Orchestra of Death

(James’ POV)

We walked for about ten minutes before I managed to regain my senses. I realized something when we had arrived at the train station not a minute after that. “Uh... guys?” They both looked at me. “I still need to find my suit.”

“That can wait.” I turned around and saw Death standing behind us in his human form. “I have an assignment for you.” He pulled out a folder from his pocket and handed it to me. “I’m going to send Michael and Sarah’s groups to deal with a few sentiments that are lurking in some nearby ruins. I need you to clear a path for them and deal with the one that is guarding the ruins.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Couldn’t we just... I don’t know... deal with all of them?”

Death shook his head. “That would be sending you on a suicide mission. The three inside are more powerful than the guard. Sarah and Michael have more experienced wraiths accompanying them, while you all are rather... fresh.” He turned around. “And I suggest moving soon. The forest is rather lively thanks to your target.”

With that he left and I turned to Amy. ”Well I guess we’re headed on a camping trip.”

She sighed and cracked her neck. “Let’s get this over with.” We all nodded and got ready to leave for the wilderness. I summoned my wings and lifted Megan while Amy chose to run under us. When we got there the trees looked.... ominous.

I looked in and felt a chill run up my spine. “So... our target is in there?”

Megan looked through the folder that Death gave us. “Um.... I think so.... it says here that the guard is only about two and a half miles in.”

I nodded and readied my guns. “Alright. Let’s get moving.” We walked into the woods and light was almost immediately cut off and I felt some pressure on my head. “Damn it’s dark.” I guess it’s messing with me due to my powers....

Amy passed me without slowing down. “Looks fine to me.”

I looked in her direction for a moment. Does she have night vision or something? I can’t see shit! “Well then, you’re leading cause I’m blind right now.”

I heard her chuckle. “Or you could get Megan to let go of your head. That might help.” ...What?...

I reached to my eyes and... oh hey, there are hands on them. “Meg, could you please let go?” I could see a moment later and Megan was glowing while twiddling her braid.

“Sorry.... something brushed against my leg....”

Amy laughed. “I couldn’t tell... you only had a death grip on his head.” She did? Well that explains the trauma level head pressure.

I sighed and smiled at her. “Hey. Don’t worry, Me and Amy are right here.” She smiled back and gave a quick nod. I flipped open the folder after getting it from Meg and looked at the instructions. “Let’s get a move on. Says here that we are not to be spotted by the others for any reason whatsoever.”

Amy turned serious and looked ahead. “And we don’t really know when they’ll start their mission.” Without another word we headed into the foliage.

We walked about halfway to our destination when I heard a growl. “Uh... you guys hear that?” Amy stopped and looked around for a sec before drawing her bow. I followed her gaze and saw a... okay... there are Manticores in Equestria....

This one seemed off though. It’s head and back were covered in thin vines and it’s eyes were glazed over.

Megan gulped and took a step back. “Um.... g-good kitty?....” The manticore growled and lunged with a roar. Amy quickly got in front of it and slammed her knee in it’s face.

She looked back at Meg. “You just going to stand there or fight?” She shot an arrow at the manticore only for it to dodge.

Megan stood and grabbed a hilt from her waist. “Rapier Activate.” A pair of pink veins shot out of her wrist and connected with the hilt. A long thin blade shot out of the top and Megan readied herself.

I shot at the manticore, scoring a direct hit between the eyes. It fell over dead, and the vines rotted away. “Hmm... I guess the guy was turned into a guard dog.”

Amy put her bow away and nodded. “I’m going to venture that our target did this.” For some reason, Megan was still holding her weapon and was looking behind us. “Um... Meg? It’s dead. You can put the blade away now.”

She pointed behind us and I turned to see.... oh shit.... it’s one of those Void Terrors again. This one was flying though, and was smaller by a considerable degree. It was about the size of a small dog or cat, and had large leather wings that were purplish in color. Three sets of claws were hanging off it’s body and a large eye was at the center of the chest. I noticed the eye dilate when it screeched when it looked at us, causing four more to come out of the trees.

“Shit.”

I fired at two on the right and hit one in the eye. it fell over dead in an instant. “Aim for the eye!” Amy nodded and took out two more.

One charged forward at Megan only to be sliced in half. “Just what are these things!?”

I could only stare and blink at her as Amy shot the last one. “Uh.... what happened to you being scared?”

She blinked and started to shuffle her feet. “Um... I kinda was taught how to fence when I was alive.... I reacted on reflex when it charged me....” She looked at the remains of the Terror as it slowly faded into nothing. “I didn’t mean to kill it....”

I put a hand on her shoulder. “It would have killed you if you didn’t. These things are completely soulless according to what Death had told me. They attack living things in the void and devour them. Soul and all.” I looked at where the terrors had once been and scowled. So why hasn’t Hamlet been eaten by these things?

Amy had walked ahead of us and yelled back. “Hey! We still got a job to do!”

I sighed and motioned for Meg to follow me. “Common, let’s not keep her waiting.”

We followed her to a small clearing of trees that looked mangled and rotted. I could hear someone laughing and readied my guns. A vine shot out and wrapped around my neck and lifted me up into the canopy above.

Amy looked around in shock. “James?!” I saw a pair of greenish eyes appear in front of Megan and she blocked a vine headed straight for her, causing her to skid back slightly.

She looked around with Amy for a moment. “W-who’s there....” From behind a tree emerged a woman in pale green robes, her brown hair matted across her face. She looked up at them before her grin opened to let out a shriek. Amy covered her ears and was slammed into by another vine, leaving Megan to fend for herself as more vines came from behind the tree and started to wrap around her.

Megan shook as the woman came out from behind the trees completely. She said not a word as she raised a hand and called forth a staff and pointed at Megan.

Megan vs. Sentiment

Rebel 1, Action!

(Megan vs. Sentiment theme)

Amy looked at Megan and yelled. “Stop standing and get ready!” Megan tried to look intimidating as she took a deep breath and readied her rapier. I was hoping she could handle this one on her own.

The sentiment pointed forwards and launched a trio of vines at Megan while shrieking again. Megan blocked the vines as they shot forward and jumped at the sentiment. For the next minute they parried blow after blow as Megan sliced furiously at the earthen whips. Wow she’s fast.

Eventually Megan got a hit in and sent the sentiment stumbling back. It glared at her and slammed the staff into the ground causing vines to erupt from below and a hoard of smaller creatures to come swarming forward.

Megan scowled and jumped from tree to tree, dodging the plants and avoiding the critters entirely. She lunged onto the sentiment and stabbed it through the shoulder. It shrieked and slammed the staff into Megan’s gut and sent her flying back.

Megan was sent tumbling and flipped onto her feet to dodge an attack from the small swarm that had been summoned. I looked down and saw that all of them had vines coming out of their necks. Mind controlling plants en mass.... fuck.

Megan flashed forwards and the vines were cut into pieces and the creatures that were attached to them ran away. She turned back to the sentiment and they slowly started to circle each other.

The sentiment vanished before slamming her staff into Megan’s chin. Oh... that had to hurt. Megan was sent flying upwards and got swatted away when she came back down.

Megan stood and had a trickle of blood coming off her forehead. “Please.... Don’t make me do this...” The sentiment just smiled sickly and charged. Megan sadly looked down and in an instant the sentiment was sent flying back by a forceful slash across the torso.

It looked at her in a rage and shrieked as another Manicore came into view. "Shit, got to get this vine-" I was trying to get the vines off my neck only for it to tighten and more started to grab my arms, pinning them to my sides. Oh Come On!

Megan jumped over the manticore and sliced the vines off. It stopped and shook itself and looked at her and the sentiment before growling and standing next to Meg. She looked at it for a moment and smiled. “Good boy.”

The sentiment shrieked again and started to surround itself in thorny vines. “THIS IS MY DOMAIN! I GREW ALL OF THIS!! LEAVE NOW OR DIE!!”

Megan sighed and readied her blade. “I’m sorry.... but I can’t do that.”

The sentiment flailed the vines at Megan and struck her chest. It pulled back the vines and showed blood dribbling down off the thorns before continuing it’s assault.

Megan clutched her shoulder as she got away from the sentiment and glared before readying her rapier and slicing it across the chest, followed by an upward stab that sent it into the air. She cut across the sentiment repeatedly for the duration of its flight and slammed it into the ground with a downward slash.

The manticore had pounced onto the sentiment and clawed at its back until it was blown back by the vines. It landed with a growl of pain and rolled away next to Megan.

The sentiment shrieked yet again and sent a volley of thorns at Meg as it flailed it’s vines wildly. She blocked most of them, but got hit three or four times in the shoulders and legs. She looked over and saw the Manticore had taken quite a few and was stumbling around with blood seeping from may impact and puncture wounds.

Megan glared at the sentiment. “That’s it.....” She vanished and appeared behind the sentiment, stabbing it through its back to where her blade was three inches out of the front. The sentiment shrieked as it’s body faded into a cascade of leaves, leaving a mint green soul in its place just above Megan’s blade.

Megan grabbed the soul before she ran up to Amy and sliced her free. “Are you alright?”

Amy cracked her neck. “Been better... But I’ll be fine. Say you seen James”

I sighed and looked down. “I’m up here!” Apparently they didn’t hear me and kept talking about where I could possibly be. HOW ABOUT UP DAMNIT!!

I felt something furry brush against my cheek and looked over to see a squirrel looking at me. “Hey.” It nodded and pointed to the vines. “Could you? I’m a little stuck.” It.. and I kid you not... saluted and ran away leaving me alone. Well fine then! Leave me here after saying you’ll help me down!

It came back with a couple others and started to eat away at the vines. “Thanks little-” The vines snapped and I fell down from the canopy.” GUUUUUYYYYYYYYYYYY!” I hit the ground with a thud face first. “Ow...”

“Oh hey, there you are.” I scowled up at her. ‘What?”

I stood and brushed off my legs. “Oh, nothing. I was just hanging from that sentiment’s impromptu noose calling down at you guys only to get ignored.”

Megan glowed and started twiddling her braid. “Sorry....”

I sighed. “It’s fine Meg. Some squirrels helped me down.” I looked at the soul and smiled. “Well, I guess you got a sentiment all on your own. Congratulations, The soul is yours.”

She looked at it in confusion for a moment. “So.... I just.... eat it?” I nodded and she took a deep breath before putting it in her mouth and swallowing. She..... didn’t do anything. No shiver, no shake, nothing.... She looked back at us with a surprised look on her face. “Wow... that was.... minty.”

Amy blinked before frowning. “Huh.... mine tasted like kiwis.”

I looked at her in amusement. “Don’t you hate those?” She scowled at me and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I get the picture. I’ll shut up.” I looked up and saw the sun starting descend into a sunset, showing how late it was. “Let’s get out of here before Michael and Sarah’s groups start their mission. I can still fly for a bit.”

Megan grabbed onto my shirt before I could take off. “Um... James?” She pointed behind me. “What about him?” I looked over to where she was pointing and saw the Manticore from earlier wounded and laying on the ground.

“I don’t know Meg... Maybe we can patch it up somehow?” She walked over to in and placed a hand on it. It’s body glowed pink and it got up completely unharmed.

Megan blinked dumbly as it turned to her and licked her face. “Um..... what did I just do?”

Amy stared at the oversized feline and nodded. “I... think you healed it.” Megan smiled and started to give the manticore a good scratch behind the ears.

The Manticore purred as Megan started to rub it’s chin. “Who’s a good Kitty?”

I cleared my throat and the three of them stared at me. “We really need to be going guys.” Megan pouted, but got up and gave one last hug to the feline before it ran into the woods.

We made our way out of the woods no problem. I spotted no hide, or hair of any other wraiths besides us and got out before sunset. Death appeared briefly and congratulated us on a mission success. Even gave some extra praise to Megan for defeating the sentiment single handedly, due to a slight error on information. It turns out.... it was about equal to the weakest one inside.

We left for the train station soon after that and when we got there, I noticed the one thing I had been looking for this entire damn time. “MY SUIT!!” It was sitting in a booth titled “lost and found.” Amy grabbed it as I was banging my head on a post supporting the roof above us.