“PDW charge down to 10%!” Kala pushed Reecheep up the stairs urging her to move faster, while he fired down.

The dead Kinarian horde was climbing the stairs and the walls of the tree-like structure. They moved slowly, but were inexorable, like a river overflowing its banks.

“Conserve energy. The ones behind us aren’t a concern. They can’t keep up so long as we keep moving,” Cechon said.

Cluster of not-dead on the next platform, Luun’s voice came in over the communicator.

“Braal will clear them. Stay out of her way,” Cechon said.

Already scouting ahead.

Braal transferred the unconscious Alasdor to Cechon and lumbered up the stairs.

Cechon slowed the rest with a gesture.

Fast enough to stay ahead of the pursuing hordes of dead Kinarians, but slow enough to give Braal time.

“Are you certain that this will take us to the place we need to go?” Cechon said.

“Yes. There is a line at the top that will take us to the main bridge across the Sandereek River. The largest dwelling tree is located on the other side. Standard protocol in event of a wall breach on either side of the river is to use the bridges as defensible choke points. I don’t know what happened or is happening on the other side, but…” Reecheep shrugged.

“There is a chance that your soldiers and fellow guards were able to defend the bridges from the dead,” Kala said as he continually glanced back and down at the mass of dead Kinarians chasing them.

“The tactically sound action would’ve been to destroy the bridges.” Cechon said. Then he appeared to reconsider. “Unless the river poses no obstacle to the dead. There is the possibility that some of the dead are being carried away by the swift current as we speak.”

Kala’s eyes widened. “The river flows into our domain.”

“The dead are no threat individually or in small groups,” Cechon said.

“Platform is clear!” Braal called down.

Alasdor stirred as they reached it. “What is—? The hatchlings—” he staggered to his feet after Cechon had unceremoniously lowered him to the ground.

“There will be time for explanations later,” Cechon said before Reecheep could open her mouth. “All you need to know is that you must walk on your own if able. If not we will continue to carry you.”

“Immortals! Here!” The sparse, gray feathers on Alasdor’s head fanned a moment before falling flat. “Of course. Utter calamity is the only thing that would bring you out of your sacred lands. I’m a Speaker of Torn and I owe you for my life.” He looked around. “The hatchlings are dead.” A statement not a question.

“Yes, Speaker,” Reecheep said. A faint warble of sadness filled her words.

“Then we must move forward,” Alasdor said. “I must inform Torn of what transpired here and you, young guard must do the same to your superiors. I presume to ask of you honored Immortals, another boon. Will you convey us from this place of death?”

“No,” Cechon said flatly. “Our mission is to assess the threat and eliminate it if possible.”

“Of course,” Alasdor’s head bowed. “Perhaps that will give us the opportunity to escape.”

The rest of the way up is clear of not-dead, Luun’s voice interrupted.

“Then we move quickly,” Cechon said.

The group rushed up the spiraling stairs.

Although some of the dead were climbing the walls, they were slow, which meant that even though they had less distance to travel the group was still able to increase their lead.

When they finally reached the line station at the top of the structure they had time to reassess their situation and plan.

Cechon stared at the conveyance that was going to get them across to a location near the bridge.

It was basket-like. Large enough for a handful of people. It hung from the thick line in an intricate system of ropes, pulleys and wheels. There were several of the baskets in a row. Dark blood was everywhere.

“You can operate this?” Cechon turned to Reecheep.

“I think so, all guards are trained in the event of an emergency,” Reecheep said.

“What is the weight tolerance?”

“I don’t know, but each one has room for 5 adult Kinarians.”

“Braal, you’ll have to go negative on your density.”

“Understood, strike leader. Though, I won’t be able to carry my shield,” Braal said.

“Place it in the basket and when you reach the other side increase your density.”

Braal nodded and walked over to the first basket.

“Kala and Luun, you are in the next basket.” Cechon turned to the two Kinarians. “We will be in the last one.”

They complied, while Cechon took Reecheep to the control booth near the center of the line platform.

He had her instruct him on how to operate it before sending her to join Alasdor in the third basket.

Once she was inside he engaged the machinery.

Gears turned and the baskets slowly moved.

Cechon boarded the basket just as the dead began to reach the platform. “Is this the fastest this conveyance travels?” he eyed the slowly approaching dead. A mental calculation had them reaching the baskets before clearing the platform.

“Yes. It will be faster once we are off,” Reecheep said.

Cechon face was a blank mask.

Energy must be expended.

Not the others’ PDW’s. Especially Luun and Kala. The former needed a different power to be effective in combat. He judged that invisibility was still needed for scouting. While the latter’s combat potential lay solely in his PDW.

Hence, those needed to be conserved.

Which left him with one option.

Twin beams of light lanced out of his eyes and cut through the first rank of dead. He aimed for their knees and cut their legs out from under them.

The dead fell and those behind stumbled over them.

Cechon did another mental calculation.

Further energy expenditure was no longer necessary.

He had done enough to slow pursuit.

“I have questions,” Cechon turned to Alasdor as their basket finally transitioned from wooden platform to open air underneath.

“Ask them, Immortal,” Alasdor replied instantly.

“You’re a true Speaker of Torn,”

“Yes, the Riven god would strike me down if I lie.”

“Then why aren’t you able to lay the dead to rest?”

Reecheep’s eyes blinked rapidly as her head turned from one to the other.

Alasdor looked wary.

“The archives hold many stories. Histories of the distant past. So much knowledge lost and forgotten. Even among my kind, most don’t take the time and effort to review them,” Cechon said.

“And you aren’t like most,” Alasdor said.

“Have the priests forgotten? Or have you lost the ability?”

“The dead that walk… I had only thought them myths,” Alasdor sighed. “We haven’t lost the ability. All speakers have the Skill, Lay the Dead to Rest. I never understood it. There seemed to be no purpose. How wrong I was,” he shook his head, “foolish.”

“You tried it and it failed,” Cechon said.

“Oh, I tried with everything in me. With my faith in Torn, my faith in myself… it did nothing to these dead. The hatchlings…”

“The histories aren’t wrong. They are complete with verifiable evidence. Live recordings and data enough to tell me that your skill has, in the past, done exactly as its name states. These dead that walk are different from those in the past,” Cechon said. “Reecheep recalled the strange substance that the outworlder fed your people. That is the source.”

“Yes, she had mentioned that. It fits, but I can’t say for certain,” Alasdor shrugged. He was already an old man, but he seemed to deflate and fold in on himself. “This is beyond my knowledge and ability to face.”

“That will not be required from you,” Cechon said.

Silence descended as they stood in the suspended baskets slowly traveling across an arm-thick cable of tightly coiled rope. Beneath them were shorter structures, all hidden in darkness aside from the occasional flickering light orb or fire. Tiny and insignificant in the distance.

One could almost forget the presence of unknown thousands of dead Kinarians that in violation of all natural laws continued to move in a mindless hunger to kill the living. And to consume, if Braal’s assessment had been correct.

Cechon was in tentative agreement with his stronghold. He had seen the evidence in the remains of the hatchlings that Reecheep and Alasdor had tried to protect.

In that this new form of dead that walked shared similarities with the ones of their world’s ancient past.

Their difference lay in the nature of the unnatural affliction.

The past was clear. Such abominations were strictly magical in nature.

But now?

If Reecheep’s recollection was accurate, he had no reason to disbelieve her, then the new variety was born from a foreign substance forcibly ingested. Biological? Chemical? A mixture of the two?

The outworlder had the answers to those questions.

Cechon intended to obtain them, no matter what it took.

They passed through a thick cloud of smoke that had the two Kinarians wheezing and coughing.

The Sentinels were unaffected and Cechon could only look on with guarded sympathy.

He doubted that the two were capable of escaping the town and logic told him that even if he did find a safe space for them to hide. It would only be a matter of time before the dead found them.

They reached the terminus station of the quaint, but effective conveyance in under a half hour.

The Sentinels had secured the platform by the time Cechon’s basket locked into place.

“No signs of not-dead,” Luun said. “Shall I scout a path down?”

Cechon nodded and the tall Sentinel vanished from sight. He checked his PDW charge. It had increased by 10% in the time it took to cross the distance. The internal energy source in their armor could keep the weapon and its systems charged indefinitely as long as they had access to the sun’s light. The issue was the speed at which the weapon could be charged when weighed against the drain in their current situation.

They waited in silence for another half hour before Luun’s voice came in over the communicator.

No not-dead in this structure. Shall I continue to the bridge?

“Yes,” Cechon said. “We proceed,” he told the rest.

As always Braal led the way, followed by Cechon, the two Kinarians and Kala in the rear.

Old blood was splattered everywhere they looked. Claw marks were haphazardly carved into the wooden flooring and walls, even the ceiling.

Cechon could only imagine that Kinarians had tried to escape their dead by leaping up and clinging to the ceiling. To think of them desperately hanging from their talons until their strength gave out, plunging them into the waiting arms and teeth of what was once their families or friends was unpleasant, so he stopped.

They reached the bottom of the structure when Luun contacted Cechon again.

The bridge will be a problem. I’ve eyes on a broken wall across the middle and what appears to be two outworlders standing guard.

“Understood. Remain hidden and observe. We are on our way.”

They found cover in the lowest level of a structure with a clear sight line to the bridge.

Cechon studied the two outworlders through the enhanced visual modes in his helmet.

Their glossy, black armor was made of a composite of materials that suggested protecting from cutting forces and ballistic impact. Superior to anything else in the world, not counting sentinel gear.

The weapons in their hands read as projectile weapons with chemically-propelled ammunition. The Sentinels had made use of such weaponry thousands of years ago. How powerful they were was unknown.

Braal’s thick armor was likely safe, but his own armor, let alone Luun’s and Kala’s were much thinner.

There was heat coming from the outworlders, but alarmingly less than expected from beings of their size.

Whether that was due to the encompassing armor or another reason was unknown.

“Reecheep, confirm. These are the outworlders that you saw?” Cechon said.

“Yes, but there were more and the leader had long, straw-colored hair,” Reecheep said.

“The bridge wall is broken. Then the dead have already reached the eastern half of town. Hope is lost.” Alasdor bowed his head. Gray feathers drooped.

Reecheep felt her own brighter plumage fall.

“You two will remain here,” Cechon said. “Braal, you and I will approach with stealth. Luun, get to optimum firing range, but remain concealed until I give the signal.” The communicator clicked with wordless confirmation. “Once I’m in range, Braal will draw their attention, while the two of us engage.”

“My duties, strike leader?” Kala said.

“Protect the Kinarians.”

Kala gave a curt nod.

Braal and Cechon descended to ground level as they used trunk-like structures of varying shapes and sizes to creep closer to the bridge.

They were nearing their destination when a loud burst shattered the night’s stillness.

They spotted me through invisibility, Luun’s words came out in ragged gasps over the communicator. I’m injured, projectile weapon. Penetrated my armor. Through my left shoulder. Aid systems already addressing the damage. I’m relocating.

Braal and Cechon rushed forward.

Stealth was no longer their primary concern.