Stanley shivered in the icy wind, laced with the muted smell of the sea and the city, that was whipping around them as he flew straight up. He slowed to a stop when he could no longer see the undead or even make out the truck stop below. “Good boy.” He whispered to the pug while trying to calm his breathing and stop the trembling in his hands. Caffeine turned his head and licked the side of Stanley’s face. “Gah!” Stanley started to protest but instead just hugged the dog tighter and whispered “good boy” again.
Stanley could feel fatigue like a heavy blanket pulling at his eyelids and hunger gnawed at his stomach. "I picked the worst possible day to push myself." He could hear Caffeine panting heavily in his ear as he looked to his left over the Atlantic Ocean. Faint glimmers of moonlight could be seen sparkling here and there as the swells crested and sank, but otherwise only darkness met his gaze.
The city of Boston should have been visible in front of him, lighting up the night with a million lightbulbs, but only darkness greeted his eyes. He turned to his right and looked towards the southwest where he could faintly feel his brother thousands of miles away. "Lee..." Stanley desperately wanted to fly as fast as he could in that direction but he needed to rest and get some food before that. He worried about how anyone could survive this mess. Stanley had telekinetic powers and an apparently magic dog and he had almost died already.
He cursed at himself.. “Damn it!" This was very bad. "I knew something was coming! I should have stayed closer to home. I got greedy for a little extra money and now Lee is going to…” Caffeine licked his face again. Stanley stopped spiraling and took a deep breath. “Thanks Caff.” He murmured and gave the pug some head scratches with his free hand.
“Okay, food and shelter first. I am too tired to get far tonight.” He looked around and then down at the ground shrouded in darkness. Stanley sighed. He was in unfamiliar territory and the only place he knew to get food was the truck stop he had just left. He wasn’t keen on the idea of exploring in the dark with bloodthirsty zombies everywhere. “Maybe I can pick them off from the sky.” He thought. “Or maybe sneak in if I can lure them away from the building.” It was just so much darker than he expected, even with the intermittent moonlight. Stanley began slowly descending while trying to psyche himself up to go back to that nightmare.
When he began to see moonlight glinting off of bits of chrome and patches of snow he stopped and tried to spot the zombies. "I know they are here. I should find somewhere else to go..." Even if he just found somewhere to hide until daylight... He could wait to get food if necessary. The question was where should he go? "Far away from here. Or as far as I can go without food..." Stanley started flying back up, and shortly thereafter stopped when the wind shifted and a new sound reached his ears. The sound of flapping wings. "Please don't be..." At the moment he stopped two things happened. A deafening caw sounded into the wind around him that sounded suspiciously like a seagull, though far too loud, and Caffeine once again kicked him away as he scrambled over his shoulder with a growl.
Stanley jumped at the sudden noise and then went into full panic mode as Caffeine slipped out of his grasp, still hundreds of feet in the air. "Caff!" Then he was tumbling down uncontrollably from Caffeine kicking off his back and before he could stabilize himself, a massive wrecking ball of black fur and white feathers slammed into him sending all of them plummeting towards the ground. "Shit!" Stanley found himself pressed against a snarling and growling wall of black hair and he wrapped his arms and his mind around it and pulled frantically against gravity, trying to arrest his fall. He felt their descent slow marginally while darkness crept in at the edges of his vision. “Caff!”
There was a snarl, a jerk he could feel through the large body, and a squawk he barely heard over the wind rushing past his ears. Then Caffeine shrank down until he was wrapped up in Stanley’s arms. As the pug shrank Stanley could see the giant bird that had attacked them falling away below and just behind the bird he saw the ground rapidly coming up to greet him. "Fuck me!" Stanley poured everything he had left into stopping his descent but knew it wasn’t enough. "I should never have come here..."
Skill Level Up. [Telekinesis]
He saw the bird slam into the unforgiving pavement of the truck stop parking lot with only one of its wings flapping, then Stanley tried to flip over to shield the small pug as best he could. Before he could do that, Caffeine suddenly ballooned up into the massive sized dog from before. Stanley tried to think of a way to save himself from the ground, to save Caffeine from the ground, then Caffeine stopped very abruptly in front of him and Stanley crashed into a wall of black fur.
Stanley came back to his senses slowly. He heard distant barking and opened his eyes. There was a horde of zombies waving bladed arms charging towards him and then a huge black paw, with small patches of white, came down in front of him and blocked his view. "Caffeine..."
He blinked. "Where is..."
The horde of bladed zombies was smaller but now an abomination was there with one disgusting limb coming down towards him. There was a roar and the abomination tumbled head over heels backwards as a large paw stepped in front of him. There was more white hair than black on this paw. "I need to..."
He blinked. Something hot and wet splashed on his cheek and Stanley turned his head to look up.
Caffeine stood over him, spinning and dancing back and forth but always staying above him as he fought the horde around them with tooth and claw. He was down to the size of a horse and was no longer barking, only angry growls and small whimpers when he was struck by the monster’s blades. Even as he looked up Stanley saw a blade slash a line through the fur on Caffeine’s side. Hot, wet droplets rained across his face and Caffeine spun and lashed out with a paw that sent the skeletal creature tumbling back into the press, taking a few of the zombies behind it off their feet as well.
But it didn’t matter, the gap in the line was refilled in a moment, the newcomers instantly throwing themselves at Caffeine. The pug snatched one of the leaping zombies up into his jaws and shook his head violently while snarling, the sound seeming too loud as Stanley, in a daze, noticed that the undead fought in silence. No moaning, no growling or screaming, only the sounds of their feet stomping or bones striking each other and the ground. It was eerie. The zombie in Caffeine’s mouth was released at speed back into the horde, creating a momentary lull, then the pug spun again as something struck him from behind. Caffeine gave no ground as he fought, never moving away from his protective position above Stanley’s prone form. "I have to help..."
Stanley’s dim eyesight traced across the many wet lines on the pug’s body. A burning pressure was building in his head. "I have to help Caffeine!" He tried to sit up, to move at all and realized with growing horror that he couldn’t feel anything below his neck. Even his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He lashed out with his power but the zombies only staggered back for a moment before pressing forward again.
Caffeine yelped and spun again. More of the monsters went down and even more took their place. The pressure in his head grew. Stanley could see it. Caffeine would go down fighting, never wavering, never running. Caffeine would die slowly and brutally while Stanley watched, helpless on the ground. He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t! The pressure in his head grew stronger.
The monsters stopped. All at once and all in sudden silence. All Stanley could hear was Caffeine panting like a steam locomotive climbing a mountain, the plume of his hot breath into the cold night only adding to the image, with intermittent pauses for growling as he slowly turned in place.
The stillness of the undead was an unnerving contrast as Stanley lay on the ground struggling to make his own body move. Stanley could see the exhausted trembling in the oversized pug standing protectively above him. A gust of wind howled in his ears for a moment bringing the stench of rot and blood, though he only felt the icy wind on his face and nowhere else. Stanley forcefully didn’t think about what that meant.
Stanley reached for his power, his telekinesis, he would carry himself and Caffeine away from here... A spike of pain drilled into his head at the effort and Stanley lifted up off the ground. Then the wind stilled and Caffeine stopped panting just long enough for Stanley to hear a heavy thump. Stanley was forced back down by the blinding and growing pain in his head while Caffeine turned his head to look at something and started growling. Stanley heard and felt another thump reverberate through the ground. He managed to turn his pounding head to follow the pug’s gaze but could only see the zombies from his low vantage. As he strained to see past the line of undead and into the dark, the horde suddenly stepped back and to the side, leaving a gap in the line.
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A towering form draped in moonlight and shadows emerged from the night. It towered at least twice as tall as the abominations and Stanley could only stare blankly as it took a slow, lumbering step forward. Stanley had trouble believing his eyes, his mind refusing to accept that something so big could be walking around. But even as he thought that he noted the giant pug panting heavily above him, the undead surrounding him and even thought of his own telekinetic powers. "Are these the Invaders? Were the zombies just the trash mobs?" The world had changed. It had changed a lot.
He was drawn out of his terrified thoughts by what sounded like someone speaking, although not a language Stanley could recognize. The sound drew his eyes down near the foot of the behemoth where they settled on a more human-sized and cloaked form moving towards him. It moved slowly beside the giant creature until they both stopped, just outside the encircling ring of undead around Stanley and Caffeine, the later of whom was still standing protectively over Stanley and growling at the newcomers. The pug was visibly trembling with what Stanley assumed was fatigue or just the pain of his injuries as he kept aborting attempts to sit or lie down and had to pause his growls repeatedly to pant for breath.
When the echoes of the last earthshaking step faded, the smaller creature moved forward a bit and started speaking again, still in an unknown language. It looked a bit taller than the undead they had been fighting and in the moonlight appeared to be wearing a hooded cloak of some kind. Stanley just stared, his head was throbbing with every beat of his pounding heart and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.
“Wait! I can feel my heartbeat…” The same moment he had the thought Stanley felt a line of fire run down his spine and bloom out into the rest of his body. He almost screamed as numerous injuries made themselves known, and yet at the same time he felt intense relief at the pain since it meant that his worst fear of being paralyzed wasn’t the case. "We can still survive..." Stanley slowly and hesitantly sat up. Caffeine moved a bit to the side to give him space and followed up with a quick face licking and happy whine before going back to growling at the now silent robed figure in front of them.
Stanley tried to stand up but a spike of pain from one of his legs made him abandon the effort with a gasp. The pounding in his head and overall weakness he felt left him hesitant to try and use his power. “Better to rest while I can and be ready to grab Caff and run!”
The hooded figure standing in front of him spoke again and Stanley slowly shook his head. “I can’t understand you.” He said cautiously as he watched for a reaction. He thought he saw the hood tilt a bit and then four arms spread out from the creature and started moving in odd waving motions while strange sounds came from the hood.
Stanley flinched at the sudden movement, his nerves raw, but he froze when he saw faint lines of pale light that seemed to follow the creature's hand movements. Skeletal hands… he noted, not thin, just bare bones. “Another undead? Is that... magic? It's casting a spell!” Stanley thought as he watched the hands and fingers dancing through the air. He tried to estimate how much power he could use to attack or run. “Not enough.” His head throbbed, his entire body was trembling with fatigue and a sharp pain shot up his leg every time he moved. “And four arms? Where do the 'Invaders' come from?”
The arm waving stopped and a dim circle flashed in the air before fading. “Now you can understand me, you dull creature.” It spoke, the voice sounding dry and scratchy. Stanley was too tired to care at this point so simply replied. “Yes.”
“You are strong for an F Rank. And your soul… fascinating! What is your class? Hmm… some type of Beast Tamer maybe?” The voice asked, while the hood turned towards Caffeine. "This one has potential."
Stanley stared blankly. “What is going on? It wants to talk?” The hooded figure started to move slowly around them, staying near the encircling undead but keeping his distance from Stanley and Caffeine. Stanley turned as well as possible while still sitting on the ground, trying to keep the shadowy creature in sight. He could now hear the click of its boney feet on the asphalt as it walked around them.
“Hmmm…” The sound came once again from the impenetrable darkness beneath the thing’s hood. “I’m tempted to turn you into an undead just to see what you would become… or maybe…” It trailed off. “For now, you will tell me where the Purifier is and I will allow you to join me and serve as a General in my army.” Its arms gestured grandly as it spoke.
“What?” Stanley said. None of this was making any sense to him. "What the hell is a Purifier?"
“I know the Purifier is in this area.” It said, “I was tracking it when I detected a burst of High Tier energy from this area.” Stanley was completely lost now. The hooded figure continued. “You cannot lie to me human. The only way you could be free of the Miasma is if you are working with the Purifier.” It stopped walking, having completed a full circuit and was now standing in front of the giant shadow again.
“You fought well to protect your Purifier but you are defeated.” It said in the same raspy tone. “You will join me in either case. If you die you will simply be raised as a mindless soldier.” It waved one arm at the undead surrounding him. “If instead you join me willingly, I can offer Power, Knowledge and Rare Classes.” The being’s arms settled with the four skeletal hands disappearing into opposing sleeves. "You don't have to die with the rest of your people."
Stanley didn't know what to say, he had no idea what it was talking about, other than the fact that it sounded like it was offering to let him join the undead... "Would I become a skeleton?"
“Your world is doomed, worm.” It spoke again. “Even should you manage to prevail against us, an impossible task I assure you. You would still be crushed underfoot by the Civilizations.” The last word was spat out like a curse. “Your world and everything on it will be conquered and turned into just another resource to be consumed.” A dry, raspy sigh came from the hood. “You should be grateful for this chance I am offering. The Eternal Armies do not stop and Never fail, I will not allow any chance of disruption, no matter how minor, to prevail against us. But that is enough stalling, tell me now or I will kill your bonded Beast.” It’s hands came up ready to cast another spell. “The pain will be quite horrific, or so I am told, and then I will kill you and find the Purifier regardless. There is nowhere to run.” The creature stood silent waiting for his response.
Stanley looked at the monsters surrounding him. Caffeine had decided to take the opportunity to rest and was laying down on the cold, gore splattered pavement, his heavy panting slowing as he caught his breath. “I don’t know what you're talking about.” Stanley said cautiously. The massive creature looming behind the four armed man made him very nervous. He assumed the hooded figure was male, based on the voice, but it was an alien so who knew. “I don’t even know who or what a Purifier is.” He hurriedly added as the skeletal hands started moving. “I haven’t seen anyone since I woke up!”
The hooded man began waving his arms faster and muttering quietly. Before Stanley could think of what else to say all four arms thrust at Caffeine and a ball of green light shot towards the dog. Stanley tried to block it with his power and felt… something, but the green ball continued on and slammed into Caffeine. And spilled around the dog, green light running down his fur like water and spilling onto the ground.
The horse sized pug leapt to his feet with a yelp that sounded more startled than pained and started growling at the hooded figure as he stepped forward, slightly in front of and over the still sitting Stanley.
The surrounding undead all took a step forward as the dog moved. The hooded creature stood still, his arms frozen in the final motion of his spell. “What…” It rasped. “But how?” The four arms started moving again, thin trails of red light followed the motions.
Caffeine started growing. The wind roared as the now elephant sized pug breathed in, all the while growing bigger. White light bloomed out from the pug’s mouth, illuminating the robed figure and finally revealing its skeletal face. Stanley stared at the white light in a daze, trying to remember why it looked so familiar while a heavy, roaring pressure built in his head.
The four skeletal hands abruptly stopped moving, the red lines of light shattered into motes and vanished. He saw the jaw of the skeleton moving but couldn’t hear anything over the wind. All four skeletal hands thrust palm forward into the now blinding white light. A translucent green disc appeared in front of it like a shield and Stanley heard the skeleton scream “KILL TH…” Then Caffeine Barked.
The robed skeleton vanished. The surrounding undead were all thrown back and off their feet as the ground beneath them bucked.
Out of the corner of his eye Stanley saw Caffeine shrink rapidly down to his normal twenty pound size but his focus was on the skyscraper sized shadow that was blocking out the moon and stars as it moved above them. A massive arm was moving up, blocking out the stars above as it went. "Oh god..." The arm stopped. Stanley watched the pug collapse onto his belly on the pavement. There was a roaring sound in his ears. His skin burned as if he was far too close to a raging fire and his muscles spasmed as if he was being electrocuted. Something in his head felt like it was trying to explode out and shatter his skull.
The arm started to descend. Straight down towards the crippled human and the exhausted pug. "No..." Stanley watched the stars disappear behind the growing shadow as it loomed larger and larger. He raised one small human hand, grasping desperately for any scraps of power that he could muster and all the while knowing it was futile. "Caff..."
The pressure in his head burst and the world went White.