In the inky dark expanse of the night that shined with a glimmer of stardust and dying suns, a pyre of fire burned like a firefly with its flickering, tiny strength. Heat, burning hard and fast in its throes of an inevitable death, splashed against Zero’s face as he concentrated on the makeshift wooden spear before him. Sitting alone on a log he chopped down previously in the day, Zero worked the short sword he had up and down the shaft of the spear. Smooth, even strokes stripped the spear of its bark before it whittled down the spearhead down to a fine, and deadly point. Looking at the spear in satisfaction, Zero nodded as he dropped it atop the pile of seven other spears.

Finished with his task, he reached down to grab at a yellow-orange tinted fruit that other members of the group gathered after ensuring it was edible. With a quiet bite, the flavor of green-apple candy exploded in his mouth. Wiping away the juice from his lips, Zero turned his attention to the surrounding area.

Away from the rest of the survivors on his own log, Zero watched as the men and women who were transported with him here all sat around the pyre he ignited with his skill, Fire’s Edge. Closest to his left, were the normal working individuals and the tourist group. Sweeping his eyes over their figures, a pang of guilt swept through Zero as he listened to their haunting cries and endless sniffling. Even after a hard day’s labor, many of them couldn’t sleep. The fear of what was to come tonight, the tragedy of the day up til now, and the uncertainty of their life, left many lost.

Zero sighed as he watched them. They wouldn’t last long if this continued. He couldn’t blame them, but it didn’t matter. They would soon learn what it takes to survive. Whether they stepped up to that challenge or didn't...

Shrugging away the pointless thoughts, Zero’s eyes continued onward to the second group, which was composed of only the homeless. Unlike the main group, the thirteen homeless men all carried themselves vigilantly as they stood on the outskirts of the fire with their backs to the cliffs. In their hands, swords and makeshift spears and clubs were constantly clenched and gripped.

A slight smile appeared on Zero’s face. He expected nothing less from such hardened individuals. He too had learned that a man is never the same when society turns it back on them. You must become stronger, or you will waste away. He was glad to see that at least some people would join him. As he took in their forms, some of the men must have felt his gaze because they turned to regard him. Their eyes locked, before the few homeless fighters nodded in respect to him. It was all the communication he needed.

However, the satisfaction of having some fighters with him tonight was quickly diminished as Zero turned and took in the final group. The ‘delinquents’ as he began thinking of them, had grown now to include a few more young men and women that seemed to appreciate their boisterousness. Zero only narrowed his eyes as he watched them gorge on fruits and play around with their swords and shittily crafted spears. He ignored them. The fools would see what their actions bought them once the time comes.

Turning back to work on the next spear, Zero winced as the wounds on his body ached for relief. He ignored his body’s cries though. The moon was drawing to its peak high above, bringing with it their new tormentors.

“Pardon me, Zero?” A voice to his left, belonging to the same American girl from before, whispered to him in curiosity. “May I join you?”

A huff of breath, none too quiet, burst from Zero as he felt a headache coming onto him. A desire to run away, or climb the rock cliff, or fend off the young woman with one of his spears entered his mind. Before he could capitalize on one of the ideas though, the young woman strided confidently across the grass to sit next to Zero on his log.

Zero, concerned by her proximity to him, gave the young women a queer look as he scooted over more to the side to create a gap. No, concerned may be the wrong word. More like...disturbed. Humans are fickle, deadly animals that can have 1000 and 1 motivations or desires. And the young woman, with her pale and freckled skin that contrasted with the dark grey tank-top and black jeans, left him with no idea on what she wanted. Her eyes, amber like her close-cut fiery red hair that framed her face, stared at him in fascination. It was like he was being studied, watched, and analyzed. He would’ve preferred fear or reverence than the look of pure glee and curiosity she carried.

With an easy smile, the young woman scooted closer to Zero as she spoke to him with a slight sense of mirth in her voice. “I never had the pleasure of introducing myself to you, sir. My name is Abigail Diamond. How do you do?”

Zero scooted further away, giving her a sidelong glance as he focused on the spear in his hands. Unless it was important or necessary, he would rather not discuss basic and fruitless subjects and waste his breath with needless words.

“Well, that is quite alright if you don’t reply. I do hope you can accept my gratitude though.” Abigail, with the voice of a southern damsel, lost a portion of her smile as she spoke softer than before. “I...I don’t know what to say. Whatever happened back there, well... We were lucky the Lord Almighty delivered you to our protection.”

With a snort of derision, Zero turned his attention from the spear to Abigail. He watched as her demeanor shifted and she leaned back under his scrutiny. “The Lord didn’t send me. The Lord Almighty doesn’t exist.”

“Why...how could you say such a thing? He is with us, everywhere and in everyone. And you...” she leaned forward, “you are his chosen warrior.”

“No...” Zero sighed while lifting his head now to see the Moon as it settled into position directly overhead of him at its zenith. “I am just a man saving himself. No God sent me here. No God, as you talk of him, could do such a thing.”

“Oh, and why is that?”

Standing from the log and cleaning off all the wood shavings on his pants and shirt, Zero grabbed the nine spears. Looking up, he noticed that everyone in the camp was watching his moves. No one was crying. No one was joking. Their eyes pierced him, in search of what he would do. Ignoring them for now, Zero walked towards the makeshift defense. Just as he passed Abigail though, he spoke just loud enough for everyone near him to hear. “What God would send me here, send us all here, only to get butchered by the creatures coming for us. Right. Now.”

His words rang behind him as he continued forward. However, they served the purpose he was looking for. The rapid sound of movements and people talking in voices that were far from the whispers they thought they were speaking in picked up in pitch around the fire. Shouts for control and people calling for order filled the air along with the embers of the pyre that floated into the sky. Yet Zero ignored it.

Instead, he focused on what was before him. Walking clear of the rowdy group, he approached the makeshift defense of spikes that were driven into the ground and pointed upwards with sharp points tapering from the rest of the forearm width log. The spikes, forming a semi-circle around their camp, were procured and shaped from his efforts of using Fire’s Edge, to cut down trees and chop them to proper size. Testing their edge, Zero nodded in satisfaction as he stood just the spikes in anticipation of what was to come.

His peaceful silence was broken however within mere moments. Behind Zero, the sound of short swords tapping against each other and the scuttle of dozens of feet told him that he would not fight alone. The heavy breathing of the new arrivals behind Zero told him of their nervousness. A nervousness, he recalled, he was all too familiar from his past life.

“Don’t be nervous. Don’t be afraid. Work together, and everything will be alright.”

Zero spoke in his distant yet still underdeveloped voice that made it hard for anyone to truly take him seriously. The words though, carried with them a complete seriousness that sent the fighters behind him into a displicined stance. The terse silence, as comforting as it was to Zero, was broken though after a minute passed with no enemy to be seen.

“W-what are you....I mean, what are we looking for?”

“Is there anything out there, or did you just get a little scared of the-”

Ignoring the first question, Zero sent a sharp glare to Mullet who spoke up once more in the bitchy little tone that irked Zero. The answer to both of the questions came soon enough though. Just moments after the older woman that was still in her prime asked Zero what they were looking for, growls echoed out horribly from the forest. Low, throaty, and with a dangerous tone that immediately sent Zero’s and the rest of the people’s minds in a panic at a possible predator coming. Like a crescendoing orchestra, the roars of foreign danger built higher and higher as they came closer. Goosebumps, of excitement more than fear, appeared on his arms. Anticipation of the fight to come, of the power he would gain, forced him to take a step. Even as he did, those around him moved backwards.

Then the rapid shuffling of people moving backwards in fright was followed as soon as the foreign demons darted out of the forest. Zero watched with ears roaring with blood as the Nightstalkers, as he and others who lived past Origin called them, pounced forward. Muted long grey hair flowed behind the dozens of Nightstalkers as they raced across the plains and towards the fire that illuminated their food source.

“This is why you wouldn’t have survived in the trees.” Zero’s voice, eerily filled with a yearning, brought the survivors back to the present. “These animals can climb the trunks as easily as they run across the ground. Separated, without any defenses, you would’ve been mauled by multiple Nightstalkers before dying alone.”

A silence followed Zero’s words, but yet again, it wasn’t long before someone coughed for his attention. Zero, hearing the intake of breath that would be followed by words, turned to see Weasel staring at Zero with a calculating gaze and an open mouth. His words, hesitant yet without a lick of fear, asked the question on everyone’s mind. “How... How did you know that? About those...things.”

Stuck between their hard pressed looks, Zero couldn’t help but swear to himself quietly. He couldn’t tell them the truth, that he was reborn and given a second chance. Among all things, it was the expressed consensus of all the scientists and powerful mage-types in the various Legions of The Corps that speaking about events of the future, or about his knowledge of events, would lead to catastrophic problems. One danger was that more information about the Abyss and anything about it would speed up the process of entering the Final Zone. Additionally, who knew who was watching over them right now. While it would be unlikely he would be killed, solely because of the fact that the Guides would be highly entertained with his presence and ability to disrupt the Abyss, one never knew what would happen. Besides, if he talked about knowing the future and being right about it, he would be a slave to those in power. So, with little alternatives in mind, Zero said the only thing he could think of.

“The Almighty Lord and Savior, our Father in Heaven, speaks to me. He told me of the demons that would come tonight.”

Blank faced, Zero delivered his lie with the ease of an innocent man. What he saw staring back at him though, were queer looks and knotted eyes that looked at each other for confirmation on what they just heard. Among them all, none were most confused then Abigail who stared at Zero in slack-jawed amazement.

Watching their expressions and ensuing silence, Zero mentally patted himself on the back at seeing how effective his little white lie was. Turning away from them, he focused back at the approaching Nightstalkers. Having closed half the distance, it was easier to make out their four foot high frames that elicited danger from their sabertooth like canines and immense claws that dug up the earth with each stride.

“Two things,” Zero spoke once more to those around him as he grabbed for his spears. “First, if you can, save any Stamina runes. Don’t integrate into your body, but rather let them remain floating around your wrist. If you do, I will trade other runes, such as Agility or Strength for them after the fight. And second,” he said while tossing seven of the nine spears out into the open and on the other side of the spikes. “Stay on this side of the spikes, or you will die.”

With those words, Zero strood forward in between the dense spikes. In his hands, two of his makeshift spears that tapped and rattled against the two short swords attached to his belt. He had some killing to do, and revenge to inflict on these sorry little mutts.