“BANG CRASH BANG BANG BANG CRASH THUMP THUMP THUMP.” Destruction sounded throughout the Inn.

And, for the second time tonight, my eyes snapped open from my slumber, still in the twilight.

The rain pattered against the wall, a heavy moisture in the air, but my thoughts were elsewhere. “Yark, can’t my yarking day be normal!” Problems are once again coming.

The walls shook as vibrations recoiled through the building. Muffled yelling sounded from downstairs, but it’s muffled under the pink noise of the rain.

The rattling continued non-stop from downstairs as what seemed to be pieces of furniture were being thrown about. “A brawl in the lobby?” The sound increases in violence after the question, like a group of people taking some hammers and destroying the walls.

The noises turned into a constant rumble, now joined by a gurgling. “Asfs… hshsa…. Fhasa… sfha.” Mushy and weirdly organic. “Ya, that ain’t a brawl, it’s a massacre.”

I flung about and threw on my armor once again. I didn’t get the straps perfectly tightened, but good enough for now as I threw away the pointless stealth tactics, hustling my way over to the stairs. The screams and yells got louder as I approached the epicenter.

And at the top of the stairs, I stood still, frozen.

Something flew across the room and slammed into the stairs below me. The wood splintered into different directions, luckily missing me. A purple and black mush with twisted roots greeted me. It looked familiar as I used [Identify Soul].

[Evil Myconid]

“Yark.”

The all familiar creature laid before me, but it was different. It squirmed, making me jump back as it tried to get up, but it flopped down the stairs with some thumps to match. Before the creature hit the bottom, I looked away, viewing the mess of a lobby, noticing what exactly was different.

The purple that laid throughout their body was vibrant, almost annoyingly bright. A couple of spots of a black infection laid on their faces, but far less than the ones on the mountain path.

It’s a cluster yark to say the least. Nothing resembling furniture and at least 10 Evil Myconids in some state of attacking the nearest human. Several were on the ground screaming in pain, grabbing their limbs. A few were unresponsive, lying silently on the floor, dead or asleep, and I wouldn't bet on the latter.

“AHHHHhhhHhHHhh, FUCKING KILL THEM, WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE THINGS.”

“NOOOOO, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”

“AHHHHhHHH, BBBBLLGGGHhhHHH.”

Unsure how it even got to this point, but the Barren Moons group were doing the most damage as Issac and Garnot surrounded Royse, swinging their blades and at any that dared to get too close.

Their strikes were swift, one fluid motion to strike down those before them. Their hoods were down in the chaos, revealing their full faces, but I couldn't care less. My survival was in direct danger.

The Evil Myconids fell to their attacks, but I saw another four entering the lobby from the main entrance.

Garnot broke off from the group with a stomp to the ground, letting the wood snap beneath his foot as he pushed off. He flew across the room, bringing his long sword down in one swing. The newest Evil Myconid, sliced into two, like nothing was there. The familiar black infection from within splatters to the wood, producing a smoke upon contact.

I gulped. What the yark! How did they get into the town? Isn’t that what a yarking wall is for?!

Garnot moved again, letting his body twist as he put every bit of energy into the sword. The flowing movement continued strike by strike, making more fall beneath his blade. The four were now dead. Impressive. But the time to finish the 4 allowed 6 more to enter, a never-ending stream.

Step by subtle step, I backed into the hallway, remaining unnoticed by those below. I tried to control my breathing, attempting to hold myself together, but it didn’t last long as my hands shook, ignoring my commands to stop them.

“Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok. Gotta calm down.” I rush out the words.

Why are they here and how did they get inside the city? A flurry of thoughts passed, but there’s only one option to survive whatever night this turned into.

I need to get out of here now. Right now.

I turned around after losing sight of the events below and rushed back to my room. “Just when I yarking got recovered!”

With my hand on the door handle, I paused. Why the yark does this keep on happening? I couldn’t get a break at this rate.

Opening the door, I reached for the nearest chair and blocked the door by wedging it underneath the handle. I grabbed my bag, wrapping it around my shoulders and moved to the window.

Unfortunately, the scene out into the watery paradise adds to my distress.

It’s a mess of [Evil Myconid]’s flooding into nearby buildings with screaming following shortly after, adding to the anguish in my chest. The rain was still falling, but only a light sprinkle remained. The puddles in the street splash about as their circular feet impact the road.

Dumbstruck, I just let the scene pass before me.

“HELP, HELP. NOOOOOOOOO. NOOOOOO. DON’T KILL HER. NOOOOO, NOOOOO, noooo….” The cry drains into the surroundings, beneath all the footsteps and others alike.

The sound of pained cries for help, watching everything pass before me.

…

…

…

It took some time for everything to dawn on me. People were dying, and this town was going nowhere. I was lucky with the Evil Myconids when I first left the bunker, but the ones here are much healthier, and something tells me it wouldn’t go the same way in a fight.

“NO NO NO NO NO NO NO< AHHHHHHHH, YES, FUCK YOU… AGBRLGH, AHHHHHHHHH… AH… ah.. Ah.”

The suffering abruptly stopped, the cries to never grace the light of day again. The souls of the suffering. Lost forever. A saddening realization, but I would be next before long.

The shaking in my hands transferred to my legs as I wobbled side to side. Being unstable, I sat down with my back against the wall, underneath the window.

Placing my head into my hands, I pulled my thoughts from wandering around.

Evil Myconid are invading the town and killing people within. I let out the breath of air I’ve been unknowingly holding, letting the air return a second later.

“I’m next if I do nothing.” The Barren Moon group was capable, but at this rate, who knows how long they can hold up. There were at least a couple hundred roaming the streets, so it’s going to be difficult for everyone.

I have a few shots with [Mana Bolt], but only when I’m in dire need. There's a good chance I’ll be able to use it without being caught, as the chaos provides an excellent distraction, but is it even going to be effective?!

Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok…

I can’t waddle inside my mind, or death awaits. I already know I need to leave, so how do I do that!?

First things first, first things first, first things first. The thoughts ramble, trying to get my thoughts in order.

On the way out… Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, On the way out, I need some food and anything else I can get my hands on or I might die without having the chance to get anywhere.

I can head further into the kingdom until I reach another settlement. I doubt I’ll be able to get a map in all this chaos, so the only direction I know with more settlements is south, further into the kingdom. Any other direction could take me into the unknown, beyond the border. I was already there, so I consider myself lucky not running into monsters, but I’m not doing that again. Mana’s on my side, but I doubt that’s enough to offset my meager capabilities.

I have to get to Sly as well. Luckily, it’s in the direction I’m already heading, so no detours needed. He may be already… dead, but… I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t try.

I closed my eyes, pulling myself together for what needs to be done. With some determination on my face, I stood back up. The noise downstairs continued, probably actually destroying the walls at this rate. Surprised sounds of pain have died down, replaced by that of yelling and shouting to those left alive. The Barren Moons group picked up on it much quicker than the rest, a testament to their skill, but I doubt that's enough to save everyone still alive in the inn.

With a rough idea laid out, I opened the window. Looking up, there's a slight overhang from the thatched roof, but I’d be on my own as soon as I tried to get up there.

The distance to the ledge wasn’t too far and I could get my arms onto the roof before my feet would leave the window sill. The roof wasn't too steep as well, so I could stick to the surface if I kept on all fours. I faced downward, the all familiar stream of Evil Myconids continued. “Ya, looks like up is the only option.”

I re-strapped the portions of my armor that were not up to par from my rush to the lobby earlier and shook my body back and forth. “Ok, firmly attached.” There’s going to be a lot of running, and I needed everything to go right.

I closed my eyes and took the last breath, collecting my raging heart, calming my shaking limbs, and stealing my mind for the rough night ahead.

“Let’s go.”

I lifted my leg up, placing it on the window ledge. I’m only getting one chance to make this work and I’m not dying today.

I bring the other foot up, wedging myself in the window with one hand on the upper portion of the windowsill. Ignoring the movement below, I reached for the roof's ledge, sticking my hand underneath the loose latch and grabbing the wooden support underneath. “One shot, Ayla, one shot.” I exhaled one last time and… go for it! Anchoring my grip as my knuckles whiten.

I pushed off and gave it my all, trying to swing outward and bring my other hand further up the roof, forcing my hand into the thatch and gripping the wooden supports. With the best grip I was going to get, I pulled upward and swung my legs over the edge, doing an awkward roll as I got all my limbs onto the roof.

“Ahh… ahh… ahhh… ahhh…” Now laying on the roof, my heavy breathing shows just how much physical strength I’ve gained. “Come on, that was only 5 seconds of exertion” The sprinkle of rain dots my face, stinging with each hit, as I turned to the side and closed my eyes. My armor and cloak distributed most of the impact, not to mention that it wasn’t the raging storm from a few hours past.

“At least I’m up here. That could have gone much worse.” Looking down to the road, the sea of Evil Myconids continued to pour through. It all looked the same, but the group from Barren Moons brought the fight to the doorway of the inn. A good strategy to minimize the area they need to defend as one Evil Myconid after another gets sliced down as Issac and Garnot take turns dealing blows with their swords.

I shuffled around and got on all fours, taking care to only put weight on the wooden supports underneath. I moved one limb at a time with the wet thatch providing a challenging assent. The wetness saturated the clothes underneath my armor, making the coldness stick into my skin, but I pushed on.

At the roof’s ridge, I stadle it, putting one leg on either side and viewing my next unfortunate destination.

“Man, I really didn’t think this though.” The gap between the nearby buildings looked uncomfortably far. Or maybe it was my body not agreeing with my mind. “What a fun night this is going to be.”

“Gotta keep to the supports or I’m gonna stick a leg right through the ceiling underneath.” I continued over to the edge. Fortunately, the next building had a wooden roof which should be able to catch my momentum.

Looking past the next roof along my path, I planned my route ahead. Nothing seemed unmanageable, but it’s going to take a hot second or two. Crouching up, I get into position to jump. This is going to take all night if I’m slow. And the longer I stay here, the worse my chances are.

One, two, three. I pushed off.

The wooden support creek with the added force, but it held. I caught a few splotches of rain in the face, almost hitting my eyes, but I kept them peeled, preparing my landing.

I stumbled onto the wooden roof. A few planks crack underneath my weight, but I stabilized myself after a second. “Ugh… Ok, ok, ok, need to keep this up.” A few scrapes from along my leather armor, but I was unharmed otherwise.

“I’m surprised that it worked so well.” I moved my gaze to the next target, preparing myself for the night ahead of me.

Roof-by-roof, getting smother in my landings and navigation across. Shouts and painful cries sounded from beneath, but even I wouldn't be able to defend myself, let alone protect others. It’s a painful thought, but I try to let it pass through. My life’s on the line, and a moment of delay will be the end.

The chevaliers and guards should be able to handle the invasion, but there is no sight of them. Even once they get the situation under control, there will be a significant amount of damage to property and civilians. A shivering thought, one that formed a deep well within my chest.

But the real question is, how did they get into the city and past the wall? Shouldn’t the gate be closed during the night? Especially with this storm going on. I looked back to the swarm of Evil Myconids traversing below and followed them to an origin. Eventually landing on the same twisting turbulent mana in the distance.

It was easier to view on the roof, but all it did was increase tonight's discomfort, so I looked away with a jut.

I couldn't quite see what was happening at the origin, but they were coming from that general direction. That made some sense given what I’ve seen, but shouldn't there have been at least some signs? What was the chevalier captain, Ilbertus, even doing? Was he evil all along?

He seemed half decent given his righteous talk back at the library, but appearance could be deceiving. He led the attack on Stool, someone with turbulent mana, albeit weaker than what’s in the town. They could be unrelated, but I highly doubted that.

Ok, if it’s not him, then who is it? Someone with more power? I don’t know enough, but a person with enough power could be the lord. The guards in the inn seemed to like him, so that's probably not the case. The only other person I could think of is the man at the merchant company. I don’t know his position, but the people in the shop seemed quite stiff around him. If the turbulent mana means he’s evil like Stool, then he’s the prime candidate.

Regardless, I can’t even get near him, let alone fight him. I could fire my [Mana Bolt] from a distance, but even that would be too risky with its poor range.

I shook my head, regaining my concentration. Can’t lose focus now or I’ll be next. Moving my thoughts from the night’s potential cause, I set my next target. Food.

A couple more rooftops away is such a store. I passed by them on my way to Pioneering Merchant, Raven’s Meat. They sold some dried meat that should last me a few weeks if I can grab enough.

I traversed over, ignoring the movements below. I edged my way down the wooden planks and peered over the edge, viewing the alley behind the shop. “No movement below, should be safe in the constricted alley, especially since the Myconids could only come one by one.”

I laid on my belly and moved off with my legs dangling down. My fingers barely held on as my feet touched the railing below. I took a second to stabilize myself, then hopped down, landing on the wooden platform outside the building's rear entrance, taking care to minimize the impact.

I took another look around, making sure that nothing heard me. The chaos going on the other side of the buildings helped to keep my silence. There wasn’t too much yelling and screaming now, just a mass of bodies marching along the road. I’ve been moving around, but haven't seen too many other humans doing the same. Few seem to have made it outside their homes. Unfortunate, there's nothing I can do.

Just a single girl who has no clue what anything is. I’ve barely got my bearings on this crazy word, then this yark happens. Get food, then get out of yarking city and head south, but even that might not even be an option anymore. Whatever direction can get me out of the city will work.