INTEGER UNLIMITED

Leo didn’t have time to react, as the burst of light struck him. He felt the blast connect with his left side, centered straight onto his chest. A freezing cold like none other spread on his body and face, as it chilled him to the bone. He could barely process the cold that overwhelmed him before yet another blast struck him.

This one was on his right side, hitting his upper thigh. Leo stumbled backwards, as he realized large shards of ice grew from his injuries. This ice was so cold it burned, even a snowstorm felt relaxing compared to this. He tried his best to maintain his composure, not wanting to level the building instinctively.

“Freeze, bastard, or the next one sends you to the grave!” he shouted, his wand pointed squarely at Leo’s forehead.

Leo stood still, despite how much his body called out in discomfort and pain. The man went a few steps closer to him, his eyes still alight and a firm grasp on the wand. While Leo wasn’t certain if just a few spells could kill him, he didn’t want to test it out.

Leo spoke slowly, “I am not here to hurt you, I’m looking for a man named Mr. Philips.”

The man seemed to slightly relax upon hearing that. Though his eyes still glowed, his grasp upon the wand lessened, and his posture relaxed.

“He is me. Who is you? Wait, no, who are you?” he stammered.

“My name is Leo, I just arrived in the city, and I’m looking for answers. This kid said he knew you, so I figured you would be more of a help,” answered Leo.

“Is the kid safe? I haven’t been able to check on him in a bit, and it’s not safe enough here, but I’ve been worried,” asked Mr. Philips.

“He’s good, my partner is keeping him safe right now.”

The man seemed to be relieved upon hearing that. He pointed his wand to where Leo was struck, as the freezing ice began to warm and melt. Within a matter of moments, the ice was gone. Leo felt relieved to have the ice off, the cold having been torturous.

“Follow me, we can talk somewhere safer,” said Mr. Philips as he began to walk off.

Leo followed behind, as he kept some distance between the two. Where he was struck was still cold to the touch, but slowly warmed up. Despite how strong he had gotten, it seemed as if his constitution wasn’t trained for anything not physical. He felt oddly happy, even if he could survive being struck by a boulder, he still was a normal person in some ways.

Of course, emotions aside, this man could prove to be trouble if they had to fight. Leo hoped that they could move past the attack and focus on helping the city. Though as he looked at the hallway, with splattered blood and shattered walls, he worried that this would be no easy feat.

Eventually, in the heart of the building, there lay a large room with thick wooden doors. It had a large golden placard labelled ‘MAYOR VANCEROY’, Mr. Philips told Leo to follow him exactly, as he maneuvered around the mess of garbage and rubble laid on the ground.

Leo did as he was told, moving with precision. While he walked, his eyes caught a glimpse of what they avoided. There were tripwires and traps littered throughout the ground, set to catch any intruders. If the ice was a sample of what the man could do, Leo felt relief that he hadn’t accidentally triggered one of his traps.

When they reached the doors, Mr. Philips tapped it three times with his wand. As the final tap struck, the doors flew open on their own. Inside lay what was once a highly decorated room, though it currently held crates, which seemed to be filled with food and water, alongside loose papers strewn about everywhere.

When they entered, he tapped on the doors once more, as they now moved to close with a hearty thud. Only deeper inside could Leo see the room in its entirety. Near the ceiling was some form of crystal that surged with light blue energy. It seemed to be what kept the entire room lit.

“Is this the safe place you talked about?” asked Leo.

“No, I said this was the safer place, but it is not safe,” answered the man.

“What happened here, why is the city like this?” Leo asked, desperate for answers.

“Take a seat first, there is a lot to explain and a lot of it is unbelievable even for adventurers like us,” he responded, gesturing for Leo to sit on a nearby crate.

Leo took the seat, as he prepared himself for whatever he may hear.

“My name is Philips, a bodyguard who was tasked with protecting the mayor. Around 2 weeks ago, something took control of the inhabitants of Faelde. Out of nowhere, the people all stood up at once, and they marched out of Faelde in an orderly line,” he explained, “this obviously was cause for concern. I tried to understand what was taking place, but nothing seemed to stop their goal of leaving the city. Within an hour, the vast majority of the city had gone off into the nearby forest.”

Philips continued, “The mayor had me stay behind, as he sent whatever remaining guards there were to follow and protect the civilians. We never heard back from them. By this point, there were only a few hundred people remaining. We were at a loss for what to do, this was unprecedented. Mayor Vanceroy ordered his staff to stay here, sending the remaining messengers in town to go request aid.”

“Aid never arrived, or at the very least, we never saw them. The first night was nothing unusual, most of the residents stayed home under the mayor’s orders. The second night was when things went wrong. Some monster, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, wandered into town. It was likely drawn in, no longer scared away by the lights and noise,” Philip continued.

“It tore through anyone still remaining, smashing through buildings for those it spotted hiding. Its body was covered in spikes, a single swing pierced through even reinforced plate armor. While a powerful monster alone would be cause for concern, it was what happened in the fights that made it worrying. When someone was pierced, it would only be a matter of moments before they lost themselves.”

“They would soon walk out of town, in an orderly pace, with no concern of their injuries. Once they started down the path, the beast left them alone completely. I don’t know if that monster caused it, or if it’s simply a carrier of it. I’ve tried to see if it’s a bacteria, a fungus, or magic, but I’m no researcher,” he carried on.

Philips finished his speech, “Every single night it returns, and every single night I have to fight it off until sunrise, at which point it retreats. It knows I am here, and it returns to the mayor’s office to find me. If I left, it would find the others still living in the city, so I spend my nights fighting and days recovering.”

“Holy shit dude,” responded Leo.