Jefferson City 3: Alpha - The Sentinal

His eyes moved to Stella as she spoke up. The idea of charging into a horde of these things, even if they're not too much of a threat, would only create an issue if they do become a threat. They'd be surrounded with no idea of how many of these creatures there are in this massive gathering. They could fight, but then eventually get tired and overran. Akira's idea would seem more viable in his head. If they wanted to get to the heart of this, they'd need to get closer but stay out of harm's way.

"Thank you, Stella, but we're moving underground. We'll have our melee specialists take the lead with all others playing the role of support."

His eyes would move to a sewage grate cover which he moved to and picked up with ease, throwing it to the side. He'd motion for people to come forward, the stronger of the bunch going down before the rest. At the end, they'd all be in the sewers, Reishi flashlights created to light the dark tunnel. The smell could be better, but beggars can't be picky. Though, the pull of Reishi down here would prove to be stronger as they could visibly see the reishi moving through the sewers.

"This way, men," Jefferson would command as he went first in the direction the Reishi moved.

The group would continue deeper into the sewers, the flow of Reishi steadily increasing the further they walked. There seemed to be a lack of anything, even something as simple as a rat absent in the dark tunnels. Water dropped from the sewer's roofing, moss stinking up the environment, but, aside from that, not a sound could be heard outside of their own voices. Though, that would change as they walked near an opening where a sudden scurrying noise could be heard, like feet against wet cement.

Attention turned to the hole; light shown as bows were drawn.

"Wait! Wait! Don't fire! Please! Please!"

Is that? The lights focused, revealing a ragged man, his hair grown exceptionally long. His skin, tanned, dirty, and bruised, painted a picture one would only conclude as homeless. He wore nothing but loose shorts that barely clung to his frail frame. His eyes are widened, bloodshot.

"You's not one of them, are you!? Please! Don't hurt me!"

Jenkins, quiet, narrowed his eye.

"Wait!" The rugged man yelled. "You're going to turn me into those things! No! Let me go! Don't turn me into a monster!"

Jenkins moved, quick in his step as he picked up the man Akira had restrained, holding him up by the energy coiling around him against the wall.

"Tell me what you know," Jenkins said, his voice a hushed whisper. "And we'll let you go."

The rugged man had whimpered as he was picked up, fear radiating off of him in waves. However, he is no fool and started babbling the nonsense he had in his head.

"T-They came suddenly. People were getting sick, real sick, and people came saying they were going to help. That's when they started disappearing. Everyone starting to vanish one by one. Then I started seeing ghosts. Dead people! They attacked anything that moved, turning them into ghosts and and and-"

He started crying.

"I'm just a hobo, man. I ran in here. Please let me go."

Jenkins narrowed his eye but dropped the man to the ground. He started to walk off, but stopped as the man he had dropped who was sobbing on the ground started spasming. The man's hair started to fall from his hair as the ambient Reishi suddenly began filling the space they occupied, suddenly attacking the man. His skin started to dry, wrinkling and shrinking as his bones started to poke out. His eyes started dissolving, his teeth falling out as parts of his started turning blue.

Suddenly, he's no longer there, the hobo suddenly turned into the monsters they've been fighting as his form slipped through his bindings and dissolved into Reishi and flowed out into the sewers. Everything went quiet then until-

"Run!" Jenkins ordered as he turned his eyes to see a giant wall of gnawing mouths and hands stretching out of a wall of dense Reishi that raced towards them down the sewers.