Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

The leaders of Dimartino gather in front of a crowd nearly twenty thousand strong - the people of Dimartino are gathered together to fight in a way that Barns never thought possible.

Many of them are Adventurers - those skilled in the Secret or Martial Arts that can hold their own in battle. Thanks to the Daily and Weekly Quests provided by Zelia, most of them have B or A rank equipment.

They are the vanguard - the fighting force that has protected Dimartino all this time.

Underhill is also present with his 'Royal Police Force'. While they serve a different purpose than the Adventurers, they are also each battle-hardened and ready to meet the challenge of the day.

But what surprises Barns most are the thousands and thousands of volunteers who have no power whatsoever - who are willing to sacrifice their very existence in order to fight.

Osmond stands before the ground of twenty thousand, pacing back and forth. There are so many he can't see them all.

"Oz," Barns says. "Promise me this can work."

"It can work, Barnie."

They stand near the edge of the barrier, just outside the safety provided by Clancy, and though the horde is not visible from their current location, the Dimartino scouts have confirmed - the horde is just minutes away. Inert. Waiting.

"Those of you who will stand and fight as monsters, raise your hands high!" Osmond shouts over the crowd. "Send the message back, reach high for the sky!"

Osmond lifts up off the ground, floating in the air. From above, he can see more of the crowd - nearly all of them, though from up so high they seem small.

"Barnie, I'll head back to Dimartino immediately, as we discussed. Once I convert those gathered here."

"Got it!" Barns calls, looking straight up at the Demon Lord. "Maria's there too, right? In position?"

"Of course! My dove would never forsake her meticulous planning!"

Osmond begins to crackle with violet energy.

"They'll all obey your every command, Barnie. You'll lead our horde into battle against the enemy."

"Right."

Suddenly, Osmond's magic pulses through the crowd of gathered citizens. The magic begins to morph and change them - the result of his aspect of Gluttony.

In minutes, there is sweeping change. Where once stood an army of meek and uncertain humans, Barns now overlooks a sea of kobolds, goblins, orcs, skeletons, even some trolls that tower in the back.

There's no way to tell what type of monster a person might turn into. It all depends on their unique constitution.

The monsters begin to arm themselves with the weapons scattered throughout the crowd - all of the extra stuff that the Adventurers Guild had no use for. C and D rank weapons. They weren't great for humans, but for monsters they were just fine.

Osmond floats back to the ground, still hovering inches above the grass.

"I shall take my leave, then - for the second part of our operation."

"Osmond. I'm counting on you and Maria. We have no idea if Corpsie will show up there, but we can't allow it to have its way with our kingdom undefended."

"If it shows up, we will subdue it. There's nothing Maria and I can't handle."

"Promise?" Barns says nervously.

"Promise."

Osmond flies away, and Barns turns to the rest of his party. Eldrie, Underhill, Godrick and Roscoe stand at attention. Three of them are ready to fight - and Roscoe is ready to use his special ability to empower Barns beyond his normal limits. Everything is in order.

Barns raises his cane to the air, and the army of monsters behind him stands at attention. "Godrick, you lead the Adventurers. Underhill, the police. Roscoe and Eldrie, with me."

They march forward quickly - for such a large army, they move quite quickly. Monsters are possessed of boundless energy, and all of his Adventurers and Officers are conditioned and ready for the operation.

This is war.

Twenty thousand fighters and monsters of Dimartino versus thirty thousand undead.

Dimartino is commanded by Barns - and the horde, presumably, by the shape-shifting, impossibly fast zombie spacesuit known as 'Corpsie.'

They march for only ten minutes when they spot the horde in a clearing. The army moves through the forest and lines up at their side of the meadow. Across from them, the undead horde stares back at them with hungry, darkened eyes.

Even from this distance, Barns can smell it - rot itself. Not that the monster army at his back smelled any better.

Barns scans the undead horde. He doesn't see any spacesuits or anything in the crowd.

Though the tricky part of Corpsie is that it can truly be anywhere until it's spotted.

Barns takes a deep breath. This is the moment. If they fail, it is the end of Dimartino. If they succeed, a powerful enemy will be defeated, Barns will attain the power of necromancy, and Dimartino will have gained an additional thirty thousand citizens.

The stakes have never been higher for Barns. And he's never felt more alone.

'Clancy…I'm going to make you proud.'

As he says the name of his best friend, Underhill, standing just feet away, suddenly jerks up in surprise.

"Agh!" he squirms, dropping something on the ground. The small red orb rolls away, toward Barns.

Barns' eyes tilt downward, staring at the small red marble. He picks it up before Underhill can, and inspects in his hand.

"What is…"

Eldrie steps close to him. "There's no way!"

Barns and Eldrie exchange a look before turning to Underhill.

"What…what is this, Underhill?" Barns asks.

"Hell if I know," the shady merchant lord says with a shrug. "Found it a few days ago by the big crab statue. Damn thing just started burning HOT, though. You can touch it?"

Barns looks down into his hand. The marble wasn't hot at all. Perhaps even cold…or at least, moist…

"Barns," Eldrie says. "Do you remember what I told you about Guardian Beasts, and Edelweiss?"

The hero nods.

"I…I think that might be Clancy's soul."