Chapter 36 Walking Corpses

The skies scream and cry, as rain pours all over the streets.

Covering any potential sound from outside I can spot.

I sat in the dark, contemplating.

The banging on my door wakes me up from my nap.

I open and Tari shoves me out of the way.

"It has been three weeks since we haven't heard from Canix."

Tari says annoyed.

"Roaming the streets isn't safe for us anymore, Alder!"

Tari shouts, as she flips a chair.

"I'm tired of hiding with the Vorkhan."

Tari says as she gets frustrated.

"How do you think I feel?"

I ask.

"We have been in hiding because we don't know if Canix is still intact in Ciphia or not. I always believed Ohme was conspiring against them at some point. I'm not surprised this means our identities are compromised and we have no authority in Ciphia."

I say.

"So you're saying we cannot trust anyone?"

Tari asks.

I looked up and stared at her.

She turns away.

"This is your fault. By trying to stay on both sides, you should've just picked one."

Tari says.

"It was bound to happen someday someone was going to eventually stand up to Ohme. Make them show their true colors. They are a bunch of ass hats."

I said, standing up, walking towards Tari.

"Why did you invite me here, Alder?"

Tari asks, as she leans against the wall.

"I need you, I have spoken to Authur."

She turned to face me.

"He has proposed a plan to pose as Vorkhan."

She sighs.

"That is, and how do we do that if you want to become Vorkhan now?"

Tari asks.

"No, I have these masks he has given us along with some suits we can wear while we are working for him."

I say.

"Are we working for him now?"

She asks, standing, grabbing the mask.

"Tari, how else will you make money?"

She sighs as she looks at the mask.

"Looks like you have chosen a side."

Tari says.

"I always trusted you, Alder, but I don't know if I can do this too much."

She says.

"I just wanted to give you this option. I had to tell you I wanted to keep you safe."

I say.

"How is this keeping me safe?"

Tari asks.

"You will always be next to me, besides I know you. You would've come along anyway, tracked me down and found out what I was up to."

I said while chuckling.

"You're already wearing the suit aren't you?"

Tari asks.

Stepping into the flash of light as thunder crackles in the background.

Revealing my red suit.

"What are you going to do to calm the city down?"

Tari asks.

"That's actually the plan starting from the top, because I am pretty capable and so are you. Together we can tone this city down a bit."

I grabbed my car keys as I approached the door.

"Put on your disguise. We are going now."

I said, walking downstairs to my vehicle.

Getting in my vehicle and putting the keys in the ignition.

Tari followed behind me, getting in the passenger seat.

"What's the scene partner?"

Tari asked, I drove forward.

"Arthur has men all over this side of Ciphia. There was a recent incident at the Beastmens Pub. So he is sending us to chase a ghost in the middle of all these incidents that are occurring because of him. That way he doesn't build any negative face on the court."

I say, driving around the streets.

"The city is empty at this time, huh?"

Tari says.

"Oddly it does. You are right. Something is going on."

Upon reaching our destination, I stopped the vehicle on the curb.

I pulled the keys out of the ignition, got out, and entered the pub.

A blonde woman stands outside, staring inside the pub.

She is covered in bruises and wearing a business shirt covered in blood.

"Are you okay mam?"

I ask, approaching her.

Her blue eyes glistened for only just a second.

She glares at us for a moment.

Before she walks away.

Walking in the pub, it wrecks corpses and blood.

"What do you two want?"

A man asks, sitting in the corner of the pub.

His legs looked stomped on.

I walked over the corpses.

"Is that a gun inside that man's throat?"

Tari asks.

"Yes it is. I'm glad you noticed."

The man chuckles, laughing at himself.

"Who did all this?"

I ask.

"The man who did all this outside of your league, you don't have a chance against him."

The man says, as he coughs.

"What makes you think that? Just tell us where he is or my friend here is going to get violent."

Pointing to Tari.

"It doesn't matter that we are already in a dead zone. This entire side of Ciphia has been cursed. If you don't have a core, your lifeforce will be transformed into one, you will be reconfigured using that into a beast. I have no choice but to obey the caster's will."

The man says as he tries to stand.

"What about you?"

I ask.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

Screaming and shouting echoed throughout the pub.

"Did you hear and see that?"

Tari asks, confused.

Silence follows after the screams.

I turned around to look at the corpses now filled with light.

Flesh wraps around their body as it folds, as energy pulses through their muscles.

Reforming into creatures I've never seen before.

"It's already begun."

The man says, as his laughter echoes around the pub.

"Tari, get out of here!"

Tari hesitated and hesitated before rushing to the door.

One of the creatures stood up in front of her.

It's tall with purple skin and one eye.

They all stand roaring with their fangs.

Tari, with her pistol, shoots one of them in the eye.

She turns around, shooting at the other beast.

I grabbed a broken beer bottle.

Standing up, I sprinted and ran around the pub.

Puncturing their heads with the bottle while reforming.

One of the beasts wraps its tail around Tari's neck.

Standing towards the entrance of the Pub.

Tari struggles as she is being choked.

The beast lifts her up off her feet.

Rushing to her aid, a giant sharp crystal impales the beast from behind.

Tari falls down.

I looked outside from where it entered.

The blonde woman from earlier glares at me for a moment.

"Get out of the way or get hurt!"

She shouts, as energy emits from her.

Grabbing Tari's hand and pulling her up to her feet.

Both of us ran to take cover behind the bar.

Hearing the woman's scream.

The pub is shredded apart by crystals created out of thin air.

The ground shakes, the shiny rocks grind against the ground.

Liquid drips on the floor and the beasts' moans cannot be heard anymore.

Standing up, along with Tari, we skipped the pub.

We walk around the crystals, stepping outside.

The blonde woman is panting, leaning on the wall.

"You need help?"

Offering my hand, she looked up and stared at me.

"No."

She says.

"What were those monsters?"

Tari asks.

"They were dead people being used as puppets with power. They never owned to begin with. It was a curse used to capture any organism that cannot manifest magic within themselves."

The woman says as she stands up.

"The man you're looking for I'd stay out of his way if I were you. He left twenty minutes ago."

"How do you know we are looking for him?"

I ask.

She doesn't answer me, instead she just limps away.