A crashed boat, a mob of guardsmen armed with mostly melee weapons and some ranged bows and rifles, a duo of trained combatants, a mob of undead ever increasing, and five warriors of darkness. That is the matter that stood now in this forest. The guardsmen, having yet to make a single move, so fragile and ready to crack from the weight alone. The duo, determined and set to the course. And finally the five with their army, intent ever clear for death and destruction.

“So you’re the bastards that’ve really handed it to our employers. Who the hell are you lot anyway?” Dante barked out.

“Hee hee hee. The hunter wants to know who we are? I thought that having such time among those miserable humans would have clued you in on that one,” spoke the one eyed man.

“Ngh-”

“So, you’re the famous immortal cultists we’ve heard so much about,” Elise murmured, glancing around.

“Heh heh, that’s right.”

Atop the trees at front and center, the wire wielder, wires from his fingers launching through the air and into the very trees and undead themselves. Dark brown hair, long though not exactly shoulder length, piercing blue eyes. Dressed rather intriguingly, like a priest with red instead of white.

“Name’s Vamu.” he spoke.

Next to him was the sniper girl, right around in her twenties if not her thirties. Long brown hair streaking over her shoulders and back, trained green eyes as she held the crossbow with its scope out. Dressed as a nun only again with red instead of white.

“Megan, pleasure to do battle with you,” she commented.

The shaven blond with one brown eye, dressed in woven combat robes- a violin case attached to his back, “Da’shire, ready to play!”

The bulky brute chuckled, wearing only an unbuttoned black vest and red pants- not a shirt or anything to be seen, “Hanz here, ready to filet you lot like fish.”

And finally the man with his arms crossed, simple black hair and simple amber eyes, dressed in a black and red priest uniform much the same as Vamu, “You can refer to me as Drake for however long as you have left.”

“We done with the introductions? I don’t think names are really going to matter here in about two seconds, what say you Dante?” Elise grumbled aloud, glancing around to each of the five one by one.

“Heh, I suppose not,” Dante chuckled in response.

“Oooo I love the sass. I might make her one of my stars, watch her and the other fellow dance!” Vamu laughed.

“Now now, lets not get ahead of ourselves here Vamu. After all, it was just a short while ago when those other three vanquished a small legion of our undead, and now these two have done much the same. That fascinates me,” Drake chuckled.

“Other three?” Dante mumbled, turning his focus up towards Drake, “What other three do you mean?!”

Drake’s smirk widened, the glow behind his eyes intensifying whilst beside him Megan stepped forward, “Enough talk. Lets kill them both off and finish these little men they’re protecting.”

“’fraid she’s got a point,” Vamu sighed, “They did just slaughter a bunch of our playthings. Not easy to replenish.”

“How about we make things interesting then?” Drake questioned, glancing out to the Guardsmen just beyond, “You people, you’re not the first ones we’ve encountered from Sarzento. If you agree to ignore us and go back to your bloody struggles at home, we will gladly let you leave this forest alive. Hell, we’ll even help you reunite with the one you’ve been searching for.”

The Guardsmen all looked up in consistent unison, a motion off putting to both Dante and Elise who caught glimpse of it. From the crowd of twenty-eight a passage parted, and from that passage approached one lone man. Dressed in a gray fur military attire with a cap on plus a set of badges, he broke from his unit and approached, looking up at Drake.

“How should we know that you’re telling the truth and will simply let us go? You’ve killed and animated dozens of our people already- how do we know that the Princess is even still alive you bastards?!” he spat.

“Hoh? Are we really that untrustworthy?” Drake questioned, a fledgling of sorrow passing over his now dulled out face.

“What do you know of her highness? Answer me that!”

“Lighten up you dullard and show the boss some respect!” Da’shire barked, “This is a genuine offer that you’d be dumb to not accept.”

“Believe me-” Drake cut in, “The last thing we want is for the weight of the Empire to come down on us. It was you people that attacked us first because of your cheap flying and landing your vessels in our territory. Simply allow us to finish these two, and we’ll help you find the girl and escort you from these woods. Have we an accord?”

“C-Captain Mercer,” one of the guardsmen began.

The captain looked from Drake right down to both Elise and Dante, pausing briefly. Both had their heads turned and were looking right to Mercer, no one then saying a word, not even as the Captain began to back away.

“Sir?”

“We have no choice. Our duty is to the Empire and her highness- very well, dispatch of these two as you see fit and we will take you up on that generous offer!”

“Captain!”

“HA. I knew you people could be reasoned with. Very well then, it’s a deal.”

Drake’s grin returned, widening as the guardsmen lowered their weapons and sheathed them. Both Elise and Dante turned their individual attentions back towards Drake, as well as the two opponents standing off between them.

“Well thas rotten luck now innit? Bakuuva you’re the idea gal, any plans?”

“The situation hardly calls for a plan Dante. We’re outnumbered and are vulnerable from several points. We’ll go with Duck Duck Goose, easier that way to watch our backs. I’ll be the gray fowl.”

“Heh, I won’t object to that. Blasted Blake shoulda realized a thing or two about your play style before divvying us up. Works out in the end though now doesn’tet?”

“I’ll have this wrapped up in three seconds flat.”

The ground beneath him crackled, Hanz’s form launching off like a cannon, a fist raised high as he flew straight at Elise yelling out, “Don’t underestimate us little girl!”

CLAP, CRACK

Her left hand positioned up and in collection of Hanz’s fist, her right held out with a pointer finger leveled to the cultist’s head. Her arm buckled only so slightly from the force, whilst Hanz himself could only look on with a shaken expression and quivering eyebrows. She had remained unmoved beyond that flex, catching him without even looking at him proper.

“Hngh- AAAAAAAA!!!”

CRASH

Down the ax swung, blasting straight into the ground. A couple of echoing footsteps followed, sent by Elise’s own boots as they clapped down atop the back of the ax. Her own katana remained stabbed to the ground just behind her prior position. Then came the SMACK, a smack that sent Hanz flying.

With that loud bang the big guy flew from the ax and crashed into a collective of the undead just behind. Da’shire stared with eye round, the startled looks of the other three syncing up just the same. Dante stood before the Guardsmen with his eyes shut and a wide grin formed up, his guard dropped along with the weight of his sword. Elise stood atop the ax with her leg stretched out, then lowering it.

Flicker BANG!!!

“KWAAAHF!!” Hanz spat out.

The ground beneath his back crackled with thunder as Elise drove her drop kick straight into his gut. Only a flicker of movement, a dance of light really and she had delivered a singular blow to the man. Her foot cut down and swung again right into his side, another strike delivered that this time sent Hanz rolling off and skipping across the ground briefly.

“Hanz!” Da’shire yelled, “You bitch! I’ll kill you!!”

The one eyed man broke from where he stood and began to run forward at Elise, his weapon drawn still. CRACKLE!! Elise’s foot slammed into Shire’s face on his left, and with that kick he also went flying. Da’shire crashed straight through another group of undead and slammed into a tree, coughing as his back made impact.

Above the impact zone stood the rest of their unit of five, staring in discomfort, eyes shifting and set upon Elise. Drake’s teeth were gritted, Vamu was stepping back ever so slightly, and Megan was most certainly shaking with her eyes taken from her sights.

Her foot lowered to the ground slow, her attention on the three above, “Well come on, is that it?”

“Buncha buggarts ain’t even Vampiric now are they?” Dante grumbled, “Basic humans with some odd capabilities, thas all.”

“Vamu the hell is going on?” Drake growled.

“I-I don’t know. She must be a power user of some kind, like that crystal girl.”

“… fuck!”

Swoosh

Elise hung in the air before the trio, only a single leap. Drake’s expression buckled, his arms swinging out in front of him. BANG! Back he flew with arms crossed before his chest in a block. Gravity wasted no time in taking him, his form plummeting to the ground below while both Vamu and Megan had just begun to glance their way towards Elise.

Right as she landed in Drake’s spot, he hit the ground, and the other two bolted. Vamu shot back and to the right, while Megan went straight left, both hopping from their perches. Megan plopped down and took immediate aim, pulling the trigger to her weapon. The clunk of the projectile hitting wood and only wood echoed, side stepped by Elise who had not even batted an eyelash in Megan’s direction.

“How did she?!”

Vamu crossed his arms, going to town with an immediate finger twirl, the wires radiating with his whim. Below on the ground Drake rose off of his knee, while beyond him Hanz stood now rubbing his head. Da’shire stood moving his lower jaw around hands free, while finally there was Megan who now reloaded her weapon. Around the three on the ground the remaining undead pressed forward, all set a lit and trained upon Elise above.

“Little brat,” Hanz growled.

“Hanz no- now is not the time,” Da’shire barked.

“Yeah you know what I think? I think things aren’t looking too good for us right now!”

“Oh please, calm yourself Vamu,” Drake mumbled out, “So she’s fast, big whoop. We’ve got her outnumbered, we’ve got this!”

“Idiot it isn’t just speed, wake up!” Megan spat out, “If she’s like those other three then we are outmatched here, we haven’t been turned yet. We don’t have the power to fight someone like this. We should report back to Soreis, let him know that we’ve got more for the Trio de la Muerte to take care of.”

“Screw those guys, we’ve got this!” Hanz barked.

“I agree. Vamu, more Infernal!” Drake spat.

“Uuuugh you guys are gonna be the death of me-”

A burst of a vibrant dark green light radiated out from Vamu’s fingers along the strands of wire, reaching out and drilling into the branches around him. The bark of multiple trees began to glow with that same energy, and then slowly the bark broke way- ruptures in the trees splitting open. Blood and bodies poured out much as they had before, this time with the green power radiating around and inside of them.

More and more fell, more and more rose, more and more came to life. The snarls and groans raged out as a very smug Drake looked back up to Elise with a wide spread grin. She though glanced down upon him with nothing more than an unsavory blankness. Even as the dead rose around her it changed nothing.

“Shaken in your boots, child? Ready to- to… hrmgh?”

“Do I look frightened- it’s Drake right?” she replied as she continued to look down upon the cultist, “You guys aren’t anything new to me. You’re just basic humans with a couple of things going for you. Your center is around preying on the weak and powerless. I grew up in a war zone, surrounded by the constant threat of Zeherian, Vampires, and Drachen- even my own Drachen clan at times. And that was before I honed my potential with the Lightonians and my new comrades. I mean- did you not see me tank gunshots and arrows?”

“Grr-”

“These zombified servants of yours are nothing more than filler to be cut through. Your comrades are nothing but punching bags that exist to be knocked around. You are nothing but a speed bump to me. If you want to continue this contest then you are going to die forgotten in these woods, maybe left to be turned into scavenging undead yourselves.”

“That’s enough out of you, witch! I’ll show you exactly what we’ve got, hrrrghyaaaa!”

Swoosh. For as soon as Hanz finished yelling out, his ax had gone sailing through the air aimed at Elise’s back. Like a boomerang it rolled through the air, more of a spinning top really. His grin widened as it came up upon her.

BANG CLANG DANG

“Wha-”

“No!”

“Impossible- that hit her dead on!”

Elise remained stationary while the ax fell to the ground. Hanz watched as it fell, his face bubbling with rage. Grip- Hanz launched himself up and caught the ax in hand. Whilst he himself had made the bound upwards, Da’shire and Drake had both done the very same with the former pulling twin daggers and the latter showcasing a spiked gauntlet with blades. And as the three came upon her, Elise did nothing.

Fwoosh fwoosh shift

Hanz flew passed her, his ax’s swing missing entirely but the subtle duck of her back. Her weight shifted left, evading the twin thrust strike of Da’shire. Finally a singular disappearance and reappearance to the right with a flicker of her form, completely evading Drake’s attack. All three landed on the high up branches, all three turning swiftly with their weapons still in hand.

“Gah, how did she dodge all three of- HUH!?”

“HA!”

CRASH!!

Her arms had swung out and with them went the air. Drake’s face flapped and his body fell back, or truthfully it was the same for the other two just the same. A shock wave struck them all and sent them flying away. Megan’s eyes darted left and then right before resting ahead- pull. Her next arrow soared right passed Elise’s now tilted head, striking the trunk of another tree.

“Hell there is absolutely NO beating her. Drake lets get the hell out of here before we all croak!” Vamu shouted.

“Gah, fine fine. Lets get out of here then and- HWAH!”

Drake flew back and slammed into a tree, Elise hovering just above where the man had been standing.

Flicker- CRUNK

Da’shire, Megan, and Vamu looked over towards Drake as he hit the tree, not yet noticing as Hanz hit the floor of the forest after crashing through the branch he had been standing upon, a branch now snapped just above and falling down.

Flicker- BANG

Da’shire flew from the tree with a singular strike and flopped down upon the rocks below, both Megan and Vamu now starting to shift their heads over to where Hanz had been standing.

Flicker- SNAP

Megan flew back and hit the base of the tree she had been stood atop, slumping over with her weapon snapped in half.

Flicker- SMACK

The shling of wire rattled as Vamu soared back and hit the bark of the branch. A light groan escaped him before he slumped to his side. Elise walked up, stopping a few paces away from his body, watching as the green spark in those wires went out, and as it went out came the thumps and thuds from below. She stood firm at the center of it all, as all five of the cultists lay in place with eyes shut- completely out of it from that moment on.