RISE UP DEAD MAN

BULLETGRUBBER

URSUS, XXXX

[Auger is an Old West slang for "the big boss"]

"Hey, hey! Are you gonna say it? Come on, say it!" Wh-What the fuck is he talking about? Who the hell is this!? Looking up at the perpetrator who decided to tackle me to the ground and straddle me, I couldn't tell much about their looks due to the dark hooded cloak that they wore. Their voice sounded uncomfortably soft for a man, and they had some sort of accent, but I couldn't tell what it was to save my life.

"Hi, there~..."

...

"What the fuck!? Get off me, ya shaver!" I throw my hands up on his shoulders and violently push him off me, making him fall to my right.

"W-Woah dude, no—oof!" Having been thrown off-balance, Red Eyes landed softly on the snow with a dampened crunch.

My hands sink into the snow as I push myself off the ground to see the horned man facepalming, most likely donning a frustrated grimace behind that mask of his. Glancing at the person who tackled me over, I am surprised and greeted by an almost childlike face, with hair as white as the snow surrounding us and blood-red eyes that almost glow in the darkness around us. How did I not see those before when he was on top of me?

"Well, who's this?" As my finger pointed at the new figure, I looked back at the leader of the mercenary band, whose name I should probably get soon.

"This is Gilliean, a Sarkaz, specifically of the vampire subrace. He is a valuable member of our group." The leader spoke, holding a hand out toward the now-named Gilliean.

"Aww, thanks, boss Ferrok~! Whoops, did you introduce yourself to him yet? Sorry!" Thanks to Gilliean accidentally name-dropping the leader, I now learned the name of who I'm going to be working with in the future.

"No, Gilliean, I was about to do that..." At this point, Ferrok seemed to be almost fed up or even exhausted with Gilliean's constant talking. I would agree if not for the fact that this is my first time meeting him.

But seriously, a vampire...? I've heard a few stories about them before, but those are simply stories. Something tells me Gilliean isn't exactly like the vampires that are described in those silly stories.

"Anyway, welcome to the group. The rest of my men should be wrapping things up by now." As soon as Ferrok said that, the sound of a firebomb went off in the distance, accompanied by screams of terror.

Before I could ask, Ferrok stopped my line of thinking, "It's their version of wrapping things up."

Huh, that's a bit nostalgic...

"Come, let us wait outside the village, we would not want to be burned..." The Auger began trudging off into one of the surrounding alleyways, with Gilliean following right behind him.

Let's go, then...

~⁕~

It was shockingly close to daytime already. Had I slept in later than I thought? The intense light of the flames that engulfed the village made it difficult to see the sun rising over the horizon at first, but as soon as I turned away from the scene, the brightness of my surroundings returned.

As the sun kept rising, a golden light slowly spread over the snowy landscape, which seemed to go on forever. As the night sky gradually changed from indigo to blue, the stars above shone brightly.

"Ugh..." The smell of burning wood and flesh slowly wafted over, ruining my respite despite the bandana I had wrapped around my face. It reminded me of an immolator, an unstable, loud, and burning menace. The smallest amount of perceived movement would send them into a rage, attacking chaotically. Whether it be by knife or by bullet, even the smallest of punctures in their charred skin would cause them to burn even hotter and go into a hellfire blaze fueled by their own short-lived frenzy.