94 A Brewing Storm

"Did you hear what is happening right now? Every guard and adventurer have fearful faces, and I even saw some merchants waving their arms like some headless chicken."

"WHAT? You still don't know? Let me tell you, my son is a guard in the North Gate and he told me …"

"… and apparently, one hundred thousands of undead are approaching!!"

"100 000!!! That's impossible"

"… 30 000, I am telling you, no more than 30 000 skeletons are approaching. Anyone that is telling a higher number is either dumb or a liar. You know me, my father is the main treasurer of Archet. There is no reason to worry, the walls will protect …"

As they walked in the street, they could feel the fervor that seemingly everyone had embraced. Children weren't playing anymore but where tightly gripping the legs of their parents, scared by the behavior of the surrounding adults. Nearly all the different stalls were closed and many peddlers were surrounding them, in some heated debates. In this day, no one had the will to happily shop.

Funnily enough, even the usual petty thieves and beggars were weirdly absent from such a huge crowd. For the usual humans, they wouldn't be able to spot them or even notice the many traces that were invisible to the unknowing eyes. But inside the dark alleys that led to the poor area of the city, mutes were arguing against one-legged men that were standing on their two feet. To their despair, the ongoing disaster that plagued their homes didn't stop, it only grew worse.

Too many families were randomly targeted by those dark monsters that were lurking inside the night, and now, an army will besiege the city. If it had been anything else than some undead, they wouldn't have been so concerned and their entire gangs would have left without making any sound. But now, they knew that trying to leave would only result in their death, making them really scared. At the same time, many thought of this as an occasion to cast aside their old self and begin an entirely new life.

No one had their hands entirely clean, meaning that everyone had at least some skills at fighting another human. Even if it wouldn't amount to a lot on a normal occasion, they had already managed to extract the truth from the lies that were spreading like a fire in summer inside Archet. As for who told them that, well, as the Mayor had many dealings with the White Hand, many wealthy families had a dark side hidden from the eyes of the public.

This time, whether they wanted it or not, they knew that they will not be able to leisurely wait for the end of the conflict without even lifting a finger. If the grunts and low ranked subordinates were arguing about that in a small group, under the scorching sun, those that had real power were no better. Inside a room without any windows and a few meters under the ground, their fears were awfully similar compared to those under them.

Maybe because they had tasted the sentiment of greatness before, but most were inclined to help the local garrison at all cost. Previously, they were considered the scummiest reject of mankind, mere defects of the society only busy at stealing the possessions of someone else. And while it was completely true, they were fine with their lack of conscience. But recently, that last week, they felt how many people had relied on them to survive.

While those monsters hunted those that were cast aside and left to rot in the dark corners of the city, only the numerous gangs were originally roaming in the night to protect them. The number of patrols of the guard was increased, but they seldom entered deeply the poor area. It gave a sense of security for the rest of the city, but for those that were neighbors of the victims, they didn't feel the same way.

The sentiment of being looked upon in such a favorable way was like a drug for those men. They already had most of what they wanted. Money, power, women. But when an innocent little girl offered an apple to one of them, while looking at adoration to the man that was protecting her and her family, he felt it. They were previously as popular as a disease, making everyone run away in fear and locking themselves in their homes. But now, they were just … humans.

Of course, not even Meridiana or the Mayor could have predicted that. She was currently watching a single human trying to convince a far greedier crowd to fight for the city. Namely, the adventurers. Of course, there was always a few idealists and optimists that didn't need anything to give up their lives for an empty belief. Most of that group were rookies that would barely help at anything except moving water, rations and equipment.

As weird as it was, adventurers rarely had living families waiting for them. It was usual to see couples inside the same group of adventurers, but that couple would only retire together. And most descendants of those former adventurers were firmly forbidden to ever act as recklessly as their parents. After knowing far too well the dangers and risks that this type of work had, what kind of parent would deliberately encourage their own children to be an adventurer?

Contrarily to what they would have expected, the number of people surrounding the Guild was not very high. Trying to remember it, Meridiana even guessed that there were fewer people right in front of her than when she pummelled to the ground that stupid group of morons. After all, she fought right after dawn and the immense ruckus that she made make everyone come closer in curiosity. Nearly everyone was still inside Archet, and even if they were very early in the morning, it was not impossible for some groups to have already left to partake in a mission they took the day before.

Acting like some foreign observers, both she and Davion only looked from afar to see the numerous receptionists and cadres trying desperately to appease and incite the crowd to fight for the city. Raising the prices for each monster killed or even creating special bounties after a certain number of skeletons was killed. All those incentives were not only funded by the Guild, but the treasurers of the city were also present to confirm that Archet will not let anyone feel wronged.

Following this, the numerous blacksmiths and merchants that usually supplied the adventurers and other mercenaries were secretly prompted to do the same. Not even the families backing those shops dared to profit from this disaster, especially after knowing how dangerous the situation was. Funnily enough, if Malakov wasn't so adamant at virtually growing the army to such a terrifying state, the inner conflicts between each power would have really impeded the defense of the city.

In the end, numerous weapons and armors that were making every swordsman or warriors drooled but were previously inaccessible were now at a price that one could afford. In contrast with the joy displayed by those lucky adventurers, the clerks and other assistants were mourning the loss of their respective shop.

As the two kept roaming, they stumbled upon a beautiful edifice that had a circle encircling a sun with two faces on each side on top of its bell tower. It was a temple built in honor of the gods. Even on planets that had both magic and science, it was still usual to see such beliefs spreading inside the common populace. Not even talking about the numerous leeches called gods that attached themselves upon planets to suck all the souls they could gather.

At least, those that were protecting this world were quite active, since they played a part during the Age of Darkness. They had seen numerous beings far more coward that promptly left without even repaying all those years of survival. The name Aria that they heard the Mayor pronounced was one of those gods that were supposedly still protecting this nation. Unfortunately, she was considered the guardian of a certain country that didn't exist anymore. Indeed, the Fallen Kingdom of Pankow was her domain.

On the other hand, the imposing building in front of them was the one of Oslo, the two-faced god, protector of the merchants and the thieves. Quite logical for a republic to promote such a god. The only thing that neither Leilade or anyone else managed to know was whether Aria, Oslo, or any other god truly existed. At least one of them was a true god, but that was the extent of their knowledge. And they couldn't just barge inside any cult and ask if their god was real.

Normally, there was always someone that should be either the envoy of a god or the high priestess or priest. Those that had devoted their lives for the higher existence that fulfilled their entire lives. If they had any technologies of the Demonic Empire, they could have just directly scan every one to see if someone truly had a link with something above the atmosphere. Because everyone will tell the truth, only it would be their truth. When someone was brainwashed since their birth to believe that first of all, a god existed, and secondly, that God could talk to her, well, hallucinations were still a possibility.

Silently entering the church, or as much as Davion could, they saw many men and women of faith comforting everyone. Nobles, commoners, guards or adventurers. Everyone fearing for their lives of the ones of those that were close to them. It was not visible from the outside, but the building had an open area in the middle, a sort of garden. It was well preserved, and it seemed to have a very positive effect on the minds of those humans. Seeing that it was all in all, just a standard edifice, neither Davion nor Meridiana had anything else to do beyond looking around.

They just leisurely spend the rest of their times looking around and helping the guards moving numerous crates. At first, they were quite scared by the immense height of the orodil, but after seeing him do the job of five normal men, they only expressed their gratitude. In the end, they were even noticed by the officers and gradually the difficulty of their tasks was increased.

By the time the sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon, dozens of groups of scouts came back running in panic, telling everyone to close the door. They had searched everywhere to warn those outside of the walls to reach Archet as soon as possible before the undead arrive. After counting every head, many in the garrison sighted in relief. No one had died, and the worst case scenario hadn't happened.

But those smiles and sentiment of joy were quickly overshadowed by the very sight of what was appearing far, far away. A single spot of white, gradually growing and growing, until it swallowed the entire ground. By now, every bell across Archet was ringing, hardening the faces of soldiers and adventurers alike. The bustling streets filled with worry and panic were deserted in a blink of an eye, every house had their door locked.

Most of those still outside were gathered around the eastern gate, and the ramparts that should have been possible to reach were so full of guards that no one that wasn't affiliated directly to Archet couldn't climb it. Only a small island inside this sea of men in uniforms could be seen, surrounding the Mayor. Nearly everyone that partook in the previous council was present and soon, the orders will be transmitted after seeing precisely what was in front of them. As for negotiations and diplomacy, no one had any hope when facing undead.