Chapter 15
AN HOUR AFTER they’d set off, the dense forest surrounding the road gave way and they saw the gates of Karanak before them. The sun melted into the horizon on the hills above the city, staining the buildings a deep scarlet as the brightest stars began to twinkle in the heavens.
The city should have begun to show the excitement of nightlife, but the scene that spread before them was excitement of a completely different sort.
“What in the world?” Emella gasped as her hand reached for her sword.
Packs of beasts rampaged through the city, squaring off against adventurers and the Knight Patrol alike.
“Come on! We have to help!” Asval shouted as he ran toward the sound of fighting, Emella and Zef close on his heels.
“Tact, should we go find your grandfather?” Mira asked as she tightened her grip on the boy’s hand.
“He’ll be fine. Grandpa’s the strongest guy in the city!” he said pridefully.
“All right. Stay close and don’t get separated from me.”
“Okay!”
Deciding that a little extra insurance was never a bad policy, Mira summoned her Holy Knight and ordered the spirit to guard Tact.
“I’ve got your back,” Flicker said, moving closer to the pair.
With Emella gone, who would keep a firm hand on her leash? Mira hustled to catch up to the other three party members with Tact in tow.
“Are these the same zombies?” Mira muttered as she passed by monsters cut down by the trio. They were certainly made of vegetation and compost like the others, yet something was different.
“These aren’t humanoid like the ones before. Where did they come from?!” Emella said, gracefully reaching out to snatch Flicker away from Mira as she and Tact caught up to the rest of the group.
It was undeniable. Previously, the zombies had looked more or less human in form, but these were undeniably beast-shaped. Their sudden turn toward aggression was also a new development.
The beast-type zombies were overrunning Karanak. Cries and sounds of battle came from every direction while the streetlights silently illuminated the carnage of the city below. The human casualties were blessedly minor compared to the damage wrought on the city itself—so far. It seemed that the guild had efficiently mobilized and was prioritizing protecting lives over property.
“Hrmm… What the…?” Mira mumbled to herself, looking at the ruined front of an umbrella shop. A dead humanoid zombie lay propped up against the broken storefront with an open parasol clutched in its hand. It looked like it had died trying to keep out of a sudden rainstorm.
She chuckled at the absurd sight, then stopped and eyed the scene suspiciously.
“Let’s make our way to the central plaza.” Emella pointed down the street toward an intersection packed with zombies being driven back by adventurers. “We’ll pass the guild offices and a patrol station along the way. Maybe they’ll know something.”
“Hrmm, indeed.” Mira nodded, but then she paused as something familiar caught her eye. “Hey, I know that carriage…”
She squinted as she tried to make it out through the dim evening light, then ran forward so she could get a better look.
Zombies swarmed in from the alleyways and shadows to intercept, but they were cut to pieces by a Dark Knight before they could reach her. The form in dark armor fell in with Emella and the others as they struggled to keep pace with the diminutive summoner.
The carriage lay on its side, where it had plowed into one of the buildings lining the main street. Two horses pawed impatiently at the cobblestones, still tethered to the driver’s post by their reins. Sure enough, it was the same carriage that carried Mira to the city a few days earlier—and a body wearing a familiar military uniform was sprawled on the sidewalk nearby.
“Garrett! Hold on.” Mira bent down to roll him over and give him a shake. As she did, he groaned and a grin crept across his face.
She pulled back with a start. Looking around the area, zombie corpses littered the street and sidewalk, and the sides of the broken carriage were covered in muddy red stains. She’d seen that color before.
“Come on, Garrett, get up!” Mira smacked at Garrett’s smiling cheeks as he began to giggle uncontrollably.
“Ugh… Ah, an angel! Which means this must be heaven?”
“It’s me, you fool of a vice commander! What have you done?” Mira kneaded her forehead in despair as she gestured to the carriage beside them.
“Ah, ohhh. About that…” he mumbled as the rest of the party caught and looked around with a mixture of awe and shock. As he regained his senses, he told the story.
Around midday, the usual human zombies had appeared and had begun to roam the streets. While distressing to the city, the strange event was peaceful—at first. Not long after, zombie beasts appeared. Looking like bears, wolves, and other ferocious creatures, these zombies began to attack the residents of the town.
The Knight Patrol was rapidly overwhelmed by reports across the city and activated emergency plans. The Fighters’ Guild was converted into a shelter to house panicked townsfolk, and the Mages’ Guild was rapidly transformed into a field hospital. Adventurers from both the main guilds and private guilds began to retake the town as the Knight Patrol coordinated their efforts. They went from house to house, checking in on townsfolk who were safely sheltering behind locked doors.
Garrett had been at the guild offices on business when the call to action was issued. His carriage was just outside and, well…while his defensive driving skills left much to be desired, his offensive driving skills were not found wanting.
“Just part of my military duty,” he said emphatically.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mira remarked. Looking down the street, the zombie corpses were littered across the city. The efforts of adventurers continued to add to the number of fallen beasts.
“This is going to be a mess to clean up,” Mira said glumly.
“A backbreaking task, to be sure,” added Zef.
A moment of silence followed as the assembled group heaved a collective sigh of despair for tomorrow’s chores.
“It would be easier with the FAV,” Garrett said after the pause, walking around the fallen carriage to inspect for damage.
“Hrmm… That seems like overkill.” Mira wondered if the zombies or Garrett would have done more damage if the Fast Armored Vehicle had been in play. “The carriage seems to be fine…besides lying sideways.”
“They build them with VIP transport in mind. They’re tougher than they look.” Garrett stroked the side of the vehicle lovingly.
“I see…” said Mira, recognizing the signs of obsession and retreating a few steps.
After Garrett’s tender moment had passed, Asval, Emella, and Zef helped him right the vehicle with a count of three and a mighty heave-ho. The carriage creaked as it settled back onto its suspension. It was none worse for the wear besides the filthy, zombie-stained sides.
“Can I give you guys a lift?”
“We’re fine,” Mira responded before anyone could take Garrett up on his offer.
“Pity.”
“Hrmm.”
After an awkward pause, Garrett climbed back onto the driver’s seat. “Well, duty calls.”
“I’m sure it does.”
“Take care, Mira. I’ll see you when this is over.”
With that, he cracked the reins and plunged back into battle with a cry on his lips. Protected by their technomancy harnesses, the horses sprinted forward with brave whinnies, trampling the zombies before them.
Mira watched him ride off with a blank look on her face.
“Do you know him, Mira?” asked Emella, “He was a royal soldier, wasn’t he?”
“He’s a menace.”
***
Thanks to Garrett’s situation report, the party no longer had to divert to the guild offices for instruction. They proceeded to the town square, sweeping away all foes as they advanced.
Emella and Asval slashed and smashed zombies to the front while Zef and Flicker took care of any stragglers on the flanks. Ahead, Mira’s Dark Knight raged relentlessly, amassing quite the body count.
And yet still the zombies kept coming.
“There’s no end to this,” grumbled Mira.
Unaccustomed to the considerations that had to be made while wearing a skirt—and unaware of the twinkle in Flicker’s eye below—Mira kicked away a lunging beast as she nimbly scrambled to the top of a building and looked around at the surrounding city.
While individually weak, the zombies were appearing in waves, and their sheer volume threatened to wear down the defenders. From her perch, she could see pockets of skilled warriors scattered across the city, and they all looked to be withdrawing to more defensible positions.
Maybe…this is an opportunity! she mused. A perfect chance to show off the power of summoning.
Spreading both arms wide, she initiated Bound Arcana and immediately shifted into the Mark of the Rosary. She began to chant.
A silent wake under the moonlight—the grave marker an unsheathed sword.
The myriad colors from the heavens guide your way.
Ripped from the eternal wheel, the maidens called to battle.
Their swords play a dirge and cut a rainbow through the skies.
Descend to me from the evening sky, my chosen seven clad in light!
[Evocation: Valkyrie Sisters]
Every word melted into the night, dyeing the magic circles with the colors of the rainbow. As the last word was spoken and spun into a single desire, the circles brilliantly shone with Mira’s power and Alfina descended—but this time, she was not alone.
Her sisters followed behind, passing through the rings and appearing one after another. The magic circles collapsed into a bead of light and dispersed as the last appeared.
“The Sisters Seven answer your summons.” Alfina stepped forward with the other six behind her.
Standing on the rooftop, they knelt as one in honor of Mira. Each was clad in similar but slightly different armor; all were beautiful and noble beyond compare.
“Hrmm, indeed. Hi again, Alfina. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the rest of you. Are you doing well?” Mira asked. She’d known them only as summoned NPCs and was curious to see how they’d react.
“Fine, apart from Alfina’s training regime!” responded one, almost as if tattling on her older sister. She quickly dropped her gaze to escape Alfina’s pointed glare.
Alfina bowed deeply. “Apologies for that, my lady. Christina shall receive a stern talking to later.”
Christina was the youngest of the Valkyrie sisters, with her hair done up in pigtails and her armor bearing the mark of a heart. Alfina was the eldest, and the two were nearly polar opposites.
“Hrmm, she’s been keeping the training tough, has she?”
“It is an easy training method that emphasizes repetition of the basic fundamentals…” Alfina began.
Christina quickly interrupted. “A hundred thousand repetitions is easy?!”
Mira was inclined to agree. “I see. A hundred thousand does seem like quite a bit.”
Perhaps they had been interrupted mid-training session or just finished with one when she summoned them. Upon closer inspection, the sisters seemed exhausted. Mira looked at the group with a mixture of pity and pride.
“We must continue to train so that we may be of use to you, Master!” Alfina said with an uncompromising gaze.
“Hrmm, is that so?” She was about to let the issue slide when she saw the rest of the sisters behind Alfina pleading to her with desperate eyes. “Were you all just training a moment ago?”
“Of course. We practice whenever we’re not sleeping or eating.”
Her sisters grimaced and hung their heads.
“Just so.” Mira contemplated how to answer. “Alfina…perhaps some rest periods are in order. I have returned and might call upon you at any time. It wouldn’t do to have you tired and battered from training.”
“But I…” Alfina’s eyes widened and she turned to look at her sisters, all of whom looked exhausted. Then she bowed low. “Master, please forgive me! I was focused on being prepared for your summons and have committed a grievous mistake.”
“No apology necessary for an error of good intent,” said Mira, placing a hand on Alfina’s shoulder. “Rather, thank you for your efforts. But from here on out, maintain battle readiness.”
“Your words are too kind. I shall review our training regime as you suggest.”
Hopefully, that settles things, Mira thought as she backed up and glanced at the relieved expressions of the sisters.
“Wonderful. Now to the matter at hand. The city has a zombie infestation, and I need you all to take care of it. How about it? Are you up to the task?”
“Yes! Leave it to us!” Christina answered immediately.
Now she wore a lively smile and seemed to brim with energy. The rest of the sisters seemed equally resolute.
“Hrmm. Very encouraging.” Mira nodded in satisfaction at their response before handing over the reins. “Well, then, Alfina, I’ll leave you in charge. The faster we wrap this up, the better.”
“It shall be done.”
After another deep bow, Alfina stood and lifted her sword to the heavens. Her sisters rose to their feet and unsheathed their weapons with pride before doing the same.
“We are the Sisters Seven! As our lady wills it!” Their voices were adamant and their eyes burned with devotion.
“To battle! Advance!” Alfina shouted. Her sisters vanished in a sudden blur of motion, and with a final bow, she sprang onto the battlefield herself.
After watching them go, Mira jumped off the roof to rejoin the party, much to Flicker’s delight.
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