Chapter 3: The Great Shift Part 3

[Eldritch Moor is situated prominently in the central region of West Icysylva County. Akin to the urban regions of the Ringed City and Löreheven Capital.

Each of these metropolises encompasses an expansive territory, ranging from approximately 500,000 to 1,000,000 square miles—remarkable dimensions that surpass even the grandeur of the Castle of Storm Light.

Noteworthy is the considerable breadth and length of these locales, with an average traversal time from one extremity to the other spanning between 32 to 74 hours on foot. Consequently, even at an optimal pace, an entire night would be taken to merely exit the confines of the city, underscoring the extensive scale of these urban landscapes.

A city of dreams turned into a city of horror.]

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BEYOND THE VEIL: THE GREAT SHIFT PART 3

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Stepping into the shadowy alleyway, they began to walk with Atlas taking the lead. Every step exuded confidence and courage. As they neared the end of the alleyway, Atlas stopped causing them to stop.

"Huh...?" Due to the close proximity of Audrey and Atlas, the large knight covered her mouth from releasing any words.

Like on cue, five individuals ran past the street—four men and one teenage girl. They all nearly ran past the alleyway, unfortunately, the young woman stopped in her tracks. Hands on her ankles as she catches breath and breath, smooth ravenous hair blocking any facial expression or features.

Standing up fully, she began to crack her neck, turning right and left. She immediately widened her eyes—in her view she saw Atlas and the rest; the man's eyes hardened to the point of letting out intense emotions of death. Given how he's dressed and the dried blood marked on his armor—it was like looking at one's executioner before the finishing blow was delivered.

Her face drained of any blood—a shame quite frankly, none of them saw her beautiful violet eyes and face. What they saw was an innocent teenager looking upon something she never meant to.

Her heart began to beat rapidly to the point of missing a couple of beats. As they looked at her, she continued to look back. Recognizing this, Atlas lowered his eyes,reading in between the lines—she slowly nodded, gulping back her fear.

"Selena! Let's go!" Shaken from her hypnotic gaze. Selena, the young teenager, looked at her bronze-skinned companion and nodded sorrowfully. As she began to run, she gave one last gaze towards them. Atlas returned the look, but this time there was no death glare or nothing of that sort, but a look at said one thousand sayings. The most apparent one being; You made the right choice..

Letting go of Audrey's sealed mouth— nearly everyone sighed in relief. Gesturing with his head towards the street, all 7 of them began running northwest of Eldritch Morr to Vorgas Town.

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Wandering through the night-shrouded labyrinth of flickering lamplights and distant stars offered feeble solace amid an ominous trek out of the city of dreams.

At every twist and turn, the dance of death unfolded, with the ground stained scarlet by lifeless forms scattered in gorry disarray. The air itself bore witness to the escalating horror, thick with the stench of death and mournful chaos.

Yet, it was not until the threshold of Titan Street was reached when we saw the true magnitude of despair that took shape.

The air was filled with the haunting echoes of enraged and malevolent screams, creating a dissonant symphony of horror.

In the midst of this cacophony, a frenzied figure charged towards Cecil and Jean, their clash erupting in a violent display of sparks and chaos. Atlas, with his broadsword, intervened, engaging in a gruesome ballet of gore as he clashed with the assailant's weapon.

Suddenly, Ivan, a man of mysterious lineage, began a sinister monologue, only to be abruptly silenced by a thin, razor-sharp wire coiling around his throat, casting a crimson hue upon the scene.

Seizing the opportunity, Atlas swung his broadsword, cleaving through Ivan's lifeless form. However, a sense of dread still lingered, as a diminutive figure, standing no taller than 160cm, leapt into the shadows, a harbinger of terror.

Before he could launch an attack, he was ensnared by a wire, crashing violently to the ground as Atlas mercilessly stamped down. A mournful air enveloped the scene, an unspoken acknowledgment passing between Atlas and Yves as they trudged forward through the nightmarish tableau.

With each assault, they faced it with grim resolve, understanding the unsettling truth that, despite their reluctance, gruesome actions were needed to be performed to leave this City of Horrors.

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After enduring a grueling half hour of nonstop travel, sporadic battles, and brief moments of relief, the group finally arrived at a critical crossroads. Main Street, usually bustling with activity, now lay eerily empty, creating an unsettling calm before an imminent storm.

During the half hour, every passing block, the number of enemies they encountered multiplied, making retreat a dangerous option as the conflict closed in on them. Moving forward promised even more challenges, with the sealed sewer gates serving as breeding grounds for deadly diseases and feral alligators.

Cecil, leaning on Jean for support, cautiously proposed taking a shortcut through the foreboding Hanged Court. Audrey's eyes filled with doubt as she questioned the wisdom of such an obvious path. However, the owner of the clinic, with unwavering certainty, insisted, "Yes, it may attract attention, but it's our only chance—hopefully...not too many people will be there." Atlas, a hint of dissatisfaction evident on his face, turned to Yves for the final decision.

Yves, deep in thought with his thumb pressed against his lips, hummed before declaring, "If we want to escape this city, we have no other option." Despite his visible discontent, Atlas held back his frustration, as if suppressing a sigh that teetered on the edge of reproach. The weight of a life-or-death choice settled upon each member, casting a shadow of concern over their collective determination and subconscious.

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The hanging grounds loomed ahead, what they saw was a descent into a nightmarish realm that resembled the depths of hell itself. Chaos and horror unfolded before their eyes, as violence consumed the scene. A grim panorama of souls, ranging from civilians to invaders and armed forces, engaged in a brutal dance of death.

Desperation and fear permeated the air, as dogs tore limbs apart and cats reveled in the gruesome act of stripping the skin off their human handlers. Yet, the true monsters were the humans themselves, unleashing unspeakable carnage. The seven of them stood in stunned silence, surrounded by the symphony of agony, witnessing lifeless bodies plummeting to the blood-soaked ground. Even Atlas, who had grown accustomed to bloodshed from a young age, couldn't help but recoil at the sheer brutality unfolding before him.

In search of an escape from this macabre spectacle, Atlas turned to Yves and Cecil for guidance. "Any alternative routes?" Atlas queried, an outsider of this nightmarish realm. "There are, but it would take hours to circumvent. Time we can't afford to lose." Cecil responded with grim resignation.

"Then we stay together and charge through," Audrey proposed, a desperate plan born out of necessity. Atlas, after a moment's contemplation, agreed, emphasizing the need for speed and caution.

Yves, always the realist, carefully weighed the odds of survival, presenting the grim reality that both paths held their own horrors. A sobering consequences settled among them, and the group divided into factions, each fully aware of the treacherous journey that lay ahead. "Hit hard. Leave quick.." That was the method both factions agreed to settle on.

Yves, Godiva, and Eddward formed one unit, whilst Atlas, Audrey, Cecil, and Jean comprised the other. With a shared understanding of the near-impossibility of their survival, they plunged headfirst into the abyss of the battle, embarking on a chilling descent into a realm where the grotesque danced with the night.

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YVES I

Certainly, it was a gruesome sight, the stone pavement drenched in a sea of red. Yves, a highly skilled and knowledgeable scientist, understood the gravity of the situation. Even a fool would recognize that his chances of survival were slim, less than 5% to be precise. Armed with a stolen sword and a sharp copper wire, he knew that his resources would only take him so far in this battle for freedom.

Entering the Battle of the Hanged Court, Yves had one objective in mind - to acquire a formidable weapon, a whip, or anything that could shield Godiva and Eddward from the dangers posed by the invaders, both at close and long ranges.

As Yves maneuvered through the chaos, he stuck to the sides, navigating the square that once served as a hanging ground for the criminals. Two buildings flank the area, remnants of a time when judges, juries, and executioners held court. In the center stood an ancient guillotine, its blade now witness to the demise of thousands, a stark contrast to its previous role in ending the lives of hundreds.

As Yves, Godiva, and Eddward entered the Court, they were immediately shrouded in the shades of brown and grey, interrupted only by the vivid scarlet of spilled blood that adorned the walls, floor, and ceiling.

The unfortunate judge who presided over a case during the invasion met a gruesome fate, her head was severed and her gavel embedded in her cracked skull. It was an unsettling screen filled with hatred and rage. Before venturing further into the building towards the other side, Godiva closed the lifeless eyes of the judge, whispering; "May you find peace in the afterlife."

Yves shared the sentiment, but he had a mission to fulfill. Eddward, unable to witness the horrors around him, relied on Godiva's hands to shield his sight.

As they delved deeper into the building, the sight of blood became more prevalent, yet the number of corpses was surprisingly scarce. Only dismembered limbs remained, as if they had been savagely torn apart. Before Yves knew it, he found himself opening the final room, ready to step out onto Simmons Road through this room.

As Yves approached the final door that led to Simmons Road, he was met with a chilling sight. The room before him was shrouded in darkness, but within it, he could make out a pair of glowing red eyes and blood-stained teeth. It was as if a creature from nightmares had come to life.

Stepping cautiously into the room, Yves noticed that the beast that emerged was both massive and strangely thin. Its fur was tinged with a deep red where its eyes should have been, giving it an otherworldly appearance. He couldn't help but wonder if this creature was the result of some twisted experiment.

As the beast lunged towards him, Yves quickly sprang into action. He reached for his trusty copper wire, knowing that it was his best chance at defending himself. The tension in the room grew as the battle between man and beast began.

"Get out of here! Turn back!" Godiva, accompanied by Eddward, swiftly retreated into the courtroom of the deceased judge. Yves, overcome with a sense of impending danger, took the first action, unleashing his copper wire like a whip towards the looming creature. Displaying an unsettling level of intelligence, the beast snatched the wire with its sharp-toothed mouth, determined to draw Yves closer.

"This thing is clever. Smarter than any animal I've ever encountered," Yves thought as he grappled with the beast. But that was to no avail as the beast relentlessly lunged at him with thunderous paws. Yves, agile and quick-thinking, rolled to the side, feeling the ground tremble under the force of the beast's attack once it landed.

Once again the beast attacked with its top right paw struck Yves' left side, where his ailment festered. Almost by instinct, Yves coughed up blood, straying all over the ground, yet he looked directly into the scarlet orbs of the beast. Bloodied but unwavering, Yves fought back as the creature aimed for his neck. Summoning his upper arm strength, Yves pulled himself up, using the brown desks as both a shield and a weapon, demolishing them in the process.

As Yves rose, the undeterred beast continued its pursuit. The urgency intensified as Yves, grounded yet determined, bursting into the door towards the courtroom, he witnessed an intruder from Donar Street approaching Godiva and Eddward, a menacing grin etched on his face, wielding a raised broadsword.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yves charged at the intruder, his copper wire unfurling like a whip, scraping the intruder's wrist and causing the broadsword to fall. Taking control of the situation, Yves seized the intruder by the neck and redirected him towards the beast, which eagerly pounced and started to devoured the unfortunate man.

Armed with the fallen broadsword, Yves struck at the beast while he was feasting, splattering abnormal crimson blood across himself and the floor. The creature, seemingly unaffected, appeared more annoyed than mortally wounded. Gathering its strength, the beast charged its paw, releasing a formidable power, Yves couldn't roll to the side unless he wanted Godiva and Eddward to get devoured by the beast. Raising the broadsword up towards the beast, it clamped down, cracking the mental - but not fully breaking it.

Trapped with the broadsword lodged in the creature's neck, Yves desperately tried to evade the impending strike. The paw connected, momentarily causing Yves to lose consciousness as he was flung into a stone wall, crashing through it and landing in a courtyard littered with lifeless bodies.

As the chaos settled, everyone's attention shifted towards the disturbance. A peculiar creature, a blend of dog, wolf, and lion, emerged from the wreckage, leaving the spectators stunned in silence. Each person wore a different expression, yet a common question reverberated through their thoughts, "What on earth is that?" The atmosphere grew tense as the mysterious being stepped out of the darkness, casting a somber atmosphere over the entire battlefield.

"What is that?" The question reverberated through the crowd, causing a wave of confusion to wash over them. Suddenly, the creature violently shook its head, capturing everyone's attention as a broadsword protruded from its neck, only to be forcefully shaken off and discarded onto the floor.

A man, previously perched atop a mound of corpses, stood up, captivating the gaze of those witnessing the unfolding spectacle. He was a tall figure with blonde hair, towering at an impressive height of 195 cm (6'4), emanating an aura of dominance. His thin eyebrows and eyes with a single eyelid spoke of a life filled with profound experiences.

Clad in a tight black chainmail shirt and adorned with a belt adorned with various items, the man wore loose brown cloth trousers that tapered around his knees. His sturdy metal boot, partially covering his toes, exuded a rugged charm.

However, two remarkable features defined him — a thick bear coat draping over his shoulders and a colossal double-ended axe hanging from his back like the bringer of death. Gleaming with golden plating and primarily adorned in a light crimson red, the axe promised a swift and merciless fate with each swing.

Approaching both the creature and Yves, the man cast a shadow of solemnity. Yves found himself lying beneath the towering figure, who peered down at him with pity in his brown eyes. As the blonde man shifted his focus to the creature, a tangible sense of anticipation filled the air, their eyes locking in a fierce gaze.

The creature growled, recognizing the imminent threat. "In the name of the All-Father, I, Níels, shall vanquish you!" declared the man. The creature lunged forward, but Níels effortlessly sidestepped, wielding his axe in a solemn dance of destiny. The battlefield was enveloped in a somber atmosphere, an unexpected twist in the tale that left a glimmer of hope lingering amidst the encroaching despair.