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"Are we going anywhere in particular?" Vandal asked Talon.
"Well," said Talon, scratching his chin, "we have to find and take care of those pillars. That'll be a big one up."
"Can those wait?" Ignatius asked, "what about Magpie?"
"Oh, that cutie," mused Talon, "how could I forget? Hmmm ... perhaps we could—"
Up ahead, an apartment's door swung open. A massive amount of green and black slime poured out of it. Tendrils grew out of it, and at the ends, bulbs developed. They turned out to be this mass's eyes, coming out like that of a snail's. Its large body occupied a section of the hallway; it looked like there was more in the room.
"Uhhhhhhh ... " stammered Talon. To their left, thankfully, there was another hallway. "Let's take a detour?"
Van saw Carlos struggling, his clothes bloody from Cordis's strike. "Will you be alright?" he said to him.
"Yes," said the wounded man, "I can manage."
Nu didn't seem to believe him, so she went to his side and healed the cut with the water from her waterstone.
We have to be ready for anything. These are not Umbras, Van guessed, more monsters, like before. Deadlier, perhaps.
They came upon an elevator hall. On the side opposite of them was a passageway that led to the fire stairs.
"Right this way, ladies and gents," said Talon happily, leading the way.
But the opening of one of the elevator doors had him jumping behind Moryuu.
Purple smoke preceded the mysterious figure, pouring out into the hall. A skeleton, this fiend was, wrapped in a rainbow of silks. Over them, it wore a red and purple, checkered robe. On its head, a black hat with four pink feathers in it, and on its feet were fancy boots of black leather. In its hollow sockets, red flames glowed. It walked with the grace of a noble.
"Be careful, friends," warned Iggy as he drew his sword, "I sense this creature is magical."
As if to confirm the caster's words, the fleshless fiend snapped its bony fingers, igniting a violet blood-red flame on its tips. It tossed a fireball at Vandal.
"Look out, Van!" shouted the caster.
Ignatius made a gesture and said some words. A stream of orange ribbons made out of energy came from his free hand to encapsulate the gunner. When the bony mage's fireball hit the barrier, it sizzled up harmlessly. Protected, Van aimed for the head and delivered a shot. The skull exploded from the bullets collision, making a little display of bone chunks and red and green fireworks. The rest of its bones clattered to floor and its robes turned black and withered rapidly, as if being scorched by invisible flame.
"Now the beast can use magic now, can they?" sighed Van, "how fun this will be."
"It'll be a challenge," agreed Iggy, "but staying together will get us through this, yeah?"
Van smiled and nodded.
"Oh yeah! That reminds me ... " Talon said suddenly.
"What?" asked Van.
"When the shift comes, make sure you are all holding hands. That'll keep us all together."
That is some deep knowledge of this world, thought Van with a little suspicion, but he said nothing to interrogate the newcomer. The man seemed to be friends with Moryuu, a man who he trusted.
The stairs took them to the first floor. Senshi led, but before she could set foot outside, Carlos said: "How's it look outside?"
"Nothing," Senshi said, sticking her head out. "c'mon, let's go."
She was right. The streets were empty. Until they were halfway across the street that is.
The earth rumbled for a moment, stopped, then rumbled again. The rhythm was like that of footsteps. They all stood still, and, expecting a shift, they all held hands.
"It's too early for that," said Talon, though he was quick to grab Nu's hand, regardless of his words. He shot her a coy smile, "but if you're scared, then ... "
What's with this guy? thought Van.
"I'm feeling a little frightened," he said to Talon, half-jokingly, "want to hold me?"
"Guys ... " whispered Jayden.
The blonde pointed at the ever-growing shadow from an intersection farther away.
"Something big's coming," Jayden said as the rhythm's rumbles got rougher.
Walking across the intersection, facing away from the party, it made its mindless commute. It was a giant ape composed of reddish stone, about three stories tall on all fours. On the top of its head grew a small copse of tropical trees. Between the water fell down its back, as if it covered a river that led to a waterfall. Gods, Vandal mused with discomfort, that's a big one. I knocked down street lamps and trampled cars, as if blind to its surroundings. Vandal was thankful for that; he didn't feel like being smashed to bits today, his friends neither, most likely.
They finished crossing the street. Not wanting to see what worse dangers awaited them out in the open, they stumbled into the building facing the apartments: a rundown theater, not the cinema, as Jayden had told him about, but one of live performances of song and dance.
Echoing in the halls was laughter; light and childish.
It sounded like a little girl's.
The party carefully explored the theater and came upon an empty auditorium. The chairs were torn and the curtains pale and dusty. The white paint on the wooden stage was peeling.
The girl's laughter came again, echoing off the tall walls around them.
ns 15.158.61.11da2
