Something awakens.
The great players of our long drama which has changed the face of the world heed the call of their city for the last time. The City (which has become manifest as a single, mad, lumbering being) wades through the buildings, the land parting before it. Glass shatters to powder and towering architecture quivers, shakes, then tumbles like old bones to the dry and broken cobblestone streets. Morphail, newly elected as the Mayor of the city with great fanfare of hope and progress, arrives with his closest family bodyguard and the head of the Bluearms, Talaraesae. With her, she has brought along five of her best people with a varying array of skills. Balthizaad Stang of the Church of Death is the sole representative of his church. He has left the priests and the champions orders to evacuate those in harm's way and to heal the injured. Malark Darrow is drawn by his ever-present desire to be at the center of the action and gather source material for his plays and routines. Marshall has just arrived in the city with the Gunslingers. Minutes after their arrival, the city began to quake. Also leaving orders for his men and women to assist the citizenry, he makes for the center of the disturbance. Doc, one of the most talented healers of all time, is also present, compelled by his desire to reduce the harm to the innocent.
These few men and women are all that stand between the city and total destruction. They throw themselves against this force without a second thought.
As they charge the creature, a supernatural wind picks up cobblestones, dust, metal rods, and other bits and bracken which isn't nailed down. This swirling eddy of brick-a-brack surrounds the group throughout the battle and it spawns strange images from their past. As they wade in, the city forms a visage of a white wolf which grants them a healing symbol on their foreheads. Seconds later, Agnostic fighters form out of the eddy and attack. Two massive hands reach up out of the ground and impede their progress. They slam into the attackers with overwhelming power. One scoops up Balthizaad and begins carrying it towards the city's massive torso and gaping maw. Cool blue light blazes with hunger in what passes for the creature's eyesockets.
All the street-lamps in the region flare up with terrible fire and target the attackers with streaking balls of energy. The color of the flames change throughout the battle, as does the type of damage dealt to our heroes when they strike. The lamps make a point to target flying opponents, speaking to the intelligence of their foe.
During the fight, Weylund realizes that his key has been shielding him from the city's madness as it shifts its efforts to assisting the Master in offense rather than defense. The key begins whispering to Weylund about The City's weaknesses and showing him visions of things happening nearby. Also, they key begins channeling its power into the group and assisting them in their fight. Unfortunately, along with this aid, Weylund's mental architecture begins to collapse and he tries to hold on as he claws and bites his way towards The City's epicenter.
Weylund makes his way to the top of a warehouse which he awakens with the authority bestowed upon him by his title of Master of the City. The warehouse folds in on itself and stands upright, brandishing massive, steel fists. The warehouse throws itself against one of the city's hands and the two constructs grate into each other, smashing and slamming, creating a terrific din. Suddenly, the key hums and time stops for everyone but the warehouse which slides itself out of the combat with the hand and lumbers towards the city's face. When time starts again, Weylund drops onto the stone hand and the warehouse locks itself in combat with the face. In short order, both the hand and the warehouse are rubbled by their opponents.
Meanwhile, more old opponents and allies have risen from the swirling debris. Masahiro appears, and gives out nutritious treats. Number One, the swarm of brain rats, emerges and attacks the allies. Also, Goldpick appears and begins playing a rousing aria to empower the efforts of the attackers followed by a group of Martian holy warriors who throw themselves into battle with furor.
With the aid of Malark's spells, Balthizaad is able to release himself from the hand and get back towards the main thick of the battle. The hand makes several more attempts to grab for people in the group, but in the end it is no match for the constant onslaught and leadership skills of Talaraesae.
During the battle, waves roll through the earth. These tremors, instead of being centered on a point and moving out, flow in reverse, pushing our heroes towards the city's torso while they fight for their lives. Even though everything around them is a part of the city, these rolling tremors deal considerable damage to the surrounding buildings, sending masonry and plaster crashing to the streets below. As the battle goes on, buildings collapse one by one, littering the battlefield with rubble.
By this time, Weylund's key has revealed itself to be a weapon itself! He hacks and slices at The City with this key-shaped polearm as easily as an axe through flesh.
As the group is nearing The City's bulk, a cobblestone construct of Virgil rises out of the maelstrom of debris and raises his hands. A vortex appears above is head and out of it appears a cackling, green demon wielding a sword dripping with an endless supply of acid and a vicious-looking whip. The creature sends sheets of exploding acid through the group, causing significant damage. Thanks in great deal to Marshall's bullets, the creature is dispatched after a short time. Unfortunately, only a short time later, an image of Tharangg appears and hits them with a blast of Black Dragonbreath that is twice the effectiveness of the demon's attack.
Assisting the group at this late part of the battle are construct images of two beings. The first is Rourque Bannon, who's actions always harmed the city, and today is no different. Lenara also appears, and she blasts away The City's brain cap, exposing a flesh-like brain which was suceptible to mental attacks. Unfrotunately, everyone that the group had ever worked with who was capable of mental combat was not with them, including Malark, who fell back when he'd felt his spells were no longer of any use to the group.
The group finally throws themselves against The City itself. It responds by grasping at them with its massive, concrete and steel maw and chews them with a vicious glee. This does not deter them, however. An image of Tullovial appeared and resurrected one of their number who had fallen. Also, they break through The City's thick chestplate, exposing its thudding, diseased heart which they begin hacking at.
When it seems they are about to make headway, Ereshkigal appears on the battlefield. She warns of the impending arrival of her sister, Ishtar.
Ishtar's goal was apparent at her arrival. She reached out and began draining the city's heart of its power. Ereshkigal warned that if Ishtar drained enough of the city's power that she would become an even more powerful, uncontrollable, malevolent entity than before. Fortunately, her hunger for power clouds her judgment. By taking action against earthly beings, she has weakened herself, thus robbing her of her immortality and invulnerability.
Our heroes immediately lay into her with all they've got. Rifle and revolver blasts tear into her tough flesh. As she is about to drain what is left of The City's life force, Balthizaad flies up on his Nightmare, and comes between Ishtar and the city. Ishtar's channeling bolt of energy hits Balthizaad with a massive force. He doesn't even have time to scream as his body is incinerated. His armor, crafted from the metal of fallen meteors, glows with the same sickly green light as his bastard sword. His gear drops to the ground with a clatter and is sprinkled by his remains. With a final blast and a prayer, Talaraesae lands a careful shot on Ishtar and her face implodes. The body explodes before it can hit the ground and all the deific and primordial power she's drained since her quest for power began is disseminated throughout the world, given back to the people of Creation.
Tal doesn't miss a beat. She immediately swings her rifle back at The City and begins emptying her magazine. The rest of the group follows suit and in one final, decisive thrust from the key, the heart bursts and gray-red blood sputters and oozes out of the ground like magma. The head collapses in on itself and, in the end, seems nothing more than another sad pile of rubble.
They stand in silence for a while. The quiet is strange to their ears. In the warm, golden light of Jupiter, even at night they can see that for several blocks around, the city is flattened. Smoke rises up in several places. Dust is settling. They finally take a breath and take stock. Doc heals them all to the best of his ability, then takes Weylund, now in dog form, away. Even in that form, they could see the vacant, lost expression in their companion's face. He leaves the key on the ground, broken in several places and very, sadly, inert. Talaraesae and Morphail have a short discussion regarding the future of the city at this point, and they decide to leave together in Tal's carriage.
The two chitchat amicably while their bodyguards look at their hands and shoes and anything that's not each other. The cart trundles along, avoiding rubble. When it crosses the border of the anti-magic zone, the illusory images projected on the walls as "windows" disappear into static and Talaraesae strikes out at Morphail, caving in his nose. Blood spurts onto his clothes and the floor.
The four fight a desperate battle for their very lives. Never has a foe so challenged any of the fighters in the carriage. Matthalas brings down his rifle and begins firing at point-blank range, drawing attacks of opportunity from Morphail's bodyguard. Morphail strikes out with his rapier who's voice is but a whisper in his mind. He thrusts violently at Tal's face, stabbing her in the cheek and the neck. One thrust drives through her jugular. A warm jet of crimson splashes on the combatants. At that same moment, a shower of brains and skull explodes inside the carriage as Matthalas finishes off Morphail's bodyguard. In the end, they are too much for the Mayor, and he slumps forward, bleeding to death.
Tal is trying to talk, choking on her own blood which still spurts out of her. Matthalas screams for the cart to turn around while he fishes around in his pockets for a rag or a hankey or anything to staunch the horrible flow of blood. For the first time in his adult life, Matthalas allows tears to stream down his face as he desparately tries to apply pressure to the wound. Talaraesae dies right then and there with his thumb over the hole in her neck.
When the cart passes the border of the dead magic zone, Morphail begins to come around. He is only alive long enough to see Matthalas, his hands slippery with blood, reach for his rifle. Few people hear the two shots ring out in the night.
The story of the final days of old Jerusalem and the coming of the long winter shall be forthcoming in Harvest Moon: Holy War - Epilogue.