The long-awaited meeting

Stalking Frankie was easy. Konstantin hadn't skimped on the normal concealment charms, so we were silent ghosts gliding through the deserted streets of Khartoum. The big advantage of the rot energy was that magic worked normally near it, and its concentration was very uneven. It was mostly concentrated around hills of flesh and bone, or near large crowds of creatures. The latter were still to be found, though, since the city was extinct. On the way we met only some small creatures that looked like gophers, and also mutilated remains of bodies. And the corpses were both human and clearly affected by the Rot. And then two options come to mind: either someone opened a hunt for monsters, which, given the number of bodies and their condition, looked like someone of Diana's level with the food preferences of Killer Croc, or the monsters have an analog of the food chain, in which the strong devour the weak. Still, Black is the personification of the Element, and it can be perceived as an alternative Life to some extent.

"And where is everyone? - Lantern paced beside him, glancing around nervously. The fragility of the cloaking charms had forced him to dim the green illumination, and he was clearly uncomfortable with the weakened defenses now.

"Maybe the world's coolest concert is happening around here somewhere."

Unlike the defender of the solar system, I had no such problems. I could even continue experimenting with tattoos, since the binding of concealment charms was carried out to a small silver pendant, creating a four-meter dome, on the border of which you could see faintly visible air distortions. It was kind of sad without the blonde cutie walking beside him, though. No one pressed against my side, no one shared the latest news, no one offered to create something insanely exciting. Should I cheer myself up?

"I doubt they'd be interested in something like that. They're like animals... Or worse," the superhero wrinkled his nose as we passed another mangled corpse. Judging by the shreds of clothing and a slightly gnawed arm, it belonged to a normal human who had somehow been unaffected by the infection. Oh, this could be interesting.

"Hey, what are you doing! - The superhero was outraged as I reached back and cut off a small piece of clean flesh.

"I was thinking that maybe we'd have to spend a few days in town, and it would be a good idea to stock up on food," Lantern's face turned naturally green as he took a careful bite and chewed thoughtfully, which added five points to the harmoniousness of his image. - Hmm... If you pepper it, it's pretty good. Would you like to try some?

"I'm going to throw up," the man hissed, clamping his hand over his mouth.

"I think that's too radical. You could stop at one of the stores on the way," Simon said cautiously. - I've seen that some of them accept dollars.

The fighting chimera, even in the midst of the apocalypse, continued to adhere to strict moral principles. I like that! I'll have to help him to create the image of a knight or someone like Dante with a big two-handed sword, a hat, a gun and a stylish outfit. Oh, I feel that Simon figures will sell even better than Cyborg figures. Just to release them first...

"Mm-hmm.

While I was daydreaming, Gaius cheerfully sharpened the proffered "delicacy" and his short trunk lifted, expressing amazement.

"Looks like... Chocolate?"

"Mm-hmm, with a bit of citrus in it. Simon," I handed another piece to the guy, making him take a step back.

"Thank you, but I'll pass," blue sparks flashed in the depths of his hood. - Hey, it's an illusion!

"I may be crazy, but I wouldn't eat a person bitten by those things... After all, we have a green Green Lantern," I patted Hal's shoulder, feeling the aura emitted by the Will ring spring slightly.

"What a joke you're making," he said, still fighting the nausea.

"But we've all cheered up nicely," I pull out my knife again and actually cut off a few pieces of flesh from different places.

"Why? - The man asked doomedly, seeing a much more detailed picture, including blood vessels, fat and muscle tissue, and a small piece of white bone.

"Ah, this is for Bats and Harley. It seems that he was immune to the infection and it would be good to understand what gave it to him, - I answered, while I was deftly sorting the samples into tubes. - All right, we can go now.

The way ahead was not much different from the past. It was the same desolate city, the same corpses, the same gnats. Though a couple of times I noticed relatively large dog-like shadows flickering in the alleys, but it was more like a play of imagination. They didn't bother us, especially because of the camouflage.

"Do you hear that? - The yellow-skinned demon braked sharply, as if he'd hit a wall.

"I don't hear anything," Jordan replied after a couple seconds of silence.

Simon shook his head negatively, but I was still in no hurry to answer. I was still struggling to control the prana, despite my daily lessons, but I was able to direct the mystical energy to my ears, and I could actually pick up something.

"A roar?"

"Not only that," the demon's snarling voice was troubled. - You'll have to be more careful from here.

As we got closer to the source of the noise, it became obvious that there was a large cluster of monsters ahead. As we carefully passed another street, we came to a wide square where a large shopping center was located.

"Huh, is it really a concert? - I asked my comrades, puzzled.

It was an obvious conclusion, as the building was surrounded by a huge number of monsters of all sorts. They shrieked, wheezed, barked, growled, and occasionally fought among themselves, only to break into the building and then jump out of it as if scalded. The flying creatures were also behaving strangely, flying around some invisible barrier. In general, now the spawns of Rot were very much like crazy fans trying to get to their idol, but they were constantly being driven away by the harsh guards. Well, or grandmothers in line to the severe therapist, who accepts only by tickets.

"It's more like a discount day," Simon said knowingly. - So much excitement.

"How would you know? - I wondered, knowing full well how much the boy hated crowds.

"Saw it on TV," he said modestly.

"They're trying to get into the neighboring buildings too," Gaius said, looking around the entire area with a careful eye.

"Yeah, it's like that on the back streets. It's like there's something keeping them from getting closer," Lantern said.

"That's where the people are," the demon suddenly jabbed a claw at one of the alleyways.

A group of three survivors walked quietly between the houses. They looked around nervously, startled by every loud shout coming from the direction of the shopping center.

"We have to help them," Lantern, Simon, and, to everyone's surprise, Gaius, said at the same time.

"Then let's go get acquainted," I said cheerfully, adjusting the purple bowler on my head with my cane. - Shit!

If we were not touched by dog-like monsters because of our camouflage, ordinary people could not boast of such immunity.

~Fshu~

A harpoon flies out of the cane, catching up with the creature that leapt from the roof. The next creature decides to think twice when a Vision Stone crashes into its head at full speed, followed by several green bullets fired from a large-caliber gun created by the ring's energy.

"I summed it up as the dome collapsed, unable to withstand the bright green aura."

"Should we create a new one?"

"If only it were that simple. The pendant was only a binding element and a source of energy, while the weave itself was entirely John's creation. Still, he's considered one of the most skilled mages for a reason. Although the idea of creating a dome large enough to keep it out of contact with the demonic aura was not a bad one."

While we were chatting with Simon, Green Lantern was communicating with the civilians, using the translator built into the Ring to do so.

The survivors we met were a family consisting of a husband, wife, and mother-in-law. They had been accompanied by their father-in-law, but he had died, having been left to cover their loved ones from the creature that was following them. As I suspected, the creatures of Black could perceive the orders of their superiors, for example, to rush to a suicidal attack on the protected fortress, but without external guidance they resembled not the most intelligent animals with a basic set of instincts. What to say, if without external control hungry creatures began to eat their kin. Therefore, the family was very lucky, because after the act of self-sacrifice they were no longer pursued, allowing them to hide in the basement of one of the empty buildings. However, the shelter was not the most reliable, and the mutants had more unusual abilities than I expected from them. Still, the analog of telepathy - this is not what you expect from creatures with the intelligence of a gerbil, because this direction is very demanding on the mind of the user.

In fact, one of the creatures had obviously managed to master such a specific direction and ride over the brains of its kin, and at the same time all those who happened to be in range. Survivors described the feeling that gripped them as a terrible fear, from which literally taken away limbs, and it is accompanied by a very severe headache, as if someone pounded nails directly into the skull, wanting to get to the brain. To cope with the consequences, people had to spend almost ten minutes, well, and then they left the shelter that had become dangerous, surprised to find very close to literally thousands of grotesque monsters besieging the shopping center.

"I can try to get them quickly to headquarters and back again," Lantern said.

By the way, now, despite the original purpose of the route, our friendly company was closer to the western part of the city, because that was where the ring of creatures was located. The fact that it was a ring and not some other geometric figure was hinted at by the occasional mutant birds, which, like their kin, were in no hurry to cross the invisible border.

But back to the conversation. For some reason, after John's words, everyone's eyes crossed to me. I'd give up my position as head of the Justice League to avoid solving other people's problems, but... I looked around at the alley with the three monsters, the terrified locals, Simon with blue sparks in his eye sockets, and the powerful figure of Gaius, waiting for orders. Hal could not be counted on now, for he had no authority.

"Huh, I think..."

I didn't have time to give my consent, but suddenly the entire rescued trio collapsed to the ground with a loud howl, desperately clutching their hands to their heads. I felt a faint pulse, like a light breeze, but the source of the sensation wasn't quite clear.

"What's the matter? - Lantern, who had arrived, began to move a glowing hand over the writhing bodies, trying to determine the cause of the seizure while the Ring mechanically reported that there was insufficient data to analyze.

"Sounds like a new order to me. Videte haec pauperes," I tried some of the simplest of defense charms, hoping to ease the suffering a little. Surprisingly, the people on the ground stopped moaning in pain almost immediately, but they were in no hurry to get up, holding their injured heads.

"But why aren't we reacting to it?"

-It's simple. Gaius is a demon, and he doesn't like it when someone messes with his head, Simon is a fighting chimera. No offense," the guy just waved his hand at my comment with doom. - It would be foolish to leave the possibility of incapacitating her with such a primitive device. You're protected by the Ring of Will, and I have magic," a rainbow arc of color and a couple of sparkling balls flashed between my palms for a brief moment.

"Yajri," the head of the family said with difficulty, pointing a finger upward somewhere.

"What?" I looked at the man with interest, and then up, watching a flock of flying monsters fly over us, flapping their leathery wings loudly.

"Yajri, yajri, yajri," he continued to say, rising from the ground with difficulty.

"Run," the Ring had been generous with the translation, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Shit! Lantern, can you take us all?"

"Uh... All of them, no."

"Then grab the survivors and head for the Wall."

"What's the matter?! - His voice was full of indignation, but that didn't stop the superhero from beginning to create a crude semblance of a capsule with a few seats. - Oh...

He seemed to feel the slight vibration of the ground, too, created by the thousands of creatures that began to scatter in a single rush, giving in to the puppeteer's orders. We quickly stuffed the three of us into the capsule, and, after giving Lantern a cursory kick, we went to the nearest building on the second floor. It would have been more logical to get into the basement and collapse the entrance behind us, but there was no room for it in the house we'd chosen, so we had to work with what we had.

I had to slightly reinforce the supporting walls before the ascent, and afterwards I had to urgently remember my first experiments in creating a barrier with anchors in the form of bloodstained diamonds and a pendant acting as a source of energy. It had quite a lot of light mana in it, which was much more suitable for disguise than my native natural energy.

"They're already here," Gaius growled quite quietly, and with his words the windows on the first floor shattered, launching the skinless monsters inside.

They did not linger long, and obeying the order continued their run, taking out the doorway on the opposite side of the building. And this was only the first and fastest batch of creatures. Not even five seconds later, the next monsters entered the house with loud squeals, and then another and another... And after all, only a small part of the army of rot tried to break through the building, while the main stream ran through the streets and alleys, occasionally climbing to the upper paths. Such creatures were our first visitors.

~Dzang~

A window on the second floor shattered into splinters as a large carcass flew into it at full speed.

The Black Chalk creature shook itself off unhappily, looked around the room, and rammed itself into the opposite window, joining the general flow, but the next visitor was less fortunate. The disgusting ostrich-human hybrid flew into the building at a bad angle and, slipping on the shards of glass, got right under the cloaking dome.

"The monster was extremely surprised to see our unusual company in front of him."

~Skrak~

The yellow-skinned demon uncomplicatedly stepped on his opponent with his foot, turning his skull into a bloody mess.

"You didn't have to? - Gaius clarified perplexed in response to the surprised looks.

"Huh, no, it's fine. Keep up the good work," I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Simon's buddy had to work as a bouncer three more times before all the monsters successfully passed our temporary shelter.

"And now what? - asked the young man in the mask of a psychopathic maniac, surveying the street with bodies lying here and there. Not all of the creatures were agile enough to avoid death by the paws and hooves of their own kind.

"Now we have to figure out what they were after in the first place. We're not supposed to see anything more dangerous than dog-headed creatures up ahead.

No sooner had we moved towards the shopping center than the surrounding idyll was suddenly shattered by a high-pitched boy's voice coming from one of the alleys.

"Rob, wait, we can't go in here. There's monsters everywhere."

"Animal, you can see he can't hear us," the second voice was husky and echoed with pain, as if its owner had been on a severe bender. - Maybe we should...

"No! We can't leave him!"

Soon the unusual company itself showed up, consisting of three men and a small green-skinned boy dressed in a stylish dark purple jumpsuit. Although the boy looked a lot like one of the famous young superheroes who could transform into various beasts, the man walking in front of him drew a lot more attention. His right arm, along with a portion of his ribs, was badly swollen, turning into a disgusting throbbing lump of altered flesh with thick black veins that looked like it had been skinned. His only eye was a sea of pain, and his mouth was twisted in a horrible grimace. His friends who were following him tried to stop him, but he just walked forward, completely ignoring all attempts to hold him back. Besides, the only one who tried to interfere most actively was a small green guy, who was completely lost against the big guy's background, while his older comrades provided only moral support, following him and putting bags with frozen half-finished products on their heads.

"And there's our target," I smiled broadly, pleased with the incredibly fortunate coincidence.