"Freeze!!" Somebody shouted, and Alexei waved his hand; vines pierced the walls- or maybe roots from the surface? Either way, they pierced through a few suited guards in moments, and Haru watched the headless corpses rise into the air; there was gunfire, but Alexei continued forward, and with a flick of his wrist, a piece of concrete blurred from the floor, smashing the soldiers into paste against a wall.
"You're all quite adorable," Alexei called as Haru looked around; this seemed to be a simple office room, with desks in a row, each with a computer. There was truly nothing very notable about the room; just a building with generic carpeting and a plaster-tiled ceiling. The only people still alive were middle-aged men and women cowering against a wall.
"Do you need them alive?" Alexei asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"Yeah!" Ica answered before anybody else could. "Have them unlock the computers; all of them. Then let them live?"
"Well, you heard my friend," Alexei smiled, stretching and groaning as his back cracked. For a moment, the suited nobodies cowered, but one of the women mustered the strength to stand, first, and rushed for a computer, starting to type a password. Soon, the men joined her.
"I thought you were on our side!" One of the men shouted nervously, shaking.
"I was on my side- and I still am," Alexei responded dully, inspecting his nails. "Is it not in my own best interests to be among friends? Unlock them all, remove their timeout functions so they stay on. Then you may go."
"Jeez…" Haru shuddered, swallowing. "I really thought that you were going to like… I dunno. I was really expecting those infected you mentioned to swarm us… this was gonna be a fight to the end against near-insurmountable odds, test my abilities as a leader, and make me adapt under pressure… or whatever. This is so… mundane," She added, as the three corporate slaves shakily backed toward the door, all monitors open.
"Any password you'll need is AbaSoba Three Eight Six Two, exclamation point," One of them stammered, and Alexei waved. No sooner than his hand began to fall, the corporate slaves ran as fast as they could, turning around a corner and vanishing before the door had even closed.
"This… this is amazing. Thank you, Alexei," Ica stepped forward, starting to sit down at one of the computers. I need some time to work- I've got drives to store the data on- you guys can kind of just do whatever," He shrugged, setting to work. Haru opened her mouth to speak, but paused, smiling faintly as Fox hugged her from the side, eyes closing.
"You're right. This was too easy," Fox agreed, swallowing.
"Look at me go- first day being the leader of a mission in full and I've recruited a god," Haru smirked, laughing softly.
"Hey, I'm pretty close to a god, I'm only not because technically I can die," Charlotte chimed in with a smirk, and Eileen narrowed her eyes.
"Elven magic death. One of the only ways you could go. Good thing I'm on your side, yes?" Haru snorted; so did Ica, and Fox, but Lif and Charlotte seemed a bit uneasy, so Eileen continued. "I am sorry. It was an attempt at a joke. Elves do not bother themselves with humor. I want to be your friend, after all."
"You're our friend, Eileen," Haru grinned warmly, rubbing Fox's head. "Promise."
"Good! Friends are amazing!" Lif laughed, suddenly grabbing Eileen into a bear hug- and the elf stiffened, eyes wide, but did not pull away as the gentle giant tousled her hair.
"It's kind of funny, isn't it?" Alexei angled his head. "Alexei kidnapping Alex. I should buy him some beers and say sorry, when this is over."
"Yeah, you should, then we can all relax and have a good time instead of stressing about random crap," Haru agreed, smiling idly and sitting down on the edge of a desk, glancing down at Ica. "How are you feeling, Alexei? What's going through that head?"
"I don't want to talk about how I'm feeling," He smiled, laughing and rolling his shoulders.
"Okay," Haru countered. "Where are you from? Like originally."
"Before I was a god?" Alexei raised an eyebrow, smiling. "I was a young man in Ravenwood, as it happens. Helped to invent Ichorum."
"What's that?" Fox was the one to ask, crashing into Haru's side yet again, her tail wagging curiously.
"Ichorum," Alexei repeated.
"We're like, from another world, so you'll have to explain," Haru snorted, covering her mouth. "Come on idiot get with the program, you know we're summoned heroes."
"Oh look at me," Fox guffawed mockingly. "I'm a god of pain and emo and edge, but I can't remember basic facts about my friends, I'm so stupid~"
For a moment, there was silence; Alexei staring in shock, Lif and Ica in horror, Eileen impassively… and then the god laughed harshly, bending forward, hands on his knees, shaking his head.
"What the…" Alexei wheezed, standing again, laughing hard. "Okay," He tried to continue, snorting. "Sorry- thanks, for that. It is I, the god of stupidity and forgetfulness."
"Yeah, moron," Fox agreed, eyelids heavy, and Alexei rolled his eyes, laughing, continuing.
"Ichorum is a magical substance derived from angel blood and a number of chemicals that creates heat enough to melt concrete and steel away like it's nothing. It's run through specialized piping built to contain it under the streets of Ravenwood- way back when, it was an underground nation incapable of sustaining life on the surface, but Ichorum made it livable aboveground. Hence, the name; ravens were the first birds to return and make nests."
"Alright, gotcha," Haru nodded, crossing her legs left over right now, waiting patiently… and then standing up as somebody knocked at the door, readying her rifle before she'd fully turned. Ica kept working, mindless, but Alexei held up a hand, palm open, Eileen readied her staff, and Lif, Fox, readied their weapons as well.
"Who's there?" Haru called, gritting her teeth.
"Pizza delivery service~!!" A masculine voice sang out on the other side, and then the door swung inward. What entered, of course, was far from; Haru narrowed her eyes, watching as a man who must have been eight or nine feet tall pushed his way into the room. He was built like an ox, muscles rippling under his suit, with a crimson tie to match the blood across one side of his body. With clear, piercing blue eyes and a small smile, he could have been normal- friendly, even… but he dropped Alexander onto the floor, the blonde bleeding, unconscious. "I come bearing gifts, not to worry."
He was smiling, and Haru had a god standing at her side… so why? Why do I feel like there's ice in my blood, suddenly? Her chest felt tight, it was difficult to breathe… Come on Haru, snap out of it, he's just a really tall guy… Alexei is here…
"Why are you delivering Alexander?" Lif was the one to ask, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, aren't you the one who kidnapped him?"
"No," The Giant chuckled from low in his throat, shaking his head. "Heaven no- I can certainly understand why you might think as much, though, so allow me to properly introduce myself. I am The Giant- or that is what they call me, rather. I represent the Elevated, and as some of you may not know; we find the concept of effective immortality just fascinating. To that end, we've been researching it."
"Effective immortality?" Haru asked, angling her head when The Giant paused.
"It is impossible to sustain a single body eternally without the interference of a god," The Giant spoke in slow, relaxed tones, and Haru shook her head, starting to walk forward and kneeling beside Alex- come on Haru, what the hell are you thinking? His pulse is there, he's alive- "Sorry, could you repeat that?"
"I wondered why it took you so very long to check on him," The Giant chuckled, his voice low and rumbling. "Sure. I said that we want to find a reliable way to transfer souls from body to body, thus granting effective immortality. Abasaba claimed that they'd discovered a way to trap the soul via technology that could then be implanted into the body of another; what we wanted with computers instead of magic. They lied, and used my funding for other experiments; viruses, murder, and harm. Alexander here was one such experiment; my funds, used poorly. I never asked for him to be taken."
"So what?" Haru muttered, glancing down at the unconscious blonde; he was in rough shape, but breathing steadily in spite of how bloody and matted he was. "You're bringing Alex to us and then letting us go, simple as that?"
"Yes, well, this fight was never mine," The Giant stated reasonably, turning away and folding his hands behind his back as he paced toward the door, chuckling, the group watching him with bated breath.
Just as The Giant reached the door, though, he paused. Turned. "Oh, there is one thing, though," He began, clearing his throat. "Unfortunately, after your attack on the main tower, an investigation was launched into Abasaba- which has put a lot of unwanted attention on my people. Surely, you can see why this might be an issue? Operating under close governmental scrutiny is… unpleasant, to say the least."
"Right, and what are you planning to do about that?" Haru narrowed her eyes, and The Giant smiled.
"Just a thing or two," He chuckled, turning toward the door again and walking out… he twirled in a full circle and then, in a flash, he was… gone? Haru angled her head, glancing down at Alex before slowly standing.
"What the…" The badger girl shook her head and glanced back in confusion, swallowing. "What did he mean by a thing or- Alexei-?!"
"I'm, fine," The god whispered raggedly, staggering forward, one knee hitting the carpet; Ica stared in horror as Alexei grabbed the desk near his elbows, hands bloody. "I'm fine, I am, fine-"
"No, you are not," Eileen snapped flatly, stepping forward and shoving Alexei, forcing him to sit back- the god grunted, face white; protruding from his stomach was the wire-wrapped handle of a blade. Did The Giant throw it when he spun…? If so, how could he have thrown it so fast that NONE of us saw it-
"Something is wrong," Alexei muttered breathlessly, grabbing at Eileen's sleeve as the elve's staff began to glow… the wound began to close, and Eileen ripped the knife free- perhaps to close the wound, but it was too late. The moment she ripped the knife free, Alexei jerked and fell limp.
"What," Haru whispered, watching, a pit growing in her stomach. There was a faint ringing in her ears, as she staggered forward, grabbing at Alexei's jacket- that's not possible no this is a god a god wouldn't die so easily please that's not- that's not real this can't BE real-
"Alexei?!" She shouted- somebody was pulling at her now, but Haru couldn't focus well enough to understand the words- there was no way, Alexei is a god this can't be real- "ALEXEI WAKE UP!!"
Beside her, Eileen still channeled her magic, that knife clutched in one hand, but nothing happened; he just lie there, a puddle of blood slowly seeping into the carpet around his torso.
"Haru!!" Lif's voice finally broke through the haze as Haru was ripped into the air and thrown, rolling across the floor, gasping; everything hurt, everything was wrong and why was the ringing in her ears so loud.
"NO!! He JUST tried to change- he just turned around he's a GOD he didn't die to some KNIFE!!!" Haru screamed, throat raw, voice ragged. "Eileen, WAKE HIM UP!!"
"Haru we have to go!!" Fox shouted, kneeling. "All the infected he was supposed to sic on us- I hear glass breaking somewhere underneath us, we have to GO!! Now, come on, we need to leave, and seal the exit!!"
"Your fox is right!!" Lif snapped, dragging a groaning Alexander to his feet. "Ica and I will go ahead to call for evacuation, the rest of you follow quickly," He added, dragging Ica toward the door and through it, the shorter of the two clutching something to his chest Haru couldn't make out through the haze of her panic.
"I am not leaving-" Haru snapped, trying to lunge for Alexei… the body behind the desk was gone, the carpet still soaked with blood and something like ash. "No- no what the- NO WHERE IS HE?! EILEEN?!"
"The body dissolved," The elf muttered drily, now holding her staff over Alexander's head, the blonde disoriented, shaking his head. His clothes were a mess; shirt ripped to scraps, jeans riddled with holes- by all accounts, he was a wreck.
"What do you mean, the body dissolved?!" Haru snapped, shaking her head. "Bodies don't fucking melt- what was that knife?!"
"I don't know. It's in my boot," Eileen added, eyes flat. "We can examine it when we get back."
"I want, to ask what's happening," Alexander laughed, eyes unfocused. "Guessing I'm gonna need to wait, though, huh?"
"Just a little," Eileen agreed, and Haru opened her mouth, but Fox and Charlotte stepped up, the former hugging her waist, the latter putting a hand gently against Haru's shoulder.
"Come on, Ica said he found information on the knife. We can figure this out later," Charlotte spoke gently. "We need to go; the infected are breaking out left and right. I can kill them all, but what if some slip past me? We need to go and seal the exit, quickly. Okay?"
"Breathe. Please," Fox whispered, staring balefully up at Haru. "Just breathe. We can't investigate anything if we sit here and die. Getting answers, making The Giant pay- those can come later. Need to live to make it happen… so, can we go? For the exit?"
"I'd love to get out of here," Alexander chimed in with a weak grin, and Haru nodded, eyes glassy.
"Fuck. Let's. Go, yeah."
Trying to steady herself, Haru lunged forward and grabbed Alexander's arm, yanking it around her shoulders and starting to walk. "Come on. Charlotte, move ahead, cover us!"
"On it boss!" The cat-girl streaked into the hall and vanished in a flash… but the enemy was coming from more than one direction, she knew that. "I've got Alexander, but I can shoot; Fox, Eileen, stick with me! Got any magical hacks to get us out of here?!"
"Last time, an excessive number of the infected was able to overpower me when I tried to defend- this place was made with destruction in mind."
"What do you mean?"
"The place is structurally weak by design; if my spells hit the wrong place, then I may collapse the entire complex with us inside. I am unable to help properly- this place was made to go down in a fight."
"Ugh, okay," She nodded, eyes hazy, and pressed on, back into the hallway; and only then did she realize she'd been so content to follow Alexei, she didn't even pay attention to the route. Perhaps noticing her panic, Eileen stepped forward, the sounds of screams and footsteps growing… further away?
"Wait, are the infected… running?" Haru whispered, her heart dropping.
"Please," Alexander winced. "Leave me here. Listen, I can walk- slowly, but I can."
"I'm not-"
"Alexander is right," Fox cut in, snapping. "The infected are running for the surface. We need to GO. NOW."
"Come on Haru, let me… rest a minute," Alexander winced, pushing off of her and leaning against the wall, nodding. "Promise, I'm not gonna die on you so easily. Go."
Gritting her teeth, Haru nodded. "Eileen, get us out."
"HARU!!" Charlotte returned so quickly she was simply there when a moment before, she had not been. "They're on the surface, every direction- can't stop them all!! Everyone they bite is turning- i-if they were only going in one direction I could handle it but come on-!!"
"Haru, MOVE!!" Fox shoved her, and Haru nodded, fingertips feeling strangely numb as she took off, tears burning at the backs of her eyes, the ghostly image of Alexei collapsing behind her eyes.
The complex- it was interesting, and Haru almost wished she could see more of it- snap the fuck out of it, focus-
Alexei would have loved to hit the canteen if there was beer for him and Alexander- Haru PLEASE-
"Haru, I love you," Fox shouted, "-but if you can't get your head out of your ass, go back to Alexander! I'm not watching you die out there!" She shouted, still, as they shoved up the staircase and back into those apartments, close to the surface now. No longer pristine and untouched, it looked as though a tornado had swept through, bed turned over, sheets torn, bookcase splintered and lying on the ground in two. No time for that.
"N-No, I can focus," Haru nodded, as if needing to convince herself as well, clutching her rifle to her chest. "Come on, up to the surface."
There was blood on the floors, as they pushed into the hall, and a few trampled bodies; it was as if the infected, in their haste, had killed a few of their own. The tunnel- who'd opened it, The Giant? It was wide open, door ripped off its hinges, the office building above visible even from here.
Taking care not to slip, the team hurried upward, and Haru glanced around, tapping her radio. "Ica, Lif. Change plan; call for backup, the infection is spreading fast and we do not need this shit taking over half the nation."
"Way ahead of you!" Lif's voice came through. "Status report?"
"Building is trashed; no infected, and everything feels too damn quiet," Haru muttered, shifting. Indeed, the windows had exploded outward, and in the distance Haru could hear screaming; she wondered why she didn't start running- but where to go? There was chaos in every direction, and always in the distance.
"Do you need me to take over?" Charlotte stepped forward, and something about that question struck a chord; Alexei faded, Alexander faded. We're here. We need to do what we can.
"Charlotte, forget combat. Lend us your speed and get out of this city; find help, rouse Contracted Arms, get us reinforcements by any means necessary. Eileen, can your magic help us at all? In any way? Summon a dragon or something wild?"
"Raining fire on the city would be ineffective," Eileen sighed, kicking a trampled body over onto its back, looking around at the smeared blood and gore on the floor. "I may kill more than I save. However, I have an idea. If I can get to the top of the radio tower we saw on our way in… it's beginning to rain."
"What?"
"I can freeze the rain; create a wall around the city. Make sure that the infection does not spread, and give us time."
"Do you need help to get there?"
"Doubtful."
"Then go."
"Fox, you and I are going to this place's police; we get out there and we fight on the ground. I can't nuke a city, but we can do that."
"Got it!" Fox nodded, bolting for the door with Haru in tow. "For what it's worth; I don't think you're a lesser demon, fuck that governmental ranking."