Ren jolts at the drip of water on his arm. He bites back a reflexive scream and prays that none of his companions heard it.

Cave Centurian sure is dark, their only light source a scattering of luminous clumps of moss dotting the cavern’s ceilings and walls. Skitters echo throughout the narrow, winding paths, and shivers crawl down Ren’s spine. Once or twice, he sees a shadow slithering out of sight. Not unlike a snake, but at the same time, with so many legs that Ren cannot count. But, well, he should be glad that they have yet to encounter anything in this damned cave.

Ren tightens his grip upon his rod, fingers wrapped so tightly around it that they go almost numb. Millions of scenarios run through his mind, none of them desirable, his heart racing at a mile a minute. What if something drops from above? What if they have to fight a giant beetle? What if they’re eaten alive by whatever’s living in here?

The narrow cavern passageway eventually opens up to a magnificent chamber. The water emits light, soft cyan glows pulsing against the walls. Almost like a heartbeat. While the illumination is wonderful and Ren can stare at the glows for ages, he cannot quite bring himself to ignore that giant…egg in the middle of the chamber.

It’s nothing like Ren has ever seen before. Fiery red, dotted with orange splotches. It is shaped like a chicken’s egg, though goo runs down its shell, mixing with the water it stands in. The water filled with…bugs. Red, spindly arthropods floating on its surface (dead, perhaps?), those slim, disjointed legs and antenna sending shivers down Ren’s spine. They’re not just in the water, but also on the walls. But those on the walls are…moving…

“What is that?” Penny whispers.

Gridel goes stiff, her hand reaching for her crossbow. Vane steps forward, drawing his sword just as the egg quivers. Its gentle trembles soon evolve into violent shakes, and Ren almost topples as the cave itself begins to quake.

“Get back!” Vane holds his sword in front of him, and Gridel readies a bolt. Penny whips out her dirk as well, and Ren, his rod.

The cracking of the shell deafens Ren as eggshells explode and stab the walls and floor. The red bodies on the wall chitter and shriek, their hundred legs clattering about on the stone. Ren screams at the centipede that dropped on his shoulder, slapping frantically at the creepy-crawly.

A bolt sails by Ren’s head and strikes the centipede above him. The centipede screeches and hits the wall, pinned by the bolt and moving no more. Ren opens his mouth to thank Gridel, but he stops short at the wave of red marching towards them in a haphazard mess. And the newborn that just emerged from the egg.

The flaming crimson creature towers over them, hissing and snarling as it stares them down with black, unblinking eyes. It snaps its mandibles together, almost in a rhythm, as if egging its minions on. How in the world is that thing a baby, or is Ren missing something here?

In any case, they have to do something about the raging wave right now. Ren stares, wide-eyed at the sea of centipedes, crawling from the walls, emerging from the waters. Making for them.

Vane drives his blade into the ground, summoning stalagmites that shoot up from the earth. The centipedes scatter, some tossed back, some squashed against the ceiling, most skirting around the rising columns. There are just too many of them, too many to—

“Take this!” Penny runs to Vane’s side, slashing wildly at the approaching wave. A blade of water slices the centipedes, pushing back the bugs and sending them splattering against the wall.

The giant centipede cries out, throwing its head back, its body flashing a bright red. All of a sudden, the chamber grows hotter and a heatwave washes over the room. Beside him, Penny coughs, a hand flying up to her throat. The centipede roars and summons another wave of centipedes, crawling out from the crevices in the wall.

Penny drops to her knees, dirk clattering to the ground as she gasps for air. Vane’s bent over his sword, features contorted and shoulders shaking. Only Gridel remains relatively fine, though beads of perspiration roll down her face, as she fires bolt after bolt. Each stab of the bolt into the ground whips up a mini-tornado, white sickles of air cutting the centipedes up like a blender.

“Your Reverence! Vane!” Gridel calls, unable to lighten her assault and rush to their aid. The giant centipede bellows once more, and all Ren can see is a giant fireball conjured between its mandibles. Ren can even feel its heat all the way across the chamber.

That thing is going to attack with that fireball, and if Ren doesn’t do anything…

He only has seconds.

Ren sprints forward, soles scrunching the dirt as he makes for the wave of centipedes.

“Your Reverence! What are you doing!” Gridel shouts, but Ren doesn’t listen. Instead, he plants himself firmly between the giant centipede and his teammates. He raises his rod, breaths coming quick and shallow as he stares it down.

If he’s wrong about this, he’s dead, but if he’s right…

The centipede launches its flames. Ren can only hold his rod out, praying to the heavens, to Gaia or to Ignis or whatever other spirit is out there. He squeezes his eyes shut, jaw clenching as brilliant flame splashes red against the back of his eyelids.

But the sizzling char of the fire never did come. Ren peeks open an eye, before wincing and squinting. The fireball is cleaved in two—divided by his rod—and the stream of fire smashes into the walls, into the centipedes upon them. The ruby orb on his rod glimmers, as if the spirit housed within dances in joy.

The fireball dissipates into smouldering embers, and energy drains from Ren. He loses strength in his legs, and his shoulder hits the wall.

“Your Reverence!” Gridel grabs his arm and pulls him back. The giant centipede chitters, mandibles clacking once more to the rhythm of a march. Its underlings follow its command, storming the chamber once more, making for the intruders. But the crowd seems to be significantly smaller than before…

It gives Ren hope, that there’s an end to this onslaught.

A yell has Ren glancing back, Penny’s dirk missing him by a mere inch. She runs towards the mass of centipedes, slashing and bashing as she does. Following closely behind her is Vane, who appears to have regained most of his vitality as well.

The giant centipede rears back once more, preparing another fireball. Penny wades through the water (filled with more centipede corpses, Ren might add), her dirk shimmering with a bluish aura.

“Take this, you motherfucker!”

Penny jams her blade into the centipede’s underbelly, blue blood oozing from it. The centipede screeches in pain, and the fireball dissolves. Penny plucks her dirk from the centipede’s body at the same time Vane cuts with his sword. More blood gushes, sizzling blood that sprays to the ground, but the flesh wound is not enough to do the monster in.

The centipede brings its head down in one swift move, mandibles snapping around Penny’s waist. She screams as she is lifted into the air, arms flailing and legs floundering.

“Penny!” Ren wants to run after her, but the first step he takes has him stumbling against the wall again. Gridel fires a shot from above his head, smacking the giant centipede in its head, missing Penny by inches.

“What are you doing?” Ren snarls, turning back to Gridel.

“I’m trying to save Her Reverence!” Gridel grits her teeth as she nocks another bolt. A sharp shout has Ren glancing back at the battle. Vane made his way onto the centipede’s back, sword acting as a grip to climb its long, coiled body. Penny pushes against its jaw, against its slobber. If only Ren can move, if only he can will his legs to move…

Or if there’s only another way to kill it…

Think, Ren, think! Put those brains of yours to good use! This thing is a centipede. It’s big, and can shoot fireballs, but it’s still a centipede…

Dead centipedes…floating in the water…

“Penny!” Ren shouts. “Stab it in the head! Now!”

For a moment, Ren can only hope that his message reached her. His worries are put to rest in the next instant, because Penny raises her dirk high above her head and sends it smashing into the centipede’s exoskeleton.

The centipede shrieks as water bursts from the knife. Penny twists and turns the dirk, driving it deeper and deeper into its head. Blue blood spurts, washed away by the sudden spring of water. The water only grows in volume, till it engulfs the centipede’s head.

The centipede lets go of Penny, dropping her into the waters below. Vane makes it to the top of the centipede’s head. He raises his sword high, and with a single strike, lobs the centipede’s head clean off its body.

The head goes tumbling into the water, crashing into the pool just inches from where Penny landed. Penny pulls herself to her feet, brushing away bits of centipede clinging to her clothes and skin, the barest hints of disgust on her face. Ren slumps against the wall as the adrenaline wears away, and he fights to keep his eyes open.

The centipede’s massive body falls to the ground, taking Vane with it. The rest of the centipede army, their leader lost, retreats into the dark of the walls. Vane hops off the giant centipede and makes for Penny.

“Your Reverence, are you alright?” Vane asks. Penny nods, a wide grin on her face, though she looks the worse for wear.

“You as well,” Gridel says, looking Ren up and down, one hand on Ren’s arm. “Are you in need of medical attention?”

That was an eloquent way of asking if he needed help.

“Uh…no,” Ren mumbles. He does need a nap, though, and fast. He isn’t sure he can walk much longer.

“In any case, we should leave before the centipedes return, if they do,” Vane calls from the waters. The only way forward through the chamber appears to be a lone passageway beyond where the giant centipede sat. “There is no time to waste.”

“Can you walk, Your Reverence?” Gridel asks.

Ren nods. He’s not going to be babied just because he’s not as physically fit as the rest of them. Although…

“Vane, could you, uh, make a bridge or something?” Penny asks, gaze sweeping across the waters riddled with dead centipedes. “Ren has this really big fear of insects.”

“Centipedes aren’t insects,” Ren points out.

Penny frowns and shoots him a glare. “I’m trying to help you.”

“While Claymore might have an affinity with the earth, I am unable to command the elements as a mage would,” Vane says, somewhat amused by the request. In other words, he is unable to build Ren a bridge. Oh boy. “Although, if Your Reverence would like, I can ferry you across the water.”

“That’s…” Ren starts.

Penny wiggles her brows. Ren wants very much to slap that smirk off her face. Why is she so invested in this anyway?

“Fine,” Ren utters. Anything to not touch the water with…with those centipedes…

Gridel, who’s finished collecting her bolts from the chamber, goes ahead with Penny first. Vane wades across the pool to where Ren stands, fidgeting awkwardly with his rod. Without a word, Vane, quite literally, sweeps Ren off his feet, his arms under Ren’s back and knees.

“W-What—”

Ren was very much expecting a piggyback ride, and less so of a bridal carry. He is pressed up against the hard, cold plate of Vane’s armour. The water comes up to Vane’s hips, a fact that Ren is made acutely aware as he tries to keep his feet above the water. The crossing is short, and Ren and Vane make it to the other end without any issue. Vane lets him down, and Ren wobbles. Crap, he forgot about the exhaustion.

Vane steadies him with fingers curled tight around his arm. Ren peers up at him, gulping as he meets his inquiring gaze.

“You don’t seem too well,” Vane observes, forehead wrinkled. “A reddened face is often a sign of overexertion.”

Overexertion barely scratches the surface. Ren wants to collapse on his feet right there and then.

“We will find someplace to rest,” Vane says. “It is still a ways to Mount Hilbeck.”

Ren opens his mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by Penny. “Hey! Over here!”

They must have found the exit. Oh, how Ren wants to remove himself from this cavern. This cave of thin, wriggly abominations. But once they leave the cave, they will be at the mercy of the Horseman of Death that patrols the skies. That means that they would need to find shelter quickly.

“From here on out, it’ll be uncharted territory, for both myself and Vane,” Gridel says. “No one’s ventured out past Cave Centurian before.”

“How do we know where Mount Hilbeck is, then?” Penny asks. “Do you have a map?”

“It will be evident once we leave the cave,” Vane says. “In any case, we need to find somewhere His Reverence may rest.”

Vane takes charge and leads the way. Penny grabs Ren’s arm and tugs him towards the exit. Gridel follows behind. Time to leave those dusty caverns once and for all.

*

Emerging from the cave into a narrow corridor surrounded by mountains on either side, Ren can see what Vane means. Just ahead of them, past another couple of mountains or so, is a black, swirling cloud. There, the Horseman of Death should reside, upon his black palace built on the peak of the mountain.

“That’s Mount Hilbeck,” Gridel says.

“So, we just need to kill the Horseman’s heart and we can get rid of him for good, right?” Penny says.

“That’s the idea,” Vane says.

Something strange niggles at the back of Ren’s mind. Something’s not quite right about this, but Ren can’t seem to put his finger on it…Not with his brain all melted mush anyway.

They trudge past the narrow corridor, their voyage witnessed only by the crimson sky. No sign of the Horseman in sight, and Ren hopes they don’t ever see it. Eventually, the mountain corridor delivers them to a giant field, and is that…

“Is that a village?” Penny finishes Ren’s thought, pointing at a cluster of houses in the distance. They look like they’re built of stone and straw, nothing that can withstand the might of the apocalypse. Ren will be surprised if they find anyone living there.

Gridel hums. “It’s likely abandoned, but we can see if we can use that spot as a rest stop.”

At that moment, Ren hears a growl. It sounded close, almost like…

“Sorry,” Penny says, rubbing her belly. “I’m really hungry.”

“It’s no matter,” Vane says. “The King and Queen have graciously supplied us with provisions. We can eat at the village.”

“But what if the Horseman finds us?” Ren asks. “Aren’t we supposed to remain underground or something?”

“Staying indoors in one of those houses shouldn’t be a problem,” Gridel says. “After all, the Horseman only searches from the skies. If he can’t see us, I doubt he’d attack.”

They should hurry, then, before the Horseman comes looking. Together, the team of four makes for the remote village, tucked between two mountain ranges, relief for their aching bodies.

*

The village is, as Gridel predicted, empty. The whole place seems to have almost been entirely reclaimed by nature. Most houses are wrecked, though there remains two that are decidedly liveable, given their circumstances. Ivy and vines grow all over the rocks, around the rotted fences that surrounded ashen, grassy fields. Animal bones stick out like sore thumbs on the dirt roads.

What irks Ren, however, during their survey for suitable housing, is the vast plot of graves situated at the farthest end of the village. Stones of all shapes and sizes dot the grounds, the soil an ashen grey. For a place ruled by Death, it only stands to reason that there will be graves, but…

It still sends a shiver down his spine.

The team gathers in one of the bigger houses, the place sparsely-furnished, but whatever furniture there is remains intact. There is only one bed, quilt coated with a thin layer of dust. Penny settles down on it with no complaints.

Vane reaches into the pouch on his belt and retrieves a couple of pieces of bread. Ren takes it gratefully, sitting by Penny’s feet. It’s plain bread, the same kind that Ren eats at home, but it’s still better than nothing.

They partake in their humble meal in silence, though by the end of it, Ren’s stomach makes its wishes known with a noisy rumble. Ren gulps, partly hoping no one noticed, and partly hoping that if they did, they wouldn’t say anything.

His hopes are dashed rather quickly when Vane stands.

“Would you like me to go and hunt?” he asks. “There were a few forests around here…”

“N-No, it’s fine.” Ren doesn’t want to be more of a burden than he already is. Being whiny back in the castle, not particularly helping in the fight earlier, and now asking for more morsels?

“I could go with you,” Penny pipes up, as if Ren hasn’t said anything. “I want to learn how to hunt.”

“There’s no guarantee we’d be able to find anything,” Vane says. “But you may come if you wish.”

“I will stay here with His Reverence, then,” Gridel says.

“I can come too,” Ren argues. “I’m the one who’s hungry.”

“You will only slow us down if you do,” Vane says sternly. “One should never hunt on an empty stomach.”

Ren deflates. Penny pats his head and ruffles his hair, like an older sister would a younger brother. “It’s okay, Ren-ren. We’ll be back before you know it. You can come with us some other time.”

Ren tries not to show the guilt clawing at his chest. Vane picks himself off the ground, and he and Penny leave the hut. The hut is plunged into silence, save for Gridel’s chewing as she savours her slice.

“I’ve…not had a chance to ask this of you, Your Reverence,” Gridel says suddenly. Ren’s gaze snaps over to her. “But…you…from where did you and Her Reverence hail?”

“Didn’t the King and Queen tell you?”

Gridel shakes her head. “I heard you were from a place called Britain, and that is all I know. How did you come to find yourself in our lands?”

“It’s complicated,” Ren says, but Gridel presses.

“We have time. It will be a while before Her Reverence and Vane return.”

And so, seeing no way out of this, Ren explains everything. About Mrs Russell, the onyx ring (that he hopes Penny still carries on her person), the Sun God’s Blessing, and how they ended up in this world.

“Britain is not in this world, then?” Gridel asks.

Ren nods. “Apparently not. Or, at least, I don’t think so.”

“And now, you’re looking for a way home.”

“Yeah,” Ren says. He shivers as the wind suddenly blows, whipping through the small windows carved into the walls. “Penny and I…we didn’t know anything about any Luminary. We’re just regular kids who liked to frolic. That’s all.”

“I see,” Gridel mumbles. “I must…apologize. For what I said to you back in the castle.”

“What you said to me?”

“I called you pathetic. To be honest, I had expected a valiant hero,” Gridel confesses. “I expected someone who knew what to do. A leader. Well, Her Reverence does fit the bill, but you…”

Ren laughs. “First impressions matter a lot. I get it.”

“Your courage earlier was impressive. It completely overturned my expectations.”

Ren flushes. “That’s…good to hear.”

He isn’t sure what came over him either. One moment, he was entirely repulsed by those centipedes, his trembling legs wanting to skedaddle as fast as he can out of there, but the next… He leapt in to save Penny and Vane. Ifrit cut the fireball in half, sparing them from imminent demise. It was as if his body was not his own.

Speaking of that, Ren was totally unaffected by the sweltering air earlier, unlike the rest of his team. Could Ifrit have had something to do with that?

Just then, the howl of a wolf rings out. Ren shudders. Gridel peers out the window.

“They must have found something,” Gridel mutters. She hardly meets his gaze, twitching brow betraying her uneasiness. What is there to be uneasy about?

As if to answer his question, a cacophony of clopping hooves has Gridel grabbing Ren’s collar and dragging him to the ground. Ren coughs as the cloth tightens around his neck, as he’s squashed against the wall and the floor. A dark shadow overruns the sky, like the coming of a storm.

Then, through the tiny window, Ren sees it. A team of horses galloping through the air, with the accursed Horseman at its head. They glide like a flock of crows, spreading wisps of black with each step, blocking out even the red of the sky. The horses sail over their heads, and Ren holds his breath as he waits for them to pass.

His heart thunders in his ears, even louder than the coursing blood in his veins. Ren watches as the last of the horses gallop past, leaving nothing but their shadows behind. The clouds of black descend upon the village, shrouding them in the dark fog. Then, the red sky returns, and the Horseman and his team is gone.

That was way too close for comfort.

“Vane and Her Reverence…” Gridel hops to her feet. “We must find them. Quick!”

Right. If the Horseman was alerted by that howl, then Penny and Vane may be in danger! There’s no time to lose, so they must get going…

But a sudden groan has Ren glancing around for the source. The black wisps of fog aren’t going away. If anything, they’re getting denser and denser, till all Ren can see around him is pitch-blackness, and all Ren can smell is…death.

The stench of rotting corpses.

“That’s…” Gridel begins, jaw slack. Ren follows her gaze, only to stare straight at what appears to be a shambling horde of bodies making for them. They are but mere silhouettes in the fog, but Ren has watched enough zombie movies to know what those are.

What are apocalypses without zombies?

“Your Reverence! We must go!” Gridel says, dragging Ren to the door and yanking it open. The very act alone makes the house shudder, and for a single moment, Ren fears that the roof may very well collapse and smash their heads in.

Unfortunately, greeting them on the other side of that door is none other than a zombie, innards spilling from its crumbly midsection. Ren bites back a scream, but Gridel does not flinch. She raises her crossbow and fires a bolt right into the zombie’s head. The bolt buries itself deep, drilling through skull, and the zombie goes flying into its brethren.

“Come, Your Reverence. This place is no longer safe!”

The horde moves quickly, feet shuffling against the dirt. Fraying cloths hang from their person, wrapped around bone and flesh. Most are bald—not that Ren expected anything else—skin stretched tight around empty sockets and missing lips. Gridel slams her crossbow back into the strap on her back and whips out what appears to be a knife.

Her knife cuts through the air as easily as a boat would cut through water. The knife incapacitates a zombie, sending the thing sprawling to the ground. Gridel takes Ren’s arm and they run.

Is this the doing of the Horseman, Ren can’t help but wonder. Did the Horseman revive these corpses with his diabolical magic? Did he know that they were hiding out in that lonely hut?

More importantly, is the Horseman himself going after Penny and Vane?