Chapter 4: Spook

–Omens…– Frost muttered under his breath as he watched the omens slowly approaching the village with a small army over a hill on the east. He was stuck in a trance, staring at his enemies, struggling to contain himself while the rest of the squad gathered around him. His teammates prepared to face the omens, and as he stared directly at the incoming enemy mob, he withdrew two swords from his back, covered by his coat. Now armed with sharp, thin, but deadly-looking blades in the shape of razors, he took one step forward to face the enemies while gripping both swords tightly.

–Look who decided to show up…– Panda said with a snide expression, positioning himself next to Frost, next to a broken well and some destroyed small gardens, now completely burned. He pulled out his weapon like the rest of the squad but tried to keep it down since he was carrying a large machine gun, painted black and white, with a drum big enough to hold hundreds of bullets.

–They must have waited there for us to show up– Tricky added as she approached the center of the village to set up another mini sentry gun on the side of the broken well. While all the other soldiers backed down to protect the villagers on the back side, Crisis stayed at the center to lead the saviors through an inevitable battle.

–I called base, they are sending backups to the other villages, but it seems the Omens already left…– Indie informed the squad after making a brief call through the radio. The team seemed surprised by the news but didn't dwell on it too much, as the threat was closing in on them now that the Omen army had marched down the hill and was at the foot of the destroyed village.

–Those aren't nearly half their troops. Stay alert…– Frost warned his teammates, checking back on them for a second with a prudent stare. His comment caused a bit of paranoia in the team, prompting them to look around in search of more enemies around the corner. But as they loaded up their weapons and whipped out their tools, they only focused on the main squad leading the Omen army, now arriving at the village, and immediately changing the atmosphere completely.

The unintelligible chants from the small omen army stopped, leading to the main six members stepping up and making their presence well known. Drawing stares of disgust and spite from Crisis and all the saviors, the main omen squad stepped onto one of the main paths of the village, not afraid of being surrounded by the enemy. In terms of numbers, the omens matched the saviors' units and probably even surpassed them. However, instead of clashing immediately, the omens took their time to intimidate their enemies, forcing the villagers to stay back with most of the soldiers, including Tricky and Candy. They were left to watch how the rest of the squad dealt with the situation, and as soon as both opposing squads made eye contact, they could tell things were about to get ugly.

The omens resembled the saviors in terms of appearance, wearing tactical clothes similar in tone, except their gear seemed to be heavier, and they utilized darker colors to paint their faces. While the saviors looked like highly trained and disciplined soldiers ready to fulfill their duties, the omens looked like vicious and ruthless killers ready to take their enemies' lives. In weaponry and firepower, they seemed to possess the same types of guns as the saviors: automated submachine guns, and assault rifles, although most of the saviors exchanged heavy guns for handguns and secondary firearms, meaning the omens had the advantage in long-range combat.

However, the spotlight was on neither army; they were all background characters to the conflict about to unfold at the center of the village. Just like Crisis led their army, the omens were led by Spook, their special forces, who immediately stood out from the rest. Instead of wearing usual combat clothes, the six members of the main omen squad wore distinctive outfits that gave them particular features and silhouettes, being spotted easily by Crisis through the smoke as they approached them slowly.

The one in the lead was a tall guy wearing a full-body cloak, with both his hair completely covered by a hoodie and his face concealed by a skull mask. Reaper, the omen captain, lived up to his name by carrying only a large scythe, imitating death itself with a barely visible, deadly stare. On his right was Freak, a girl wearing goth-styled revealing clothes, and with various parts of her face painted black, especially around the eyes and the sides of her cheeks. She didn't seem to carry a main weapon, as she was holding different pointy gadgets in both hands, although she did have a thick black whip strapped to her hip.

The rest of the squad was overshadowed by an enormous man, Onyx, who was massive both in width and height, bigger than Panda, and seemingly stronger, as he wore full armor made of dark stones. The rigidity of his outfit prevented his hands and arms from moving much, so he didn't carry any weapons. But it seemed like he didn't need to, as his fists were enough to kill, evidenced by a stain of fresh blood on his knuckles. He stayed right behind Reaper and Freak to make space for his other teammates, who managed to blend in better with their surroundings.

A mysterious man, looking anything but human, Scarecrow, dressed just as one, with an oversized dirty vest and long, baggy, grubby pants. He wore a brown sack over his head, covering his identity, but it seemed he had hand-drawn a face for himself, a big, creepy smile with small, empty eyes. And to top his unsettling look, a tiny hat adorned his blank head. And equally as creepy as him, but in a different sense, a short, slim girl next to her dressed just like Reaper. Wearing a black cloak, with small dark wings on her back, covering her face as well, Voodoo didn't seem to pose much of a threat at first, though being next to Scarecrow immediately increased her menacing look.

The last member, Daishi, seemed to break the dark pattern in appearance, as her long purple and pink hair, as well as her different colored eyes, contrasted well with her teammates. Despite this, her attitude was just as callous as the others, as she started laughing at some of the burnt corpses lying around that they passed by while toying with two triple-pointed kunai. She stayed at the back to let Freak and Reaper take the lead, and together, they stood ominously a few feet in front of Crisis, without saying a single word. Both squads exchanged a long, spiteful stare for a while, creating more tension and leaving everyone around anxious until Frost had the courage to stand up to them.

–I see you can't fight a proper army. How pathetic you cowards have to be to come for the little guys?– Frost asked mockingly, taking a step closer to the main omen squad. The six members seemed to know him pretty well, and already expected a response in that manner, as they only smirked to tease him, though the captain did get a bit provoked by his insult.

–At least here they are united enough to save their own kind… I wonder which one of your friends will die next…– Reaper replied in a scornful manner, prompting a similar reaction from Frost, who just clenched the handles of his blades as he stared right through his enemy's mask with lethal eyes. He appeared to be preparing a surprise attack on the enemy, which Reaper deliberately incited, goading him with a subtle wave of his scythe. But before Frost could do something reckless, Indie stepped in to hold him back by the shoulder and take the word.

–What do you want? What's the point of all this? Couldn't you just wait another month to attack the Capital again?– Indie asked, slightly irritated, but trying to contain her emotion to take control of the situation. She lowered her gun to try to negotiate, a rifle similar to the ones the other saviors used, except with a scope and a slicker design. But her attempt to be peaceful is met with silence from the enemy team for a few seconds, only for them to start laughing collectively.

–That's none of your concern, we were just sent here to finally put an end to all of you…– Freak responded with a wicked grin, taunting Indie with the rest of her squad as they all laughed again. Indie didn't seem bothered, at least not as much as Frost, who took their mocking aggressively and huffed in anger, leading to Indie signaling Panda and Nitro to get ready for battle.

–That's funny, we came here to do the exact same thing– Frost joked back with a smug look, something that Reaper didn't take kindly, as his and the rest of the omens' patience ran thin. The omens at the back were getting riled up, they seemed to want to fight as much as Frost wanted to kill every single one of them. But before they could get to it, Reaper took a moment to assess the situation, and once he realized his team had the advantage, he loosened up.

–Are you kidding? It's five versus six, counting those two useless broads you have there…– Reaper asked sarcastically, pointing at Tricky and Candy, who took great offense to his words but kept quiet to let Frost speak. In response, Frost also stayed silent, but it was clear that every time Reaper provoked him, Frost came up with more ways to slaughter him in his mind. But seeing that he didn't budge and that the rage building up inside his enemy would inevitably burst out, Reaper began looking around while thinking of another insult to deliver.

–Actually, you might have had a chance, but… Oh right, I forgot you lost a member… That sucks…– Reaper quipped belligerently, showing more enmity in his voice. The rest of Spook helped mock Frost alongside their captain with more excessive laughter, now starting to provoke the rest of Crisis as well. The saviors weren't going to take the disrespect, and even though they had to protect the villagers, seeing Spook ridiculing their teammates prompted them to slowly approach the center of the village.

However, the omens noticed their subtle advance, and in response, they began closing in on Crisis. With both sides growing closer to the center, they were approaching the inevitable moment that would spark the conflict. They all waited for a sign to start fighting, but as the saviors had to wait for an order from their superiors, they just stared at Frost and Indie, who surprisingly stayed silent and didn't move. Panda and Nitro were getting anxious, and as they noticed the omens closing in, they grabbed their respective weapons tightly after seeing Frost raise his blades slightly, getting Candy and Tricky to tense up. But just when they thought Frost was going to deliver the first attack, they were thrown off when he just started laughing while the enemy was still mocking him, catching them off guard.

–Yea, you forgot someone else too…– Frost responded with a fake hearty laugh, making the omens uncomfortable. Panda and Nitro stood still, as well as all the other saviors, who were left confused, but on high alert, like the omens. They tried not to get distracted, which is why they kept their eyes locked on Frost, despite how uneasy it made them. But as they focused their attention on him, expecting him to make even the slightest movement, they failed to notice that he had just warned them of what was lurking around the corner.

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