Mob

Erik and Mia landed in the middle of the snow-covered street, their boots crunching on the frozen pavement. The chaos around them come immediately. People with eyes wild and filled with madness began to swarm toward them. Dark tendrils of strange energy flickered around their bodies. Their movements were erratic and the sound of their frantic cries echoed through the cold air.

Erik instinctively reached for his Boltr as the mob grew closer. Mia did the same. But as the first few rushed toward them, they hesitated. These weren't monsters, they were humans, ordinary people who had been corrupted by whatever dark force had taken hold of this city.

"Wait," Erik muttered.

Mia glanced at him, her own gun drawn but held tight to her side. "Right. We can't shoot them."

Erik's jaw tightened, watching as more people surged toward them, their hands reaching out, their faces twisted with anger and fear. They certainly have intentions to hurt them and they can't be reasoned with word.

He took a step back, glancing at Mia. "Let's just run. We can't fight them."

Mia nodded. "Agreed."

Without wasting another second they bolted down the street weaving through the sea of bodies that tried to grab at them. They ducked and swerved, narrowly avoiding the grasp of those under the dark influence.

The snow continued to fall in thick sheets of ice. Buildings loomed over them, the cold mist clinging to their surfaces as the madness spread below. Erik and Mia ran through the narrow alleys and broken streets, the sound of the frenzied mob chasing them with relentless speed.

Everywhere they turned, more corrupted people appeared with faces that look blank with terror yet filled with rage. Erik's heart pounded in his chest, and he glanced over at Mia, who was keeping pace but breathing hard.

"We have to reach the heart of the city quickly!" Erik shouted over the sound of the chaos.

"I know!" Mia responded, her voice tight with tension as she sidestepped a rushing man who nearly tackled her to the ground. "Just keep moving!"

They pushed through, ducking into alleys, leaping over debris, and avoiding the crazed citizens with every step. It felt like an eternity as they made their way deeper into the city, the swirling snow making it harder to see.

Finally, after what seemed like an endless escape, they reached the heart of the city. The buildings rose higher around them, forming a towering ring around a different area. The scene before them was suffocating.

The buildings were different here. It made of narrow wooden houses stood that crammed together in tight clusters forming a labyrinth of crooked alleyways. Their movements were restricted, the tight spaces making it difficult to maneuver. Moreover, the snow had piled up between the buildings.

Erik scanning the cramped streets as they moved cautiously. "This place is going to make it impossible to move quick," he muttered with frustration.

"Shit, you're right. We won't be able to outrun them in this mess. These houses… it's like a maze," Mia said while looked around, her brow furrowed.

Erik clenched his fists. They needed to act. He called out to Heimdall through the System, hoping for some direction.

"Heimdall, show us where the corruption is coming from!" Erik demanded, his voice tense.

But there was no response.

"Heimdall!" Erik called again, more panic seeping into his tone.

Still, the System remained silent. The usual texts of Heimdall's guidance was absent. Erik's heart raced, his eyes darting to Mia.

"He's not answering," Erik said with dread in his voice as they exchanged a worried glance.

"Something's wrong…" Mia whispered, biting her lip.

Before either of them could react further, they heard the sound of shuffling feet. Then, from every narrow alley and every shadowed corner, the maddened citizens began to emerge. Their faces were twisted with rage and desperation, their eyes glowing with dark energy. They moved in droves closing in from all sides, blocking any route of escape.

Erik's breath caught in his throat. They were surrounded.

"We can't outrun them," Erik said, his voice sharp with realization. "We're not going to be safe unless we fight."

Mia's eyes widened in shock. "Fight? Erik, they're just human!" She looked at the approaching mob, her hands trembling slightly. "You want to hurt humans?!"

"We don't have a choice if we want to survive this!" Erik said to her, his voice rising as panic set in.

Mia gritted her teeth, swallowing hard as the truth of his words hit her. She glanced at the people surrounding them, their erratic movements growing more aggressive by the second. The thought of harming them tore at her, but Erik was right. There was no other way. If they wanted to safe them, they need to be safe from their madness first.

"Damn it!" Mia cursed under her breath. She now have accepting what had to be done.

Erik reached for his sword but didn't unsheathe it. Instead, he held it by the scabbard, ready to use the blunt side. "We don't need to kill them," he said. "Just knock them out, keep them from attacking us."

Mia nodded reluctantly, pulling out her stick but choosing not to activate its spear form.

"Alright," she muttered. "Let's just hope we can hold them off."

The mob surged toward them, hands clawing and voices howling in fury. Erik swung his sheathed sword, striking the first attacker in the chest, sending him stumbling backward into the snow. Mia dodged a wild lunge from another, bringing her stick down on their shoulder to knock them aside. The sound of the battle was chaotic, filled with desperate cries and the thuds of bodies hitting the cold ground.

They moved together, fending off the frenzied citizens without delivering fatal blows. Erik knocked a man aside with a powerful swing.

But the swarm kept coming, and as the fight dragged on the weight of the situation bore down on them. They were fighting humans, innocent people who had been corrupted by something far beyond their control.

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