Rise - The Fallen Ch. 02

Going for the head worked. Going for the head killed the undead for good. Once everyone learned of this fact, the living would surely gain a fighting chance. Once everyone learned how to combat this plague, they could finally stand again. There would no longer be a need to hide.

However, even with this vital information, the undead still outnumbered the living one to billions. Not only were all races susceptible to the plague, but the animals they hunted and lived alongside were as well. Just a few miles from Klisely, Myr and Hiln faced their first group of undead outside the city, of which consisted of two undead canines. Truthfully, it was a surprise so few undead animals were present in the city. Perhaps due to their speed and good sense of danger, they were able to escape the first invasion.

Still, were animals free of this plague, the undead would still outnumber the living. This fight with Myr and Hiln on one side and the undead on the other was proof enough. They had taken a route not taken by many. Cutting through dense forests with no pathways and animals to inhabit the land, the two were sure they would run into no one, living or undead. The fact that they did worried them somewhat. If a group of eight undead were present where one rarely ever was, then was the situation in Klisely truly what they could expect everywhere else?

Hiln stood among the corpses of six undead. Two humans, one orc, one tiefling, and the two canines. Exasperating each breath, she huffed tiredly. Sweat rolled down her glowing skin. The orc was definitely the most challenging of the six. Not only was he well trained in his lifetime and well equipped, orcs were known to be twice as strong as the strongest human.

Prior to their fight, Myr informed Hiln that physical skills or talents the undead possessed in their living life transferred to their new life. He had seen some of the greatest knights of Klisely retain their prowess in combat, whereas common folk became no better after turning. From what he'd seen, their lack of intelligence withheld their true potential, however. It did not matter how skilled they still were, without the capability to strategize or coordinate, they were still not as great as they once were.

Glancing down at the two canines, she was relieved they spotted her first and not Myr. Had they gone for him, he surely would have died. The young man was already struggling immensely with the two dwarves. For someone of his height and reach, killing two dwarves would not have been such a problem for anyone remotely skilled with a blade. Especially when fighting untrained, unarmored, and unarmed dwarves, such as those.

At the very least, Hiln knew Myr was no liar when he said he'd be a burden. She thought on this fact deeply.

"Are you well?" she asked him, walking over and roaming his body with a hand.

"Fine," Myr panted. "I'm fine. Just didn't have time to stretch is all," he said in between breaths. "What uh, what about you? Saw you struggling a bit there."

Hiln snorted. "Yes. They truly had me on my heels. If only we could have switched."

"If only, right?" Myr huffed.

"You seem fine," Hiln confirmed. "Thank the gods for that shield, huh?"

"What, this rusty ol' thing? Pft. I could toss it if I wanted. But you uh, you need to give the undead a false sense that you're an easy target. Let them hit you a bunch. Therefore they'll be caught totally unaware when you show your true cards. Making them easier targets overall."

"Truly?" Hiln asked, intrigued.

"No," Myr confessed, waving away everything he just said with a hand. "No, I'm just the worst swordsman in all the realms. Shall we continue?"

Hiln chuckled. "Yes, of course," she said, taking the lead.

The two continued their walk. At first they were silent, still wary and looking out for more undead. After a while, they were finally able to relax again. Myr resumed informing Hiln of the undead.

"I see," she said insightfully. "So there may still be a reason to aim for other areas besides the head?"

"Yes. They do heal much faster than us. Much faster. But not to the extent that attacks would be totally meaningless. From what I've seen, I'd reckon it takes a full day to recover from a lethal wound. So rest assured, cut a tendon, and they will not be able to strike you down with a sword. Break their bones and they will not be able to continue moving as they were. Smack them across the face hard enough and they will still stumble or - if you're lucky - fall to the side for a moment. But that doesn't mean they'll stop. If anything, they'll only react as the laws of physics demand they do. They'll still do whatever they can, whatever it takes to kill you. They'll bite you, punch, kick, or just throw themselves onto you. Going for anything but the head should be a last resort, or a means to go for the head."

"I'll remember that. Thank you. Anything else?'

Myr hummed as he thought about it, contorting his lips. "They have awful breath. I'm sure deadly enough to kill small rodents," he cringed.

"Noted," Hiln chuckled. "Anything you can tell me about how they infect people? You mentioned how quick and slow the process is after we left, but you didn't say how."

"Well that's because I have no definite answer. I don't know exactly how it happens. From what I've seen, there are various ways. Can't prove any of these, but I believe there are four ways. First, you're bitten or scratched. Only makes sense, right? Lots of diseases spread that way. I assume it must be the same with this one."

"Have you seen this process?"

"Somewhat," Myr answered, unsure. "I've seen people turn after being bit or scratched... Granted, they were killed shortly after being bit or scratched. So can I say without a doubt I know these two things will turn you? No. But I wouldn't risk it either way."

"You said they were killed after. Did they turn then?"

"They did. Now that I know will turn you. It didn't matter how it happened - every time, everyone - they always turned after dying. Always."

"You're saying if they kill me I become one of them?"

"Yup. I've no idea at all how that's possible. I just know that's how it is."

"Perhaps this isn't a plague then - a disease how we originally thought it to be. Perhaps this is a curse. It could be that upon death we return, forced to walk the earth again."

"Possible. I wouldn't be so conclusive yet, though. Because I believe their blood may also turn you."

"Have you seen that happen?"

Myr nodded. "That I have. I saw an undead bleed on a woman. In the chaos of everything, I lost sight of her. But not for long, I swear. No more than a few minutes, I'd guess. When I did see her again, she was one of them. And I couldn't make out a wound that caused her death."

Hiln's face froze with a serious expression. She stared down, silent and lost in thought.

Myr recognized that deep stare. He knew what she was thinking. Aware of where those thoughts could lead, the young man clapped his hands loud enough to break her of her focus. "That's enough lessons for today! Let's talk about something else."

Hiln slowly returned to reality. She seemed displeased to do so, seemingly wishing to remain in her own mind, pondering the new information and what to do with it. "Like what?" she eventually asked.

"How about the strangest experience you had in the church?"

"Define strange."

Myr scoffed. "What do you mean 'define strange'? You know, strange. Out of the ordinary. Not usually to be expected. Off putting, absurd. The like. What, was the church really that boring?"

"I don't think you know what we magistrates did," Hiln chuckled. "Strange to you was most likely a normal day for me."

"Doubt it," Myr snorted. "Give me your most mild experience."

"Okay. May be slight cheating because this did not happen in the church, but I was working in the church's name."

"Right, right. All the same, all the same," Myr enthusiastically interrupted, fully attentive and sounding eager to hear her story.

"Yes, all the same," Hiln confirmed stifling a chuckle, a smile pulling at her lips. She still had not grown accustomed to the young man's chirpy attitude. He was almost dog-like with his caring nature. "There was once a night I was sent to a nearby homestead. Word had it there were disturbances coming from inside. Travelers were concerned with passing in fear of whatever was inside coming out and doing harm. So of course when I arrived I was cautious. Beastly noises were nothing to scoff at."

"Beastly noises? You find a family mauled by bears?"

"Close," Hiln hinted. "There was no family, thankfully. There were also bears," she admitted.

"If all you've got is a story of bears, I'm quite disappointed," Myr teased.

"However, there were also two imps present."

"Okay," Myr said, uncertain.

"Humping the bears."

Silence fell between the two. Hiln watched Myr in anticipation as befuddlement froze his face. Trying her best not to laugh, she fought back the smile pulling on her lips.

"Let me confirm," Myr eventually began. "Imps... and bears... together?"

Hiln stifled her laughter. "Yes. Together."

"Humping?" he slowly asked.

"Yes, humping," Hiln snickered. "You're accepting this much more easily than I thought you would."

"I'm just processing this," Myr laughed. "Male or female?"

"The bears or the imps?"

The young man inhaled and raised a finger to answer, but decided not to. "So what did you do?" he asked instead.

Girly giggles came over Hiln as if someone suddenly began tickling her neck.

"What's so funny?" Myr asked.

Hiln raised a hand, snickering. "I didn't know what to do," she continued. "So I just shouted 'Free your cocks from those beasts and face me!'"

Myr broke into a fit of laughter. "You told the imps to take their cocks out of the bears and face you? Why, so their cum would land on you?"

"No, of course not! I simply didn't know what else to say," Hiln explained, nearly buckling over.

"You really couldn't think of anything else?"

"I was taken aback! What would you have said?"

"Anything that would keep their cocks pointed away from me."

"I don't want to hear it," Hiln said, still snickering. "You've never been in a similar situation so you wouldn't understand."

"You are correct," Myr gladly admitted. "I have never been in such a situation. I don't think I want to either."

"Sure was a once in a lifetime experience."

"So is this one," Myr scoffed.

"Hm. Yeah. Nothing beats this one."

"At this point, only the complete destruction of all realms could outdo this plague, I'd say."

Seemingly distracted all of a sudden, Hiln only nodded, silent. The warm smile on her lips faded. Her eyes drifted off into the distance.

"Can I ask you something?" she suddenly asked.

"Of course," Myr answered softly, sensing the shift in tone.

"What do you miss most from before all this?"

Ever the bright soul, Myr put it upon himself to always ensure those around him never grew too dour. During these times especially.

"Certainly not all the whinging," he smiled.

An appreciative glance passed from Hiln to him. She understood what he was doing. It was something Kelik often did in the past. Something he had been doing less and less of. She wished her old friend was more like how he used to be. She wished he was more like Myr.

"Can I ask you a question?" Myr asked.

"Of course."

"Do you know what time of day it is?"

"Time of day?" Hiln scoffed, glancing up at the heavy clouds. "Perhaps I'd be able to tell you if I could see the sky."

Myr's gaze also shifted to the clouds overhead. He stared up with melancholy in his eyes.

"You wouldn't think keeping track of time would be as important anymore, would you? What reason would there be for that now, right? So long as you can tell night from day, that's all that would matter, right? The realms have come to an end after all. A standstill at the very least. But without time, how will we know when to celebrate our birthdays? Or when to stop working for the day and join our family at the table for supper? Or when the children come out to play? You might wonder how any of that's important now. But... I like to think it's necessary to retain whatever we can from our prior lives. I think it's important to retain whatever routine we had. Just enough to feel some kind of normalcy. Something to keep us sane and keep us remembering what there once was. Of all that we had, I like to think time would be what I miss most."

"You think it's important to remember what there was? Why? Life as it was is gone now. Everything is gone now."

"Gives me hope," Myr quickly answered, smiling as always. "Gives me something to work towards. Something to strive for and return to. Even though at times it could be more annoying than all the hells combined."

As the two continued on their way, a small home eventually came into view. Surrounded by thick and tall trees, most would have likely missed it. Not even a pathway was present. Nor was the surrounding grass done away with, growing just as tall as the rest of the forest. Had the small home been covered in vegetation, the two would have assumed the house empty.

The two exchanged looks. They decided they would examine it. Perhaps there were survivors inside. In which case they could ask about potential dangers ahead, as neither had ever ventured through these woods. Perhaps they would even be allowed to stay the night.

"If there are imps inside humping, please don't tell them to face us," Myr urged in a hushed voice.

The pair cautiously crept up to the door. They softly knocked. Loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough for nothing else around to hear.

As they stood in wait for a response, Myr noticed several small holes in the door. Curious as that was, he nearly dismissed them. Were it not for the dark stains splattered on the door that he noticed next, he would have completely. Locking eyes with Hiln, he gestured for her to step back as he did the same.

Hiln did as told, but did not fully comprehend. An ear bursting bang explained the situation well enough.

Startled, the pair leapt back. Shields and weapons raised, they stood at the ready. Exchanging looks, the two confirmed Hiln would engage first with whatever came through the door.

For a short while though, nothing came through the door. Judging from the smell of gunpowder in the air, Myr surmised their assailant fired off a flintlock gun. That would explain the small holes in the door. The young man had never been present for the firing of a gun, so he did not know with certainty. Although, what else could produce that choking smough.

Fortunately, he was not alone anymore. With Hiln by his side, he mouthed, "Gun?" To which she answered with a nod. A clever idea sparked in his mind then. Simple, yet effective. Myr simply feigned fatal injuries with meek coughs and sounds of pained struggles.

Not a moment later, the stained door flew open. Out stepped a burly man, head and neck covered nearly entirely by frizzly, black hair. Hiln smashed her fist into the man's jaw. He collapsed harder than a stack of firewood.

Without delay, a thundering voice boomed out from behind him. From the darkness charged a much younger man. Enraged, he aimed for Hiln with wild swings of his chopping axe. None of his blows landed, and he never would have stood a chance against the head magistrate who stood several inches over him and weighed the same. Still, she did not counter immediately, instead allowing the younger man to tire himself out first.

As she backed away with her pursuer stuck to her like flies on manure, Myr moved to assist, only for another person to barge out. Cutting him off, but unaware of his presence, an elder woman sprinted after the two, pitchfork in hand. Myr shouted for her attention. When she did not pay him any, he moved to engage. A quick glance down, however, revealed the burly man regained his composure. Knife in hand, he swung wide at Myr's unarmored legs.

On his heels, Myr stumbled back. The edge of the blade missed him by mere hairs. He hardly had enough time to steady himself before the burly man was on his feet and raring to impale him.

Keen to appeal to the man's better senses, Myr did not retaliate. Were he even to try, he would not have known precisely when or how to. Instead he chose only to shield himself while attempting to talk some sense into the burly man. He chose to convince him they were not enemies and that undead could be on the approach due to the gunshot.

Much to his surprise and chagrin, the burly man fought on as if he were an undead himself. He was not, of that there was no doubt. Yet he did not relent. Not for a single moment did he hesitate to think over his actions. He did not care at all. It seemed as if he would kill himself if that meant killing Myr.

On the other hand, Hiln wasted no time in cordial speech. She knew the look in their eyes. Those were not the eyes of mercy. Pain and loss was all she saw. While she would not kill them, she would not hesitate to do them harm. If only enough to incapacitate the younger man and who she presumed was his mother.

Shoving the younger man to the ground with the face of her shield, Hiln quickly turned to his mother and shielded herself from the rusty pitchfork. She countered by knocking the pitchfork out of her hands and brought her to the ground with a bloody lip. As before, the younger man gave himself away once more, letting his presence be known by shouting. A simple pirouette to the side and Hiln was behind him, bashing the edge of her shield into his back.

Looking over at Myr, she observed his struggles with a blade and shield. He was sloppy and constantly on the backfoot. He was no better than the burly man. Both fought with sheer instincts alone. Had it not been for the shield, Hiln reckoned Myr would be laying on the ground already, insides spilled out.

Were it not also for his youth, Myr would not have outlasted the burly man. Breathless and weak, the burly man found it difficult simply standing, let alone attacking. Seeing this, the young man knew this was his opportunity to put an end to the fight. Desperate to win, Myr simply threw himself into his enemy, shield first. The force of impact and fatigue was all just enough to bring the burly man to the ground.

Hastily leaping on top and forcing the edge of his shield down upon the man's throat kept him down afterwards. A quick glance around showed no undead and Hiln safe with her opponents defeated. Myr forced all his weight onto the shield and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he locked eyes with the crazed man beneath him.

"What's the matter with you? You gone deaf or what? Didn't I tell you enough? We're not your enemies," Myr urged. "We're just passing through and were curious of your humble abode. A simple welcome and 'Be off with you' would have sufficed. Now you've got me starving for some bread."

The burly man did not answer. After some more feeble struggling, he chose to lay in silence and contempt. He seemed familiar with resigning himself to defeat.

Hiln walked over and glanced at the two men. "Forget him. Let's be off," she told Myr.

"We don't need to knock them unconscious or anything?"

"No need," Hiln answered, shaking her head. "They're no harm to us. Even if they should follow."

Myr nodded in understanding and rose off the burly man without hesitation. He did kick away the knife for safe measures. Nary a glance was had as the two were off, leaving the family to lick their wounds.

Once out of earshot, Myr broke their silence. "You thinking the same as me?"

"That they ambushed innocent folk just looking for help? Aye. I have no doubt."

"I don't understand. Why kill people when they could help you? More numbers to help defend your home and all that. Don't you agree?"