Call Of The Haunted

Wearing a blue t-shirt and black skirt with white tennis shoes, Victoria entered the area of the Cursed Lands known as Haunted Guild. It was strangely cold around here. It did not help matters that the wind was blowing at an angle that could make her skirt fly up. Maybe she should have gone with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

Earlier she had talked with a few hardy homeless people hanging around the outskirts and they all told her the same story. That story was not good. It centered around the abandoned guild hall the area was named for.

-One hour earlier, on the outskirts of Haunted Guild-

"Bad shit happened around here some time ago. A whole guild got wiped out by something, but no one knows what it was. If you listen closely, you can still hear screaming in the ruins." One homeless man wearing an eyepatch over a scarred right eye socket, wielding a silver longsword and wearing a steel plate cuirass told Victoria. He had survived out here for over five years. He had lost his right eye to a werewolf's claws on his first night here. After that he always carried a weapon and wore armor.

"What my friend said. I heard that some nutcase is dabbling in things they shouldn't be dabbling in." A middle-aged woman dressed in chainmail and holding a wooden longbow with a quiver of arrows slung across her back and a sword at her side told Victoria. She wore a metal helmet with scratched cheekguards and had four fading claw marks on her left cheek. She had gotten the scars in the same werewolf attack that her friend had lost his eye to. After their narrow escape, the pair banded together and gradually built up a homeless militia composed of roughly four dozen people they had rescued from werewolf, vampire, and undead attacks. The rest of the militia was at their camp and the trio was preparing to join them to ride out yet another night in hostile territory.

"Yeah. Many people go in, but they never come out again. We don't go near it. You shouldn't either. There's ghosts and all kinds of spooky stuff in that place." A bearded man wearing a horned helmet and dressed in full plate armor warned Victoria. He was a third member of the group and unlike his teammates, his face was intact. He carried a high-quality steel mace and looked around constantly like he was expecting an attack. A minute later he looked at his teammates; the woman pointed down at her wrist in a gesture that indicated "time."

"We're getting the Hell out of here. If you're smart, you'd go too. But something tells me you're out here for more than just sight-seeing or doing a dare." The mace-wielding man stated.

"Yeah. A couple of companions and I are on a job out here. We're mages. We're gonna check out the guild hall and end whatever's going on in there." Victoria told him.

"Well, good luck to you and your friends.You stay safe, kid." The one-eyed told her as the trio departed for their camp. Part of Victoria wanted to follow them. Yuzuki and Haruyuki had not arrived yet and the brunette did not want to be alone for any longer than she had to.

-In the present-

Victoria summoned her magic shotgun and waited just outside the ruined guild hall, not daring to go in until the other two mages got here. She hoped that her companions would get here soon. She could have sworn that she had just heard female screaming just a second ago. However, Victoria saw no one around to make a scream. Well, no one except her.

[Word Count: 622] [Character Word Count: 622/2,500]

I used the UA Friends In Low Places to get the information that is in bold font and underlined.

Haruyuki was dressed in white pants and a red kimono with metal plates on the upper arms. A black lacquered chest and back plate were worn over the kimono and both of his hands where gloved with black lacquered gauntlets. A strange curved sword hung from his belt and his back was packed with all sorts of stuff. There was an old leather backpack filled with food and books, some scrolls poked out. Some tools were strapped on the bag and there hung also a conical shaped, black lacquered, helmet that could act as a pan as well. He had been walked for a while now and took a sip of water from a bamboo bottle. He adjusted his crimson and golden headband, that kept away his messy red hair from his eyes. He also took a moment to look at a scroll, it was a map of the region. The map showed thick forests and bound full meadows and ackers and a flowing river, yet nothing around him seemed to be like on the map. The forest held no leaves and their trees were dead, the meadows were yellow, and the ackers were either barre or overgrown grass that has long since died. The river still flew but it was a brown-green slush. He had to follow the river to get to the ‘abandoned guild’. He rolled the map up and stuffed it back in the bag and walked on, with his left leg limping behind him.

In the distant, between the sickly fields of platinum stood a small abandoned village with one building towering over all. The guild was covered by brown vines and thorns that seemed like veins. Some parts of the roof had collapsed, and some windows were broken. Its sight was that of sorrow and it made haruyuki cold. He descended the hill he stood on and walked towards the main road of the settlement towards the guild hall. A young woman, dressed in blue and black stood before the weathered down doors, armed with an unknown rifle. “Hello there, I’m Haruyuki.”


wc: 349

Victoria looked at Haruyuki and the newly arrived Zhuu. She dispelled her weapon because she did not want to project an image of hostility. She was going to need their help to get through this job intact. Alienating teammates was not a good way to convince them to help her if the fecal matter hit the oscillating air device. Chances were high that it would in a place involving ghosts and supernatural stuff.

"Yeah, I'm Victoria of Black Rose. I'm part of the team going on this job. Nice to meet you, Haruyuki and Zhuu." Victoria introduced herself. Now that the pleasantries were finished, they probably wanted to know what the deal was. She would give them a brief rundown of what she had learned from the hardy militia who called the area home.

"OK guys, here's what I learned about the place. Some locals believe a guy's holed up in the abandoned guild hall." Victoria started explaining. A gust of wind came up and her skirt started to rise. Her hands clapped down on the skirt to prevent the others from getting a show with their briefing.

"They seem to think he's doing some sketchy stuff in there. They didn't say what exactly was going on because they didn't know. From what they did say, he's up to something that people really shouldn't be dabbling in." Victoria continued the briefing. She did not know if it was summoning demons or sinister cult activity. It could have been something even worse than demon summoning. The brunette had no idea what that "something" was.

"My informants also told me that there's a lot of ghost activity in there. They didn't specify what else was in there, but it sounded like ghosts were only one thing we'd face if we went inside. They also warned that a lot of people went in but never came out, so we've gotta be careful." Victoria finished her briefing. The wind kicked up again and her skirt began to rise. She pushed her skirt back down again. She really should have worn long pants to this place.

"So, who goes first?" Victoria asked Haruyuki and Zhuu.

[Word Count: 360] [Character Word Count: 982/2,500]

“Well met” Said Haruyuki, he wondered where the new person came from. “I’m a representative of the West-Fiore Trading Company.” He hoped they had not yet dealt with his company before if so they would likely doubt that. It was customary or rather obligated to wear one of those white uniforms but Haruyuki neglected that rule. He prefers his own clothing and armour but it did lead to confusion from time to time with jobs and aggravation from his co-workers who followed the dress rule.

Haruyuki listened closely to what Victoria shared from the knowledge she had gathered so far. He nodded in approval, he wouldn’t just launch an attack anyway. He tried to keep his eyes on hers when he noticed that the wind was playing with her skirt. He scratched the stubbles on his chin, “ghost you say? And possible demons? Never fought any of those in all honesty.” Said Haruyuki. I’ve only encountered demons on the battlefield he thought sadly.

“I shall go first; my primary focus is on melee at the moment thus little use to be the rear guard.” Said Haruyuki, as he removed his bag from his back. Which he placed within the shadow of a rock, where it faded into the void not to be seen until he returns for it. He considered to leave his helmet behind as well but didn’t and bound it tight on his head. “The magic that I utilize is ‘The Art of War’ just so you know.” He preferred to be a bit mystic about it, he uses Illusion Make magic in truth and his spells only worked when others believed what they saw is real. Quite the problem with undead though, they were not fooled by his tricks. Will it work on ghosts? he thought, but he didn't shared his thought with the others He drew his katana as he proceeded towards the door.

The hinges of the door were rusted and screamed when he pulled the door open, goosebumps appeared on Haruyuki’s skin. Bashing down the doors would have been silent in comparison. The hall was dark with the exception of a few beams of sunlight that came through the vine-covered windows and the light that fell through the open door. He stepped inside into the abyss.


Wc 394/743/2500

"OK guys. The place isn't gonna investigate itself. Let's do this." Victoria said confidently. She was just about to enter the place when the wind decided to get her one last time. It blew with unexpected force and made her skirt fly up before her hands could force it down, briefly exposing her black underwear. Her face turned beet-red as she finally forced the skirt down, but it was too late. They saw London, they saw France.

Eager to recover some face, Victoria quickly entered after them and was confronted with a guild hall that had seen better days. Leaves and bugs were everywhere and the place looked like the weather was going to finish what the mysterious force that wiped out the guild had started. It was like strange forces had conspired to make sure that the guild's identity would be completely forgotten. There were only faint traces of activity from long ago, but nothing that was concrete. She also saw no signs of anyone currently in residence here.

"If anyone's here, they're not exactly gonna light up a neon sign and roll out a red carpet for us. They're deeper in the guild hall. There might even be a basement." Victoria opined to her partners. She brought out her shotgun again and looked around the room for any kind of clues about the hall's architecture. A floor plan would be great. So would a framed map of the guild hall. Even signs posted above or near doors would work.

The brunette took a look around, being certain to stay within sight of her partners. She examined walls for any hints that a sign or something had once been there. She spotted a half-rotten small and rectangular wooden frame at the entrance and walked over to it to take a closer look. She bent down and saw that the wooden frame was rotted beyond use, the glass had been completely shattered, and the paper within had been food for insects. That was not exactly encouraging.

"Well, we won't get any information from this frame. It might have held something like a map of the floor, but the paper's been too badly eaten by insects to tell what it used to read. It seems like someone really doesn't want us to know what's ahead." Victoria commented while standing back up. She walked back over to Haruyuki and Zhuu without much to offer other than speculation. They would have to press deeper into the guild hall to find anything of use, but that meant running the gauntlet of ghosts and other hazards.

"Looks like we'll have to go deeper inside to find anything. We'd better stick together because I don't know what else we'll have to deal with besides ghosts. If what I learned was true, ghosts might be the least of our worries." Victoria opined. The group had no clearly defined leader and she was unable and unwilling to claim the title, so she would make suggestions. She would help the others the best she could, but this would have to be a team effort.

[Word Count: 515] [Total Word Count: 1,497/2,500]

The winds grew strong just before Haruyuki entered the old guild, was look at that moment at Victoria as her skirt went up. He looked away fast and stumbled into the dark hall with a beet red face. He tried to walk as silent as he could, but his left leg didn’t seem to follow inline. With sword in hand, pointed in an angle slightly forward as he walked.

“That would be true. Let’s assume they are in the basement. We could either assault that directly or first check the upper levels if we find anything there. We might be able to isolate some opponents that way.” Said Haruyuki softly, he did not want to make too much sounds. We should have disgussed this before we entered, stupid of me.

Victory walked off seemly to search something on the walls and then bent down, staying something at the floor. “It could be that they don’t even care though, the guild has not been used long. Paper doesn’t survive these circumstances that well.” Spoke haruyuki, he had his doubts that it would have held a map of the guild. They kept on walking, slowly and checking each room as they went moved through the halls. All rooms were empty except for half rotten furniture and in some cases the room was filled with the rouble of a collapsed celling.

The hall ended but continued to the left and right. Haruyuki stood close at the right-side wall, glancing to the right. He jumped back, “Whaa.” Was the sound that came from his throat, followed by curses in Midi and a hundred flying spears that launched through the hall. The sound of dozens and dozens of impacts were heard loudly within the building, like hail on a wooden roof but louder. “What the,” Said Haru, he was interrupted as multiple voice’s screamed. It was the sound of death but not like he had heard on the countless battlefields. The voices were high pitched. “May Bishamonten grant us strength and luck.” Prayed Haruyuki as he kneeled with his swords blade resting on the floor. He jumped up and turned around the corner, four spectre-like beings ran through the hall towards them. Children? thought Haruyuki. He ran and thought, Sun Tzu says: “The onrush of a conquering force is like the bursting of pent-up waters into a chasm a thousand fathoms deep.” Water seemed to flow out from under his feet, a great wave busted out from underneath him. Yet the ghosts ran through it. No. His sword went up and slashed down upon one of the ghosts and he cleft straight through it, but it kept on going. He managed to role aside, but the knife of the little girl bit him in is left side. He stood up and turned around. “They don’t work,” he said with a beaten voice. How was he going to defeat what he could not touch?

WC: 500
Health: 465(300)|440
Magic: 390(300)
Melee: 37.2(30)

Somehow Victoria had become the de facto leader of the trio, so she had to play this smart. Now that the wind was no longer a factor, she did not have to worry about a repeat performance of the accidental flashing. What she did have to worry about was deadly surprises put into place by the hall's new tenant. Since someone had went to great lengths to remove evidence of the guild hall's layout, the trio was going in blind. Great.

The brunette's annoyed thoughts were interrupted by the sudden rain of spears that threatened to turn Haruyuki and Zhuu into pincushions. Victoria was caught in the rain and unlike Haruyuki and Zhuu, she did not have the luxury of ducking into a side room or defensive magic. She would just have to run, dodge, and hope for the best.

Gripping her shotgun tightly, Victoria sprinted for all she was worth. She zigged, zagged, ducked, weaved, and generally moved like a ballerina wearing combat boots. Spears whistled by her head and one even brushed against the sprigs of hair that stood up. She was halfway to Zhuu when a falling spear cut through her shirt and grazed her left shoulder. Victoria clenched her teeth as she made her way through the steel storm and ducked into the room where Haruyuki and Zhuu had taken refuge.

"Damn, that was close!" Victoria commented as she knelt to take a breather. Moments later she noticed a bleeding Haruyuki and the source of his wound, which was a ghostly child holding a knife with very real blood on it. Great.

Victoria took aim with her magic shotgun and fired a round of magic buckshot. It went right through the girl, who giggled at her. Victoria frowned.

"You've gotta be shitting me." She remarked before the girl rushed at her. "Rushed" was not the right word. The right term would be "floated really fast", but the effect was the same. The brunette ended up taking a gash on the left forearm before the ghost girl giggled and faded away, then reappeared beside her friends.

"Great. Just great." Victoria lamented. Her weapon was useless except as a noisemaker. Now every two-bit spirit would be onto them thanks to her. This job was not going very well. Maybe Zhuu would have better luck fighting the ghosts.

[Word Count: 389] [Total Word Count: 1,886/2,500]

Neither of his companions fared well against the ghost. “Weapons have no effect, we should evade them.” A great general knows which fight he cannot win and evades those. Though it filled him with bitterness and pain to flee from an enemy. They ran as fast as they could away from the ghosts whom followed them. Haruyuki wasn’t sure how long they ran and how many halls they passed. The ghosts stopped following them as they turned around a corner and then the next. They were forced to stop there, not to take a breath but because there stood a tall guy in their path. His clothes were torn and an odd thing stuck out of his head. He held a white napkin around his left arm and a mace in his right, the latter was covered in old blood. The giant seemed to look a bit dumb at them as he smiled.

Haruyuki didn’t wait for the giant to attack then, he was sure it would do that. Sun Tzu says: ‘Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.’ Haruyuki disappeared and reappeared behind the giant butler. His sword flashed in an angle against the back of the man, cutting deep in his side. The giant shouted out in pain and smashed with his mace at Haruyuki but he was already back at his spot. His sword, however, was clean, and the man did not bleed. He did not wait and went in for another attack. Musashi Miyamoto says: ‘You win battles by knowing the enemy’s timing and use a timing which the enemy doesn’t expect.’ Haruyuki came in with his sword held above his head, the giant positioned its mace to catch the downwards cut. Haruyuki’s sword, however, changed direction in a swift motion it went down and up again against the giant’s leg. Blood splashed against the walls as the sword went through the flesh and stopped at the bone. He was not in time to evade the mace that came down with a loud cry. The mace bounced off from his conical shaped helmet unto his left shoulder guard. It hurt but the blow wasn’t that bad, most power had already left the blow. He took a few steps back, aiming his sword forward at the giant for if he would storm at him.


WC: 404/1646/2500
Health: 465|400
Magic: 390|330
Melee: 37.2
Used spells:
Conquering force: 3 post cooldown
I’m here: 4 post cooldown (100 hp)
Timing is key: 3 post cooldown (100 hp)

Maybe shooting a ghost was not a very bright idea. But what could Victoria do? Fling Grenades and bring the hall down on their heads? At least Zhuu came through with the save, burning the evil child ghosts to ashes... or ectoplasm... or whatever. They were gone and that was all that mattered.

"Well, what next?" Victoria asked the other mages. Soon a tall zombie butler holding a mace and a bloody napkin came into view. The brunette should have just kept quiet. There was a silver lining to facing this latest enemy... zombies could be shot. Now Victoria and Haruyuki could do something to contribute to the fight besides stand around and bleed.

She waited until her colleagues had made their attacks, then carefully aimed and fired a Solid Slug shot at the giant's chest, hoping that she would hit him in center mass. Using the Solid Slug effectively required more accuracy than firing a spread of magic buckshot since she was shooting a single large round, but in exchange teammates would not be struck by stray pellets. It was like firing a rifle round from a shotgun. Solid Slug allowed her to use some level of precision without having to give up the ability to fire buckshot which made the weapon excel in enclosed spaces. The shotgun was loud, but since the ghosts and the evil zombie butler were already onto them, noise was a moot point.

Victoria would have to wait awhile until she could use the special round again, but Haruyuki and Zhuu could make up the difference until then. She would have to trust in them to keep the No-So-Jolly-Giant at bay. They had helped her get this far, and the three would finish this job together.

[Word Count: 292] [Total Word Count: 2,178/2,500]

Abilities Used:

A gun fired behind Haruyuki, ¬Victory though Haruyuki, obviously thought he didn’t saw her as he kept his eyes on the butler.  Zhuu darted forward with a spear but the butler smashed her out of his way. It was once more his time to attack, [i]Sun Tzu says: ‘when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away we must make him believe we are near.’ [i/] The illusion would make it a hard time for the enemy to know the distance between enemy and him, perfect way to avoid or at least partially avoid attacks. But he would apply another illusion as well. An illusion that would increase his damage potential, an illusion that would affect himself rather than his opponent. [i]Musashi Miyamoto says: ‘To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead.’[i/]

He charged forward, changing the point of his sword up and besides his head. The butler tried to hit him with his mace but lashed out way to early. Haruyuki rushed on like a torrent from a mountain river in spring, his sword strikes. Cutting through clothing, flesh and into the bone. The giant of a man shouted out in pain, frustration and anger and slapped Haruyuki away with his free left hand. He rolled over, trying to break the fall and his helmet went flying. He picked it up in his left hand before he raised back on his feet. He held his helmet like a shield in his left hand and once more charged. This time the katana and the mace met in the air, the collision snapped off the point of the sword.  

Harayuki darted back, thinking how he could make a different approach to the giant, to a weak spot to finish the monstrosity.
 
WC:303/1949/2500
Health: 465|390
Magic: 390|290
Melee: 37.2
Used spells:
Acceptance of death: 4 post cooldown, duration 3 post. Buff 60% damage, debuff takes 10% damage.
You strike miss: 3 post cooldown, duration 2 post. Buff first enemies attack is miss, two other attacks deal 50% less damage.
Conquering force: 2 post cooldown
I’m here: 3 post cooldown (100 hp)
Timing is key: 2 post cooldown (100 hp)

The zombie butler was not going to last much longer against the attacks of three irate mages. Zhuu had just finished her attack and took another chunk out of the zombie. Now it was up to the brunette to finish the job. However, the butler was not going to go without a fight. It lurched forward and took a downward swing with its mace, which Victoria sidestepped.

It punched her in the chest with its free hand, sending her flying and the shotgun clattering out of reach. It gave a deep chuckle and advanced on her with the mace raised. It was going to put an end to her once and for all by painting the wall and floor with her brain matter. However, Victoria was not going to lay down and die without a fight. She sat up, raised her empty hands and formed the fingers of one hand into a gun while supporting her wrist with the other hand.

It was halfway to her when she aimed and fired a Hand Cannon shot directly at its head. The projectile hit and caused the zombie to drop the mace and pause, then sway and pitch forward. It landed at her feet and did not move or make a sound. The zombie butler was dead... again.

"Damn... my chest and back hurt." Victoria complained before struggling to her feet. Her chest hurt and her back did too. Landing on a solid wooden floor was no fun, especially not after being used as a punching bag. At least she was still alive. That was more than could be said for the dead manservant.

Victoria picked up her shotgun again and faced the others. It hurt just to bend over to pick up the weapon, so she went to her knees, then raised herself up again. She dusted herself off and spoke.

"Good work, guys. Now we have to find the guy in charge and stop him. Just stick together and we'll get through this." Victoria started off with a compliment before stating the obvious. She was not much of an orator, but she said what she could to make the others feel appreciated. How they took it was up to them.

Spells Used:

[Word Count: 370]
[Total Word Count: 2,548/2,500]

Haruyuki waited as his companions attacked the giant. He noted how Yuzuki seemed to utilize a sort of pale light for her attacks in conjunction with her melee weapon. Victoria was attacked brutally and send back, parted her weapon but she seemed to have more tricks up her sleeves than just the shotgun. In the end, the butler would be laid to rest once more, but this time without his head.

Haruyuki nodded, “Yes unless we will encounter our favourite girls again.” He walked towards the giant and took his white cloth that it held still clutching in his left hand. Haruyuki used it to clean his blade of the red-brownish smears and then proceeded to check the edge of the blade. He nodded approvingly, the blade was undamaged and sharp as ever. He tucked the katana back in its sheath and took off his helmet to inspect it. It was deformed where the mace had hit it, his neck remembered that blow still. He fastened the helmet securely again. “A wise general once said, ‘At the moment of victory, tighten the straps of your helmet.’ And those were wise words.” He unsheathed his sword and stumbled ahead through the corridors.

Their path led them through small halls and empty chambers. The ghost children were unseen yet not unheard. They would giggle through walls but were not found within those rooms. At other times they screamed in a most horrible way. Then they came at a great door, and behind that door was a staircase that went. “So, either the puppeteer that orchestrated this ordeal is at the end of these steps. Or.” He paused for a moment, “This is actually a trap.” He turned to his companions. “There could have been traps in any of the rooms but there weren’t. I’m willing to take the gamble.”

WC:310/2259/2.500

"Thanks Zhuu." Victoria thanked the mage for her help before the tattooed mage strode past her and led the way down. So Zhuu was going to take the lead for this part? That was fine with Victoria. She would simply let the other girl go first.

"I'll go next. After I go, you follow. We don't need to get split up." Victoria said to Haruyuki.

Victoria wordlessly walked down the stairs, being careful not to trip and accidentally fire her weapon. Even though stealth had been tossed out the window during the fight with the zombie butler, she wanted to preserve what little chance at stealth was left to the trio. The brunette walked softly down the stairs until she was at the bottom with Zhuu. What she saw was interesting and of concern.

It looked like someone had set up a magical laboratory with all the bells and whistles. There were beakers, test tubes, barrels of unknown liquids and all the usual accoutrements that any self-respecting scientist would need. Victoria looked deeper into the area and found one that showed signs of recent activity. She came up with that theory because it looked slightly cleaner and in better structural shape than the rest of the place, though that was not saying much. Zhuu had likely reached the same conclusion.

"Someone's been busy." Victoria whispered. Had they found the source of the strange and unnatural experiments the militia members had warned her about? Chances were that the trio of mages had hit the jackpot. Haruyuki had better hurry and get down here before the lab's owner showed up. Zhuu and Victoria would need all the muscle they could get for the fight ahead.

[Word Count: 283]
[Total Word Count: 2,831/2,500]

Zhuu was the first to enter through the door. Victoria was next and Haruyuki hesitated for a moment. What if? But shook away the thought, then we have more chance together. He proceeded down the steps into a room, filled with all kinds of odd resources.
“You know.” A hard voice was heard from a dark corner of the room, it’s user not visible to the eye. “I was not always like this you know. Testing with the dead, attempting to create life inside the dead. What you have met so far are but tests and failed attempts for my true purpose. I want to bring dead my wife back to life. She was my everything.” The voice stopped for a moment. “But all my attempts failed. All of them! I can’t do it without a great source of ethernano! But you mages solved that problem for me if you would simply die than I can abstract the ethernano within your bodies.” The necromancer walked out of the shadows, “Just die.”

“Sun Tzu says: ‘he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.’” Haruyuki seemed to launch himself in the air and struck down upon the necromancer like lightning. Haruyuki managed to wound him at his left arm. The necromancer slashed out at Haruyuki with an axe and he was just able to avoid the sweeping blade. But necromancer was faster as expected an Haruyuki was driven back faster and had to retreat even faster as his limping leg allowed. Without time to think he simply said the words out loud, “Sun Tzu says: ‘The general who is skilled in defence hides in the most secret recesses of the earth.” It seemed as if Haruyuki dropped below the floor.


Wc:294

Victoria heard the guy's plan to resurrect his wife using the life energy of others. It was a failure, so he decided to try again, but this time with mages as the raw material for the attempt. The brunette was not going to let that happen. It was time to put an end to this guy and his sick experiments. As it turned out, Haruyuki and Zhuu were way ahead of her.

The samurai guy went on the offensive first. He wounded the necromancer's left arm before using his magic to seemingly disappear into the floor. Despite a limp, Haruyuki could move quickly when the situation called for it.

Zhuu was next. She used blades made of moonlight to tear into the necromancer, then blocked his scythe with her own spear. Zhuu had also landed a few hits on him. Now it was Victoria's turn to take a turn at knocking the necromancer around.

While Zhuu held his scythe in place, Victoria rushed to the mage's side and aimed her shotgun at the necromancer. She fired a spread of Big Shot that hit him in the right shoulder and made him wince. He disengaged his scythe from the spear and glared at her... well, as much as a dude with fish eyes could glare.

"Die already!" He yelled, swinging his scythe and cleaving the barrel from her shotgun. She dropped the weapon and it returned to whence it came. She dodged another swing that could have decapitated her if she did not duck in time. He swung again and might have cut her in half if she did not roll to the side.

Doing her best to avoid hitting Zhuu, Victoria fired a Heavy Pistol spell that clanged off his scythe. She followed up with a Derringer spell that hit him in the left forearm. He rushed towards her and made a mighty swing of his scythe. Victoria ducked under it just in time to avoid a haircut. He kicked her in the face and knocked her over.

Lying on her back and staring danger in the face, Victoria decided to go for it. She waited until the necromancer closed in, then aimed and fired a Hand Cannon. It struck him in the head just as he raised his scythe in both hands to bring down on her. The scythe fell from his hands and clattered to the floor, then he paused and looked at her for a moment with a look of lucidity. He then looked towards the ceiling.

"I... I can feel it. Death is near." He said in a whisper before dropping to his knees. He repeated the phrase and pitched over to the floor. The man was lying face-down on the floor and was not moving. It was over... at least Victoria thought it was.

"I think he's dead, but we might wanna stay away from his body just in case. You know what happens in the movies. Just when you think he's dead, he comes back one last time to try and take someone with him." Victoria warned the others. Maybe it sounded dumb, but she did not want to take any chances. She did not want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After observing him for a few minutes, Victoria decided to leave. But she would not leave without the others at her side.

"We did it, guys. Now let's get out of here. Even with the necromancer dead, this place still gives me the creeps." Victoria said to Haruyuki and Zhuu. The brunette was ready to go home. The threat had been ended and all three mages were still alive. That was the best ending she could have hoped for.

[Word Count: 619]
[Total Word Count: 3,450/2,500]