[Book II Chapter 153] SILVER: Nightfall

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  Sitting on the edge of the rooftop, Silver munched quietly, Kate by his side. They’d secured some beef wraps from a vendor in Neon. Night had fallen, and the skyscrapers behind them shone brightly, proof it was business as usual within the metropolis. In contrast, the decrepit, damaged buildings around them were mostly dark.

  In front, the view to the outside world was blocked by a stone wall which towered above the slums. Samuel Horn, Arland’s ruling immortal, had raised the fortification before the second wave hit and was busy strengthening them for the third.

  “The quiet is nice.” Kate observed.

  Silver nodded. The Nightmare King’s second assault had been an entirely different beast then his first, although he’d not witnessed it personally. The military and immortals in charge of the outer defenses manned the walls, and saints from the Adventurer’s Guild had been tasked with intercepting the monsters who slipped through.

  Thanks to this, he’d only caught a brief glimpse of the moonlit sovereigns when they briefly crashed through their defenses. Not that he’d a real chance to take a look anyway, with how busy he was with the infiltrators. There were a lot more of them than the first time…

  There was an impact on the roof behind them. “How are you holding up?” Reagan asked.

  “That should be our question,” Kate countered. “You’re the one who’s been fighting on the front line.”

  Reagan chuckled. “I faced Torak’s undead army lead by the avatars of the Dark God. This doesn’t come close.” His grin faded. “At least so far…”

  “It’s night now.” Silver understood.

  Reagan nodded. “For entities from the sunless land, this is their element. The only uncertainty is how much stronger he’ll become. Same applies to sovereigns who follow him.”

  “What is the plan if they overwhelm our defenses?” Silver intended to be ready for the worse.

  “Protect the refugees trapped outside Neon as long as you can and retreat to the city.” Reagan answered. “Debra Sunder and a paragon summoner from the demon world is on their way. Once the sun rises again, I will lead a mission into the Moonlit Lands to end this. I already know the location of the rift’s keystone.”

  Reagan suddenly turned away, sniffing. “Here they are… I must alert Astra and Samuel.”

  Soon the sounds of violent clashes rang out, and the vibrations shook the earth. As before, Silver and Kate left the flying threats to others, focusing on the monsters burrowing underground. Half were the insectile variety, while the rest sported vicious teeth and claws. Tremendous numbers popped out, making it a struggle to keep up.

  Tearing one apart, he spotted Wise further back crushing a few they’d missed. His brother and Dawn were operating further back to better protect the refugees.

  In the distance, he heard portion of the stone wall breaking but was too busy to note what got through. All he could tell was that Samual Thorn was attempting to fill the holes, which was a hopeful sign.

  A weird feeling gripped him as he battled. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced, yet also not foreign to me. The sensation grew to strong too ignore, and he instinctively moved to discover its source.

  He arrived at a empty warehouse a block away. A section of the floor inspired a strange dread so he tore it up. Underneath was a hidden stairway. At the bottom, he froze at the sight he saw.

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  Two dozen people huddled in a corner of the giant space while a terrifying crocodile with a vaguely human form loomed over. As it circulated, its scaly skin parted to reveal rows of teeth at different locations all over its body. One of these spit out a woman, which the monster picked up. With a satisfied grin, he placed her on a pile of unmoving bodies on the far side of the room. This is what happened to me… He’s draining them dry.

  The beast paused and gazed towards him. “That is some wonderful fear I’m sensing, but why does it feel so familiar? I don’t recognize you…” It studied him for a moment, perplexed, then chuckled. “You’re the boy who summoned me so long ago! I never did finish feasting on you… What a joyous night.”

  The beast drop another man into its main mouth while Silver watched, paralyzed. “Wait there. You’ll be desert.”

  I must flee. The powerful sovereign was having a crippling affect on him. His body trembled uncontrollably, refusing to listen to instructions. Even rational thought had grown difficult.

  “Is that a cipactli…?” Said a voice behind him.

  This was the stimulus he needed. Silver grabbed Kate and ran up the stairs. Outside, realizing the sovereign wasn’t chasing, he collapsed with relief. “How did that thing get here?” He fumed.

  “He tunneled in.” Kate answered. “There was a hole in one of the corner… Didn’t you notice?”

  He hadn’t. Only now was he coming to grip with how shaken he’d been. I experienced a panic attack…

  “What’s going on?” Kate asked. “Why did we flee leaving those people behind?”

  “That’s the one Adam called Tizoc.“ Silver forced himself to speak in a steady voice. “He’s the one I stole my emotions. We don’t stand a chance against him. Let’s report him to the immortals.”

  A loud crash thundered the slums as another portion of the fortification collapsed. Kate looked back apprehensively. “Even if we do, will they really deploy an immortal to the backlines? They might decide the people down there are an acceptable sacrifice to keep Tizoc out of action…”

  “What else can we do?” Silver countered. “Go around gathering a group of saints to face him?”

  Kate shook her head. “That would take too long. We should go distract him long enough for everyone to escape. Once he chases us to surface, other saints will join on their own.”

  Silver heart sank seeing . “I’m not in the state for that…”

  “Where’s your fearlessness?” Kate smirked before diving down the stairwell.

  Silver stood still as the prospect of losing Kate assaulted with the terror gripping him. Out of the debilitating storm, a new emotion emerged. How dare he… After all it’d already taken from him, the greedy cipactli below was now threatened Kate. The inner turmoil wracking him transformed into a burning anger. He must pay!

  Racing to secret cellar, he called forth and fused with a blade king, a servant of Saven from the Bloodstained Plains. Sharp metalic scales resembling the tips of daggers covered his body. Seeing an irritating Tizoc batting Kate away, he donned his strongest aura armor and charged. The surprised sovereign was driven into the back wall.

  “Where did your fear go?” Tizoc raged, knocking him away. “I’m in no mood for this anger.” Glancing uneasily to his yet-to-be victims crowded in a corner, he roared. “Leave or I’ll rip you to shreds!” Mouths all over his body opened.

  “Go to hell!” Silver charged again, only to be flattened by a giant palm. He knew he couldn’t win, and he didn’t care. His all was poured into the fury fueling him, everything else cast aside.

  “Run now!” Kate yelled, landing a flying kick.

  “No one goes anywhere!” Tizoc recovered and grabbed Kate with his other hand, slamming her into the concrete floor. “I will crush you both and resume my feast.”

  They both suffered under the sovereign’s oppressive weight until a surge of necromantic energy knocked their aggressor back. Two new figures stood by their side.

  “Wise, Dawn…” Silver muttered, catching his breath. Maybe with their help, they stood a chance.

  “You ignorant fools.” Tizoc hissed. “Can you not comprehend my strength?” The room around them started crumbling as mouths on his body howled.

  “Dawn, release Sapphire Blood.” Wise commanded. His sister waved, and a tremendous cold swept over them. Tizoc was engulfed in frozen pillar, and, for a moment, their surroundings became still.

  That won’t hold him, Silver knew. Soon, the ice trembled and shattered. Hate-filled eyes flickered over the room and fell on the last of the prisoners escaping up the stairs. “Fine, if I can’t feed in peace, then I’ll wage war instead.” He declared coldly.

  He leaped straight up, smashing through the ceiling. By the time they followed to the surface, they spotted Tizoc at the base of Samuel’s great wall. His mouths opened and released a deafening screech, an uglier version of a tyrant’s song, and destructive magic began eroding the structure of everything around him.

  “This is bad…” Silver grimaced.

  “It was either this, or we all died in that cellar.” Wise said miserably. Silver and Kate winced as they watched a tide of monsters surge through the collapsing fortification.