Adrilkus pulled the reins up hard. Justinia complied with the command and followed the reins. The maneuver was just in time to avoid a pair of javelins that narrowly grazed Justinia’s claws. Adrilkus swore and released his right hand. The rings lit up, and an almost imperceptible light touched one of the red-eyed soldiers. He could see Justinia’s grin and feel the heat of her flames building.

Just a few more moments of dodging, and their attackers would be immolated. They both danced around more projectiles, a few narrowly missing Adrilkus’ head. “Fry them,” he whispered, finally feeling the heat rise up towards Justinia’s maw. Justinia dove towards the six figures attacking them. Flames poured forth, coating the targets altogether. Adrilkus had expected to hear them scream and flail in pain from being immolated. Even burning like bonfires, he saw them aiming at both himself and Justinia. Adrilkus pulled the reins hard, trying to get Justinia to roll away.

It was too late, though. As Justinia obeyed his command, the burning soldiers threw their javelins. One pierced Justinia’s left leg, another found itself buried in her ribs. Two more had torn through her wings, one missed entirely, while the last one struck Adrilkus in the chest.

Screaming, Adrilkus felt himself plummeting with Justinia. He looked at docks. The soldiers were just now collapsing into burning heaps. Adrilkus smirked. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing their murderers died with them. He turned his gaze to meet Justinia’s. Fear, pain, and sorrow filled her eyes. She whimpered, and Adrilkus felt tears welling up. They weren’t from the wound, but what he knew needed to be done now.

“I’m sorry, girl,” He whispered, knowing she understood without needing to hear the words. Adrilkus placed one hand on the top of Justinia’s head. With the other, he grabbed a metal cylinder from a pouch. He touched it to the side of her face. Time seemed to slow as they looked into each other’s eyes. He poured Aether into it, and he felt her do the same. The device glowed brightly for a moment drinking everything in. Another heartbeat later, it dimmed before it exploded. It was a much quicker death than smashing into the ground. This was also not the first or last merciful death granted this day.

================================================================

It had taken less than an hour to get close to the main road leading to the Academy. The simple fact they hadn’t encountered any Gloomed since unearthing themselves unnerved all of them. Just empty barricades and corpses. It wasn’t just corpses of guards, emissaries, and civilians either. Wyverns, their riders, the occasional Legionnaire, and very strangely armored and armed persons as well.

The sound of fighting up ahead slowed their advance considerably. Lissa signaled for everyone to stop a block away from the road. Gesturing to Mera and Mela, they both came over. “Hop on the roofs and see what's going on,” Lissa looked both of them square in the eye. “No going off to assist anyone or doing anything more than getting a good look. I would rather not lose either of you today.”

They both nodded grimly and quickly began scaling the surrounding buildings. “At least we aren’t getting bodies dropped on us anymore,” Garza said with a grim chuckle. Lissa glared back at him. Any further comment he had quickly wilted. In the distance, Lissa could see the occasional dot of someone falling. Some were burning, others weren’t, rarely would a larger body fall. A wyvern and their rider she knew. The bright flashes of the overloaded binding rods exploded were quick deaths, at least.

The rapid clanking footfalls behind Lissa made her turn. She gripped her sword with both hands. Garza went to her left and Almios to her right. She heard a bolt being placed into a crossbow by Darvick. A deep breath from Micah followed by the hairs on her neck standing on end let her know he had charged his rings.

The footsteps rounded the corner. The first person to get into view, a richly dressed woman with emerald eyes, beamed as she saw them. Redoubling her effort, she sprinted towards them all. “Thank the gods!” Her joyful shout was drowned out by a quickly muffled scream and the sound of a body hitting stone. Behind the woman came a dozen more people, all dressed just as richly.

Lissa felt a bolt pass by her hip. She saw it bury itself into the eye socket of a Gloomed guard. They fell hard and were quickly stepped on and over by the others following behind them. Lissa sprinted forward, followed by Garza and Almios heartbeats later. She leaped over the small group of presumable nobles.

Lissa’s fall brought her armored feet into the skulls of two other Gloomed guards. The force and weight behind the impacts drove them both to the ground. Lissa felt her boots sink into their heads as they impacted the road. She slid into the oncoming horde slicing off the arms of the nearest infected. Garza and Almios fell into the horde moments later.

Blood and viscera fell to the pavement along with severed limbs and heads. Lissa could feel an intense hatred and anger bubble up within her. She snarled while viciously kicking a woman in the chest. The woman flew through the horde, bowling over anyone in her way. Lissa snapped her attention to another attacker, though she could hear the wet crunch as the woman collided with something.

The man lost his hands as they closed to Lissa’s wrists. His pained snarl was cut short. A slash from Lissa’s blade nearly decapitated him. Lissa didn’t notice the life fade from his eyes. She merely turned to the next attacker. Lissa cut through the horde like a farmer through wheat. What felt like an eternity later, she found herself panting. Corpses covered nearly the entire street corner.

Lissa flicked her gaze everywhere, searching for more Gloomed. She found none but did see the horrified expressions on everyone’s assembled faces. Mera and Mela had returned at some point and were the only ones not looking at her. Too preoccupied with tending to the nobles.

“Lis? Are you alright?” Micah ambled towards her. His eyes were unblinking. In them, Lissa could see fear. Not fear from being surrounded by the corpses of monsters, but the fear of looking upon one. Lissa blinked twice, and the burning was smothered quickly. Was it Inalize’s doing that she had done what she did? Felt the way she did just then? Lissa barely noticed the expressions change on Garza, Almios, and Micah’s faces.

Micah’s next tentative step brought along the snap of bone. Lissa jerked in surprise, thrown from her thoughts. “I’m fine. I,” She pauses just long enough to take a breath, “I let my emotions get the better of me.” Lissa notices Almios and Garza exchange glances. “We couldn’t tell,” Almios says cautiously while not relaxing the grip on his weapons. Lissa looked at Micah. He looked pale as his eyes took in the sight of what he stepped in.

“Oh gods,” Micah muttered, and recognizing the signs, Lissa rushed over to him. She gently put one hand on his shoulders and turned him around. The smell of death hit her then. It was almost overwhelming even to her. Lissa was proud of Micah for holding on so long. As they stepped off the bodies, Micah finally lost his composure. Doubling over, he vomited. Lissa sighed and frowned. Her eyes met the nobles. Once one started, the rest soon followed. Locking eyes with one particular woman, her red dress and blue eyes contrasting heavily with her paling complexion.

It didn’t take her long to join Micah in the chorus of coughs and retching. Lissa stood and waited for the vomiting to stop and Micah to compose himself before continuing. Ignoring the nobles and their indecency, Lissa guides him to Garza and Almios. “Who are they?” She asks while her tail coils around one leg. Garza and Almios shrug before Micah coughs once more. “They are from Volamire ‘highborn’” Almios twitches his fingers at the word. “More like rich assholes, really,” Garza adds, shooting them a contemptuous look. Almios elbows him, “They may be, but right now, we have to protect them.”

Lissa arched an eyebrow, “From them?” She pointed behind her at the corpses. Garza and Almios shook their heads, “No from very well armed, armored, and red-eyed Legionnaires.” Lissa blinked, “What?” Almios shrugged, “Personally, I don’t believe them,” he turned to look at the huddled mass of nobles. “But considering how scared they are, if a Legionnaire managed to get turned. I would run too.” Lissa cocked her head, “How did they get here?” Almios opened his mouth for a moment before shutting it and shrugged. “Let’s go ask them then,” Lissa said while walking past Almios and Garza.

She looked at Mera and Mela momentarily. Mera was healing a rather large gash across one man’s face. Mela, on the other hand, was inspecting a small child whose parents looked apprehensive. Lissa sidestepped the puddles of vomit, flowing steadily outwards. Her target was a young man wearing a rich magenta outfit, whose frills were slightly singed. He turned to look at her as she approached. “Are you able to answer a few of my questions, sir?” She asked while staring at him. “Lucas, Lucas Aklos, and I will do my best. What do you need?” Lucas met her gaze. His eyes were unfocused. The shock was clearly starting to set in. Lissa looked at the others and saw the same thing.

“First, I would like you to take a deep breath, and then just a sip of this,” Lissa took her flask and handed it to him. Lucas took a slow deep breath before taking a sip from the flask. He made a face as the liquid touched his lips. Looking up to Lissa, he handed it back to her, “What was that?” Lissa put the flask away, “Alcohol, the good kind. Do you feel better?” Lucas nodded, “A bit. Thank you.” Lissa crouched next to him, “So why are you down here and not up in the city?” Lucas bit his thumb in thought for a moment, “We were being evacuated. Volamire is under attack, and the Legion is losing. One second I was with my friends walking home from a….” He looked at her for a moment, “A gentlemen's club in a different city when the sky lit up, and the city shook for a moment.”

“Do you know the old statues everywhere in the city?” Lucas looked at her, and Lissa shook her head. “Well, there are these old statues. They looked like heavily armed soldiers everywhere in the city. Along the streets, in the towers, pretty much everywhere,” Lucas shook his head now, “Apparently, they were never statues. The stone started falling off them, and then they started attacking people.” Lucas looked down, “Before I knew it, one was in front of Gaius, and…. And….” Lucas took a steadying breath, “I watched two of my die in front of my eyes then, Gaius and James. Mark, Titus, and I ran to the nearest guard station. Honestly, I don’t remember much after that, lots of screaming, people dying, and being herded to the portals.”

Lucas looked at Lissa, “It put us at the academy here, and it was already under attack by the Gloomed. The guards at the academy had cleared a path for us but were being pushed back before the Legion came.” Lucas looked to the rest of the nobles, “They are the only reason we made it out of the academy and onto the grounds. The red-eyed Legionnaires from Volamire had followed us through. When I came through, there were dozens of us.” His hand swept the remaining sixteen nobles. “They butchered the Emissaries, attacked the Legion and us. We all ran out to the streets and scattered. I don’t know if any more survived.”

Lissa put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “We’ll get you all out. Just take a break for now.” Lissa stood and walked over to Almios, Garza, Micah, and Darvick. Her eyes met Mera’s as she walked, and she gestured for her to come. “So, what’s the plan?” Garza asked while scanning the rooftops.

The sound of heated combat, explosions, and screams of the dying were only growing louder. “Let’s wait for Mera and Mela. Hopefully, they saw something useful,” Lissa replied while letting her tail twitch in thought. A few moments later, they arrived. “How bad are those rich snobs?” Garza asked, glaring at Lucas. “A few fractures, cuts, bruises, and dislocations so far. Nothing serious, why?” Mela sent a frustrated glare towards Garza. “We may need to move them soon,” Lissa added as some nearby explosion rocked the street. Mera looked at her sister, “Fair point. What else?”

“What did you see when you were on the rooftops?” Micah asked nervously. “Nothing that doesn’t dispute what any of them have told us. The Legion is being pushed back by those red-eyed Legionnaires who are working with the Gloomed,” Mera replied while eyeing the pile of corpses. Lissa, Micah, Garza, Darvick, and Micah stared at Mera and Mela. “Wait if they are working together….” Almios trailed off, eyeing the corpses as well. Lissa looked past the twins and to the nobles. Most seemed able to move without much assistance. “We need to leave now then before another horde comes. Or one of those red-eyed Legionnaires.” Nodding in agreement, the twins ran back to the nobles and began getting them up. Lissa looked up at Volamire and the dark sky. Flashes of lightning and resulting thunderclaps swept across the city. Shivering, Lissa began herding the nobles away from their former lives.

================================================================

Charles sidestepped a slash that could have disarmed him. A quick punch to the warrior’s chest caved in their armor. They hovered in the air for a moment before collapsing into a heap. Blood began pooling under them, and Charles took a few shaking breaths. He had been too slow to save Harshu. The murderer had underestimated him, and one blast of Aether later joined Harshu in death.

Charles had burst out the door leading to the royal suite and quickly recruited Miranda to follow him. They had been assaulted only twice before reaching the hallway outside the suite. Both times the threats were eliminated with extreme precision and prejudice by Miranda. Charles could hear the sound of combat and death echoing in the halls.

This assault, though, had been stacked against them. Three red-eyed warriors had barreled down upon them from a side hall. Miranda was still fighting two of them and beginning to falter. One wielded a wicked-looking Axe on her right, the other hovered just out of reach with a spear. Charles clenched his fists and, with an infusion of Aether to his limbs, entered the fray. He saw Miranda block a stab from the spear wielder with her shield while barely deflecting the ax with her sword. Charles gripped the wrist of the ax wielder with one hand and squeezed.

He felt the armor and bone crumble in his grip. The warrior didn’t make a sound as their wrist was turned to pulp. Charles let go as the ax fell to the floor and sent his elbow into their helmet. The warrior twitched away and let their useless hand dangle. Drawing a dagger with their good hand, they charged. Charles dodged the retaliatory slashes while feeding Aether to his rings.

Once he had poured enough in, he sidestepped. The warrior’s momentum carried them into the space he had been in. Stretching out one open palm, he triggered the enchantment. A blast of Aether shot from his palm and blasted the warrior’s head into a spray of gore. The force of the blow sent the body sailing into the opposite wall, where it collapsed. Charles turned back to Miranda, who had gotten inside the reach of the spear wielder. She slapped away the spear and used the opening to sink her blade into their throat.

Miranda tore the blade free and nearly decapitated them. The spear wielder fell forward, blood flowing freely onto the carpet. “Are….are you alright, my lord?” Miranda asked breathlessly. “I am fine. Are you alright, Miranda?” Charles replied while glancing at her. Her armor had many furrows dug into it from deflected blows. “I am alive, my lord, and still able to defend you,” Miranda took a steadying breath and looked up the hall where their assailants came from.

She waved him forward, and Charles ran to the door on the opposite side. “I will stay here and guard the door, sire. Get your family, and I will escort you to safety,” Miranda said while taking position behind him. “Thank you, Miranda,” Charles opened the door and went into his study. He stopped as the door shut behind him. Taking a deep breath, his fears lessened. Blood and death hadn’t reached this room yet, which meant it hadn’t reached his family.

Charles walked through his study into the main hallway in the suite. Each empty room he checked brought back the fear by magnitudes. “They are safe. I haven’t seen any bodies or fighting. They are safe,” Charles had repeated this mantra for the last three rooms. It helped only a little as his hand clasped the doorknob to the master bedroom. He tried to push it open and found it immobile. Charles closed his eyes and knocked on the door in a pattern only Elizabeth or Melinda would know.

He let out a breath of relief when he heard something on the other side of the door move. Charles took a step back as the door opened. Elizabeth saw him and beamed. “Daddy, you're okay!” She screamed before leaping into his arms. Squeezing her tightly, Charles felt tears fall down his cheeks. Then, blinking, he saw Melinda standing in the doorway, Xander in her arms. The relief and happiness on her face were infectious, and Charles rushed forward. He embraced her and, for a moment, was at peace with his family.

Melinda looked at him, “Are we using it?” Charles nodded grimly, “We have to, my love.” Melinda looked away for a moment, “How many are there?” Charles ended the embrace while setting Elizabeth down, “Just one, I will go get her. Take them and meet me in the nursery.” Melinda nodded and grabbed Elizabeth’s hand, “Follow my love, daddy will be right back.” Elizabeth fought for a moment, her eyes locked on Charles. “I’ll be right there, pumpkin, I promise. Go on,” Charles said with a false smile.

“Okay,” Charles saw the resignation in Elizabeth’s eyes as she followed her mother. Then, turning to face the way he came, Charles jogged up the hall towards Miranda. He made it into his study and opened the door into the hall. Miranda jumped and spun to face him. Her momentarily panicked face turned to relief, “My lord is your family safe?” Charles nodded and beckoned her inside, “They are. Follow me.” Miranda obeyed and, as she came into the study, eyed a nearby bookshelf. “Do we need to come back this way?” She asked, walking towards it quickly.

“No, so you can do it,” Charles responded while going over to his desk, grabbing a dusty box above it. He ignored the noise as Miranda barricaded the door. Charles set the box onto his desk and opened it. Inside lay his family’s sword. Taking it out, he quickly attached it to his waist. Charles looked to Miranda as she finished putting the second bookshelf in place. “This way,” Charles said while making his way to the nursery.

“Where are we going, my lord? We only have a few exits from the royal suite,” Miranda asked as they passed the empty rooms and halls. “A secret place only a select few know of,” Charles turned to look at her. “There is a portal only the royal family can use in the sub-levels of this palace. The only way to get to it is in the nursery.” Miranda nodded, “I am honored to be shown this, my lord.” Charles pushed open the door to the nursery. Melinda was waiting by a now barren section of wall, her hand on one side. The adornments on the wall had been thrown to the middle of the room. Charles smiled at Elizabeth and went to the other side of Melinda. He nodded while placing his hand on the stone. The Aether flowed out of him, and imperceptible runes flared to life and then faded.

For a few heartbeats, nothing happened before the wall shuddered and sank into the floor. Charles stepped into the now revealed stairwell while feeding Aether into the crown. The gems glowed, pouring light into the darkness. He leaned and quickly kissed Melinda, “I love you.” Smiling, Melinda pushed him forward gently, “I love you to now go on.” Charles started the descent and was relieved to hear the wall ascend as Miranda stepped through. Soon the only light came from the crown as they descended to safety.