Guild Of Zeroes

Chapter 12

I did my best Hawk impression and started barking orders to Mouse while Quin strapped on their vambraces and slid on their helmet. On my orders, Mouse built a wall out of whatever tables and ancient shelves we could find. With the makeshift barrier in place, we settled in to wait. The plan was simple, we hold out until the Guild arrives or we die trying.

I slipped an arrow onto the string of my bow and squinted into the dark. "Mouse, can we get those lamps running again?"

Mouse nodded and scurried to the fire behind us, grabbing out a burning board and touching it to the nearest drake stone lantern. "You sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "I'm not terribly fond of sitting here next to a bunch of potentially explosive stones."

"Unfortunately, we don't have many other options," I said. "I need to see in order to shoot."

"The alternative," said Quin, standing and drawing their sword. "Is waiting here in the dark and fighting all of those walking corpses up close. At least this way, Snip can thin the herd for us first."

"I wish we didn't have to fight at all," said Mouse. "I'm not built for this."

"Well," I said. "If you feel that strongly about it, we do have an out."

Mouse laughed. "Oh right. I can bend the knee and rule over this wizard's new Empire. That's exactly what I want." He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I ran from home to avoid all of that or anything. Just the thought of growing up to run our fiefdom was too much for me. I'd be in a complete panic all day every day. I'm much better here, with my book and my studies. Things are better that way."

Quin rolled their shoulder, limbering up their sword arm. "I almost agree with what he said about me. Even with the Guild I feel like I'm wandering aimless sometimes. But someone who's willing to burn villages and raise the dead isn't someone I want anything to do with. Looking at our options, I know who I want to follow."

I turned and I could feel Quin's eyes peering at me from behind their helmet. "I hope to all hells you're not talking about me. I'm no leader."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Quin. "You're making plans, giving orders, keeping the two of us alive through this absolute nightmare of a day. Those all seem like leader things to me."

I opened my mouth to protest but Mouse cut me off. "We can argue it out later," he said. "For now I think we have company.

I turned my attention back to the mouth of the tunnel. A handful of figures shambled in, shadows flitting in front of the light spilling in from the mouth of the tunnel. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to stop my heart from bearing out of my chest.

The corpses were uncoordinated and slow. They trudged towards us at half speed, dragging their feet. It was maddening. Every second stretched into an eternity, and I was left alone with my fear. The smell of death was on the air. It was shuffling towards us step by shambling step, pushing my thoughts one step closer to darkness with every passing second.

The world was one ever churning mill stone, grinding us to dust day by day. Most people didn't feel it, they didn't notice it. You only really felt the full weight of the stone when you were taller than the grains around you, when you weren't the right shape. It was then that the millstone came down on you, shattering you, beating you into submission until you were just like everyone else. I had never asked for this. Never asked to be a fighter, or a killer. I never wanted this, but of course the world didn't care. When you were different it didn't do you any favours. No, it just hit you harder and harder until you broke and fell into line. I'd been weathering that storm for years, refusing to break and the world was clearly done with it. It was done with me, and its message couldn't be clearer. The stone was rolling and our only choice was to let it destroy us.