Threat Level: E

Destructiveness: E

Killability: C

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Might: F

Survivability: E

Recovery: D

Mobility: E

Spark: D

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Powers: Enhanced Sight and Hearing, Sonic Blasts, Durable Arms, Metabolic Regeneration, Desert Jackal’s Reflexes, Aether Drain

Classification: Bruiser/Stalker

The feeling that accompanied Aether Drain wasn’t as potent as the euphoria that came with consuming essence. It was no different from getting in the shower after a night of long, restful sleep. He didn’t know how to quantify or describe the other sensation. More than either, Danny treasured the pride he currently felt while sprinting through the alleyways.

Pride.

Rift outbreaks and the creatures that came through them terrified Danny. Facing the creatures Kaka had captured didn’t scare him since they were in a controlled environment. There was the safety net that came with Kaka’s presence, too. No matter what happened the man wouldn’t let him die. Danny had faced off three reasonably powerful specimens alone and came out on top. He hadn’t just achieved victory but also found his first piece of essence without anyone’s help or support. Danny felt proud of himself.

Unlike Desert Jackal’s Reflexes, Aether Drain felt like it would be an easy essence to master. There were elements of it he needed to figure out—range and whether he needed his palms open or closed—but he couldn’t be happier with the pick. No matter how mighty, he doubted any foe could do much about him draining them. Then it would turn into a battle of attrition which he’d eventually win.

Danny didn’t make it far before encountering more rift monsters. He exited the alley into a residential street parallel to Holloway Road. The scene horrified Danny. He saw large groups of soldiers led by taller individuals in better maintained armour. Some of them had successfully broken down doors and were dragging people out of houses or apartment buildings. Half a dozen men lay dead or dying on the streets. Meanwhile, the soldiers dragged all young people and especially women back towards the two car-sized portals on the street.

The League called the occurrence a Cluster Rift. Typically, the creatures that came through them had moderate-to-high intelligence and displayed military organisation. Most of the time they were no better than a wild militia—prevalent with incidents that involved rakshasa or yokai. Even though the creatures under more organised military leadership were weaker, they came in greater numbers and came with better training for large-scale fights. On the bright side, the kidnapped people instead of straight up murdering and devouring everyone in their wake.

No one knew what happened to kidnapped individuals. Their friends and family never saw them again. After all, no one had guaranteed methods of safely opening rifts. The few technologies that existed for such purposes failed to consistently open portals to the same dimension.

Danny crept towards the nearest gathering. A woman almost twice the soldiers’ height stood shouting orders in an alien language. A line of manacled individuals stood facing the wall against her. The males among them appeared no older than sixteen. He spotted no grey hairs or wrinkles among them either.

The surrounding soldiers struggled with metal shutters and fortified doors. Unlike their neighbours, the other residents of the street appeared to have prepared for powered burglars. Danny imagined some of them had invested in Rift Insurance. Sobs punctuated the almost terrifying silence ahead. He occasionally heard the sound of metal armour pieces scraping against each other or the street.

The little ones must be pawns and she’s their knight.

As soon as Danny left cover, the dark clouds above broke. Instead of the constant drizzle Londoners expected of their city, they got torrential rain instead. It was likely uncomfortable for the manacled people in chains, but the rusted armour and puffy bits in between suggested the change in weather would be considerably worse for the soldiers. The suit’s waterproof nature meant they didn’t affect Danny at all.

The hand-mouths’ hearing sharpened as the raindrops pattered against the concrete and surrounding cars. Much to Danny’s relief, the change in weather made little difference to the floating eyes’ observational powers.

Thanks to the overcast sky and torrential rain, his approach went unnoticed. Danny rose from behind a car and pointed both palms at the female knights’ back, leaving a couple of inches between them. Instead of unleashing dual sonic blasts, he emulated the sucking that accompanied Aether Drain. He felt the alien energy flow from the knight into his body. Danny wondered whether using the power on all enemies would restore his sound based abilities or just individuals fuelled by magic and essence. The stamina restoration felt sufficient to make the ability more valuable than emotion powered weaponry.

When the knight didn’t waver, Danny intensified Aether Drain’s effects and, much to his horror, her armour shimmered with a golden light. She spun around, drawing a needle-like blade in a singular fluid motion. It vibrated with a much greater frequency than the soldiers’ spears. Before she could stab Danny, he unleashed a sonic blast in her direction.

Screams filled the street as the captured civilians tried scattering from the boom but the manacles kept them bound. It was for the best. Danny doubted he’d be able to protect them alone. The more panicked individuals among them would likely get in his way, too.

Golden light solidified around the knight’s armour and cracks spider-webbed through it. She staggered backwards and plunged her vibrating blade into the ground, it kept her from falling but shattered along with the golden film of light that coated her armour. With the glimmer gone, the plate mail looked as worn and poorly maintained as the suits the soldiers wore.

Danny used the opportunity to rush her. The floating eyes overhead alerted him of the other knight sprinting towards him. More like the pair had entered the residential street as well. They proceeded with more caution.

This doesn’t look good.

Given the armour enchantment and higher-frequency vibrations, Danny didn’t doubt the knights were considerably stronger than their subordinates. If they caught up to him, he was sure they’d overwhelm him without a challenge. He took the opportunity to charge at his now disarmed enemy.

The pulses emanating from Danny’s arms rose to their maximum volume, pounding once a second. It sounded like a war drum, leading an army on their march to certain death or victory. The civilians behind Danny raised their hands to their ears. The soldiers cowered, but the knights continued their approach. Danny ignored them all and charged at his cowering opponent.

When the knight swung the broken rapier at Danny, he didn’t flinch. Instead, time slowed as he entered her range. He ducked under the attack and struck with a swift right hook. The blow failed to strike the knight’s head as he had hoped. She got her shoulder up just in time but was thrown off her arse. The knight rolled along the ground into the rain-water-filled gutter, screaming. Her armour had warped and blood trickled from under her caved in shoulder plate but she continued moving, struggling to stand up.

Refusing to let the knight recover, Danny continued his assault. A guttural scream burst from the knight as she swung her broken sword at him again. Instead of gold, crimson burst from the hilt. It hardened into an ugly short sword with jagged edges. Time didn’t slow again, and Danny was too close to dodge. He threw up a panicked guard, and the tip raked his left forearm.

The weapon bit deeper into his flesh than anything ever had before. Danny clenched his jaw, stifling a pained scream. He rolled under the knight’s follow-up attack, rose to his feet and ran for cover. The knight’s peers were almost upon him. Danny skidded to a halt under a low brick fence, squeezing a panel on his belt. A handful of pellets fell out of it. Danny ripped off his mouthpiece and stuffed them into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed desperately. There were knights almost on him. It was unlikely he’d recover from the wound in time, but starting the process would certainly help.

The battlefield changed. His eyes informed him there were only four knights coming for him now. There’d been half a dozen of them seconds ago. Danny sent one of his eyes even higher and spotted one. She wasn’t alone. Jose and two others surrounded her with an armoured truck behind them. The plated doors were open, and it looked like the trio were struggling to push her into the vehicle.

When Danny returned his attention to the approaching knights, he found another had disappeared. Only three remained. Then he saw a pair of gloved hands rise out of an unusually still puddle. They grabbed the passing knight’s ankles, and she fell through the water, disappearing.

What the hell?