The soil was crisp, darkness kept the tunnels full with winding passages haphazardly dispersed beneath the entire house. The blood-stained nesting room lay full of putrid corpses, the walls decorated with a flurry of scrapes as the bodies of rats clawed at the walls. In the center of the massacre stood Yuro, in the body of a baby black bat, as he stood before a fusion of flesh, teeth, and eyes. Veins pulsed along its length as it brought its front up to look down on Yuro. As it moved, the creature produced a liquidity gargle with a smell similar to rot. From tiny slits along the front of it, it let out a loud screech that made Yuro cover his ears with his wings.

As the screeching ceased, the Necrosite scrunched its body up and launched upward, acting like a spring. Yuro leaped out of the way as the Necrosite crashed down behind him. Yuro wasted little time and let out a small squeak, allowing for the bat's echolocation to scan through the tunnel. Yuro frantically sprinted down one of the passageways as the Necrosite quickly followed closely behind him. It wriggled down the same passageway Yuro went down, the tight corridors not allowing for much security as Yuro plunged further into the maze.

"Damn thing must have detached itself from the Necrobeast... this one's a risk taker..."

Yuro made a sudden turn as the Necrosite whizzed past the opening Yuro ducked into.

Yuro soon reached a small room, as he went to enter further his body was caught in a sharp wire. His wing was cut as the wire dug deeper into his flesh. He yelled but his mouth was quickly held shut by a surviving rat.

"Squeak... squeak squeak."

The rat's tone was stern as it narrowed its eyes.

Yuro struggled but soon stopped moving so that the wire wouldn't dig into his skin.

"Friend!"

He was able to get through a single word as the rat turned to look at many of the other rat survivors. Eventually, the rat took its hand off Yuro.

"Thank you. You're survivors?"

The rat squeaked in response but didn't seem to understand what Yuro was saying exactly.

"Oh sorry, uh... let me try something."

Yuro took out a long piece of his human hair that was connected to the body of the baby bat's body. He then stuck the hair on the rat as his consciousness was swapped.

"Matt!"

Another one of the rat survivors grabbed Yuro, who was now in the body of a rat.

"Woah woah! Don't worry, he's in that body."

The body of the baby bat looked around confused.

"It's me, Yuro."

The other rat let go of Yuro.

"Yuro! Thank god you're here. It was awful."

"I saw."

Yuro looked down apologetically.

"What happened exactly?"

The third and final rat survivor spoke up.

"A complete massacre. The whole burrow was sleeping in the main nest when all of a sudden we were attacked by... that thing."

The rat looks down mortified.

"Before the creature got us, Matt grabbed me and Kyle and dragged us here."

"Yeah... if not for Matt, I don't even know what would have happened to me and Linda."

Kyle shriveled in terror.

Matt, who was in the baby bat's body, walked up and began to squeak incoherently. Linda calmed him down quickly.

"Sorry about taking your body, Matt. I'll give it back soon."

Yuro turned to Kyle and Linda.

"So... are you all that's left?"

Kyle shrugged.

"We don't know. We haven't left this spot since the attack. The attack was only a little bit ago so I'm hoping someone else managed to survive."

Yuro put his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll help you guys as best I can. Right now we need a plan."

Linda looked surprised.

"Yuro I... You've done so much for our burrow. Thank you."

Linda weeped as Yuro smiled determined.

"Don't worry. Let's devise a plan then I'll swap back with Matt and you can fill him in."

Linda and Kyle nodded, their morale uplifted seeing Yuro's determination.

A few minutes later...

Yuro squeaked, his mind mapping out a large portion of the tunnels. Now that he was back in his bat body, he needed to keep his part of the plan. He ran down the hall, occasionally squeaking to scan for the Necrosite. Once the path was safe he flapped his wings, signaling Kyle, Linda, and Matt to follow him. They pushed further down the tunnels, keeping at a steady pace while watching their backs and fronts. Distant sounds of shifting earth passed by them as they could hear the Necrosite all around them.

"Alright. This should be the first area."

Matt dropped to his knees and took a long, sharp, metallic wire out.

"Thank god for all the underground cables we chew on."

Matt laid the wire out straight and stabbed one of the ends in the ceiling.

"First one secure. I'll keep watch."

Matt handed more of the wire to Linda.

"You're up next. Good luck."

Linda smiled and nodded her head.

Yuro began to run deeper down the tunnel.

"C'mon. We still have more wire we need to place."

They continued their way around the tunnels, evading the Necrosite as it wriggled through the tunnels blindly, hunting. Soon Linda stopped to repeat what Matt had done, taking a wire and stabbing it into the dirt above her.

"Good luck Kyle. Be safe."

Linda smiled.

Kyle looked at her and clenched his fist.

"Please... stay safe sis."

Kyle hugged Linda before running off.

Soon, Yuro and Kyle reached another spot. Kyle dug the wire into the ceiling and then handed the last few remaining bits of wire to Yuro.

"Good luck, Yuro."

Kyle nodded.

Yuro ran off, not understanding what Kyle had said.

With the Necrosite growing impatient from going down the same halls it soon heard the distant squeaks of Yuro, who was echolocating through the tunnels. The Necrosite swiftly went straight towards the noise as Yuro managed to reach the large nest filled with all the rat corpses.

"Okay, Yuro... You've got this."

Yuro looked down at one of the long dark tunnels. Their whole plan relied on the metal wires to act as poking sticks. They strategically went to certain areas in the burrow and stabbed the wires into the ceiling of the tunnels, these areas were right beneath the main nest area. They planned to lure the Necrosite to the nest and have Yuro lead it around the room as Matt, Kyle, and Linda stabbed it from below by thrusting their metal wires up.

"COME AND GET ME NECROSITE!"

The Necrosite screeched as it barrelled toward Yuro. It emerged from the tunnels and lunged at Yuro. Yuro quickly dodged as Matt thrust his wire up, stabbing into the Necrosite as a green puss squirted all over the place. Yuro covered his nose from the raw stench as he evaded the incoming Necrosite lunge. However, since Matt's wire was still lodged in the Necrosite when it leaped off the ground it pulled the wire and Matt through the ground into the nest.

"Damnit!"

Matt fell to the floor but Yuro helped him up.

"Glad you could join me."

Yuro smiled before turning back to the Necrosite.

The beast thrashed around as Matt and Yuro evaded its aggressive offensive. They soon got it into position as Linda thrust her wire up and into the beast, impaling it again as it sprayed more green puss all over the room. In a fury, the Necrosite yanked the wire and Linda up through the ground as its behind whipped her across the room.

"LINDA!"

Matt ran over to help her as the Necrosite aimed its next attack at them.

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"Linda get up!"

Linda groaned as she could barely breathe.

"I got you."

Matt helped her up but it was too late, the Necrosite leaped up.

Matt clutched Linda tightly seeing his life flash before his eyes. Yuro ran forward and got his wire in hand, stabbing into one of the Necrosite's hundred eyes. Yuro gave a bellowing war cry as he ripped the wire out and plunged it back into another eye. He was drenched in the Necrosite's insides as it collapsed to the floor. As the creature panicked, it ejected more of its fluid onto Yuro, the pressure of the fluid causing him to stumble back.

Yuro wiped some of the fluid off as he looked up, the creature was in position for Kyle to stab it but nothing was happening. Matt and Linda got a safe distance away as Kyle wasn't following the plan.

"Damnit... what's happening..."

Yuro grits his teeth but then he looks to the ground and sees that Kyle's wire is stuck in the rat queen's corpse instead of the Necrosite. Before Yuro could go to move the corpse, the Necrosite got back up and saw Kyle's wire stuck. It screeched and hooked onto the wire, ripping it and Kyle out of the ground and to the nest.

"KYLE!"

Linda screamed as the Necrosite had Kyle in its sights. Before anyone could stop it, the Necrosite slammed Kyle to the wall. Kyle slumped over in pain as he looked up at Linda.

"Linda... I'm... sor-"

Before Kyle could finish his words, the Necrosite squished Kyle beneath its mass.

Linda's eyes widened in horror.

"Kyle... Kyle... KYLE!"

Linda leaped forward, frothing at the mouth as she leaped up onto the Necrosite's back.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Linda grabbed all of the wires lodged in the beast and began to viciously slice the creature open.

"LINDA! WATCH OUT!"

Matt called out and ran toward her.

The Necrosite spat its blood into her eyes causing her to stagger back. Just as quickly as Kyle had perished, Linda would follow. She closed her eyes hoping to join her brother. To her surprise, she didn't die. When she looked up she saw Matt, holding the creature back singlehandedly. His muscles bulged as he pushed the Necrosite back.

"Matt..."

Linda looked thankful.

"Linda... kill this thing. Quick."

Matt screamed as he threw the Necrostand back.

With rapid reflexes, Linda rushed forward holding a wire tightly. She thrust it into the Necrostrand as Matt joined, taking another wire and driving it further into the creature. Yuro smiled and took up the last two wires, holding both in either wing, he plunged them forward. They let out a blood-curdling cry as the creature screeched and exploded beneath the pressure. Its body popped into a sea of green puss, eyeballs and teeth landing everywhere.

Matt, Linda, and Yuro backed away from the Necrosite's corpse.

"We... did it."

Matt smiled.

Linda quickly turned around and ran to Kyle. She clutched him tightly as he lay lifeless in her arms. Linda wept as Matt comforted her.

"We couldn't have made it this far without him. He did good."

Yuro went up to them and looked down at Kyle's body. He bowed his head, paying respects. Matt and Linda squeaked at each other but he couldn't understand them so he quickly transferred his consciousness to Matt once more.

"You all did well."

Yuro smiled as Linda closed her eyes gently and stood.

"What will you do now?"

"Bury our dead. They all deserve a proper goodbye. Then, me and Matt will probably go out and find a new home. Maybe ask the crows for help but... I think it would be best we leave."

Linda looked off into the distance with a blank expression.

"Take good care of yourselves. You were as a crucial part of this household as anyone else."

Yuro gave Matt his body back and waved them both goodbye. He returned to the living room exhausted.

"Man... I'll miss them."

Suddenly, the Necrobeast landed in front of Yuro making him squeal.

"OH SHIT! I FORGOT WHY I WHEN DOWN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Yuro ran away before getting stopped by a brown boot.

Yuro looked up to see Werren.

"Yuro?"

Yuro hugged Werren's ankle and cried.

"I thought I was gonna die!"

Werren leaned down and picked him up.

"You did. Welcome to Heaven buddy."

Yuro flapped his wings aggressively at Werren.

"Stop fooling around!"

Werren laughed. The Necrobeast was dead and Yuro swiftly returned to his baby body. Relieved to finally have reached the end of this whole ordeal. The Bombs also celebrated the death of the Necrobeast in Rina's room. Werren and Yuro then sat down in the kitchen.

"So, what happened out there?"

Yuro sat down, his body feeling like sludge as he lazed about.

"Too much. Though, I had to call The Initiates. As much as I hated to call them for help I had no other choice."

Werren sighed and relaxed.

"What a night..."

Jia Precinct - 23/02 1:19pm 51EE

Century opened her eyes, her vision meeting the familiar wooden ceiling that greeted her most mornings. Her blanket was wrapped around her keeping her warm and snug. Her body felt mostly healed and her exhaustion had entirely vanished. She sat up rubbing her eyes as she heard people speaking in the kitchen. She walked over to see Werren smoking and drinking a coffee. Yuro was chowing down on a sandwich in his baby body. Beside him, Petra sat watching videos on a tablet, her eyes entranced by the screen. On the other side of the table, Rina groomed each of her babies thoroughly. At the end of the table, Eliowen and Nayjhren were reading a book together and laughing.

The sight made her want to go back to sleep as all of them were too loud.

Werren then looked up.

"Look who's finally awake."

Century groaned and sat next to Rina.

"What the hell happened... I swear I was... at the service... in... the basement?"

Century clutched her head.

"Why can't I remember anything after... entering the church basement..."

Werren chuckled.

"There's quite a lot we have to catch you up on Century."

Werren explains that Nayjhren has Eliowen's old powers of connecting his soul with someone else. When Century went into the church basement Nayjhren was able to connect their souls since he was trapped down there. This caused Century to become his puppet. From that point onwards Nayjhren was piggybacking off Century in order to view the world from her eyes. He did all of this to get the churches Haab'.

Century takes a moment to process everything, she rocked back and forth in her chair.

"So... this little shit was controlling me for the whole of yesterday?"

Werren nodded.

"Huh."

Century shot up and grabbed Nayjhren, throwing him to the wall.

"YOU! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Nayjhren looked guilty as his face turned red.

"I'm sorry!"

"Leave him alone, Century."

Werren sighs.

"WHY SHOULD I!? I'M NO ONE'S PUPPET!"

Century let go of Nayjhren as she huffed enraged.

Eliowen then smiled.

"Yeah, it was kinda obvious you were being controlled. Though I hadn't expected Nayjhren to be behind it. I sensed something fishy from you the moment you asked about the Haab'."

Eliowen's expression then changes to confusion as he looks to Nayjhren.

"Though if you were controlling her the whole time... when she betrayed you was... that you?"

Nayjhren blushed and looked away.

"Doesn't matter. That's the least concerning thing that happened yesterday."

Yuro then perked his head up.

"OH YEAH! I have to tell you guys about my adventures yesterday!"

Yuro stood on the table excited but as he went to tell his story he saw everyone busy. Century talked to Rina, Petra was engrossed in the tablet and Eliowen and Nayjhren we speaking about the book they were reading.

"OH COME ON!"

Yuro turned to Werren.

"You'll listen... right...?"

Werren stood up quickly.

"I have a lot of matters to attend to."

Yuro hung his head low.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Century's eyebrow raised.

"Where you going?"

Werren smiled.

"Just meeting with some old friends."

Century got up.

"I'm coming with."

Werren looked surprised.

"Don't give me that look. You still have a bunch of things to explain."

Werren smiled warmly as they both left the house. The sun was shining once more over the town as people rushed around, fixing the town once more.

"So, why are those two even staying here?"

"Hm? Well, Archbishop Blues and you tore up his house pretty badly. He is also very injured so I offered Eliowen and Nayjhren a place to stay while he recovers."

"Must have been one crazy night."

Century looked down to the ground with a blank expression.

"We didn't fight yesterday. That's the first day where we didn't fight."

Her eyes twitched.

"Guess we can just fight twice then, ha!"

Werren laughed but as he looked at Century, he saw she had a saddened expression as she looked at the ground. Werren looked deeply at her as he smiled.

"I'm serious."

Century looked up at him shocked.

"Really? Aw hell yeah! Get ready to die, Werren!"

Century grinned.

"You don't even know, two fights means I'll get to beat you twice."

As they kept walking through town they reached the pile of charred Necrobeast corpses. Century plugged her nose as she looked disgusted.

"What the hell... That's disgusting!"

Suddenly a man in orange baggy pants and a shirt tied around his waist hopped down from a roof. Scars covered his bare torso as he lifted his goggles. His hair was a deep maroon and his eyes a glowing blue.

"Glad to see ya Werren!"

Werren turned to him and smiled.

"You too, Crux."

"Most of the bodies have been burned, you get that arm checked out?"

Crux asked, pointing to Werren's arm with a screwdriver.

"Yep. It should be fine. I still want to meet with Captain though."

"No worries, she's busy with the cleaning process but she also said she'd want to wait until the Archbishop recovers before having a meeting."

Werren's brow furrowed.

"Hm. That could be a while. He's injured and very sick."

"Don't worry, you need to relax Werren. Lockdown squad is here to keep this place under check. We'll handle the Necrobeasts for a while. Just chill while we do our job, it's why we're here!"

Crux smirked before running off.

"Who was that?"

Century watched him run off.

"You heard of The Initiates?"

"Nope."

"Ah, well they're an organization similar to the SHS and the Covenant. They aid in dealing with Necrobeasts to those who can't defend themselves. Me and Rina used to run with them a few years ago and I called in an old favor to help in last night's situation."

"So why do you wanna meet with them and Blues?"

"We need to discuss the Haab' in Eliowen's back and some other things. Don't worry too much about them."

"I wasn't worrying. If I wish to become the ultimate villain I'll need info on anyone who might try and oppose me."

Werren sighed as Century insisted that she was serious. They both made their way home, thankful the long night was over.