Backing away, Karn scanned the battlefield. There was no mistaking it, these were Reapers. The very same monsters that had stripped Earth of its humanity. A returning sense of panic bubbled in his chest that he openly fought. Between the grey limbs and the screams, Baron's face caught his attention. Despite his past and previous taunts, the young man had resisted the darkness, battling fiercely to reach the wooden stage.
"Help!" he shouted as his voice was drowned out by the chaos around him.
He was only a few feet away.
Even after all he’d said and done, Karn didn’t hesitate and reached out to pull him up.
But before Baron could find safety, a monstrous figure towered over him—the Duchess—far taller than the other nightmares, enhanced by the book that was now melded into her chest, its cover as dark as the night sky. She lunged forward, her grotesque claws outstretched, aiming to pluck the youth from his feet.
Heaving with all his strength, Karn managed to pull Baron just in time up onto the stage. Breathless, Baron met his gaze, with nothing but terror in his eyes. They didn't have a moment to think as a colossal claw fell, smashing the wooden frame above them. The three dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the claw as the impact sent shockwaves through the platform.
Lady Amber let out a scream.
The chilling cry that erupted from the Duchess's twisted maw was a blend of anguish and rage, that sent shivers racing down their spines. He looked up. Her eyes, burning with spite, bore into his, promising nothing but suffering.
In the midst of this chaos, Karn's instincts kicked in. Between dodges he rapidly scanned the area, seeking anything that could help. His eyes settled on a spear abandoned by a fallen warden. With a surge of will, he dived for it, narrowly avoiding another swooping claw. But he wasn't entirely clear—the sharp talon grazed his leg, leaving a deep cut across his left leg.
Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, Karn grasped the spear. Its solid weight encouraged him, offering a glimmer of hope within the madness.
He had no time. The Duchess was advancing, so he took a deep breath and, using all his strength, hurled the spear straight at her. The projectile flew through the air and found its mark, embedding itself in her gut. The blow caused her to stagger back a step with a guttural roar.
Lady Amber gasped, "You actually hit her!"
Karn's adrenaline-pumped heart raced as he nodded, knowing it wasn’t enough, but it might buy them time. And true to his thoughts their brief moment of victory was short-lived. The Duchess, in a frenzy of rage, wrenched the spear from her side, yellow ichor pouring from the wound. Her eyes, devoid of any former humanity, again bore into Karn’s.
"We need to move," Karn hissed.
The three readied themselves, knowing that any slip up would be their last.
They were trapped. The sea of monsters was relentless, devouring everything in sight at a horrifying pace in every direction.
"What’re we gonna do?" Baron panted.
Lady Amber's voice trembled, "There's no way out."
But just as despair threatened to swallow them whole, the skies darkened with falling feathers. In that moment, Karn's heart soared. The Kraven warriors touched down, their cobalt blades slashing through the monsters, spraying the ground with their sickly yellow ichor.
The Duchess turned to face the new threat and wailed as black arrows pierced her distorted face.
Then massive, black-feathered dinosaurs landed amidst the chaos, ripping apart foes. Through the fierce combat a narrow path pierced the sea of bodies. There, Karn's eyes caught two recognizable figures: one with flaming red hair, the other determined and familiar.
"Karn!" Charles yelled, navigating the battleground with a book gripped firmly in his hand. The tome's crimson cover blended with the surrounding gore.
His heart leaped in his chest, here was finally a chance. The book he had longed for now in his sights.
Trailing behind Charles, Maze and the University master’s brandished their own books, each teeming with potential magic. Though outnumbered, their combined strength was undeniable. Events flew, turning monsters to stone, encasing others in ice, or reducing them to ashes. Working in perfect sync, the Kraven warriors who provided the crucial cover the maters needed to unleash the stored events.
Charles deftly sidestepped an oncoming attack, the haunting wails of the creatures almost drowned by the sharp ring of blue blades slicing through grey, monstrous flesh.
“We're safe, right?” Baron's voice held a hint of desperation.
Karn met Baron's eyes and gave a brief, grim nod. But safety was relative. Everywhere he looked, the city was under siege. The haunting echoes of distant combat and cries of despair reverberated through the streets.
With a violent gesture, the Duchess yanked arrows from her face and, with a roar, lunged forward, pinning one of the massive dinosaurs beneath her. Her talons tore mercilessly at the creature as it let out a mournful wail. Watching the scene unfold, Karn felt a surge of anger. It boiled inside him, mingling with the strange warmth in his chest that seemed on the verge of erupting.
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He scooped down and plucked a broken part of the wooden frame and hurled it at her. It bounced harmlessly off the Duchess but was enough to pause her clawing.
From the maelstrom of chaos, a new voice emerged from under the towering behemoths, smooth and dripping with irony a man said, “easy there, darling.”
Karn’s eyes snapped to a man covered in dirt nimbly dancing around the Duchess’s ankles. Sporting a brazenly large hat, the swordsman made short work of her Achilles tendons. With expertly timed strokes, he brought the Duchess to her knees. This shift gave the trapped dinosaur the opportunity it needed to turn and clamp its massive jaws around her throat. As she choked, collapsing in a heap, the twirling swordsman approached the stage, extending a hand to the astonished Lady with a flourish.
“M’Lady,” he greeted, mischief evident in his eyes.
As the man drew closer, Karn noticed the man's "dirt" was not dirt at all. His entire form appeared to be made from clay.
Stunned, Lady Amber stammered out, “Fredrickson? What? Is that really you?”
“It is… kind of…” He bowed deep. “At your service.”
As a monster lunged towards them on the stage, Fredrickson effortlessly deflected its attack. Almost instantly, a Kraven warrior swooped in from behind, finishing the creature off with a swift strike.
“Time's ticking, M’Lady,” Fredrickson quipped, his gaze briefly resting on the ragged form of Baron. “Let's get you all to safety, shall we?”
Karn nodded, his attention caught by Fredrickson's swordplay. Just then, Charles arrived, gasping for breath, clutching the Book of the Known tightly in his grasp with Ellie by his side. A look of concern flashed on the faces of Karn’s friends as they beheld the state, he was in. He shrugged off their upset and gestured to the madness around them as a silent understanding passed between them.
Karn glanced at the book now in Charles hands and croaked, "what about the elementlet children?"
Before Charles could catch his breath to reply, Fredrickson chimed in, "I believe Master Giblets has taken them to his tower."
Recognition sparked in Karn's eyes. “Ah.”
Through his laboured breathing, Charles finally added, "Karn, you must take it." He extended the book towards him.
Karn nodded.
When Karn's fingers grazed the book's cover, a surge of energy coursed through him, filling him with a profound sense of wholeness. The courtyard, in response, was enveloped in an eerie, palpable stillness.
Every monster froze in place.
The Kraven warriors took wary steps back from the paralysed creatures, unsure what to anticipate next. Their guard raised trying to read the silent creatures.
But then every creature faced the book.
Karn’s heart thudded loudly in his chest. Even the Duchess, her life force flickering but not extinguished, turned to him. Their eyes no longer held anger or intent, only a vacant, singular focus.
The silence was shattered when, as if a switch had been flipped, the monsters surged towards the book.
Reacting without a word the Kraven, with legendary swiftness, soared into the air, their wings cutting through the morning mist. They then dived down with the precision of hawks, forming a protective barrier between Karn's group and the relentless onslaught of the Reapers.
Fredrickson, thinking quick, leaped off the platform, swiftly scouring the ground for weapons and tossed them up to the group.
The Reaper monsters, having found their focus, charged in a wave of snarls and grotesque limbs. The ground vibrated under the weight of their charge, their sheer numbers creating a wall of grey, sinewy flesh and gnashing teeth.
From the rear, the masters of the university, their faces set in concentration, began unleashing all they could. The air around them tingled with energy. Suddenly, gales of wind whipped up, pushing some of the monsters over. Others were caught in tendrils of water, pulling them under, while some turned into ash mid-stride. Pillars of fire erupted in the horde's path, incinerating those too close and creating barriers. The courtyard turned into a battlefield of steel and energy, where their combined fury met monstrous carnage.
“Behind you!” Ellie shouted as Karn narrowly missed an incoming limb.
The cacophony of battle was showing no signs of slowing, each clash and scream becoming more desperate and deafening. Just when they seemed to be gaining the upper hand, the courtyard imploded with hundreds of new threats from the city, diving to seize the prize on the platform.
Karn swiftly dodged a Reaper who had made its way on the platform and was about to charge when a massive talon from below grasped it, pulling it into the jaws the dinosaur.
The Kraven, though valiant and swift, were gradually being overwhelmed. Their number, dwindling with every wave. The tension was hick with the scent of blood and sweat and none of them had the opportunity to think.
As the chaos raged, a distinct horn blast from the south pierced the air. Turning, Karn met Lady Amber's hopeful gaze. Without missing a beat, she gracefully dispatched a monster, slicing through its limb with her keen-edged rapier Fredrickson had thrown to her.
Karn was taken aback by the fluidity and expertise of Lady Amber's attack. He hadn't realized she possessed such skill.
Karn, in the heat of the battle, scarcely noticed the horn, his focus narrowing on an approaching Reaper. Drawing back, he thrust a spear at the beast. In his peripheral vision, he noticed a small figure, draped in black, darting between the beasts. But he couldn't afford the luxury of distraction; death loomed too close for comfort.
Charles and Ellie stood side by side, fending off anything that approached the stage from behind with long weapons. Their synchronized movements created a temporary barrier, allowing the Kraven below to swoop in, turning the tide for a brief second.
Another horn blast, this one ancient and low pierced the air from the west. Karn's heart raced as recognition settled in. "They're here?" He shouted over the noise, seeking validation. But Charles and Ellie only returned puzzled looks, their faces etched with confusion and exhaustion. The true meaning of the horns and the fate of the battle still hung in the balance.
Karn's attention was diverted momentarily from the horde in front of him to the peculiar figure he'd noticed earlier. Dressed entirely in black, the figure now stood over the corrupted book that lay within the now-fallen Duchess. His own dark tome was open, and he began to chant words that held a tone of foreboding. The air around him seemed to vibrate with energy, echoing each syllable he uttered.
From the rear, the Masters, once the powerful defenders of the line, now looked trapped. The sheer number of Reapers flooding from the city and congregating at this epicentre of devastation made it impossible for them to breach the wall of enemies. Maze seemed to recognise the cloaked man's actions and understood the catastrophe he aimed to unleash. Yet, despite their combined event casting they couldn't break through the sea of Reapers to stop him.
Whatever dark ritual the man was enacting, it reached its climax. He raised his hand in a gesture of victory, shouting a defiant challenge that seemed directed not just at those present, but at powers far beyond comprehension.
The atmosphere grew dense. Karn, Ellie, Charles, Lady Amber, and even the fearless Kraven warriors felt a shift. An oppressive heaviness filled the air, one they could not understand.
Karn's heart pounded in his chest. The robed man in black stepped back just in time as a vast chasm tore open the street beneath him. Both Reapers and fallen bodies were swallowed by the abyss, which was an inky blackness more profound than any darkness they had ever witnessed. A door to another realm had been ripped open, bridging their world with an unspeakable void.