Book 2: Chapter 18

Book 2: Chapter 18

The corruption from the zombies attack had nearly reached Abbiuss heart when the fifth bloom had sprung open, and for a moment, Garrett wasnt sure if they had managed to stop its spread in time. He knew that the fifth bloom would have the strength to fight against the corruption, even using it to fuel its growth, but the side effect was dominating the awakened man. The change was immediate as five petaled flowers opened in Abbius eyes and his drooping arm straightened. Even as the dream flower and the zombie corruption did battle inside him, Abbius looked at Garrett, a fanatical look in his eyes.

Your majesty!

Call me boss, Garrett said.

Of course, sir. Do you need me to eliminate these scum? Abbius gestured to the zombies who were still milling about in the hall, enthralled by the flowers.

No, leave them and help the other two against the stitched.

Of course, boss.

Walking to the massive hole in the wall where the window had been, Abbius got out a bolt and knelt down, smoothly loading it into his crossbow. It was clear that he had not lost any of his skill, and if anything his movements were even better than before. The slightly mechanical way he had loaded his crossbow before had transformed into a natural flow, allowing him to complete the action in a single coordinated movement. Crouched in the opening, he lifted the crossbow and was about to pull the trigger when he paused, his eyes glowing once again.

The five petaled flowers began to sway and energy began to gather on the end of the steel bolt he had loaded up. Though he had come out of the dream, Garrett could see what was happening perfectly and was surprised to see that the energy shrouding the tip of the bolt was being shaped into a flower bud. A twang echoed in the room as the bolt flew from Abbiuss crossbow, tearing through the air toward the back of Maximus head. Though he had no idea that the bolt was coming, Maximus stepped to the side, dodging the stitcheds furious punch, and opening up the perfect shot for Abbius.

Since the bolt was already on its way, it arrived in the next moment, hitting the stitched in its unprotected face. Just before the sliver of steel hit, the bud on the tip of the bolt bloomed, revealing a five petaled flower with sharp teeth that rose from the edges of the petal. The bolt was already spinning, and the jagged petals turned into saw teeth as the flower spun around, ripping a hole straight through the monsters face. In an instant, half of the stitched together head was gone, torn to bloody pulp by the ranged attack.

Sensing an opportunity, Obe let out a loud shout and dashed forward, his mace rising above his head and then driving down like a hammer to crush the rest of the stitcheds head. Even then, the monster didnt immediately fall, but after a few more pounding blows, it finally dropped to the ground, inert. Up in the room on the second floor of the ruined building, Garretts eyes narrowed as he stared at Abbius. He had expected the dream flower to take over completely, erasing Abbiuss mind even as it absorbed the corruption that plagued him. But instead, the flower had enhanced him. While the dream flower had shifted Abbiuss emotions from positive to absolute loyalty, it had not obliterated his personality the way Garrett had assumed it would.

It must have something to do with the fact that he willingly accepted it. Thats good to know, though Ill need to test it out so I know what the exact parameters are. But this is an important development.

With the stitched taken out, Garrett turned to the zombies that remained as Obe and Maximus scaled the wall, clambering up and into the room once again. Nearly jumping right back down when he caught sight of the half a dozen zombies that were visible in the hallway, Maximus was stopped by Obe who pulled him to his feet and pushed him forward.

Block the doorway, while Abbius kills them, Obe commanded, more than happy to throw the fight onto his subordinates wide shoulders.

But, there are so many of them!

Youll be fine. I fought them off by myself and I didnt even have a shield.

What happened here?

As I said, an undead attack. Mrs. Esteven and her daughter were the victims of a vicious ambush. A swarm of zombies and a big stitched together brute tried to kill us, but we managed to fight them off thanks to my powerful companions. We were just going to send a report to the guards when you arrived.

Zombies? Were any of you hurt? Fellix asked, looking sharply at the three men.

Hurt? Garrett interjected. Do you think any of us would be here if we had been hurt? We would have become zombies! What is the safety of this city coming to?! It was still daytime when we arrived here, but we were attacked by undead! In the city, no less! I know that this isnt the most affluent neighborhood, but we are tax paying citizens! Dont we deserve to be protected as well? What is the city guard doing, allowing zombies to run around? And what about you exorcists?! Shouldnt you have found them and killed them? We nearly died because someone was slacking on their job.

Shaking his head in disgust, he gestured for the others to follow him and shot a shaky glare at Chief Fellix.

We are returning to Dreamers Inn. If you need anything, you can find us there.

Without waiting for Chief Fellix to respond, he turned his chair and started pushing himself away. The others behind him stood frozen for a moment before hurrying to catch up. Obe took hold of the wheelchair to push it, and Maximus watched the exorcists carefully, as if he was ready to block them if they made a move. Abbius, on the other hand, gave Chief Fellix a cold look, his crossbow not quite pointing at the chiefs chest. After a moment, Abbius spat on the ground and turned away.

This city has really deteriorated recently. It wouldnt have happened under our watch, Abbius said, strolling away under the exorcists furious stares.

A few of them wanted to step forward to stop Garrett and the others, but Chief Fellix stopped them, his expression stormy as he watched them go. It was only after they turned at the end of the street and disappeared from view that he let his gaze move back to the ruined building, as if willing it to give up its secrets. Less than a minute later, one of the exorcists who had gone inside earlier came out, his face pale, as if he was sick.

How is it? Bad?

Its a mess in there, chief, came the reply, but it must have been a terrible fight. We count at least two dozen dead zombies and some sort of flesh golem.

Gritting his teeth, Chief Fellix shot a glance at the empty street and took a breath to calm himself down.

How did two dozen zombies escape our detection? he asked, receiving only silence as a response. Heads are going to roll if I find out that anyone has been slacking on the job. Come on, weve got a long night ahead of us.

A block away, Garrett watched them enter the building through the eyes of one of the curious citizens who was watching from nearby, and let out a sigh. The night had not gone the way he had hoped, and while he was glad that they had come out of it unscathed, he couldnt help but feel like he had been defeated at every turn. He knew that Chief Fellix wouldnt let this go, and that he would have to watch out for the exorcists snooping around him and the inn. It was one thing to get caught up in a single supernatural event, but for it to happen twice was suspicious. A third time was the nail in the coffin, and Garrett knew that he wasnt going to be able to escape their attention any more.

Fine. If they come around, Ill need some countermeasures. I guess it's time to extend my roots to the exorcists. Actually, thats a good idea anyway. They have their fingers on the pulse of the supernatural events in the city, and are always on the hunt for cults. I might be able to use them to get a hold of the necromancers tail. But Ill have to do it without alerting Chief Fellix. Hes got a sharp eye. Ugh. Why is it that every time I turn around there is more to do?