Forging harmony.

CHAPTER 24: STONE BENDS WHEN WATER BREAKS.

The first of Dekim’s army lurched out at twilight, using the lengthening shadows to conceal them. Walking past the outer houses they began to cut at the early evening people returning home unaware of the horror the night would hold. Dekim smiled as he was told by his water element about the first screams. He knew his undead army could not be stopped easily. He had programmed them personally before leaving to prepare the trap, leaving the now dead and bound zombie water behind to lead the massacre he had planned for the soft city.

Mercures stirred slowly like a long dormant animal, it was after all a large city that had let small children play within its stone bones. It could feel the cries, fear and build up of the death happening within its boundaries. A gradual hum became audible to the people crouched in their homes vibrating from the stone around them. Children stopped crying in fear swallowing their sobs, mothers no longer looked at the door wild eyed with fear and then the men and women of Mercures’ small army calmly took up arms knowing their families were safe in houses built to protect. No single zombie could pass over the threshold into the private family homes. They were forced to stay in the public streets and buildings.

To every rounded tower all the mundane elements flocked. Both princes may be absent but due to foresight and endless drilling each member of the army knew where to go and their tasks. The tall buildings’ stone began to warp undoing and opening up to form a low wall to ring the city. Earths formed a solid communication link, while air elements raised a shield between each tower atop the low wall. This stopped any more of the zombies entering the city so that the fire and water elements could go out and deal with the enemy now trapped within the fully awake city.

A strange sense of calm washed over Dorothy and her kisst as they rode out to help where they could to protect the first city to brave making a new way of living for people without violence.

“Master the pack is in sight.” Said the air element, weariness in her voice spoke to how hard the mad dark was pushing his enslaved pack members. He had already been forced to kill the weak earth when his failed attempt to kill Dorothy was discovered. Dekim had only just been able to deal with the problem before he was discovered. The punishing speed they were moving at to keep up with Treize and Zechs’ mounted pack had proven too much for his air and her life force was notably dwindling. When his water’s body collapsed he just bound her body making it a zombie as well. Dekim refused to let even death claim something still of use to him, so now the water stood watch over the destruction of the city, sending him reports back on its progress and also a surprise for later on.

“Blood I want the spirit ready to slow them down.” Dekim watched the eight mounted people approaching them, a twisted smile on his lips. (Almost in my trap and then the game begins.)

Wufei felt the use of fire magic a fraction of a second before a wall of flame blocked their path, another forming to their left with the sudden appearance of so much fire the battle cats growled in unease. Wufei moved to block the last wall of fire beginning on their left, a move to hem them in; currently he was able to keep it from growing more than a foot in height. He was cursing how blindly they had stumbled into the trap of Dekim’s.

(Was that not the idea love?) Soothing water mentally cooled the hot anger in his mind and the exotic man redoubled his efforts. He noted that water was now drenching the wall of flame to their left. Hot steam rose into the air and was pushed by Treize’s wind away from them.

Undead hands began to break through the ground clawing at Quatre’s legs; the brave water element blanched, visibly fighting the fear clear on his pale face. Still he battled on his work slightly wavering. More hands pulled at the fine boned blond, the ground becoming soft and sucking at his body like a bog. Now screaming, his efforts lost on the almost doused flames, as he fought to free himself. Panic rolled off him as he was finally pulled beneath the surface, earth becoming once again hard.

Heero was unable to do more than watch frozen in place as they lost the first of their pack. Mentally the silent dark man pictured how he would make Dekim pay for every mark, every bone now being broken within its stony vice. No matter the tricks he used with his element, it did nothing! He could neither pull apart nor attack what he could not feel or locate. How had the other pack grown so strong they could hide their own magic? Frustrated Heero looked about again assessing the situation around him. Wufei was teamed up with Treize to combat the last remaining fire, clearing a breathing space of an area to continue the battle. Duo and Zechs had their hands full fending off spiked balls of pulsing light whizzed at them all, seeking to distract and harm them from above but Zechs held up his shield as he had before in the ritual room.

Duo was fending off the spirit as she tried to mind walk any of them. Warmth touched his mind briefly (see if you can trace where they are my precious one.) Duo sent a kiss back to his lover. Using his element to look at the magic about then hoping to pin down where Dekim was hiding.

Trowa had cold shivers running up and down his spine. The battle was becoming confusing, too much noise for the quiet man, bringing back memories he did not want to face. Treize’s last scream echoed briefly as fire consumed him only to be smothered in his last breath. Another death to Dekim and they had as yet to make much of a mark back. Trowa could see Wufei on his knees blood running down his nose from strain. Wolf was gone in the flash of a cast pain net for her efforts at slashing Dekim’s shadow cloak hiding his slaves from sight.
From then on everything was against Dekim’s side; even the loss of Trowa himself was balanced by the blood freeing the bound spirit zombie.