ground once more.

The Plague paused as they stared toward me with the white eyes that showed no emotion, the eyes that had a Goddess lurking behind them. Perhaps she could recognize me and realize who I was, or maybe it was merely a normal reaction for the Plague, because every single Plague loudly hissed at me. Even from the great forest behind them all came a loud hissing noise as hundreds of Plague all sounded out.

From the forest emerged dozens of Plague, each ran toward my direction with a speed that put most horses to shame and was all the more surreal to watch due to their human bodies. Their approach was so quick that Nala could only watch from the tower, her bow and arrow completely useless against such distant and quick targets.

There was a valid reason why I had chosen to abandon the other legionnaires within the alarm tower, and it was not out of hatred nor spite or even pity. It was fear for their wellbeing, a fear that even Taryn had felt in regard to me during our first fight against the Plague. When the war hammer fell and struck the ground the entire area nearby me shuddered, part of the wall itself collapsed.

The charge of the Plague stopped as they toppled over in the loss of their balance, a few tumbled along the ground for an extended while. Most of the Plague recovered quickly but it was already too late as I had lunged into their midst, war hammer swung out and smashed their skulls in a fashion that it was like when one took a hammer to a nut.

Nala who was so far off could only feel awe, and perhaps then fear as she watched me fight. When my strikes landed the force of each blow was enough to send a shudder through the air and ground, and every shove off of the ground with a foot left a deep indent in the shape of my boot.

It was the power that made me so fearful for the legionnaires, with a quick shift of the Shatterblade I whipped around a gigantic broadsword which sliced through three Plague in a single arc. More and more began to pour from the forest, all of them came at me with that unnatural speed even as their mouths gaped open.

To the left I swung the blade, a few heads cleaved from the bodies flew through the air. To the right I swung the Shatterblade and the weapon cut through two spines before stopping in a third body. The Plague pressed in around me, hands reached out in hunger from all directions, their presence foul to both the nose and the soul.

The Shatterblade shifted once more, this time into the form of a giant scythe. The handle of the weapon was thin with a blade built into the upper part of the shaft, while the main blade was long and definitely not designed for handling wheat. Instead I wrenched the scythe around in a circle, the weapon cut through all of the Plague with such ease it was almost scary.

The blood and guts of dead bodies flew all over the area, while my own body was smeared in the toxic smell of the Plague. A few cuts had already been gained on my arms, the clothes that Nala had lent me starting to tear apart. The Plague who remained saw me with that odd weapon and yet they had no interest in retreating, instead they pressed in.

On my left the Plague had already broken down part of the makeshift log wall I had erected and a few filtered into the depths of Oakvale. Arrows began to fall once more as Nala shot each of the encroaching Plague with a well placed shot, though she would soon run out of ammo. The Plague had no qualms with walking over the corpses of their own kind, which created a growing mound of dead bodies in the vicinity of the gate of Oakvale.

There was no time for me to worry about the alarm tower, instead the emergence of even more Plague drew my attention. The Shatterblade shifted form once more and took on the form of two swords, one per hand. Before they could press in I abandoned my post in the chokepoint and leapt for the Plague, weapons flashed out in quick strikes.

The first one was sliced open along the front vertically, then while it fell down I stepped forward and stabbed the left sword forward. Into the neck of another Plague it was pierced, before I wrenched it out to the left and chopped a third Plague nearly in half with the mere removal of the weapon.

My right foot snapped up and to the side, it crushed into the chest of a Plague and sent it flying back into a few others. From behind a Plague grasped onto my leg, it had crawled up to me and managed to catch me by surprise. Before I could even kill it the monster bit my leg, which I responded to by stabbing it in the head with my left blade.

More of the Plague came at me and I could only rip free from the rigid grip of the dead body, before stumbling backward away from them all. The right blade swung out and cut off a few fingers from one outstretched hand, but for the most part I was too busy recovering to do much. It was an opening the Plague took advantage of as they lurched in at me with an almost blinding speed.

To the old me it would've been my death, the seven or so Plague who reached out with mouths gaped open could've easily ensnared me and torn me to shreds. The new me though was able to take it all in stride, their speed was fast but not so much I couldn't respond to the attack. The left sword swung out and cut off an arm, then I stepped in toward the unarmed Plague and left the targeted center point empty. The other Plague crumpled together with a sickening noise, even while my elbow shot out and smashed in the head of the Plague I had closed in against.

The fighting continued for what felt like an eternity, every time one fell another two would appear to take the empty spot. The Shatterblade went from a hammer all the way through to a long and thin sword that looked like it would easily break if stopped by any other weapon. Yet the thin longsword was easily one of the best weapons I had at my disposal, the range it offered plus the inability for the Plague to catch the blade made the fighting all the easier.

When the fighting did come to an end there was a giant pile of dead bodies on which I stood, with a few other mounds scattered around the entryway to Oakvale. My boots squealched loudly as I walked over the corpses and back toward the alarm tower, a worried expression on my face as I could no longer see Nala on top.

The arrival at the alarm tower was a joyous one though, as I noticed right away that Rudicus was alright. He stood near the doorway with his own pile of dead Plague grouped up on the ground nearby, though he had suffered no more injuries. The door behind him was slightly open, a scared Nala peered out at him and myself.

"Stop right there!" Rudicus demanded as he leveled his sword at me, then he lifted up his left arm which was still bare.

My body was covered in guts and blood of corpses, it was a putrid state of being that made me want to run to the nearest river and jump in. When he offered up his arm at first I was confused, he was fine so why did he waste time showing his arm?

It was when Nala opened the door a little more and gave a slight gasp of shock that I started to suspect something. With a flick of the hand and a snap of the fingers my Shatterblade shifted back into the regular twin rings that clinked on my left wrist. Perhaps it was that which drew my attention, or where the two legionnaires looked but in the end I couldn't help but stare at my arm.

At the long black tattoo of a vine which had crept up.