Chapter 36: Planning
Once he felt it’s hard, cold palms touch his shoulder, he activated mobility and lunched forward instantly.
Turned around with a released shot, he heaved a sigh of relief. "I didn’t expect someone so ruthless to be rattled up easily." Caelith said catching the pre-shot arrow.
Holding the arrow over her head, Arthur noticed that she had braided the hair on both sides of her face. Noticing his frozen state and obvious stare, she asked, "what are these arrows made from?"
" Crystalized starlight." Turning around, "You look beautiful by the way." He quickly walked away after saying that, and she stared at his disappearing figure with a blush slowly appearing on her face. "He noticed."
The walkers had long been cleared by the person using an energy catapult, what was left behind were bodies. Entering the receptionist, Arthur found sacks of food items and clothes being tied up in large bedsheets.
Across the reception room, Tamsin stood below the stairs leading to the first floor. On her wrist was something akin to a sci-fi watch with two needle like points sticking above the watch in a V shape.
Dragging her finger through the V, a yellow energy pellet was released. ’ Should have figured. ’ Arthur walked over to her. "Hey." She greeted lowering her arm. He gave a faint nod and looked at the stairs, multiple zombies lay bleeding out with large holes in their bodies.
"My Electro blast is truly powerful." She said with a voice lanced with pride. "It is." Arthur said walking up the stairs. "There’s one in there and there’s seven in the next room.
Lauryn stood by Ronan’s side pointing at places that had zombies in it. The burly boy nodded and tapped the door at a hinge. The tap was extremely light but to Arthur’s surprise the door flew like a piece of paper.
A sight growl was heard and the duo stepped aside allowing the walker to immerge. When it did, Ronan gave it a casual chop to the neck and it’s head was off rolling to Arthur’s feet.
It was then they noticed him. "Working together I see." He said arms folded and looking at them with pure indifference in his eyes. Lauryn noticed his voice and subtly stepped behind Ronan.
"Ye...yeah, we are. E...it makes it a...a...a lot easier." He said with a stutter. Arthur knew he wasn’t afraid in the slightest, that was just the way he spoke. Arthur’s face lightened a little, his quiet intimidation had done the trick.
"Carry on, no one survives a lone. Any knowledge of where I could find Caleb." He asked appraoching them. "He’s at the end of the hallway." Lauryn said pointing behind them.
Arthur nodded, walking off to meet his last squad member. As he walked towards the end, he began hearing clanging of metal. Arthur turned to his side and met a door flying at him.
Catching the door by the knob, he dropped it and dashed into the room. Frantically he looked around the room, however found nothing but an opened window.
Looking back at the door he found a kunai embedded in the door with a bloodied piece of paper. ’No writings but it says a lot. A psychological trick, I am being hunted.’
The room was relatively intact, apart from the accumulating dust which covered everything. Arthur walked over to the window gazing at the surroundings.
The sun was rising and so were the clouds forming. Arthur noticed they looked darker than usual, so he kept that at the back of his mind.
Across the abandoned highway were rows of towering buildings. However Arthur started at the building directly in front of the hotel they were in. ’ Your days were numbered from the day you met me... Peter.’
He had two choices at the moment, fly through the window and find who ever was sent to kill him. Or he could just stay back and focus on his mission.
Arthur chose the second option and left the room, who ever was out for him would show themselves sooner or later.
Back in the hallway, he could hear some zombie noises. Approaching the scene he met Caleb swiftly dodging and stabbing a walker zombie.
With his dagger, he had to get extremely close to the zombie to attack it. The boy trying so hard to avoid being touched was taking his time evading attacks.
Standing at a corner Caleb waited for the zombie to approach. Tightening his grip on the dagger he reached for the flat screen television, with his free hand and dropped it on the zombie.
Immediately the zombie was hit by the object and disoriented, Caleb surged forward and drove his dagger into the zombies skull. Kicking the zombie to the ground Caleb held his knees panting.
"Well done for your meticulousness, your speed receives no praise." Arthur commented calling Caleb’s attention. "Thanks bro, I am just working hard for my assassin class." Caleb said wiping his dagger on the bed besides him.
’There are classes, I thought it was only titles.’ "What’s a class?" Arthur asked his face neutral as if he already knew the answer. Caleb was taken aback by the question but answered. "It’s a special classification people unlock, which directs them to the area they are mostly likely to succeed in."
"Well that’s how the system explained it." Caleb said scratching his head. "An assassin class would really be good on Noah. " Arthur said walking up to the zombie’s body.
Caleb watched him for a moment, " Yeah but he already got a Spy class while Tamsin unlocked an Inventor class. "
’They all have classes. ’
" Have any of you told anyone except me or yourselves." Arthur said extracting something from the zombies chest.
"Nope, we got them two days before you woke up."
Arthur nodded and handed a bloody orb to him. "Tell no one of your progress and trust no one." He said leaving the room.
Moments later the group sat around each other, each with a bowl of rice in broth. The sun was up even though it was hidden by the unending veil of clouds.
In contrast the atmosphere was still very bright, bright enough to cast lucid shadows. Arthur looked at his bowl of drowning rice, ’Spice, water and vegetables. Nice combination. ’
Deciding not to be picky he gulped down the broth and quickly ate the rice. "With the way you stared at the food I thought you didn’t like it. But you finished first. " A boy in Caelith’s cohort said.
"If I didn’t like it, what difference would it make." Arthur asked dropping his bowl besides him. "Then I would ask for it." The lanky boy replied evenly. "Boy! you got the biggest bowl and you’re going to ask for more. Hell you should eat us all instead." Noah scoffed.
The boys in Caelith’s cohort chuckled with one hitting the boy on the shoulder. "Nester, the skinny pig. I don’t even know were all the food goes." The boy who hit him said.
"That’s not it Percy, it’s, Bone Lord Nester." Another boy said rising with a heroic pose. "Shouldn’t it be metal bones." The biggest boy in Caelith’s cohort said.
"Ælfweard is right that name fits his ability well." One of the girls said and the burly boy griped his huge hammer tighter. Arthur’s squad watched the groups interaction cheerfully.
While Arthur and Caelith were occupied with their thoughts. After minutes of chatting Arthur began. "As we are all through with our meals, we shall now prepare to leave."
"You all know our mission here so I expect total compliance and communication as we don’t know what we are facing." He looked at the messenger. "What’s your name?"
The boy who’s mind wasn’t even present had to be tapped and reasked the question. "Tim. " He answered his eyes fixed on Arthur. " Very well Tim, can you give us a hint of what we are about to go against."
"It’s a group of up to a hundred people, we don’t know how many are awakeners, but I know they follow one called the Ragged King." He said shivering at the name he mentioned.
Arthur noticed this, his mind already preparing for this threat. "Have you seen this king." Caelith asked trying to get more information.
"Never, but the people follow him..." He couldn’t complete his words as Noah said, "Like brainless zombies, hypnotized patients or brainwashed victims."
Tim shook his head, "Not at all, they don’t seem to be under a type of psychic ability." "That’s strange, maybe he’s very handsome and has huge amounts of charisma. " Caleb said.
"Are you an idiot, no one can create an army just by his looks." A katana wielding girl said causing Caleb to blush slightly.
"What ever his ability is, no one is to go near this Ragged king especially if you don’t have a high mental fortitude." Caelith instructed. "Till we are able to decipher what he has under his palm don’t attack. "
Looking everyone present in the eye, Arthur rose. " Let’s get our supply cohort back. "
This is a mistake addition that can’t be removed ( because webnovel wouldn’t allow it. ), and has nothing to do with the story, it is another of my ideas that I mistakenly (highly emphasized) copy and pasted.
For context this is from the first book I ever wrote and is currently under a rewrite.
______________________
His wings sprouted from his back, a smile crept on his face as he turned around to face something unexpected ahead.
PLOSH!!!
Blood rained down from his chest as he had just been stabbed, the red aura died down till it quenched, his wings went back into his back and his scales fell off, Valkazon walked forward thrusting the blade deeper and deeper, he left the sword and didn’t bother to remove it before he walked away panting but didn’t leave as he was going to see Denmerk die now.
Denmerk fell knees-first to the ground vomiting thick demon blood, and tears flooded his eyes as he remembered his wife and child, he began murmuring some words while making some strange symbols with his hand now.
With blood continual dripping from his eyes, he diligently keep doing what he was doing until a strange green energy circle appeared in his hand. It had different pentagrams and signs on it, he placed it on his chest and it went into him and vanished.
"Are you praying brother or saying your last words, if you are praying continue because you are going to the deepest parts of the Taurus.Kenuel come and bond his soul to the depth of inexistence." Valkazon said with pride in his voice.
" Re..mem..ber brother I swe..ar to you th..at I will ki.. ll you and no one would beli..eve you ever existed. I promise you this." Denmerk swore at his dying breath.
Suddenly the ground under Denmerk started to vibrate violently and cracks appeared on the floor, Denmerk burst into a loud laughter as cracks appeared on his
