Chapter 52: Bloody streets

Moving out of the former headquarter of the brotherhood, Gaukler, Henry and I find yourself wedged between to frantically fighting fronts. Fallen Executioners rise from the dead attacking their former comrades with teeth and bare hands.

''Must be Necromancy.'' I hear Henry explain, throwing a lightning stell at the closest zombie.

''Who does this?'' I ask, burying my ax in the torso of the closest zombie.

Speaking in-between shooting Gaukler answers my question by pointing upwards. Looking up I see Kara the Summoner Valkyrie residing on a rooftop nearby.

-I will get your head!- I think to myself being enraged by the casual poster that the woman shows overlooking the carnage in the streets from both living and dead.

Sprinting to the three-story house the Summoner Valkyrie is on, I am in so much rage, that I don't realize the symbols appearing everywhere. Taking one step onto the wall that seems to be toppling onto the street, I run up the 100° wall, as if it is the ground. Taking up momentum with every step, I jump onto the rooftop.

Still mid jump my throat is suddenly taken over by boney fingers that stop my forward momentum. Feeling my rage cool to a frosty deadly degree, I look into the bone skull mask of the Valkyrie.

''You are a week. Not only in body but also in mind. Just give up and die.'' Says Kara slowly crushing my windpipe.

Clawing at her I huff. ''Fuck...''

Suddenly the Valkyrie is blasted away by a spell from Henry only leaving me falling onto the rooftop, her cold fingers still around my neck. Removing her hand from me, I reclaim my ax, that had slipped through my hand while being strangled.

Igniting the black flame on it, I feel the power of rage resurface. Shouting out, I follow the valkyrie onto the next rooftop. Landing on top of her the rooftop caves in and we crush into the building and through the floors.

Looking down at the mostly crippled woman and taking a breath, I ask her. ''Oh... where-where.''

Raising my ax I remember. ''... Ah, got it. Fuck you and see you never.''

Slamming my ax down, I bury it in her face. Seeing her eyes bulge out a bit upon the impact, I remove the blade, splitting her dead right open.

Seeing the disfigured corpse my rage begins to fade and I, at last, perceive the ripples of signs everywhere, be it a surface or air.

-Why do this signs feel so familiar?- I ask myself looking at them when Henry and Gaukler are catching up me.

''Nice kill!'' I hear Gaukler shout a bit out of breath, Nice suite drenched in blood here and there.

Henry still madly waving his wand says, when coming closer. ''We should seek shelter. This fight between Loyals and Executioners das definitively reached a breaking point.''

''Where can we go genius? The whole city is one gigantic slaughterhouse!'' Says Gaukler, shooting a half-dead executioner with his arm cannon.

''We need to go to the Astralclocktower. I bet the fair lady has a way to end this madness!...'' I tell me to companions confidence, swinging my ax around me. ''...Who has the key?''

Retrieving something from within his suit Gaukler shows the key. ''Here. I've got it.''

Nodding affirming, I stretch my hand out and demand the key. ''Good. Give it to me.''

Grudgingly Gauker hands over the key under the watchful eye of Henry, who currently upholds a magic barrier around us. Taking the key I store it by fastening it to a leather strap and handing it around my neck.

Looking over the skyline of Worldsend, I can literally see the signs floating around gather up flowing in one direction, pointing straight at the clocktower in the distance.

''We should move on. I don't think we have that much time.'' I tell both Henry and Gaukler.

''Very well then. Let's move.'' Says Henry lowering the barrier, instantly submerging us in the carnage of battle.

Despite having killed the Summoner Valkyrie the streets are filling up with mindless corpses and mad warriors of the church. With the gas lanterns extinguished from the fights only darkness and the smell of blood remain in the streets.

Being surrounded by enemies on all sides, I form the spearhead of our group, hacking and pushing my way through the see of hostiles.

After five minutes of constant fighting, I hear Henry say. ''We have to go up here. Going further down only leads to a dead end.''

Passing the lead to him, Henry leads us up a half hidden metal leader in a side street. Coming up the leader, we arrive in the left corner of a courtyard, fountain in its center and littered with executioners eager to kill us. Ready to continue this phase of mindless fighting we instantly accommodate them.

Once the courtyard is clear, Henry heads up the stairs onto a great Bridge. Immediately to the right, I will spot two beasty wolves like creatures patrolling by broken stagecoach. These creatures are incredibly aggressive, immediately spotting us and closing in on us very fast. Before the first claw can touch me I trigger my child, blocking the attack while slamming my ax down on the monster neck. Instantly retreating while screaming the first creature is disposed of by Gaukler who throws a Molotov onto it.

''Nice!'' I tell him approvingly with a big smile.

Shaking his head Gaukler says. ''I know. Sadly it was the only one I had!''

I try to stay mobile, bait the remaining creatures attacks, and try to parry. Looking behind me I see Gaukler reloaded and Henry keeping up a barrier behind us, to block the advancing hordes of zombies.

I try to coordinate my attacks with Gaukler firing at it as it leaps towards me. Stunning the creature in its track I slam my ax into its torso, ripping a hefty chunk of meat out of it.

Aggressively strowing slashes at me I can just beat escape the incoming attacks by rolling to the side and behind it. Leaning into it from behind hammering it with light attacks to keep it stunned long enough to finish it off. I make sure to be very aggressive to make the most of the moment.

Once the area is cleared, we press on forward through an archway. Stepping through a high pitched cry nearly bursting my ears suddenly sounds out before a Wendigo leaps onto the bridge in front of us.

The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody, clean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption.

After another high pitched cry, it leaps at us. Still having my child activated, I try to block the attack, but the pure power behind this one swing is too much for me. Losing contact with the ground I am send flying. Slamming into the top of the archway, I feel my bones break before I fall down to the unyielding brick bridge.

Coving out some blood, I try to stand up by pushing myself up from the ground. Looking to the Wendigo I see Gaukler circling around it avoiding its attacks and shooting at it without any noticeable success except for painting the bridge blood red.

Retracting my shield, I look at Henry, who is still occupied with upholding the barrier securing our backside. Caressing my ax I think to myself. -Blood really runs in the streets tonight.-