The party acted first and left questions for later.

The wooden golem’s arm grew over Caitlin’s left arm and shoulder as she barrelled into Brianna’s side. Left unbalanced by her animalistic lunge, the northerner failed to stabilize herself and went over the railing. The woman displayed cat-like reflexes she hadn’t shown before, rotating in the air and landing on her feet. The chains on her arms glowed bright, and she attacked the next person in her reach. Nox couldn’t tell whether Brianna had targeted Aria or just turned on the person closest to her.

A small army of muscled squirrels emerged out of the walls and floors. Wisps of lightning danced around most. They formed a defensive circle around the party. The trio fell into a tight triangle formation, pushing Aria, Mou, and her husband within. Nox scanned his surroundings for Ingrid, but she had disappeared. He hoped the young apprentice had enough sense to stay out of the chaos.

“Twelve,” Alexander commented. “There are twelve centers of chaos below us, but the squirrels claim there are more in the ground.”

“What, in Ygg’s name, is going on?” Mou demanded. Five pale blue motes manifested, revolving just above her head. They radiated a powerful frosty energy. The woman was an adept mage but had little combat experience. She had taken a few war mage courses during her time as a student, but then she spent the rest of her life as an alchemist for the Trade Empire. Her skills were rusty, and Nox was sure her husband was worse. He had no formal mage training and had only ever worked as an alchemist. “What are those things?”

“Warmonger,” Nox replied, manifesting Ratra’s Bow in its hand-crossbow form. “This has to be their doing. Alexander, find us a way out of the building. Otis is already ensuring none of the hidden bastards sneak up on us.” He paused once again, scanning his surroundings. The crowd was too thick to shoot the attackers safely. Nox carried his flask of brews as usual and took a long swig. His senses sharpened, and his nerves relaxed. “I’d appreciate it if you look out for Ingrid, too. I wish she did as told and stuck with us.”

“No. Seriously.” Aria tightly gripped Nox’s coat. “What are they? By Hogg’s Taint, why did Brianna try to bite me?”

“Vampires,” Caitlin said. “The Cabal sent blighted adventures after us.”

“Not just you,” Mou whispered. “Think about it. This building is full of the city’s best mages, graduates, and influential figures from around the continent. The Cabal is getting rid of all who can defend Ygg.”

“I’ve found a route out,” Alexander said. “Let’s go.”

“What about them?” Aria asked, pulling Nox back as he tried to move.

Most people on the balcony overlooking the ballroom were flooding to the one staircase heading out into the hallway outside. None tried to descend to the dancefloor. It was a bloodbath. The vampires had wreaked havoc, but they weren’t the only source of chaos. Panicked mages and aether warriors had attempted to fight or repel them, injuring regular people around them.

Several professors were already on the scene assisting, but the combat-oriented individuals prioritized large-scale or control attacks, which weren’t ideal for such a setting. The vampires had no qualms about using the people around them for cover. The university staff focused on defense, protecting the weak from the attackers and panicking mages. Only Dean Elgin Thorpe successfully put up an offense. He had already cut down two vampires using blades made of pure mana and was now working on a third. He moved with care, dancing around attacks, guarding those around him with floating shields, and striking whenever possible. Diya had once again sprouted her viny ink constructs, and many stood huddled within.

The attackers came in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. Students, random guests, and service staff bore fangs, striking everyone nearby with inhuman strength. Brianna proved one of the most threatening in them. Displaying strange arcane abilities beyond the few naturally provided by her chains.

“I need to get you to safety first,” Nox stated. “Then I can come back to help the others.”

“But—”

“The deans, professors, and some of the best mages in the City of Ygg are in this building. They can handle this, too. We need to prioritize getting to a safe position and figure out Warmonger’s identity. If they go down, maybe the vampires will too.”

Aria appeared dissatisfied with Nox’s answer but didn’t protest any further.

The stairs to exit the ballroom balcony were packed with people pushing to get out. Nox was sure it would end with someone getting trampled or crushed. It wouldn’t surprise him if the more covert attackers were already on them. Professor Liesel Wyrd attempted to redirect the crowd through an open balcony. Someone had shaped a stone stairway outside, but few paid any attention to her directions.

Nox eyed the nearby terrace through the window. It was the same place where Nox and Daniel had their chat. “I have an idea,” he said, shooting the window. It exploded outwards, making Mou’s husband and Aria flinch. He hadn’t contributed much but Nox appreciated how he shielded her with his body. “Everybody hold on to me and move when I do.”

“You can’t seriously be thinking about Fold Stepping with all of us?!” Aria exclaimed. “Have you done something like that before? Do you even have enough mana for that?”

“No, I haven’t,” Nox answered. “But mana isn’t a concern.”

This time Mou stopped him when he tried to advance. “Why? I won’t have you hurting yourself for a hair-brained plan. This isn’t the time for mana drain. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

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Nox gritted his teeth. He loved Mou and Aria, but civilians were an obstacle in combat and emergency situations. If it were just his companions, they’d know to trust his quick thinking. “This isn’t like Blink or Teleport. The mana isn’t additive or multiplicative for every additional passenger. The spell reduces the distance we have to travel, letting us cover it in a step. It doesn’t physically change our location.”

The plan worked. He had left out the bit about mental strain. Folding space enough for one person to cover with a step was one thing, but doing it for six demanded an extra layer of concentration. The mana cost was marginally higher because he had to fold a greater surface area, but it was better than transporting people individually or two at a time.

The indoor balcony had been too narrow for Caitlin’s armors. She manifested the sleeker and speedier version of her armor once they were out in the open. It consumed a little less than two-thirds of the space. Her timing couldn’t have been better: a trio of vampires came after them. She slashed her water blade through the first, vivisecting her. A right hook took care of another.

Kurosaki Hinata was the only one who made it onto the terrace, jumping over everyone’s heads and landing behind them. She lunged at Mou, fangs bared, and bloody fingers curled into claws tipped with shadow. Her husband dove toward the vampire, ready to sacrifice himself for his wife. The move proved necessary. Otis appeared out of nowhere and threw herself into Hinata, knocking her off balance. Nox shot an arrow at her, but shadows rose, consuming the projectile. Attacking lightning squirrels faced the same fate. She raised her hands, and a wave of shadow spikes traveled along the ground like a wave, rapidly approaching the party.

Crystalize Essence dissolved the attack. Before Hinata could launch another spell, Liesel Wyrd descended upon her, emerging from the building’s shadow above. The professor shredded Hinata with darkness shaped into sickles.

“Pathetic.” The professor spat, face contorted in disgust. She wiped dark, congealed blood from her cheek. “Nox. Can I trust you to get civilians out?”

“I can’t Fold Step everyone out,” Nox replied.

“Not necessary.” Shadows extended across the six-foot gap between the terrace and the window. “Between Miss Woodson and I, I think we have enough Shaping power to support a bridge.”

Caitlin followed the woman’s lead. She kneeled, pressing her hands to the terrace railing, and thick woody branches extended from her armor, creating a more sturdy bridge. The trapped didn’t hesitate and flooded across. “I’ll have to stay here until everyone is across,” she said. “Otherwise, it will collapse.”

“Ygg’s Saggy Tits.” Liesel Wyrd sighed. “I was hoping you’d be able to clear the way. I can’t leave you here to support the bridge and hold it.”

“I’ll stay,” Alexander said.

“Nonsense. You’re the druid candidate. It would be foolish—”

“I’ll be fine!” A mass of squirrels appeared around Alexander, and he conjured spheres of sunlight that revolved around him. “I understand my importance, but people need to stop treating me like a delicate flower. Rifts. Dungeons. I’ve dealt with them and dissolved them. We’ve dealt with the blighted Cabal before, too.” Alexander’s nostrils flared, and as if to prove a point, he launched one of the sunlight spheres into the ballroom. It exploded, and multiple screams exploded from within. “Vampires hate sunlight, and I have it in surplus. Go!”

Liesel Wyrd hesitated, glancing between the nervous crowd growing on the terrace and the Woodson siblings. She nodded, eyes shifting to Nox. “I’ll clear the way, you bring up the rear. Is that okay?”

“Perfect,” Nox replied. It gave him an excuse to keep his people close. Just as everyone set off, Ingrid appeared next to him. Blood stained her dress, but none appeared to be her own. The apprentice spoke before Nox could reprimand her.

“Someone drugged the cups going around the meeting room. I knocked over the tray before everyone fell victim. They’ve all got smelling salts, too. Then the flesh golems attacked.”

“Vampires and flesh golems?” Nox mumbled. “What in Ygg’s name is going on here?”

The Cabal all had signature spells, and he had expected Warmonger to involve destruction or minions. Vampires were sentient entities toeing the line between the living and unliving. He struggled to fathom how they could be part of a spell. Flesh golems, on the other hand, made more sense. It was possible that Warmonger had made them out of all the butchered corpses around the city or the ritual murders had helped create them. Several such spells worked off the concept of ‘a life for a life.’

Nox didn’t have to waste many arrows as he followed the crowd. A few vampires approached from the rear. The bigger threat was the attackers that came out of doorways and corridors they passed. Fortunately, Mou’s Frost and Slow magic was no joke. Otis pelted attackers with vials of Trap Foam and Flame Slime. The eight-foot-tall flesh golems proved especially vulnerable to the latter.

Occasionally, their progress stalled. Most stealth mages struggled with sustained combat, preferring ambush tactics instead. Liesel Wyrd proved no different. From Nox’s estimate, she was a low expert and required the crowd’s assistance. Fortunately, the individuals leading the crowd with her were graduates or their parents and held journeyman or adept ranks. They burned through their mana fast and rotated to the back but did enough to whittle down the attackers.

Liesel and Nox only lost two people before reaching the square outside the council building. The rest were bloody, tired, and scared but reasonably unharmed. More had fled the building but saw no university staff. He guessed they were all still inside, dealing with the vampires and flesh golems. There were likely many inside left to protect.

“Did anyone see Joey?” Nox asked, scanning the crowd. “Did he show up?” No one had an answer for him. “I hope that blighted fool stayed away.”

“Good job, Sir Ratra,” Liesel Wyrd said. “All these people would still be stuck inside if not for your party and you.”

“It's not enough, though. We need to head back inside. Caitlin and Alexander aren’t here. They must’ve gone back in to help their grandmother.”

“More bodies will only get in the way of everyone’s more powerful spells. These opponents are no joke. The inhuman physiology and arcane enhancements of vampirism make these beasts a rank or two stronger than they were as humans. It's best if you stay out here, help protect everyone, and take down foes that exit the building.”

“Fine.” Nox sighed. “I’ll call for help then.”

Instead of wearing the spider ring, he wore it on a chain and kept it concealed under his shirt. He activated it, but blinding pain rocked Nox’s body before he could cast the light on a surface.

“Seriously? You joined the blighted spiders?” Liesel Wyrd’s voice dripped with venom. Aria and Mou screamed, rushing toward him, but a red-tinged shadow wall rose, blocking their path. “After everything I did for you. To help you. Make your life better. Do you join the spiders? I should’ve just turned you.”

Nox struggled to breathe as his eyes drifted downward toward his chest. A curving scythe-like blade jutted out of his torso just below the sternum. He couldn’t feel his legs.