Sad to think no one else will see ever this incredible place, he thought and his footfall echoed off a wall. It’s like the church… no, it’s far fancier. And different.

“What is this place?” he finally asked.

Hunter gave him a regretful look. “I need you to be quiet and follow me, step for step. Most importantly, I need your trust.”

Jack sighed and gestured for Hunter to go.

They’d made it past a maze of tunnels which had led to a mausoleum-like chamber. Beautiful marble lined its walls and marble tiles--a few of which were engraved with intricate systems of lines--made up the floors. Pillars engraved with scriptures of the Hall of Ceremony’s tongue held up a cave roof and a massive door molded from metal stood in the back. Out of it, spikes stuck out, skulls and bones hung off them.

On the way to the fancy room, Jack didn’t fear anything. As he learned more of the true nature of the Hall of Ceremony, more questions popped into his mind and most of his worries disappeared. No more Guardian, no more purple rose, no more breaking point the continent approached. He was in these depths completely.

They made it past the halfway point. Jack turned his head from left to right, amazed at the room’s shortness. Looked miles longer from a dozen feet behind.

The ground trembled almost unnoticeably. Yet, Hunter froze.

The old man sprung to life and pushed Jack to the door in the back. For a second, Jack was dumbfounded, then started to run without a question.

A pair of marble tiles with fancy lines cracked open. Heads emerged.

Growls, grunts and a scream sounded behind. He shut his eyes as his shoulders rose up.

A tile shattered. Jack’s eyes popped open and he skidded to a halt. Right in front and all around, deads appeared and deads slumbered towards him. Most of them shared no differences to people he’d see in the streets of a rich neighborhood, though auras of white smoke floated around some.

Everia’s servants.

Jack fought them first.

The church had shown he should attack who he couldn’t beat. No matter what, fighting the dead was hard. He’d rather use most of his power trying to take down the strongest ones than using what would remain if he fought the common deadmen first.

There’s four of you. Two for me and two for Hunter.

Jack bolted towards one of the Everia’s servants. They sent their auras flying towards Jack. He dashed to the side and into the grips of a fat deadman. He jerked his arm out of the cold hands and sliced the dead’s neck. A small cloud of crimson made the head disappear.

He grabbed the dead’s legs and dropped it to the ground, though not fast enough.

From behind, white smoke wrapped itself around Jack’s chest. It burned, but he was familiar with the feeling and didn’t break. He fought the pain and the pull towards the Everia’s servants. More tentacles grabbed him. His muscles started spazzing and he collapsed.

The Everia’s servant pinned him down and a green tongue stuck out through the aura. Jack squirmed and tried pushing himself away. The burning from the white smoke made all his efforts in vain. He had no obvious way out and had went way too close for comfort.

Jack pulled the green tongue. It squished and crunched under his grip. The smell entered his nose and the foulness made him cough uncontrollably. He chucked the tongue away.

The Everia’s servant ran after the part of itself, forgetting about Jack. Though the aura remained on him, he could struggle through its burning and get to his feet. He darted away from the Everia’s servant. Every step a wave of pain rushed down his chest and into his legs. He managed to get far enough away that the smoke dissipated from around him.

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Jack gasped. The stale air entered his lungs. It let a bit of energy return to him and numbed a bit of pain.

Back near the entrance to the fancy chamber, Hunter fought to stay alive. He beat the deads with the stocks of his gun. Their limbs and body parts turned to dust that had already formed a layer of crimson on the floor. The old man drew his revolver. The gun thundered and splattered a pair of deadwomen. Their guts turned to dust mid flight.

He’d make one hell of a companyman, Jack thought then entered a fighting stance: the Everia’s servant neared right in front.

Fueled by frustration of his weakness, he mindlessly threw himself at the smoke covered dead.

His blade stabbed the Everia’s servant’s chest dozens of times. More and more crimson dust filled the air and covered the floor, yet also, more deads appeared.

As Hunter killed one, two emerged out of the ground. Jack still struggled with killing one so at least ten had come for him

I’ve gotta finish with you already!

A tentacle of smoke flew towards Jack. He guessed its path and crouched. As the aura went over him, he landed a long slice on the Everia’s servant’s legs. A long chunk of its thighs turned to crimson dust and the torso flopped to the ground.

Jack raised a fist to the air then turned to the other Everia’s servant.

The deadwoman wore a burned dress and a thick layer of smoke circled her. None of the fumes engulfed her head or… the lack of it.

The deadwoman attacked first and did it unlike any Everia’s servant. White smoke shot out like bullets from the aura around her. The tiny projectiles rained down on Jack and left him no hope of dodging.

Countless spots of unbearable pain covered his body. He screamed out, not even trying to control his mouth.

“Sure, sure… You gotta keep moving fighting!” Hunter said, himself struggling with a swarm of deadmen. “I’m almost there!”

Jack growled and--with his trembling had--threw his dagger. It stabbed into the deadwoman’s chest. The creature let out a breath with lots of gurgles and parts of her evaporated to dust. Jack bolted forward and jumpkicked the dagger.

The blade went through and fell on the ground behind her.

Jack jumped atop the deadwoman and pummeled her, remaining vicious. The crimson dust that appeared got in between his fingers and grinded at his skin.

The Everia’s servant’s aura of white smoke levitated up, morphed and formed around his neck. That only made him hit harder. He was too close to pay attention to being choked.

Beneath his fists of rage, the deadwoman turned to a mutilated glob of pale skin and blackened organs. With every punch, what it dissipated to, lessened to a smaller and smaller wisp of crimson dust. Jack frowned and put all his force into a last smack. It didn’t evaporate the deadwoman, but the aura around her did.

Jack grunted as he gasped for air not tainted with the remains of a dead. He laid on the ground. Being on the cold floor, surrounded by zombies, was nice. He could even catch some sleep…

Jack started from Hunter’s scream and broke into a run.

Hunter was in a duel. A circle of deads surrounded his fight with a red haired Everia’s servant. The deadman’s aura fired tons of odd shapes at Hunter. Then, it formed a box around Hunter and pummeled the helpless old man with smoke punches.

He can’t fight back and he can’t run away…

Jack had a moment of hesitation. Then, his eyebrows furrowed and his hands reached on his dagger.

He’d left it on the floor.

There was no time.

Jack grunted and lunged into the circle of deadmen who slowly came closer to Hunter. He cursed and shouted. A dozen eyes turned to him. Then, the two dozen deads rushed him, some murmuring words in their odd tongue, some quiet, but determined

Panic locked Jack in place.

His quick plan was terrible and would kill him. Having countless foes a few feet away, who could withstand swords and guns, trying to kill him was a bad idea. Such a bad idea, that a second after he made it up, Jack couldn’t fathom why.

He fought for a deep breath and backed out at steady pace.

Calm, now. This is pretty tricky. I don’t wanna touch you, but I also don’t wanna lose your attention.

“Get out of that box!” he said. “I led all those bastards away from you!”

A scream sounded from the square and a leg popped through the smoke. An arm followed then the entirety of Hunter. He shivered from the pain and blood dripped down his cheeks.

With one hand, Hunter grabbed the Everia’s servant front of him. With the other, he lit it up. The bullets turned the dead’s chest into dust. The head and its collection of limbs fell to the ground like they had deflated.

Hunter growled and took something out of his pocket. He swirled the bottle of water he collected at the church around. He nodded and spashed a bit of the liquid at the deads who were focused on Jack.

A few combusted into flames, a pair pulsated and exploded inside, their loose skin dropped and turned into dust. Some just exploded, a few just turned to dust while one disappeared without a sign. All in all, all their foes in the chamber no longer existed.