~~~Arthur~~~

Arthur didn't have eyes for the zombies charging in from all sides. All he could see was Samantha running away from him. Running to her death.

He's not worth it. The shockwaves and explosions were hard to miss. Especially as they traveled closer in great leaps and bounds. Arthur saw something shoot into the sky... a small black missile. What can you possibly hope to accomplish amongst such monsters?

Arthur stumbled and watched in horror as she vanished into the dust amidst the earth shaking explosions.

Then a new silence settled over everything, and... the little black dog dropped out of the sky.

You have felt the Wrath of the Beast Lord.

You are stunned.

Arthur couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think... even the tears couldn't fill his eyes. But he could feel the wrath... and he knew what it meant.

When he could move, Arthur slumped to his knees on the street while it shook and rattled beneath him. A gang of zombies sprinted right in front of him, eyes glowing bright red. They didn't attack. Only ignored him and ran toward the source of the violence.

He didn't blink when they crumbled into dust one after the other.

Arthur remained on his knees even after the earth stopped shaking and the air held only human shouts. He wept and stared into the dust as he waited for... something to emerge. He knew a monster still lived in there, he just didn't know which one.

But he suspected.

A hand touched his shoulder. "You okay, old timer?"

Arthur blinked away tears as he looked up at the young black man standing over him. Then at the many more people streaming past toward the restaurant. Where did they come from?

But he didn't really care… and his eyes slid back to the slowly settling dust.

"Did you see what happened over there?"

"Monsters," Arthur said numbly. "Monsters."

The hand on his shoulder pulled him upright and tried to lead him away. "Let's get you out of..."

"No." Arthur pulled against him, and for a moment felt the unyielding iron in the younger man's grip. Then it relaxed, and he was free. "I have to... know. I have to see."

He took a step, then another. It would be safer to go with this newcomer... Arthur didn't care. It might be safer with him... but none of them were really safe. None of them would ever be safe.

His vision blurred anew when he looked down into the crater. You foolish girl. I hope this is what you wanted... Arthur wanted to scream at her slack face, now ugly and savaged by forces far beyond any of them. But he only stumbled closer before falling back to his knees and letting the tears escape.

...

Arthur didn't know how much time had passed when the voice intruded on his grief. "Why was she here?"

He looked up and glared at the man responsible for all of this. "Because you needed help!" he screamed. "Because she was a foolish girl who thought she could save you!" He hadn't meant to scream at Stanley. It just slipped out, and right now he couldn't muster enough fear to keep his mouth shut.

Stanley didn't kill him. "She did... save me," he whispered instead. "Saved my life."

"She..." The bitter laugh came out as a sob. "That was all..." Arthur choked on his words before forcing them out. "She... would be happy... to know that."

"Why?" Stanley whispered. "There was nothing in it for her... she never had a chance... it was suicide." Stanley drew in a shuddering breath and said in a pleading voice, "Why?"

Arthur finally looked, really looked, at the monster who lived.

Stanley stared back at him, the pug in his lap and Samantha's spear gripped in his hands. He looked so... confused. So... human. Arthur's rising rage evaporated and left behind only grief.

"She told you why, Stanley. You just never believed her. She always was... a good person. The best of us. She only ever saw the best in everyone she met. Only ever wanted to help..." His eyes burned anew as memories swirled through his mind. "She was too good for this world."

Stanley said nothing. Only looked back at the dead girl as the spear turned over and over in his hands.

"We should... put her to rest." Arthur said, when he finally took in the shredded remains of a zombie. He didn't think he could bear the thought of her as one of them... though without her head...

"I won't let..." Stanley whispered, the rest of his words lost in the sound of cracking wood.

Arthur ducked reflexively when a whirling storm of tree limbs and splinters flew into the crater. It piled itself high, and Samantha floated gently atop the mound. He flinched when her core floated into Stanley's hand. Don't you dare!

Stanley stared at it for a long moment, then it floated up and sank edge-wise into the wooden spear. "Thank... thank you... Samantha," he whispered. "You were such an idiot... and... I'm sorry... I'm not the hero you wanted me to be... but... I'll kill them all for you, anyway."

A zombie bounded into the crater... and Arthur never even saw the spear move. One moment it was in Stanley's hands, and the next it pinned the zombie to the ground through its chest.

The zombie wasn't dead. It snarled and flailed at the spear even as the flesh of its chest smoked and sizzled.

"Burn," Stanley whispered. "You should all burn."

Arthur didn't see how the fire started, but the flickering flames drew his eyes from the struggling zombie to the pyre. It didn't take long for the flames to grow higher, and he sat numbly as it roared into a bonfire.

"Caffeine," he heard Stanley say over the roar of the flames. "Are you hungry?" It was quiet for a moment. "Caff? Caffeine! Caffeine, wake up!" Arthur looked over at the desperation in Stanley's voice. The pug was unresponsive in his lap, and it had a row of bloody claw marks over its ribs. "Oh, god!" Stanley's voice was a strangled sob. Then he vanished with the crack of displaced air and a roaring storm of dust that nearly smothered the fire.

That's not good, Arthur thought numbly, watching the fire slowly recover. Not good at all.

Then the zombie clambered to its feet, the spear previously pinning it to the ground nowhere in sight. That's not good either. Though it had a massive hole in its chest that looked burnt...

Arthur watched with detached interest as the zombie oriented on him and took a step. What's the point? We're all going to die eventually... Why even fight?

He'd been ready to give up on that first day he saw her. Only her first day on the job, and she had everyone in a better mood than he'd ever seen before. An angel.

Of course, he'd gotten to know her over the months that followed. He'd found out that she wasn't without flaws herself. She let that rat of a boyfriend push her around, even hurt her... She was too kind, too forgiving. But that same flaw left her surrounded by people willing to help when she finally woke up to reality.

And now she was gone. Her light was missing from a world that didn't appreciate kindness anymore.

The zombie leapt for his throat, red eyes glowing to rival the flames... and Arthur released his mana into a sonic shockwave that threw the zombie sideways... directly into the bonfire. She would be so mad if I gave up... He could practically hear her voice berating him... only she wouldn't really berate. Even then, she would only seek to uplift. To encourage him... I won't quit, Samantha. Even though I think we're doomed... I'll try to be the light that you would have been.

The now burning zombie clawed its way from the flames, and Arthur sent it back in, deeper this time. The action drained the last of his mana...

I should run.

He wouldn't do anything for anyone if he died out here.

It was a bitter irony when another red eyed zombie charged him immediately after he climbed from the crater. But he didn't regret his decision, no matter how short-lived his resolution turned out to be.

A glowing fist went through the zombie's head before it reached him, and Arthur stared in surprise at the young man he'd seen earlier. "You... why?"

~~~Nate~~~

Whatever had happened here, it was big. Life and death for everyone he'd sworn to protect kind of big. That stun... he'd been completely helpless.

So now he had a Beast Lord to worry about, on top of wondering why nearly all the zombies had disintegrated on their own.

The answer to both issues could well be connected, but he wasn't ready to rule anything out just yet. They'd all gotten real lucky if this Beast Lord was responsible for killing the undead. Especially considering the scale of the battle he'd only witnessed from a distance.

Nate swept his gaze over the scene at the bottom of the crater... a young woman was dead, decapitated. A terrible loss of life that was too common these days.

The remains of a zombie... if he wasn't mistaken. It was in pieces. A lot of pieces.

Then there was the filthy, half-naked and bloody man sitting in the dirt with a small dog in his lap and an equally bloody spear in his hands.

Nate didn't recognize the old man he'd followed in here, and assumed he was from another group. Likely the one the dead girl came from if his reaction was anything to go by. Nate wanted to invite him into the fold, but that was out the moment he saw the monster sitting in the crater.

Not only did it look like they knew each other, but Nate couldn't take another step if he wanted to. His intuition told him only death awaited in that crater, and he'd learned to follow his gut. It was what led everyone here... where the Beast Lord may have just so happened to get into a fight with the monsters chasing them.

So he retreated quietly and quickly, and instead, met up with James. "Is it safe?"

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"Yes. It's actually a restaurant, and a Lair. Not big, but we can bunker down the women and children inside, at least."

"Get on it. Did you ask about food?"

"Not good, but hunter teams will depart once we get a perimeter set up." The man dropped his voice and leaned closer. "Anything... else, I should know about?"

James was the best thing his intuition had led him to since this started, an invaluable ally and also one of the few truly in the 'know'. Nate considered the question and waited to see if anything would come to him.

Something did. Something odd.

"We should stay calm... no matter what..." It was just a feeling, but feelings were why he was still alive.

James took what he said seriously. "Yes, Sir."

One issue with moving large numbers of people; it always took longer than you expected. Nate had to leave James in charge before it was done.

Someone had scouted ideal lairs for food, and that was where they headed when he went out into the dwindling twilight with the hunters. He had a feeling they might need his help...

The team stopped just outside the lair, and one man sucked in a breath as his hand lifted. Nate caught his arm and said, "Don't move."

Everyone froze in place, even going so far as to hold their breath. It was one of those moments where he was extremely proud of these men and women, and the dedication and trust they'd placed in him.

Death passed over them and dragged four monsters kicking and screaming from the lair into the sky.

No one moved until Nate let out a loud sigh. "Go in. I won't be able to join you, so play it safe. Better yet, just grab one and get back as soon as possible."

Nate wanted to chase the flying creature that was heading straight towards the place he'd left everyone else. But he needed information more than anything. So he headed for the flickering flames in the distance.

He killed two red eyes and a few regular zombies on the way, and arrived just in time to see the older man climbing from the crater. Nate killed another red eye as it leapt at the man and found himself face to face with the person he'd come here to find. Still alive too.

"You... why?"

"I'm Nate. You mind some company?"

"Arthur... and no, I appreciate it. I'm afraid I'm not much good in a fight..."

"What's her name?" Nate said, falling into step beside Arthur.

"Samantha... but you're not here about her, are you?"

Nate shook his head. "Afraid not. I'd love to learn more about her, but I have over three hundred men, women, and children who are counting on me to keep them safe, and something just flew right into our midst."

Arthur winced. "You're at the restaurant?"

"I have a feeling that you're the best source of information I'm going to find. So please, tell me about him." It was rude to do this to the grieving man, but time was short.

"He's insane," Arthur said.

"Go on."

"An insane monster." Arthur said, then sighed and shook his head before continuing, "Samantha always said he was just wounded... but he trusts no one except his dog. I should tell you about his dog..."

Arthur talked while they walked, and Nate dealt with the few monsters that came their way. The older man had a worrying ambivalence toward the dangers, which may have come from the recent trauma or his previous traveling companions. The stories were... extreme.

Nate slowed as he passed the outer guards around the restaurant. Stay calm... no matter what. Some of them were eating already, so the hunters were making progress, but it would take time to feed everyone. No one rested easily or ate uninterrupted out here.

They were the front line of defense, and he saw two zombies go down to their efforts while passing through the lines. It was why they got food first, and... He grabbed a plate from one of them on a hunch. "I'll make it up to you, Lasco."

He didn't have time to appreciate the killing field of a hallway before he heard voices from deeper inside. "Leave it alone!" That was James. "We'll all get to eat soon enough. Stand down now!"

"We got hungry women and children here. You can't be serious about letting him hoard all that food!" That was Alex.

Nate walked faster, but didn't want to run. Until he heard, "Forget your dog, we..."

He ran, every one of his skills activating at full power, sprinting into the room in time to see Alex flying away from Stanley. He still took in his surroundings in the single second he had to do so while sprinting to save Alex's life. He deliberately avoided laying eyes directly on Stanley, his feet cracking the floorboards as he chased the doomed man. So much for staying calm...

Nate felt Stanley's attention land on him with sharp and deadly promise. I'm running away from you. Don't attack me!

Stanley sat in the air, dog in his lap, beside a massive pile of steaming meat on the table. It was the only food in the room and the source of upset among more than a few of his people. The smell alone had to be driving some of the anger he could see around the large area.

Anger that would shift to fear when those frozen faces finally caught up to what was happening too fast for them to even see.

Alex stopped flying when he hit the wall at the far end of the dining room, instantly unconscious.

Nate punched out and deflected the wooden spear just enough that it embedded in the wall instead of Alex's head. It felt like punching a steel girder! And these were lair walls... He spun and shouted, "Stand down, now!"

Alex wasn't a bad dude, aside from being a bit dense sometimes, and he had loyal friends. Luckily, they were also loyal to Nate, and knew his voice. They all jumped at the sound, heads turning toward him as their preparing skills and spells were all aborted.

The target of their ire was already ignoring them as Nate made his way slowly closer, passing Neal, who was on his way to heal Alex, who was still stuck on the wall…

Stanley's attention was on the black pug in his lap and the man was holding a piece of meat to its slack mouth. "Please eat, Caff. Please..." His voice sounded weak, fragile, close to breaking.

Nate paused when Stanley's eyes lifted from the dog, and the light shining from them was bright enough that anyone still alive in this world should know to run away. He was looking at Nate in particular, but just muttering, "He threatened Caff... he has to die... all monsters... all die... but she wouldn't like that... but she's dead... she was weak... a fool... Caffeine..."

His glowing violet eyes slid back down to the dog. "Caff... you need to eat... please... please... please... please eat... please be okay... I'm so sorry... I won't be weak again... please..."

The room was dead silent when Nate resumed slowly moving across to Stanley. "Hi, Stanley." Those violet eyes of death rose once again to meet his own. "I'm Nate."

The pug had raw, oozing wounds across his side. Like a zombie's claws... "Did you see the healers? Maybe they can..." Nate spotted Neal next to Alex, white as a sheet while twitching his head back and forth in a panicked denial.

The corruption. Nate realized, and to his immense relief, he could see the pug was still breathing. For now. If it died... after what Arthur said...

"Useless," Stanley said. "All useless... all weak... all doomed... all dead."

"I owe you, Stanley. You saved a lot of my people today. Whatever you want, it's yours." Might as well try to get on the guy's good side. If he had one.

"Should have let you die," Stanley whispered. "Caffeine paid for my weakness... for your weakness... please... eat!" His voice broke and tears dripped onto the unmoving pug in his lap.

Nate had detected no lies from Arthur, but he was doubting himself now. Arthur must have been confused. This little pug was supposed to be the Beast Lord? It was barely clinging to life, and... an eye twitched when a tear landed on it.

The pug's nose twitched, then twitched more rapidly, and he lunged just enough to snatch the meat out of Stanley's fingers.

"Caff!" Stanley lit up like his greatest wish had just come true, and Nate saw hope return to the man. With the blooming hope, Nate felt the looming threat that his very existence represented... recede.

Another piece of meat flew to Caffeine, but the pug gagged, then scrambled out of Stanley's lap before heaving and throwing up all over the floor.

Doom descended like a smothering weight right alongside Stanley's falling smile.

That's not good... Nate's thoughts of corruption and a potential zombie-pug with a side of insane-grief-stricken-human all fled his mind when the pug grew... bigger. It kept growing larger as it gagged up bile and foul smelling chunks. Then it vomited up an entire human zombie head onto the floor. Then another... and another.

It kept coming... heads, arms, legs. So many heads... so, so many heads. What the fuck!? Nate watched the now much larger pug as it purged a real mess of things it never should have eaten.

There was clearly something special about the dog, if only that it could grow bigger. Arthur had been right about that part, and that alone was a fascinating power. Was the dog heavier now? Stronger? How did it have so much crap in its stomach while its physical form was literally smaller than a fraction of it?

+1 Intuition

Nate could see... something. The pug, and so-called Beast Lord, was clearly hiding secrets. His intuition was telling him there was more there... something hidden under the surface. Gaining a point of intuition was a dead giveaway that there was something important here...

He looked deeper. What are you hiding?

It felt like every light in the room dimmed as he stared at the pug, trying to see past the...

Caffeine finished gagging and opened his eyes, panting heavily.

He met Nate's gaze.

There in those huge brown eyes, Nate saw it. A gap he could see through. A window inside...

He saw the Beast Lord. Its shadow stretched from horizon to horizon even as deadly teeth hung poised around his throat. Sharp fangs ready to devour him if he made the wrong move, if he threatened either of the two most precious people in the world.

Nate saw others beside the Two, a small collection of treasures that the Beast Lord would protect to the ends of the earth... the heartbreaking sorrow where one of them was missing… but there was something else... something deeper... hidden just out of...

LOOK AWAY! LOOK AWAY! LOOK...

Caffeine blinked, and the vision vanished.

Nate shut his own eyes so fast that his eyelids made an audible noise when they slammed closed. Meanwhile, all of his senses reeled under the sudden onslaught of pure dread that flooded into his mind.

+10 Intuition

Shit! What just happened? He stood frozen in place, eyes squeezed shut while sweat dripped from every pore of his body and his heart threatened to pound through his ribcage. He was trembling... What did I almost see?

A wet nose brushed his hand at the same time something hard and sharp touched the back of his head. Nate knew it was the spear, and he didn't move while invisible bands of steel wrapped tight around his body. A massive tongue slobbered over his hand while cleaning the plate he'd carried in here...

"Caff... are you..." Stanley's voice, once again full of tenuous hope, breathed out only a foot away.

Nate was strong, and he thought he could break free from the man's grip if he had to, though the spear was a problem... He didn't try, and let the dog lick the plate clean. Because he'd seen one other very important detail.

Caffeine, the Beast Lord, a not so little pug hiding something so terrible that his intuition didn't even want him to know what it was... he only wanted to be friends.

It was... confusing, but reassuring. His intuition that had guided him through so many life and death battles. Intuition that helped him save hundreds of lives. That helped him get them out of the city. That same intuition now screamed… that he should be… nice. That he should be... friendly.

So Nate stood still and only dared to open his eyes when the grip holding him in place let up and the spear drifted away from his neck.

"Good... boy!" Stanley said with a teary smile while rubbing the pug's back. The once again normal-sized pug's back. "You hungry?"

Nate felt ignored as meat flew from the table to feed the dog, and he was fine with that. The mess Caffeine had left on the floor slid away in a disgusting pile of rot that had more than a few people gagging. Nate held his breath, both from the smell and other recent events.

Caffeine whined, licked Stanley's face, then sniffed the meat piling up in front of his face, and ate it slowly, hesitantly.

Stanley sobbed in a great choking breath at the sight, then more meat flew from the table and into the pugs mouth almost faster than it could gobble it down. On the far side of the room, Nate heard Alex slide off the wall and collapse onto the floor.

He watched as the dog ate more than his body weight in meat, dozens of times more. All the while, the wounds on his side visibly shrank and vanished.

The sight of him healing surprised Nate, but not very much. No one could remove corruption... but then, this was the Beast Lord.

Stanley's accompanying relief at the sight felt like a noose being lifted from his neck.

"Eat some yourself, Stanley," a man said right beside him, startling Nate out of... whatever this was. "We got the other two coming out in a few minutes." The newcomer dropped another massive tray full of meat on the table before giving the pug some head scratches while it gobbled up everything Stanley shoveled in.

Then he turned and yelled, "Listen up, you ungrateful shits! I heard someone talking smack earlier. I hear one more peep and none of you fucks will eat today! If you're even still alive... You fucking got that? Anything that can hurt this dog would eat all of you for a snack and not even notice your pathetic squealing! You owe him your lives, you ungrateful fucks!" He glared directly at Nate while pointing at the vomit. "Clean that up already!"

Stanley didn't react to the cook's rant, his face buried in the pug's fur as he shook with silent sobs while the dog sluggishly tried to turn and lick his face.

Nate slowly caught his breath and waved James over. The man approached immediately, practically snapping to attention, a far cry from the rest of the room, still frozen in shock. "Get the cleaners on that," Nate said, pointing to the vomit. "I don't want anyone else near this spot until they can guarantee it's gone." Corrupted food was the last thing they needed. Not again.