Wholly Undead

[HOLY c.r.a.p!] Was the first thought that Jack can come to mind.

This spell was very simple. In fact... I was too simple to jack. He thought for a few minutes, and couldn"t think of a way to make it better. He had expected Tux to make something that would work. He challenged this laptop with making a spell. As spells were basically the programming of the world, he wanted to know if this computer and by extension if Tux could program... It could!!

"Tux... This is good work."

"I think so, as well. Your words comfort me." Tux replied.

Jack thought this was an interesting reply, [Is this thing alive?]

Jack shook the question from his mind, as he walked over and grabbed up a few pieces of Glowstone.

"Xuuu" Jack hummed a simple hymn. The Glowstone turned into liquid that Jack could shape with his mind alone. It didn"t get hot, as he thought it would.

"This is a form of cold wielding?!" Jack exclaimed.

He picked up another piece of Glow Stone, and hummed again. This piece melted and he added the pile in his hand with this new one. They merged seamlessly.

"This... This is amazing." Jack spoke aloud again, as he found that the hymn didn"t use nearly any magic power. He felt he didn"t use anything at all!

Jack went back to his computer, "Tux pull up the plans for Project Helios. I want a piece by piece break down. I will now begin fabricating the throne."

"As the Creator decrees." Tux bowed on screen.

[At least, I can keep my hands busy.] Jack thought as he began work.

*******

Warmarshal Darkfield and Michael both left their horses, and surveyed the town called Aymocksey.

George bent down and picked up a hand full of dried black powder from the dirty wood board road that lined the town. The town had was constructed out of mostly bones and vines. This showed how poor the town was at the out skirts of their major city of Souigak far to the north.

George let the powder fall from his hands.

Michael approached George, with both of their armies to their back just outside the town limits.

"This is the black substance that you spoke of... I thought it was like ichor... why is it powder?" Michael asked.

"It"s dry." George sounded dull. He took another hand full, and walked to his horse. He was followed closely by Michael, who still had his huge mace strapped to his back.

With one hand, George fished around his saddle bag, and pulled out a strange gold device.

Michael not being the intellectual asked, "Exactly what is that thing?"

"It"s a Micro Lens."

"How did you get one? I heard they were super rare."

"My family is well off. I know you know this." George placed the powered in a dish and put it under the lens."

Michael became bored, "I"m going to go scout around, my friend. This place is creepy quite."

While George was looking through the lens, "I don"t remember us being friends, but be safe. Take a vanguard with you."

"Will do." Michael disregarded Georges unfriendly remark, as per his sister"s demands.

After some quick conversation, Michael, his sister, and fourteen of his men walked into the town.

They swept each building as they went.

"Hold!" Jennifer called. She raised her hand swiftly.

"You found something?" Michael came jogging over from another building.

"Look at these marks. This is definitely two undead in a shuffle going on, but... Why does it look like the struggle just ended... abruptly?" Jennifer showed the d.a.m.n on the side of the door of this small-town house. It showed four claw marks, and the team looked at the tracks on the ground.

"Perhaps one killed the other?" Michael thought after looking at the other.

"And what? Drag the body away? All the bodies...? Why not burn down the whole d.a.m.n village?" Jennifer frowned.

"I don"t know... Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds of the three church are a sick lot." Michael shrugged. As far as he was concerned, this was connected to them, and some strange ritual. Honestly, he wasn"t far off the mark.

Jennifer pointed on the ground following to the wooden road, "There isn"t any sign of dragging. I"m not a high-level tracker, but it looks to me as they just stopped fighting and left together."

"Hmmmmm, maybe they seen something that got their attention or scared them?" Michael thought, as he started to feel something eerie in this place. He remained on guard, as up to this point he was relaxed feeling.

"The tracks looked like they just slowly left, not with any of the fierceness as when one of them attacked. This is so strange." Jennifer and the team continued to study the tracks that led to the road, while another three went inside to sweep the town house.

"Jen-Jen... Something doesn"t feel right." Michael pulled his mace from his back, and held it ready to strike, as his eyes darted back and forth on the street.

"All of this doesn"t feel right. Look here. A few steps after the tracks lead from the house is all this black powder." She pointed, not looking up at her brother.

"We need to leave..." Michael said slowly. He didn"t see anything in the glow of the Street lamps, but he felt something... Something disturbing.

"I think I"m close to figuring out something... Why do we need to be in a hur-" She was cut off, by a creature jumping off the roof of the town house.

"THE f.u.c.k IS THAT?!" She rolled back. The Creature darted toward her, as it"s long arms clawed at the air, as she was backing away.

"BOOOOM." A carter the size of a horse was formed from the force of Michael"s Deadhammer. The Creature was crushed under mace at the bottom of the pit that now formed. Orange dust rose from the pit.

"We need to leave, now!" Michael yelled as an order, as a cloud of orange dust drifted behind him.

The warriors that had entered into the house rushed back out, and the team formed a circle of protection around both the Warmarshal and the General.

They walked as a group, with eyes on all, looked up at the roofs. Half way back to where George was, they seen the top of these roofs start to sound with cladder.

They could see black hunched forms on all the roofs.

"Break formation and run!" Michael scooped up his sister, and carried her in one hand. His other hand held Deadhammer.

The black creatures on the roof were uncountable. Michael felt that there were many more he couldn"t see.

At the outskirts of the town, George heard Michael"s booming voice, and already called his troops. Michael"s fell into formation as well, as he had left orders to heed Darkfield in his absence.

Behind Michael, who was hauling a.s.s in his big armor with his sister under his left arm, was no one else... It seemed that his fourteen-member squad had fallen in the run. Behind him came running countless black creatures. They made no noise. Silent... Like death...

George seen the sight, "Prepare for combat! Let in Warmarshal Michael! Cover the Flanks! Give no quarter!" George pulled from his side a several scalpels has he held them in his hands between his fingers in a fist.

Michael made it back into the group, as behind him his and George"s solders raise spear to drive into the creatures. Plums of Orange dust rose from the first impact.

"GEORGE WHAT THE h.e.l.l ARE THESE THINGS?!" Michael quickly made his way George.

"Mushrooms." George replied, as his right hand disappeared for a moment and reappeared. In the front lines, five creatures slumped over, as they were trampled by more creatures as they used them as stepping stones to attack the warriors on the front lines.

"WHAT KIND OF MUSHROOMS DO THIS?!?!" Michael exclaimed, as he took up his battle hammer in a two-hand position.

"The Dead Soul Mushroom. I"ve seen something like this before, but it wasn"t ever like this. These are must more aggressive. A Dead Soul Mushroom must have evolved or changed. Maybe this is an ancient unearthed Dead Soul Mushroom.... But it is a Dead Soul Mushroom never the less." His hand flicked again, and another five Creatures dropped. Orange clouds billowed from their bodies, as they too, were trampled upon. In the light of the Glowstone torches used by the army to Light up the field. The support division finally shed some light, and the sight horrified all warriors present.

There must have been a thousand of these things.

"We can push forward and take them down." Michael was about to charge into the group.

"I think that would be a very bad idea." George held out his hand, as he seen that the creatures were jumping over the first line of warriors and attacking the second line. This wasn"t his focus... His focus was on a few of the warriors on the front line that started slowing down. He could see black mushrooms in their eyes.

"Why?"

"They are infecting our men. We need to leave. Cut our loses... These troops at the front line are already gone." George stated, as he ran to his prepare his horse.

"We can"t leave our men like this." Michael roared.

Just as George and Michael were about to get into a fight over this choice, they heard loud thumping, and a shake in the earth. They looked to the battle lines, and way behind the army of creatures, in the dim light of the Glowstone they made out the form of a ma.s.sive juggernaut stomping forward. George with better sight, could see mushroom growths on the behemoth!

George no longer hesitated, as he shouted his orders, "First and Second line hold position! All other troops retreat to the horses! Leave and regroup at Souigak! BREAK!"

Michael was angry, but he made for his horse, dragging his sister with him. He tossed her up on the horse, and rode away quickly. Many of the warriors left did the same, as the First and Second wave fought tooth and nail against these creatures that were quickly breaking their ranks.

The group soon left the battle far behind them, as the commotion quieted down. Only the creatures and two hundred warriors were left with black tears draining from their hollowed mushroom eyes. Large pillars of orange dust seem to reach the dark rocky ceiling of the Underworld, but without a light source... No one would see them.

Michael looked back, as he felt terrible for his men, but relieved that they made it. He looked down as his sister, to discover a large wound on her chest, "JEN-JEN!"