[center][h3]Dead Zone Hinterlands - Wooded Slope[/h3]
Harry’s [@Eviledd1984], Level 11 Big Band (21/110)
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1285[/center]

A few seconds passed after Harry replied, quiet except for the wind through the forest’s leafy boughs, occasional spurts of birdsong, and the gentle babble of the stream. At that point it became apparent that the detective wasn’t keen to say much else on the subject, so Band turned his attention away from his new acquaintance to resume his uphill trudge. He’d intended to spice up the rather glum mountainside foray with a little casual conversation, but with the way Harry clammed up at the mention of his old partner, Band felt no need to try and pry further. The cyborg didn’t mind the quiet, after all; if Harry felt like talking, then the Icebreaker could break the ice.

Not long after that, the two had an unexpected encounter. While in Martira, Band had heard his fair share of nervous murmurs about wandering zombies, wild beasts, and ravenous sandworms from the townsfolk, so he’d been more alert throughout the journey so far than it might seem. Even then, the sudden appearance of a white wolf took him by surprise. Graceful yet deadly, the predator emerged in near-silence, blowing out of the treeline like a flurry of winter snow. Still, while the sight surprised Band, it didn’t necessarily alarm him. Having not seen a wolf in the flesh before, he hadn’t realized just how much bigger they were than dogs, but the creature still didn’t hold a candle to him. Should the worst come to pass, he felt very confident in his abilities to defend himself, but right away he realized that such measures shouldn’t be necessary. 

This wolf was, after all, not hostile–that much was immediately clear. Its body language was relaxed, upright, and undefended, with no sign of aggression or fear. It could have ambushed the two men at top speed, but instead it approached at a carefree lope, friendly as a dog. For a wild animal this was undoubtedly strange, but then again, Band had seen all sorts of strange things in the World of Light. If a cat could cook a pot roast, a wolf could be a friend. Only a moment after the critter arrived, Band relaxed as well, a smile in his eyes as he gave the wolf a genial nod. He had no reason to suspect that it was sentient, but a friendly wolf was special, so he’d treat it with respect. “Hey there, li’l one,” he greeted Amaterasu, watching Harry. He expected the man to be a lot flightier about a wild animal than a five thousand pound cyborg like him, but the Icebreaker reacted pretty well. He offered the wolf a hand to sniff, a nickname, and then a hat. “If you wanna tag along, be my guest.” He tilted his head in the direction of the stream, then turned to continue onward.

After a few more minutes of travel, the unlikely trio found themselves closing in on their destination. Up ahead, the wooded slope evened out, then gave way to high stone walls. At least two stories tall, they towered over everyone, Big Band included, and though festooned with moss and ivy they looked very formidable. Hesitant to pit his mechanical might against such solid stone, Band led the others in a minutes-long search for the actual entrance. He could see what must be Curien Mansion itself looming large over the walls in the distance, so he guessed that the main gate must be opposite, and his hypothesis proved to be correct. A gap in the stone brick turned out to house a huge, elaborate gate of gothic wrought iron, all buckled up in various chains and padlocks. Band deployed a spindly mechanical arm to grab one of the bars and give it a good rattle. Though the gate made a lot of noise, it barely budged, and after it stopped clanking Band gave an impressed whistle. “Whoever did this sure didn’t want anyone gettin’ in. Or out.” If Heismay could scale Martira’s walls like Morris said, though, these defenses probably posed no challenge for him. He looked back at Harry with an eyebrow raised. “How’s your lock-pickin’, Icebreaker?”

Regardless of Harry’s reply, he spun back around, his trench coat flying open. From within his mechanical body extended a gigantic fist of black steel, brass tubes, and nickel-silver pipes. Pressurized gasses hissed and screeched, propelling the Brass Knuckles forward with pneumatic strength. One massive punch was all it took to bash through the chains and blow the wrought iron gates wide open with a tremendous cacophony of crunchy metallic reverberation. Busted chain links scattered noisily over the cobblestone pathway ahead, and then there came an ominous, heavy silence–until the newcomers heard the moans.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/kXKwJu9.jpeg[/img][/center]

In front of them lay a massive courtyard, huge to the point of absurdity, with multiple layers of wrought-iron fences within, enclosing wilted flowerbeds, twisted dead trees, and mosaic plazas. Frog-mouthed gargoyles squatted grotesquely around fountains full of scummy, fetid water, while the channels beneath the arched footbridges seemed even worse. At a word, this place looked dead, which also aptly described its denizens. Right away Band’s eyes were drawn to sudden movements, only for them to roll when he saw what he was up against: [url=https://i.imgur.com/3Q5TPjQ.png]zombies[/url]. They came in all shapes and sizes, in various states of decay and undress, but that all shared that familiar lifeless stare, that unnatural pallor, that maniacal gait. About a dozen of them were in the process of converging on the newcomers from all directions, their groans and growls getting louder.

Band heaved a sigh, much more annoyed than afraid. “Figures.” Judging by his reaction, Harry could probably infer that this wasn’t his fellow detective’s first rodeo. Band widened his stance, his tone sharp and authoritative as he took on a more [url=https://i.imgur.com/bNfnYy5.png]menacing appearance[/url]. “You just a normal guy, right? Better stand back and let me handle these chumps. I was built for this, literally.” He didn’t expect Amaterasu to understand him, but hopefully the wolf could sense the danger she’d followed him into and would know to stay away. “Whatever you do, don’t let ‘em bitecha. Don’t want ya spoilin’ on me before payin’ back that cash you owe, eh?” He was joking about the money, but when it came to the undead, Band was deadly serious.

“...Impression!” Band started the fight by deploying a [url=https://i.imgur.com/TiKlCuQ.png]giant drum pedal[/url] that slammed the ground hard enough to shake it, knocking the two nearest zombies off their feet with the tremor. He then used Brass Knuckle again to slide across the ground toward them, only to cancel the ride with Emergency Break. One zombie had cracked his decrepit ankle bones as he fell, keeping him down longer, and when the other fought its way to his feet he found Band looming over him. “Hot socks!” Band clocked the creep in the knee with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/s9XGnoI.png]smaller drum pedal[/url], then brought his other leg forward with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/c5BZlnF.png]knee strike[/url] that popped out a trombone for extra kick. “Bee’s…knees!” Finally, he hopped up just high enough to deliver a massive (if clumsy) [url=https://i.imgur.com/AfwWHPz.png]drop kick[/url] that sent the zombie soaring into the derelict fountain in pieces. “...Lay BACK!” He landed on his back, but a burst of sound energy from his pipes allowed him to bounce off the ground and straight into the face of the second zombie to keep the pain train rolling.