1096 One Was Enough.

I intended to get a little further with the story but it was not in the cards. I was unable to work normally last night and have fallen behind yet again. I wrote a little but not as much as I wanted to. In any case what I finished will be at the end of the blog and updated to the fiction tab.

I’m still accepting friends for Animal Crossing: New Leaf. My code is on my twitter profile and I’m not going to look it up. It’s also a couple of journals back I’m sure. The game really does make it easy to jump from town to town and trade stuff. Kind of how you always hoped it would work before, but didn’t. People have been very helpful and I’ve gotten a nice chunk of a few sets in spite of not being able to play much. some of the new sets are really nice looking too.

Anyway, more story:

Instinctively they readied themselves. Julius ran his hands quickly around the edges of the door looking for some kind of release mechanism. There seemed to be an indication running along the right side of the door, into the darkness. He decided to gamble on this chance.

“This way!” He said urgently. “Keep them off me if you can!” Even as the group began moving laterally into the room a desiccated figure shambled into the unnatural glow that followed them. No one was surprised. The skeletal warrior, dressed in dusty armor, was followed by another, and another. Each one was dressed after the same manner as the first. As they stepped further into the lit circle they seemed to become more focused, aware of what was in front of them. Their jaws mouthed silent warnings at the group, their hands gesturing at them as if giving instructions.

Julius was nearly running along the wall now. A smaller bubble of light began breaking off to follow him. The others couldn’t keep up and keep an eye on the slow moving threat. He was too focused on opening the door, panic was beginning to take hold. He didn’t notice the pile of bones and metal in his path until he was sprawled on the cold, stone, floor. Several feet away he heard Regalius beginning to play his song of fire. The others had been attacked in earnest now and he had gotten himself separated. Julius righted himself as quiclky as he could. There were several piles of soldier scattered around the area he could now see, and the one he tripped over was beginning to stir. He regocnized an arm bone and brought his heel down as hard as he could. It splintered into a two halves. The did the same with the forearm of the other side, but only split one bone. As the figure stood its hand lost hold of its weapon and hung there lamely. Julius watched in horrified fascination as the skeleton cast its empty eye sockets over its mangled limbs. Its mouth silently uttering curses. This was not normal even for a reanimated soldier. After a few moments of what appeared to be panting and sobbing the crippled thing noticed its attacker. Julius thought for a moment he could hear screaming from someplace very far away. HIM! IT WAS HIM! Julius was almost totally lost in the grim spectacle, but he became aware in his periphery of other figures heeding the call of their comrade.

A short distance away the others were beginning to spread out as they were forced to parry more and more attackers. Regalius had switched to fighting outright as the others could barely keep themselves safe, let alone cover him as he played. He was still attempting to cast verbal spells but the onslaught was too much to concentrate through. More attackers were beginning to fill in the gaps between them.

“Don’t let them separate us!” Alina called out, and the others began trying to regroup as best they could.

“These things are organized!” Cried Niona. “They’re not supposed to be like this!”

“This is powerful magic! I’ve never seen the equal of it!” Regalius replied. “It’s like they don’t know they’re dead!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Yelled Alina, swinging her mace with thunderous force through a cluster of enemies. “They still crumble if you hit them hard enough!”