“Ah-ha ha ha! Run!” Yun boomed, swinging his tail into the corner of a building, crumpling it. The concrete sagged and fell, and he relished the screams of the people below as they scattered before him. “That’s it! Run!” He stamped his legs down one after the other, making a woman flee for her life, until…“Oops.” He smiled as he sighed. Oh well, the timing on that trick was too hard. There would be plenty more chances to practice.

He raised his head high, grinning with a slavering jaw full of mandibles at the full moon in a red sky, a temple over the city. The boss’s plan had begun, and he howled with joy. He was truly free now, free to run rampant and do whatever he pleased. It was a heady feeling, and he was intoxicated on it. He dove down, burrowing through the asphalt into the concrete of another building, cracking it in half as he went. This body! So strong! So quick! He never would’ve known the spell to combine with his servant if it weren’t for Mr. Delacroix. He never would have known this strength, this freedom without Taboo.

“Hail Delacroix!” he cried, stretching from atop a skyscraper, his voice echoing over the panicking city. The other monsters, what happened after this; nothing concerned him now.

“…rrrrRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

WHAM!

His head snapped to the side as something collided with it, hitting like a brick.

“Wha-whoa!” His head was dragged down by an incredible force, then snapped to the opposite direction. “Wha-!” Half his mandibles were suddenly immobilized. “Hah?” His eye slid back in its’ socket.

There was a girl, glaring down at him from the side of a building with pure white skin in a suit. Her eyes were blazing a solid crystal blue, and a golden-yellow glow emanated from her body.

“Rrrrrraaaah!” She bent and leaped, soaring over his head in a mighty bound. There was a translucent thread in her hand, attached to the side of his face. He saw her land and pull, and his head was slammed painfully into the ground.

“Bitch!” he growled, but she was already moving, sticking the gravity web to one of his legs.

“Avesh! Avesh! Avesh!” she chanted, leaping and twirling as she casted more gravity webs, laying it on him like silly string.

“Enough!” He roared, ripping the web with a burst of strength and rearing up. He swung his tail, but she vaulted over it like a gymnast. “Die!” He dropped his entire upper body, trying to crush her with his weight, and she couldn’t dodge in midair.

“Avesh!” Or so he thought. She tugged on the conjured web, zipping out of the way. He turned to catch her when she landed, but a black form appeared and served her like a volleyball, both rocketing in different directions. He snarled. Those bastards again! They were all so hard to hit, and they kept trying to get in his way!

His head turned to trace her path, only to see another guy dressed in black jump and crawl up a building. Suddenly, his lower legs tangled up, and he fought to stay upright. Something smacked into his back to make a cracking sound and he fell over, the white girl webbing him to the ground, another black figure darting off. Yun chittered in annoyance, using his free legs to dig through the street. After ripping the strange strands apart, he focused his senses. The vibrations of their movements told him exactly where they were, even though the cacophony of the chaotic street. He slithered through the ground and exploded through the asphalt, screeching and baring his fangs to bite down on that annoying girl. She caught his mandibles, but her strength wasn’t enough to keep his jaws from closing-until another guy in a cape showed up and held his mouth open too.

“’hat’s ii aake!” He reared up and flung them at another building, but that bitch just threw out another line and used it to swing away! “Graaaahh!” Determined to squash them now, he skittered over and attacked, enjoying the fear in their eyes.

“Hang on!” Amber cried, ignoring the burning in her legs to leap and swing to the safety of another skyscraper. Yun screamed and whirled around.

“Up!” Nightfang said, using every ounce of his vampiric agility to climb up the building, his fingers and toes digging into the concrete for a breath of a second, rocketing upwards with his cape straight back. Amber was hopping and swinging as well, the chittering centipede crawling up the wall to pursue them. She only paused occasionally to shoot gravity webs at Yun, trying to slow him down.

“Crap! Not good!” She had underestimated him. In the company of the uylata, she would have overwhelmed him by now, but her efforts weren’t enough to overcome his sheer size and power. She could do it, she knew she could, she could see what she needed to do; she needed more than a two-second window to web him up properly.

They reached the top, nowhere left to run, and Yun was on them.

“Keep moving (huff), keep him distracted.” Nightfang panted, the exertion getting to him. He needed a drink, badly. The duo jumped and darted, throwing webs or pieces of concrete, trying desperately to keep the centipede unfocused. But it was only a matter of time until…

“Gotcha!” Yun timed Amber’s leap, and his mandibles once more closed on her, snatching her out of the air. She struggled, but she didn’t have a good vantage point to web him, and wasn’t strong enough to break free. Yun shook his head like a dog, and she lay still, dizzied. She watched as a human face formed just over the mouth.

“You are trouble.” Yun growled, wanting to bite down but savoring her discomfort first. His teeth were ready to pierce through her body. “You try and smack me around, but I show you your place. Beneath a hundred feet.” He snickered, but started when she spat in his eye.

“I’ll rip off every one of your legs! You can’t scare me, Yun! Not even if you kill me!” Amber declared defiantly, still trying to break free. She shook her arm loose and grabbed the tooth pinning her down, heaving as much as she could. It wasn’t enough. He was going to close his mouth, crushing her.

‘I’m going to die. Again.’ she thought, fighting to the end.

“Then di-huh?” Yun’s head turned to the noise, growing louder. Amber heard it too, the sound of…violins?

“What…the…hell…?” she said, watching the spectacle before their eyes.

A glowing pirate ship sail through the sky towards them, blaring music with an assembled mass of speakers.

“Oh my God. No…no way.” This wasn’t possible. Yet, who else?

“Da ‘ell?” Yun said in Chinese, cocking his head. He had heard that song before, somewhere…but the ship was headed right for him, so he had to do something.

Nightfang planted his feet and drew his fist back. Now was his chance!

WHAM!

Yun felt a tremendous impact in his stomach, the underside of his armor. All the air was forced from his lungs, blowing Amber from his mouth into the sky. She hurled through the air, noting places to shoot a gravity web when suddenly she landed, a thin, hard pair of arms holding her in a bridal carry.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Nya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Scott laughed, the ship rising into the night. “Sup, bitches! I’m BAAAAAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKKK!” He looked down at the pale girl in his arms, one eyelight winking. “Hey babe. I’d plant one on ya to celebrate, but I’m a little lacking in the lips department right now.”

Amber stared at him, openmouthed and shaking her head. She didn’t know what to do; laugh, scream, or cry. She let out a choked noise that sounded like all three, tears streaming down her face.

“T-The Pirates of the Caribbean theme?” she asked, wiping her eyes. Yes, he was certainly dead, but… he was here.

“I thought it was appropriate. Right, Captain!?” he called.

“AYE, SIR! Rousing song lad, ROUSING SONG! We’ll show ‘em what for, what what!” Captain Blackwell shouted, his ghostly mustache bristling and waving his saber. “Raise more sail! We’ll catch the updraft, then show that devil true hell! TALLY-HO!”

“Roger!” The crew scrambled to comply, skeletons in the rigging unfurling phantom cloth, the zombie deckhands hauling rope and loading cannons, ghosts flitting in, out, and through the corpses.

“Kinda a skeleton crew, but they’re a good bunch.” Scott said, grinning. “Get it? Skeleton-”

“I got it.” Amber said, holding a hand up and touching his skull. “What…how?” she could only say.

“Long story short, I met the author of the Necronomicon and he showed me how to come back. Dead, yeah, but hey, I’m still the life of the party even when I don’t got a pulse! Ha ha ha!” He laughed, and Amber covered her face. She could not even right now.

“Can you put me down now? I’m safe.” She said, but he only hoisted her up higher.

“No. It’s been too long since you were in my arms, I’m not letting you go.” Scott said sincerely, and her heart skipped a beat. Her face turned less pale.

“Uh…y-yeah. That’s, that’s great and all, but you’re kinda boney, it’s uncomfortable.” She said.

“Oh.” He put her down. “Ah. Well then. Uh. Hey! There’s a giant monster! We should do something about that!” he said awkwardly, pointing at Yun trying to eat Nightfang.

“R-Right.” Amber said, crawling forward on the bow.

“Captain, aim and fire on the centipede!” Scott ordered as they strafed the building.

“FIRE!” The cannons roared, the ghostly cannonballs hitting with full force then dissolving. Scott cackled. With ectoplasmic cannonballs, they had an effectively unlimited supply of ammo. The centipede screeched as his exoskeleton started to dent and crack.

“He’s trying to get away!” Riley shouted, watching Yun waver and crawl down the building.

“No he won’t, lass! HAR TO PORT!” Captain Blackwell commanded. “Take us lower! Don’t let the blaggard slip free! Young master Scott?”

“On it!” Scott picked up a microphone, cutting out the music. “All zombies converge on the centipede! Swarm him! Tear him apart!”

The speakers blared the orders, and Yun froze as he reached the street. He’d been too distracted to notice, but now he saw the roads completely filled with undead, climbing over each other in their haste to attack, nearly three million strong. Yun turned from side to side, the dead in every direction, still being fired on from above.

“Huurrrrk!” The centipede spit acid at the crowd. A patch of them began to dissolve…and continue on as scarred skeletons. “No, no, no, no…” he muttered, backing up.

“Scott! He’s got only one choice left, he’s gonna-!” Amber’s warning was too late, as the centipede tore through the wall of the building, using it as an escape tunnel to burrow below. “Damn it! If I could only get down there!” she cried, pounding her fist on the railing.

“You got it!” Scott said, grabbing the helm and spinning it, lurching down to the side, the children giggling. Amber was suddenly staring at the ground, headed into it at top speed.

“Scott? Scott!? SCOTT!” She shrieked as they…passed through the street harmlessly, the necrotic glow illuminating the sewers below.

“It’s a ghost ship! I rigged it so who and whatever’s aboard can pass through solid matter like ghosts can! Took some doing, but I had this concept in mind for awhile!” Scott said, steering the ship through the underground.

“There! Off the starboard bow! Connor said, pointing. The dirt and concrete crumbled and Yun tunneled out, locking eyes with Amber and halting in place.

“Oh, would you look at that. He’s in a tight, enclosed space and can’t move much. That work for you, Amber?” Scott said innocently.

“Perfectly!” She launched herself from the ship, snarling in midair. “Avesh!”

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Nigel moaned as they sped down the street, slumped over on Vanessa’s lap while she stroked what was left of his hair comfortingly.

“There there. It’ll, uh, all be alright.” she tried to say soothingly, but no one was convinced. Cross and Leo kept stealing glances at him from the front seat, and Bess wracked her brain trying to understand what was happening. His body had swelled up and grown rotund, and his eyes were bloodshot and bulging while his lips had swollen up even worse. He groaned as his headache increased. He could feel his face flattening out.

“I don’t feel good.” Cross grit her teeth. She hated to say this to a guy in this state, but there was no time to sugarcoat it.

“Listen, Nigel.” she said as she navigated, avoiding a rat the size of a loaf of bread. “We don’t know what’s wrong with you. I’m sorry, but you might not even last the night. I’m going to sound cold for this, but if you know anything about this ritual or how to stop it, I’m gonna need you to tell me before it’s too late.”

“What? He could be dying and that’s all you can think of!?” Vanessa said hotly.

“Yes!” Cross snapped. “Look around! People are dying! The city’s overrun with monsters! Anything that needs to be said has to be now, before the world goes to hell anymore!” Vanessa winced.

“That’s-”

“N-No, she’s right.” Nigel flubbed, rolling and jiggling as the car jostled. “I-I don’t think I…have much time. And this…this isn’t what I wanted.” he said quietly, looking at the ceiling. They passed by someone screaming, followed by a crunch, then…silence. He closed his eyes. This carnage couldn’t possibly be what the better world should be founded on, it couldn’t be what Mr. Delacroix had promised. He tried to take a deep breath, but his blubber choked him and made him cough.

“Aus-Australia.” he said at last, nearly sending him into another coughing fit. “He-he said his final destination was Australia. Something about the barriers of reality being weaker there. If…if you want to undo what’s been done, go there.” he said, laying his head down, spent.

“Australia. Great. Just great. I hope Crenshaw’s got a jet we can-” Cross grumbled, then turned the corner. The car came to a stop, and they all stared. There was an innumerable number of undead clogging the road, crammed in so tight they were packed on top of each other, peeling away from a building. A decaying grandma ninety years old shuffled up and tapped on the window. Cross lowered it, wide-eyed.

“’Scuse me, but the road head’s closed, as you can see. We got monsters to find, so anybody who’s got a life to lose shouldn’t be out on the street, yeah?” Though it was a little old dead lady, the voice was a deep, gruff baritone more suited to a biker. Cross wordlessly turned to stare straight ahead. After a moment, she silently pressed the button, and the window slowly slid up.

“This is…weird.” Bess said.

“Hey, you mooks listening?” the lady said, a pale green ghostly head leaning out from the body through the door. Cross jumped.

“Ahh! Got it!”

“Good. Now get outta here, or the boss’ll have my head, and I only just got it.” The ghost went back into the zombie and she wandered off, muttering about tourists. Cross’s knuckles were white on the wheel as she turned and locked eyes with a pale Leo.

“That just happened, right?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah, b-but…”

“I know. Is…is…”

“What? What’s going on?” Vanessa said, the people in the back unable to see the ghost.

“I mean, really though…who else?” Bess said, leaning forward for a better look. She may not have been able to see ghosts, but this army of the dead was too familiar to be anything but. Cross felt a very, very familiar headache coming on.

“What’s happening? Why are there so many of them?” Vanessa said, shrinking into her seat. She was having flashbacks, seeing a daemon being ripped to shreds again.

“There’s no doubt about it. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but…” Cross sighed.

A massive glowing pirate ship rose from the ground, cracking the street open not from its entrance, but from the head of the giant centipede it was dragging behind it, suspended in the air by gravity webs. There was a skeleton on the prow, head thrown back and laughing madly.

"Cower, foolish mortals! Cower before the awesome might of necromancy, and its fearsome, awesome master! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

“…the kid is back.” she finished. Though her head was cradled in her hand to ward against the throbbing, there was a faint smile on her face. She should’ve known her headache wouldn’t disappear so easily.

“Hey guys! You see this!? Seriously!?” Nightfang said, landing with the other vampires next to the car.

“Yeah, I see it. I don’t believe it, but I see it.” Will said, taking a picture with his phone.

“Okay, I really don’t know what’s going on anymore.” Genevieve said, then a rope ladder was dropped from the hull.

“Ahoy! C’mon up! The boss needs to see you!” Connor called from above.

“Avast me hearties! We’ll keelhaul ya if ye don’t hurry, landlubbers!” Riley said. Somewhere she had found a pirate hat and waved them up.

“Okay, now I don’t know anymore.”