It was the twentieth day of the apocalypse, and the order of light was growing desperate.
Every night, people disappeared, abducted into the night by an unknown adversary.
The order was prepared tonight, a single guy sent out to act as bait, for their paladins to strike down.
They had sworn to protect the eastern wall of the church complex with their lives, and tonight was the time.
Soon, one of them saw something black strike from the shadows, black chitin seeming to swallow the torches light as he gave the sign to everyone.
They stormed in, hacking at the creature, only for it to disappear.
Quickly, one of them spoke a prayer. The priest's divine light healing everyone around them, only for the injured bait to scream.
His flesh turned black as he struggled, running away as newly formed claws tore through the rope binding him.
They saw the chitin rip through his body, turning the previously pious man into a monster before their eyes.
They could not even fathom the changes as he followed behind the other monster, screaming in a way that sounded absolutely alien as he weaved around and over the wall, leaving the group stunned.
"I guess they reproduce by infection, huh?"
Maximilian asked, the others agreeing with a quick nod.
When they thought it would be time for them to sleep, the western wall sounded an alarm.
At first, it sounded like a fire had broken out, a theory quickly disproven as they ran towards the source of the screams, freezing as they noticed the hole in the ground, a group of six legged somewhat humanoid creatures fighting off their knights, their chitin a sandy brown as they fought, a close unit wailing in horror as they stormed towards the paladins before them.
The fight took ten minutes and was marked by blood, the few surviving bugs grabbing onto any corpses they can before disappearing back through the hole they came from, destroying the tunnels behind themselves.
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The sudden assault left everyone confused, some attempting to open the hole again, only to find even more collapsed rock and debris.
"What is it with those damned bugs? Black ones turn our people into demonic beasts, and the yellow ones prey on us. And both seem much more intelligent than the sinners we usually have to fight off."
Everyone agreed with that, though the exhausting evening made them retreat to their beds, resting to guard the church another day.
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The Heroes had trained more with every day, deciding to halt their sworn enemies from their evil plots and free the world.
Their leader was growing harsher by the day, encouraging them to be their best as he forced them to learn control and be ready to defend themselves.
They were split into parties of four, each group holding at least one supporter and an attacker, with the other two members stemming from any kind of ability set.
They grew somewhat strong, even establishing a route to a nearby retirement home.
The people in it were mostly pacifists that did not want trouble, a vibrant garden overgrowing their home as they told anyone that came close about the beauty of nature, many dogs and cats having retreated there as the monster population began to rise.
Some of the heroes joined the so called cloister of life, but most orphans decided to fight for justice instead, only going to the cloister for regular classes by the monks and druids that used to be teachers.
"We need to fight those villains together, I don't think our group can do it alone."
Silver man begged, looking at the druids and monks before him, knowing what they would answer.
"Young one, we have sent enough birds to them to see the truth behind your statement. They pervade life, raise the dead and summon from a different reality all together. But we cannot attack them. Their beasts are so far from nature, none of us can control them. There are no plants except for mushrooms, and a coven of hags is granting them its guidance.
If we were to attack, they would know. Many have sworn an oath to not hurt people that leave our grove alone, you must defeat them on your own, our role is simply to give guidance."
They explained, Silver man nodding and going home as his plead was ignored.
"Why can't I find anyone willing to fight them?"
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Tucker had the time of his life.
Sure, the others could climb better than he could, but his traps and throwing stones had impressed the most beautiful of apes, her luscious fur mesmerising against his scales.
They had repurposed a shack, the local equipment placed to better guard the door, nearby cages granting great opportunities for food and drinks.
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The dark crusade had grown closer since the last week, Marc's Skeletons preparing an improvised field while the lost legion went through to sow the seed for their future.
Noir and the hags worked together every day to optimize their cooperation, the brain washing of Knight working perfectly as he returned every three days, leaving some of his eggs with them so they would hatch faster.
They were ready to go to war, and thus, they went into formation.