Lavitz was asleep when he felt someone touch his shoulder and gently shake him. He jumped awake.
—Easy, kid, it's me. Your turn for the watch —said Carlos.
The watch order had been set: first Marco, then Jack, followed by Victor, César, Carlos, and finally Lavitz.
—Take this —Carlos said, handing him a double-edged longsword.
Lavitz took it with some hesitation. Curiously, he unsheathed it. It was a heavy weapon, about a meter and a half long, meant to be wielded with both hands. He tried to swing it, but his movements were clumsy and stiff.
Carlos let out a soft chuckle.
—The tip and the sharp edge go toward the enemy. Try not to hurt yourself. If you see anything strange, wake us. Don't make decisions on your own.
Without another word, Carlos lay down and closed his eyes.
Lavitz sheathed the sword and strapped it to his waist. He approached one of the windows, which had a small hole for observing the outside. He began his watch, scanning the surroundings.
The city was deathly silent. From time to time, a staggering figure appeared in the distance, but there was no direct threat. Time passed slowly, and the first rays of sunlight began to paint the city in a soft golden hue.
—Everything alright, kid?
Jack was the first to wake up.
—All good, Sir Jack. No changes.
—You don't have to be so formal. Just call me Jack.
—Alright, Jack.
Jack looked at him for a moment and sighed.
—Hey… sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to leave you behind. We've been through a lot, and our priority is to protect Lord Victor.
—Don't worry. I don't hold it against you. I'm grateful you let me join you.
—Thanks for understanding…
BOOOOMMMM!
BOOOOMMMM!
BOOOOMMMM!
Explosions shook the ground like distant detonations. Victor jumped up and ran to the window. When he looked out, his face froze and his breath caught.
—What the hell was that? —Jack asked, approaching.
—We're in trouble… —Victor muttered—. It's a… Devourer.
A chill descended over the room. Everyone fell still, fear etched on their faces.
Lavitz frowned.
—What's a Devourer?
Jack swallowed before answering in a low voice.
—It's a type of evolved undead. The worst kind. They devour anything that moves—people, animals, even other undead. They're monstrously strong and have sharp senses for detecting prey. One hasn't been seen outside the Dark Lands in over forty years.
—Is it really that dangerous?
—You have no idea. It would take over seventy soldiers to bring one down… and there would still be heavy losses. They're strong, fast, and utterly ruthless.
—We have to run! If that thing sees us, we're dead! —César shouted.
—We can't! —Jack replied, peeking out—. The exit is right in front of that thing!
BOOOOMMMM!
BOOOOMMMM!
At that moment, the Devourer grabbed an undead with one of its hands and effortlessly lifted it. It brought it to its mouth and crushed its skull like candy. The corpse's fluids poured down its body as it devoured it with grotesque pleasure.
Lavitz stepped closer to observe. It was gigantic, with greenish skin covered in sores and blisters. It weighed at least twenty tons and had a repulsive body with a deformed head, barely human in appearance. Its arms were as thick as columns, and its hands could crush a body like a dry twig.
But Lavitz noticed something else.
—Hey… something's off —he murmured.
—What is it? —Victor asked without looking away.
—There's… a trail… like a colorful streak of light circling around the Devourer. It moves as if following an orbit.
Victor squinted.
—A streak of light? I don't see anything.
Lavitz insisted.
—It's like… something's spinning around it.
—Are you sure about what you saw?
—Yes. Absolutely.
Victor observed him seriously.
—If what you saw is real… it's probably not a normal Devourer. That energy could be residual mana from another source. Undead can't use magic other than miasma. If that trail exists, then someone else… someone powerful, controlled or modified it.
—A mage? —Jack asked, doubtful.
Victor nodded grimly.
—Which means this attack was premeditated.
—What do we do? We can't escape through the entrance —Marcos said, desperate.
—I don't know… —Victor admitted.
Then, a dry metallic sound—like a plate hitting the floor—startled them.
They turned toward the window in unison…
And there it was.
A colossal creature with a macabre smile and tiny eyes radiating malevolence. The Devourer had found them.
For one eternal second, both sides stared at each other.
—It found us! —César screamed, breaking the silence. He ran toward the door at full speed.
But before he could reach the handle, a massive hand smashed through the window. Glass and wooden beams flew in all directions.
The gigantic hand grabbed César by the waist like a rag doll.
—Aaaahhh! Help me! I don't want to die!
—Cut its hand off! —Victor shouted, drawing his sword.
But it was useless.
The Devourer yanked hard, dragging César's body through the window. His back snapped against the shattered frame, twisting unnaturally. César's desperate screams vanished in an instant.
Then, with a brutal motion, the Devourer lifted him to its deformed mouth and bit down.
Guts, blood, and bones flew through the air.
The creature devoured César with grotesque ease.
—RUN! —Jack shouted, kicking the house door open.
—Quickly, go! —Marcos yelled.
Lavitz bolted out the door without thinking. Victor and Carlos followed, all three running as if hell itself were chasing them.
—DON'T STOP!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Devourer's footsteps thundered behind them.
Lavitz turned briefly and nearly lost his soul. The monstrosity was right behind them, moving with unthinkable speed, crushing the ground with every stride.
—SPLIT UP! —Lavitz shouted—. If we stay together, it'll kill us all! At least if we scatter, some might escape!
—Damn it! You're abandoning us now?! —Carlos shouted.
—No! He's right! —Victor interjected—. If we keep running like this, we'll all die. Splitting up is the only option!
—I agree! —Jack and Marcos shouted together.
—SPLIT UP NOW! —Victor ordered.
Each of them took a different path.
[Valmitor – 4 hours earlier]
—Hold your positions! Keep firing!
Chaos reigned. Valmitor's wall trembled under the pressure of the undead horde. Soldiers ran in all directions, fighting, falling, resisting as best they could.
John and Gerse fought side by side on the wall, but for every enemy they brought down, two more replaced them.
—This is endless —Gerse growled.
In the distance, atop a hill, two figures in black cloaks observed the battlefield.
—Eve… it's time to end this —Siferv said.
—Already bored?
—We've completed our mission. There's no reason to stay in this stinking place.
—What a shame. I wanted to see how long they'd last without our interference… but oh well.
Eve raised her hand to the sky.
—Grand Fireball.