Nox needed more time.

Liesel Wyrd stood in front of him. Shadowy waves spread from her waist, hanging like a skirt of darkness. It crested and ebbed in a four-foot-tall circle around them, swiping at anyone who attempted to get close. It took all of Nox’s focus to stay conscious. He could hear Mou and Aria, but they sounded far away, and their words remained unintelligible. Meanwhile, cold shadows crept up Nox’s arm and held them out on either side of him.

“You’re Warmonger,” Nox managed to say. “My instincts were right. Trusting you is a death sentence.”

“We’re Warmonger,” Liesel Wyrd replied. She sounded amused as if it was all a big game to her. “Warmonger is legion.” The words reverberated through the shadows all around Nox, spoken simultaneously by several dozen voices. She laughed, revealing the smallest pair of fangs yet. They were delicate and pearly white, like two polished and carefully carved gemstones. The woman moved closer to Nox and ran a finger across his lips. It came away crimson. Liesel Wyrd shuddered, sucking the digit clean. The pool of shadows growing out of her expanded, pushing people away and enveloping others. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to taste you, Nox. I was almost worried it wouldn’t be worth the wait.”

Nox needed more time. It was tempting to use Crystalize Essence, but he resisted. Without the conjured shadow scythe sticking through his chest, he would bleed out in seconds.

His mind raced as Warmonger gloated. Vampires were considered long extinct. Tales of the Alkebulan and the Western continent often featured them. All sources claimed that little besides sunlight, decapitation, and the removal of the heart could end them. However, Kurosaki Hinata had attended Advanced Dungeon Combat and bathed in the sun. He had walked with Liesel Wyrd during the daytime, too. Nox’s mind wandered to Brianna. She was glad to discover they wouldn’t have to attend Advanced Dungeon Combat on the university’s exposed roof anymore, and Nox hadn’t seen her in direct sunlight since. April’s behavior had changed, too, but Nox couldn’t be sure. He only ever saw her in the evenings.

Shadow magic.

The pieces came together as Nox gritted his teeth and forced his mind to focus. He no longer felt the pain. Weakness and a deep chill had replaced it. Yet his mind remained focused, and the gears continued to turn. As shadow mages, the vampire duo likely had the means to avoid the ill effects of sunlight.

“Warmonger’s keystone isn’t a spell,” Nox said. He needed to keep Liesel Wyrd distracted for a few moments longer. The woman seemed to have a fondness for gloating and likely felt invincible. The deans and professors were trapped within, and most guards in the square rushed into the building. The few that remained were already entangled in her shadows. A few seconds more, and he’d have the means to ensure his fiance and family escaped alive. Nothing else mattered. “It's the curse of vampirism.”

“Curse? That’s such a backward way of looking at things. Eternal youth. Mind magic. Mastery over thralls. Strength. Speed. None of it is a curse. Your big companion and the little thief squirmed at first, but they embraced my gifts as soon as they identified the opportunity that came with them.” Nox’s heart sank. Liesel Wyrd had turned April, too. Joey would be devastated. Nox hoped Leanna Tanner wasn’t also one of them. “Tell me, Nox, do you want my gift? Letting a mind like yours go to waste would be an utter shame. We could do great things together. Join me. Be Warmonger.”

“I’d rather not,” Nox replied. “I like myself as I am.”

“I’ll turn you anyway,” Liesel smiled. She ran a shadowy claw across her left wrist, and maroon, viscous crimson fluid flowed from the cut like honey. “Perhaps a year or two under your sire’s compulsion will change your mind.”

Liesel Wyrd no longer wanted to gloat. She moved closer, raising her wrist to Nox’s lips. Unwilling to cooperate, he triggered Temporal Reversal.

The new spell cannibalized techniques from a dozen different complicated pieces of magic. It only activated when Nox willed it or he suffered a fatal injury and primed itself to reverse his time to five minutes before the incident. The spell didn’t just revert his body to its former physical condition but also returned him to his initial position. It took a lot of tweaking, but Nox had installed parameters to activate the effect. The additional script segment increased the Temporal Reversal’s cost by a tenth, but Nox deemed it worthwhile.

The reversal would trigger under three conditions: death, five minutes passing from the incident of injury, or intent. Enveloping himself in Temporal Retardation delayed the second trigger condition, and Nox had done just that. It was a true emergency spell, and Nox had designed it with facing the Cabal in mind. He didn’t expect to need it so soon, but Temporal Reversal did its job.

It had bought Nox the time he desperately needed.

All pain and discomfort disappeared. Nox instantly returned to the side door they had used to exit the council building, looking upon the people Liesel Wyrd had captured in her mess of shadow waves and tentacles. The bindings and scythe that had held Nox remained where they had stood. Much to his delight, Aria, Mou, and her husband had retreated to a nearby wall. The trio hadn't fled even though it was in their best interests. Meanwhile, Liesel Wyrd’s wide eyes darted around the square, scanning for her former prisoner.

“Over here!” Nox called, manifesting the long bow. Liesel Wyrd’s eyes darted to him as he nocked an arrow of golden essence glass. She moved toward him, gliding through her shadows. The Cabalist only took two steps before an invisible force reversed the direction she was facing. She stumbled before turning to face Nox again. Liesel Wyrd screamed, dropping into the shadows, but they spat her out. “Recognize the spell, Professor?”

Light and sunlight essence had little combat potential. Yet Nox had gathered plenty of both, relying on Alexander for the latter. He had developed Floating Lights and Flash spells out of both essence glasses. He hoped they’d save Alexander valuable mana, letting him prioritize stone and wood projectiles during combat. Blinding opponents was also one of his favorite tactics.

Liesel Wyrd dodged the arrow, bending out of the way using inhuman reflexes. Then, Spatial Reversal flipped its direction of flight, and the projectile clipped her left arm before exploding. The brilliant golden flash washed away all of the conjured and manipulated shadows, and the scream that accompanied it hurt Nox’s ears. He was forced to release his bow and clap his hands over them. When Nox opened his eyes, he caught sight of the ward under Liesel Wyrd flickering out of existence. He’d just about finished Shaping it when the woman attacked and failed to imbue it with enough mana.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

It had lasted long enough.

The vampiress lay on the ground with her left arm, the connected shoulder, and half of her face disintegrated. Smoke rose from her injuries, and the healthy flesh bubbled. New tissue weaved together to fix the damage. Supernatural regeneration. It was another gift vampires displayed in the legends. The specimens he had faced so far didn’t display anything so potent or instantaneous. It confirmed Nox’s suspicions. Liesel Wyrd was either the individual leading the vampire coven or one of their senior members. There was, of course, a chance that someone older and more powerful remained hidden somewhere within the city.

Warmonger, being a coven of vampires, made sense. They were an army, and the innate Mind Magic made them excellent at inciting conflict or seducing individuals to drain or turn. Liesel had said something about compelling vampires she sired to do her bidding, too. An organized group of super-powered individuals like her would have no trouble integrating into a city and slowly destabilizing it.

Lillin had claimed that Warmonger was sowing conflict in the Imperium, but that didn’t mean members of the coven couldn’t simultaneously be in the City of Ygg, causing chaos over several months, if not years. He wondered whether vampires had infiltrated the city during the Terrastalia refugee crisis. The abductions and ritual killings could’ve all been a cover for their feedings.

A crouched figure raced toward Liesel Wyrd just as Nox nocked another sunlight arrow. Worried it was a vampire trying to rescue its sire, he switched targets. It was Mou.

“Get away from her!” He yelled, but his aunt ignored him. “She’s a vampire! Don’t go near her.”

Nox’s words fell on deaf ears. His aunt stopped just short of the ward before releasing a frosty blast from her hands. A concentrated cone of pale blue enveloped Leisel Wyrd and molded around her. When the vapors dispersed, the regeneration had stalled. The vampire appeared as white as snow. Mou Ratra cast another spell, conjuring a chunk of ice as large as a cartwheel. It dropped on Liesel Wyrd, shattering her head and chest.

Screams exploded from within the council building. Vampires flooded from all doors and windows moments later, making a beeline for their fallen master.

“Close your eyes!” Nox yelled, releasing his sunlight arrow. It struck Liesel Wyrd’s remains before exploding. Ear-piercing screams filled the square, and more flooded from within the building. He rushed to his aunt’s side, preparing more projectiles. Aria joined them and knew what to do when Nox handed her a flask full of glowing orange.

Several stories spoke from vampires recovering from incredible injuries unless all of their remains were destroyed. All the vampires rushing to Liesel Wyrd’s remains suggested they were correct. Nox and Mou worked together to take out the charging vampires while Aria released flame slimes onto the frozen corpse.

It wasn’t long before Brianna emerged, but Nox didn’t have to bother with her. Caitlin came racing after the blood-covered northerner. Water whips extended from the elemental armor’s arms and bound Brianna’s ankles.

Then, the deans and professors emerged to help with the rest. Nox spotted everyone but Dean Woodson and staff known to have Life Magic. He guessed they had stayed behind to help with the injured. Nox also failed to spot Alexander amongst the crowd exiting the council building.

The madness ended in half an hour. A few vampires broke free of whatever compulsion drew them toward Liesel Wyrd—likely their fallen sire—and fled, disappearing into the night. A handful of professors departed in pursuit.

“Is this really the state of Woodson University?” Lord Oakheart demanded, almost screaming in Elgin Thorpe’s face. “You’re supposed to be in charge of security, and you let vampires operate on campus? You let one into your department? My daughter was in her class, Thorpe! What in Ygg’s name are you doing?”

“This is neither the time nor place for this conversation,” Elgin Thorpe protested, keeping his voice low. The man appeared tired and embarrassed.

“To Hogg’s fuming arsehole with that nonsense! I need accountability from you and the other deans. I don’t invest thousands in the university to make it a playground for vampires. What are you and the rest of the blighted deans doing?”

“It was the Cabal!” Elgin Thorpe hissed before stiffening. His eyes darted across the square at every staff member, student, and guest who might’ve heard him. The noise had drawn several residents, and their staff had stepped out into the streets or balconies. The news was out. There was no keeping it secret. The dean of the war mage department sighed, shoulders drooping. “It was Warmonger. She infiltrated the city, and we, the staff, have been going to extreme lengths to keep our students safe. Despite the chaos around the city, nothing has happened on campus. No student was harmed until today.” He moved closer to Load Oakheart and spoke slower, but the words remained clear to Nox’s alchemically enhanced senses. “We’ve been trying to figure out Warmonger’s identity for weeks. I did not realize it was Liesel Wyrd’s fault, and I accept responsibility for that.”

“Oh.” Lord Oakheard’s expression betrayed his shock. He composed himself, and his following words came out cold and harsh. “The city has been under attack from the Cabal for two years. First, the All-Father cult took people from your campus. Now this. You and Highwater have nothing to show for your efforts. We’re beyond let down.”

“So what do you want? For Highwater and me to step down?”

“Perhaps it would be in the university and city’s best interests if the pair of you stepped down.”

“That’s uncalled for!”

Explosions rocked the city, abruptly ending the conversation. The ground shook, and multiple roars rang around the city. Nox recognized the sound. He had heard it several times before in the dungeon below Ygg.

“That’s Hogg’s Avatar,” Nox stated, glancing at Caitlin. She had joined them after the professors took custody of Brianna and the living vampires. “Or many of him.”

“It's the Outer Rings,” Caitlin said. “Joey and April never appeared. They’re out there.” The tension showed on her neck and face. “We need to get out there, Nox. Warmonger must’ve triggered a blighted dungeon break.”

“Get back to the Galleria,” Nox told his fiancee and aunt. “Ingrid. Go with them. You know the streets better than anyone. Take the safe streets and avoid anywhere there might be crowding.”

“Understood.” Ingrid nodded.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Aria asked, throwing her arms around Nox. “I was sure you were dead.”

“I was going to be,” Nox answered. “The spell gives me a second chance. Its expensive and challenging to cast, though. So, I can’t rely on it too much.”

“Just don’t scare me like that.” She flinched when another explosion rocked the city just outside the wall separating Nobles Quarter from the outer rings. “Stay safe. Alright?”

“I will.”

Aria kissed Nox goodbye, and Mou hugged him tightly. The latter of the women appeared just as shaken but didn’t waste time on a conversation or seek reassurance. Much to Nox’s surprise, he received a nod and hug from his usually closed-off uncle-in-law.