"Whaaat." Maximus thundered. His voice was a growl deep from within, full of frustration. "The calculations were accurate! The next wave was supposed to hit in two days, and yet it has come three days in advance." His fists crashed down on the table, teeth clenched, eyes aglow with fiery intensity.
He sprang from his seat, snatching his spear from the corner of the room, every movement a flare of wrath. Draking followed him, white-faced with fear, his mind racing with foreboding thoughts.
Before them, masses of Crimson Rot arrayed, almost like a storm ready to break, swelling to three times that had ever appeared before.
A chill silence fell across the crowd as Drake's gaze swept across the quaking faces of those around him, the terror etched into each, sweat trickling down their brows as the horde closed in.
Maximus' crew was the reflection of Sam's abilities, save for one factor: Rafe was "the tanker," wielding a double dagger with lethal swiftness, his strike a testament to greatness.
Maximus leaped into the air, a blur of furor, his spear slicing through the hordes like a storm-wielded blade. Meanwhile, his crew covered him, thinning the numbers with exacting arrows and strong buffs.
The mass of Crimson Rot suddenly parted, and a passage was available as five tall figures emerged from the crowd. Drake's eyes widened as his heart raced while a well-known figure came closer.
He lunged forward, tugging at Sam's clothes as his voice shook. "Hi, Sam, remember me?" His gaze flashed to the rest of them. "Lilly, are you all right?" Te he ran to Ben. "How was the mission? Did you succeed?" His voice shook as he turned to Larry. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Then he heard a garbled, yet firm voice come from the shadows. "Now… I. I remember. You must.be the one. who journeyed with us…through this forest."
Drake's heart skipped as he clutched Sam's collar, his gaze darting frantically, like a butterfly in a web. "You remember me. Ye.yes?" his voice faltered with raw hope. But Sam raised his huge sword in the air and Drake lost in the whirlwind of his emotions didn't notice. "So.join us. Embrace.the power of.the taint."
Drake's head snapped up, his eyes locking with Sam's to see the sword already on its way down. In the same instant, Maximus was upon him, hauling Drake backward into the less-than-waiting crew as he deflected the massive blade with his spear in one fluid movement.
Maximus's crew yanked Drake midflight, planting him hard on his feet. Tears brimming his eyes, "Stop fighting, please." he screamed, his voice buckling as he fought to intercede once more.
Rafe's voice was low and sure, his eyes a piercing shadow. "Hey, pull your crap together. Can't you see the difference?" His voice was cold as iron, a reprimand intended to ground Drake.
"But." Drake started-an evident shiver of disbelieving in his voice-but Rafe managed to cut him off. "You were just about killed. Don't defend them when you can quite clearly see they're no longer the friends you left just a few days ago."
Before him, Sam,now a Rotwalker, sprang forward, his sword raised like a storm cloud at the point of bursting. He clashed with Maximus, whose spear caught the blow, though it drove him back. Before he could regain his footing, Larry charged in, his shield cutting through the air like an axe.
Rafe spun into action, leaping and twisting mid-air, his feet crashing against the shield, forcing Larry back. Smoothing into one fluid motion, Rafe and Maximus spun, weapons tight, backs against each other, to face their enemies in a display of perfect timing and synchrony.
As the action unfolds, Drake stumbles further behind the rearguard, his form aquiver, his eyes incredulous. "Why, why?" he speaks to himself. "They were strong enough to resist infection." A figure stepped forward-a woman from the crew, her gaze soft yet resolute.
"Your name is Drake, isn't it?" she asked. Drake looked up to meet her gaze. "Yes… Is there a problem?" The woman faced the direction of the battle. "I'm Lumi, the healer of this crew. You're too tangled in your own attachment with what they once were, Drake."
Drake stared at Lumi, eyes wide in shock. Her voice was as soft as a wind that passed. "I've seen this before. This is my second crew since I became a mercenary.
The first crew I joined was wiped out by the Flame Axe Bandits." Drake's voice was a whisper. "Could I ask you something?" Lumi nodded, offering him a faint smile. "Go ahead; I'll answer as best I can."
"No matter how much I think about it," Drake said, his voice low, "I don't understand why they would fall to the infection from something as minor as the Crimson Rot." Lumî coughed softly.
"There are two ways through the fog forest to that village they went on, took the mission to do. That village was a distribution center for bloodbane, packaged and mailed for sale before its side effects were discovered; the air in it became tainted during this, turning its residents into Crimson Rot."
Drake's face was drawn with concentration as he listened closely. "Then… why did you choose this path?" he asked.
Lumi looked at him with knowing eyes. "It's the only route they could leave through unscathed since the other path is blocked with debris and rockslides." Drake clenched his fists. "So… they were infected because they inhaled the contaminated air."