AvA: World-Wide War

Ch. III - The Stirring

Chosen fit the floor hard and tasted blood. Everything around him was shaking— the floor, the walls, the furniture. Dust rained from the ceiling. Broken glass and splintered wood littered the floor. All the lights had been extinguished, but late-afternoon sunlight peeked through the broken windows.

The queer thing was that it was blood red.

"Purity?" Chosen coughed, getting up and wiping the blood from his forehead.

"Here," came her voice.

He found her huddled under the cracked table. Cuts and scratches covered her arms and legs. She looked up as Chosen approached.

"Are you okay?" Chosen asked, holding out his hand.

Purity took it. "Yeah. But how about you?"

"I'll be fine." Chosen touched his cut briefly. "It's nothing serious."

The room shook again. More dust rained.

"Let's get out of here," Chosen suggested, "Before the building collapses."

—

Out on the front steps, they surveyed the village— or at least, what had once been the village. Now, it was reduced to rubble and, judging from the utter silence, devoid of any form of life.

"It's still shaking," Multi muttered. "This can't be good."

"Victim, Cobalt," Chosen called.

The two sticks hurried over, accompanied by Silverfrost and Metale.

"What's the situation?" Chosen asked.

"Something strange is going on," Victim muttered.

"Indeed," Cobalt agreed.

"A hacker, perhaps?" Metale ventured.

"A virus?" Silverfrost suggested.

"Most likely." Cobalt nodded, then frowned. "But I've never met a virus that has the ability to destroy houses."

"The Dark Lord?"

Victim shook his head. "Dark doesn't use void magic."

"What about that follower of his?" Metale piped up.

"You mean the one with the weird staff?" Chosen asked.

Metale nodded. "He uses void magic."

"I don't know, Metale." Cobalt grimaced. "He didn't seem very powerful to me."

The ground shook violently once more. The mansion's roof collapsed inward.

"Welp, there goes our second base," sighed Smiling.

"That's not something to smile about!" Metsa exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"I'm not!" Smiling protested.

"Wait!" Cobalt suddenly pressed a hand to his temple. "I sense something..."

"Yup." Victim closed his eyes as well. "Something extremely dangerous is stirring."

"What is it?" Chosen asked cautiously.

"Not sure..." Cobalt muttered. "Wait..."

All of a sudden, Cobalt's and Victim's eyes flew open, and they screamed in unison, their voices echoing through the still air: "EVERYONE, EVACUATE!!!"

Before anyone could react, however, the earth groaned and exploded beneath their feet.