“He said we’re in deep shit, and I tend to- Are you all right?” Riley says with a concerned voice.
I blink several times to adapt to the sudden change of lighting. It looks like we are back into the decrepit room.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," I reply with a trembling voice.
“So, like he said before, we’re in deep shit. What are we going to do?” Steve asks.
How am I supposed to convince them to go to the shopping mall instead of the warehouse? I have no idea, but I must find something!
Fuck it, subtlety will not work here so I might as well be as blunt as possible.
“Listen,” I slam my fist on the table to get the Werewolves’ attention. “We must not go in that warehouse, it’s a trap!”
“What?! How did you even know we were heading to a warehouse? And-”
I slam my fist on the table again to silence Riley.
“I don’t have time to explain, but you two are probably wondering why I know things I shouldn’t, right?” The two nod, “It’s because I can perform a limited version of Divination, sometimes I have vague visions about the future. I know it’s hard to believe, but have I been wrong far?”
"I can't say you have, we couldn't have stopped the attack on the lecture hall without your help," Steve says while crossing his arms. “I thought Divination was just a rumor... You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” he smirks.
If only you knew...
I smile and continue my explanation, “The visions I had during my coma told me that the trail you followed is a trap. There's a ritual there that would pierce Riley with an icicle when he tries to track the trail in the warehouse. And, as if it wasn’t enough, the trail would lead us in the middle of an active volcano."
Riley opens his mouth to speak, but I silence him with a raised finger. "And no, before you ask, I have no idea how I survived the Death Beam. Your guess is as good as mine."
The two brothers turn towards each other. They wear the same look, a mix of shock and confusion. Their silent exchange doesn’t last long and they focus on me again.
Riley opens and closes his mouth twice before he speaks, “Huh… I won’t lie and say I am not surprised. But you kind of took the wind out of our sails here. What are we supposed to do since we can’t follow the trail in the warehouse?”
I pull out my phone and show it to them once I find a picture of the shopping mall where the tragedy occurred in the previous timeline, “We need to get to this place as soon as possible. It’s where the bastard will appear again.”
The Enforcers’ expression turns serious once they realize the astronomical number of potential casualties if we don’t intervene.
“So what are we going to do, did your visions reveal anything else?” Riley asks after he leans on the table.
“He should attack in about an hour and a half, so we need to hurry. I have a plan, but I need you two to get me some stuff. First I need a tracking device, and preferably one that is concealable. I also need a way to block sound from leaving a large area to make sure that our fight won’t attract any unwanted attention. Could you two get this for me?”
Riley stands up, “I can get the materials for a ritual that’ll block sound.”
“And I can raid one of our depots for the tracking device. We don’t have to worry too much about the consequences since nobody should notice that something went missing, at least for a couple of days.” Steve says before disappearing.
Riley is about to do the same, but I remember something and stop my friend just before he sinks into the table’s shadow.
"Wait a second, could you buy ammo for me? I need 9mm and .223 Remington.”
He nods and vanishes from my view, leaving me alone in the dusty room.
Now, I just have to wait for a while... I hope they don't take too long.
I sit on a chair in a corner and pull out my pistol, ready to take care of our potential pursuers.
My attention shifts from my phone to my surroundings when the ground starts to shake. I immediately jump up and raise my weapon towards the source of the shaking, ready to pull the trigger.
My muscles relax when I see Steve’s figure emerging from the shadow left by the chair.
“I got your tracker!” he says as he hands me a black plastic box.
The box contains a marble-sized glass orb. The silvery liquid within looks like mercury with runes made of ethereal light floating in it.
“Thanks! How does it work?”
“You throw it on the person you want to track. Then you can track the mana signature with a simple spell. When is Riley coming back?” he asks after picking up a chocolate bar.
I shrug and hand the box to the Werewolf, “You should be the one to keep it since I can’t use magic, it would be a waste to leave it to me.”
He nods and the ground shakes at the same moment. We both jump up and look at the trembling shadow in the corner of the room. I aim my gun at the shadow while Steve transforms and is ready to pounce on whoever comes out.
We calm down once Riley steps out with a big plastic bag in one hand and a metal briefcase in the other. He throws me the bag filled with boxes of ammunition and sits down with the briefcase.
I am too busy loading my magazines to pay close attention to what he’s doing but my occasional glances reveal that the briefcase contains glassware and liquids of various colors. Riley is carefully mixing the liquids together and sometimes adds a pinch of mysterious ingredients.
In the meantime, Steve is playing on his phone.
The blond-haired Werewolf grabs our arms once he’s done with his preparations and we sink into the shadows.
Shadow Walking is disorienting, so I take a deep breath to stop my dizziness once we arrive at what looks like an empty storage facility.
“I picked a spot away from the public so we shouldn’t run into anyone.” The Werewolf says while scanning his surroundings.
I hope he's right. Our arrival would cause a panic since I am carrying an assault rifle while wearing a military chest rig and my companions are in their wolf form.
“So what do we do now?" Steve asks in a hushed voice.
“Well, first we need-” I survey the area and smile once I find what I am looking for. “This!”
I pull down the lever of the nearest fire alarm. A siren comes to life and the loud alarm spreads through the entire shopping mall.
“We might need to set some places on fire to make it more realistic or they might dismiss it as a false alarm. But try to make the fires small enough so they don’t spread too much. I don’t want to be cooked alive!”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“I have just the thing for that!” Riley declares and vanishes for a few minutes before reappearing while carrying the scent of smoke and gasoline.
His smile is disturbing… No, I’m just imagining things.
“That should do it,” I say once I hear the panicked screams through the walls.
“Now what do we do?” Steve asks, “I hope all of this wasn’t just an elaborate plan to burn down a shopping mall.”
“We wait for a couple minutes to make sure that everyone evacuates, and then we head for the central area since it’s where the mage will appear.”
“I hear nothing! The mall is empty now.” Steve, who had been on the lookout, warns us after the few minutes of silence that followed the panicked screams.
“All right, then we need to hurry to the central plaza!”
Riley nods and grabs my arm before teleporting into the middle of a large area that Steve is already surveying.
“I don’t sense anything, and my Tracking reveals nothing. We’re alone!”
I acknowledge his report and point at the ground, “Riley! Make your silencing ritual here. It must be finished before the mage arrives.”
“Got it!” he shouts as he pulls out a pen and a handful of vials.
In the meantime, I am surveying the surroundings. I pay extreme attention to the darker areas.
Really, I hope I didn’t choose the wrong location… And that he doesn’t show up early.
Half an hour passes, and Riley has just finished his massive ritual circle.
“I’m almost ready!” he mutters as he touches the control rune and closes his eyes. The writings on the floor glow and float in the air before burning up.
“And it’s done! We have complete isolation from the outside world for the next four hours!” he turns towards me, “Now what’s the plan?”
"It's pretty simple: We fight him here and Steve will use the distraction to throw the tracking orb on him. Hopefully, he won't notice. If we don't beat him here, then we'll know where he's hiding and we can plan an assault from here."
“That’s a solid plan, but-” he stops and turns towards the fountain in the middle of the plaza.
“He’s here!!” the two Werewolves shout in unison.
I inhale deeply and shoulder my weapon. I’m ready to fire on the wobbly shadow while the Werewolves are taking a stance and bare their sharp teeth.
My grip tightens when other wobbly circles appear on the floor. The only sounds I hear are my rapid heartbeat and the rough breathing of my comrades.
Tension is palpable as we face the shadows, ready to attack whatever comes out of them. Time stops for a second when a single footstep echo in the mall.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Dozens of zombies shamble out of the shadows. The Wolfheart brothers turn into a blur as they rush towards the undead and tear through their ranks while I fire into the tide of walking corpses.
A sudden pressure on my sides makes me turn my head in a panic. I fail to make out who my assailant is, but I get a good view of the mall’s nice looking glass roof since I am sent flying. My short flight ends when I crash head first into the front windows of a small bookstore. My shield groans when my landing ravages the small shop.
I get up amidst scattered books and broken shelves, barely able to stand upright. And I was about to regain my balance when I get sent flying again, this time through the other, previously intact, window. I grumble profanities as I make out who my assailant is: It’s one of the sword-wielding zombies.
The shopping mall has little in the way of covers and obstacle compared to the lecture hall, so I realize just how fearsome the sword zombies truly are.
But I will not let myself get killed by one of these!
Rolling sideways allows me to avoid the thrust coming for my throat. It gives me an ideal position to shoot the undefended flank of the zombie who slumps on the ground once I almost cut it in half with a volley of bullets.
I’m standing over the dry corpse, my lungs are on fire, my body is sore and I can already feel sweat on my forehead. But at least I survived, and I think I did pretty well in this fight!
…Never mind, I can’t match the piles of corpses that my Enforcer friends are leaving behind. I struggled against one zombie with a sword, but a quick glance towards Riley let me spot a dozen of them at his feet. And his next attack just added two more to the pile.
I’m so useful, it’s incredible.
Something kicks me in the back, forcing me out of my dark thoughts as the barrier around me makes a worrying sound. I roll to the side and see another zombie with his sword raised, ready to strike me down. But I stop it with a burst of .223 and push the surprisingly heavy body off me before loading a new magazine in my rifle.
I mow down the nearest group of zombies and sigh.
Yay, I can face useless corpses moving at a snail’s pace. The mage must be shitting his pants right now.
A couple of stragglers are coming my way, but what's left of the undead assault force is focused on the two Werewolves. They are mowing them down like there's no tomorrow, creating a veritable sea of corpses centered on the middle of the plaza.
Now I wait at a reasonable distance and pick off the few zombies that are wandering around, or the occasional one that my friends missed during their onslaught.
I'll be honest, it's boring to stand in the middle of a blood-soaked plaza and shoot at the first rotting cranium that enters my field of vision.
It feels like I’m playing one of those old arcade rail-shooters.
A glance towards my friends tells me that the situation is similar for them: The aura of dread and anticipation that was permeating the area is gone, and it looks like they are counting their kills.
“This one is definitely one of mine! Look at the way it's cut, it's way too clean for it to be one of yours!” Riley says as he points towards a torso that’s cut in half.
It's only now that I realize the plaza's covered in meat lumps, cracked bones, and other unsavory things.
How are these guys not bothered by this? I’m about to puke!
However, my lamentations end when the two Enforcers raise their heads towards an unassuming spot. The smile they had a second ago is now replaced by a grave expression.
“I recognize this power… This time I’m sure, he’s coming!” Steve shouts as he slowly approaches the formation, ready to pounce on the mage who should come out of it.
Riley imitates his brother and I take cover behind a table that had been thrown aside during our battle. It gives me an ideal position to shoot the bastard in the head when he’ll come out.
The previously carefree atmosphere is now gone and replaced by tension and fear. After all, the horrible Death Beams are still fresh in our minds.
Each second is like an hour and I can feel my heart going wild in my chest as the images of Steve’s death flash in my mind. Can we really do it? Can we kill this mage?
Doubt creeps into my head: Killing the mage will be very difficult, even if we follow him to his lair and take him by surprise. And there’s no guarantee it’ll even help me if we pull it off.
Everything will be fine, right?
A single footstep echoes in the plaza, putting an end to my self-doubt as I unleash a hail of bullets on the humanoid silhouette that appears. The Enforcers raise their massive fists and strike the frail robed man before his form is even completely materialized, sending him crashing into the floor of the plaza.
They pummel him into the ground and each blow sends a shockwave through the air while a crater forms under the mage.
I hear the familiar crack of a weakened shield and sense a rumbling under my feet. I duck behind my cover just as a massive shockwave sends then two brothers crashing into a wall.
“ENOUGH!” the grating voice of the mage echoes in the plaza. “Who dares to oppose me?! Do you even know who I-”
However, his rant is interrupted by a burst of bullets that knock his head back. His shield emits another satisfying creak. The Werewolves jump on him in the next moment but the attack doesn’t connect and the mage reappears behind them. Black flames cover his hands before he slaps the two away and sends them flying.
“Not you bastards again! Why are you here!? JUST WHO ARE YOU?!”
It looks like he finally recognized us!
I rise from my cover and empty my magazine on the mage who counterattack with a Death Beam that misses my head by less than an inch. Another attack is sent my way before I can even react! I feel a searing pain in my left leg as the beam tears through my shield and pierce my limb.
A primal scream echoes in the hall. I clutch my leg and my eyes bulge in horror when I see the desiccated limb through the holes the beam tore through my clothes.
Then it's back to normal in the next moment like it has never been damaged.
My jaw drops and I blink a few times to make sure I am not dreaming.
Just what happened? How am I still alive?!
A sudden Death Beam through the stomach takes me out of my shock. I fall down while puking blood, almost passing out from the pain… only for it to disappear in a second.
The shock of regaining my sense of touch in a previously dead area makes me feel weird, but I have to endure!
I point my rifle towards the mage, only to discover that he isn’t where he was when he first shot me.
“John! Behind-”
Something cold and rough suddenly strangles me and lifts me up by the back of the neck. My desperate attempts at clawing at the hand amount to nothing but a small laugh as he tightens his grip even more.
“You’re pretty interesting, aren’t you?” the mage whispers in my ear, causing shivers to course through my entire body.
“You bastard!” Riley shouts and attacks the mage who dodges the blow and kick the Werewolf away.
“I don’t have time to play with dogs!”
Black mist suddenly oozes from all the dead zombies in the plaza and rushes towards the mage. My body offers no resistance as the mist pierces through it. Blood flows from the wounds as I scream my lungs out since I feel thousands of needles wrecking my insides.
“Interesting…Truly fascinating! AHA!"
He laughs like a madman as the wounds continue to disappear, only to be opened again by another tendril of mist. His grip is getting stronger and colder as he absorbs more mist, and I hear a sword being pulled out of its scabbard.
“Now let’s see if this does something!”
I panic once I hear his words and pull out my pistol before pointing it towards my stomach. I grit my teeth and shoot through my body in a desperate attempt to knock the bastard down. Blood accumulates in my throat as the bullets rip through my organs and make me spit blood, but the mage is unharmed.
“Amazing! You will be an excellent test subject!” he exclaims once my wounds disappear, but not before tearing my pistol out of my hand and crushing it between his fingers.
Something cold pierces my stomach and looking down reveals a blade glistening with blood.
I can’t take this anymore.
Make iT stOp.
I waNt to diE!