I’m not wasting any time here.

“Olive.”

The fox spirit drops her glamour, immediately kneeling before me. “This one serves.”

The other three jump in surprise – I guess her illusion stealth whatever is really that good? Fair though, I only noticed she was there from Will Sense.

Well, and our bond. It’s pretty obvious where most of my retainers are through those…

Izahne certainly isn’t restraining the stink eye she’s leveling at my maid, but that’s fine as long as it doesn’t affect our combat readiness.

“Take us to the throne room.”

…

Why is she bowing deeper?

“Well?”

“Can’t,” is all she says.

“Why not?”

And now she’s so low she’s practically on the ground. “Barrier.”

Hm, hm. I see.

So whoever set this up planned for this.

“Probably,” Nyx says. “I’m guessing they waited for an opportunity where most of your strongest fighters were away from the castle or city center before they attacked. And here we are.”

“Then what’s our plan?” Izahne asks.

Ah, I see. I’m the leader again now for some reason. Maybe because Abaris isn’t here…

Nyx rubs the bridge of her nose. “No, idiot. She’s deferring to you because this is your plane, and it’s under attack. Some things are more important than who you’ve decided is the party leader.”

My wife is looking rapidly between the two of us, but has clearly decided this isn’t a time to argue about Olive or whatever.

It’s time to act.

“We move,” I say. “Same formation as my wife was suggesting, but Olive will be an additional damage dealer focusing on stronger targets or targets of opportunity alongside Nyx. I’ll be taking on the role of generalist and support, as well as tank for especially strong foes. Don’t overextend yourselves.”

Without another word, I scoop up the entire party with quickly manifested feelers and take off at maximum speed, while channeling Wave of Restoration to keep them all conscious at this pace. I’ve learned my lesson from those trips with Boz and… whoever the others were. Their names aren’t important.

Bursting through the labyrinth entrance, I’m met by a scene of absolute chaos. The mortals have formed a rough defensive front made up of the adventurers who have actually decided to live in the capital instead of Dungeon Town, and it’s clearly been for the best. I’m sure the city would have already fallen without them.

They’re clearly losing, though. The tide of monsters is just too heavy, continuously pushing them back and causing casualties.

I don’t bother setting down my party.

ENOUGH, I channel full-force into the minds of all nearby. FALL.

And I hit the invaders with both of my Auras, as well as Will Surge against as many of them as possible consecutively.

Most of them seem to be cowed by my Auras alone, but a handful of them aren’t and turn their attention toward me.

Not that it matters. I simply manifest more feelers yet, rising higher into the air and spreading my retainers – still in my grasp – behind me like a halo.

And then I tear into the monsters, focusing Consume through every feeler that makes contact, dropping the weak creatures in wave after wave.

In a matter of moments, they’re all gone.

I drift toward the cheering, triumphant adventurers. “What happened here?”

One of them, a burly human with spiked armor… wait, don’t I recognize that one? Well, no matter. They step forward and lift one of the dead monsters by the throat. “Vampires. Thousands of them.”

…

“Are these like that one I killed in that cave?” I ask no one in particular.

“Probably,” Nyx answers.

Pearl pokes at one with an unexpectedly long tentacle reaching from her robe. “Tastes like it.”

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“Wonderful. We move. You, humans, shore up this area. Establish a stronger beachhead at the city gates. Work with the vamp… oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’,” Nyx snarks. “Pretty sure we know what happened here now.”

“Change of plans,” I direct to the adventurers. “Kill vampires on sight. I’ll direct my kin to do the same, but they’re individually weak. They will provide support by draining the masses. Go forth and defend the city. I and my retainers will break the siege on the keep and then return to purge the betrayers. Now go.”

After a quick blast of Wave of Restoration over the gathered humans, I take to the air and again travel at top speed toward my besieged home.

…Home?

…

I guess it is now.

Huh.

As we’re only a few minutes out, I feel my bond with Omorth go silent. Which, can’t be good news.

Among other things, like the massive wall of weak wills I feel pressing against the castle walls, even from here. And then they enter my range of vision.

The stone golems are pounding away at the teeming masses of vampires, but no matter how many they smash into paste there may as well be an endless wave to replace them. Scattered among them seem to be a handful of vampires I recognize from the city guards, flavors of will and scents of mana that I’ve definitely tasted before.

They will be the first.

“Not going to even set us down?” Pearl asks, but I can tell from the tone of her voice that she’s not actually upset.

After all, there’s no way my retainers would hold up against these sheer numbers.

I don’t announce my approach – at least not right away. Instead I focus on those former guards, hitting them one at a time with the strongest Will Surge I can. Each of them buckles in turn, not falling but staggering enough that the animated statues can finish the job. And finish it they do.

But I can’t waste any more time here. I’m already airborne, so instead of bothering with the gates I simply go up and over, all the way to the inner courtyard. I don’t bother with the outer courtyard – it’s just as teeming with lesser or least vampires as outside the walls, and instead shatter a window on an upper level to enter.

Flying quickly through the untouched upper floors, I make my way down to where I can feel Vivianne struggling. Our bond is rippling with pain and frustration, but also determination.

In the throne room.

I blast through the rear door, quickly enough that my throne itself topples over.

…

Before me is a mountain of corpses, most of which appear to be more vampire thralls as well as a number of former guards.

And a familiar sword, broken on the stairs, not far from Vivianne.

My knight’s weapon arm is crushed beyond recognition, her silver trident useless to her side. An entire segment of her chitinous body is severed, along with several of her legs. With her five remaining eyes, she glares at her foe.

Aubrey. Wielding a long chain, with a wickedly spiked ball at one end, the entire thing radiating golden energy.

I set down my retainers, all of whom are bristling. Pearl spares a quick moment for a glance to Omorth’s remains before refocusing her attention on his killer.

On my enemy.

“Oh? Have you finally returned, ‘my queen’?” the elder vampire quips. “I was sure you’d be far too busy playing games in your personal dungeon.”

And then my bond with Rose cuts out as well.

“I’d ask you why,” I snarl, “but I don’t care. Reasons don’t matter now, not with what you’ve done.”

And I release my physical form, filling out to my full size.

He tuts, wagging a finger. “So young. So unwilling to talk, or to learn. Has no one warned you not to trust Identify? Such a weak and inconsistent Skill. Not to mention, easily misled.”

“{Status reveal}”, I bark.

[Daemon of Darkness – Aubrey of Maxwell – Chosen of Shadows (Sword of the Queen)]

His laugh echoes from the vaulted ceiling.

Olive, get Vivianne away from here, I project.

I feel her radiate frustration. < Can’t, > she replies.

“Oho? Are you struggling with my little barrier? It’s a present, you see. It’s not going anywhere unless I do. And I,” he steps closer, “am not going anywhere.”

I reflexively lash at him with my feelers…

And he deftly parries them with the glowing chain, much more quickly than an unwieldy weapon like that should move. It cuts cleanly through them, reducing the severed ash into glowing motes of light that quickly dissipate.

“I see. So that is how you slew my knight, and wounded the other.”

“So you aren’t a complete fool then,” he replies, shrugging theatrically. “Don’t worry though, ‘my dear fool’.” I grit my teeth at his phrasing. “My role is simply to keep you here. The others will handle the rest.”

I move. The time for words is over.

Pearl is already casting a spell before I make contact. Olive vanishes, clearly using another glamour, though without her teleportation her effectiveness is significantly reduced.

Izahne darts in from what should have been Aubrey’s blind spot, only to be promptly dashed aside with a single backhand. She flies through the air, impacting one of the support columns and driving a long crack through it. She’s hurt, and possibly out of the fight for now, but not beyond my ability to restore her.

She will be fine.

A series of pitch-black daggers fly at him from the opposite side, but he simply spins the free end of the chain, forming a glowing shield that effortlessly deflects them.

Opposite the daggers Nyx makes her move. The teleportation blocking barrier doesn’t seem to have had any effect on her dematerialization, to our benefit, but that too clearly isn’t enough – the elder vampire catches her by the weapon arm, flinging her bodily against the ground before moving to stomp the back of her head. She only barely dematerializes in time, and he’s left cracking the polished stone in her place.

I’ve been hitting him with my Auras, Consume, and Will Surge this entire time, but either he’s immune or simply too strong to show any effects from it. Meanwhile, Pearl finishes her spell and a bubble of murky water appears around Aubrey, completely engulfing him.

He laughs, audible through the liquid, and then taunts, “Drowning only affects those who breathe. Again, so young!”

With a simple twist of his arm, the water bursts outward in a wave, leaving him again standing defiant.

And I lash out.

I strike at him again and again with my feelers, manifesting more as quickly as he destroys them.

I release a horde of my kin, with no purpose but to devour him, and he destroys them just as quickly.

He isn’t even breaking a sweat – which considering he doesn’t breathe, probably shouldn’t be a surprise.

“Is this truly all you have? No more?” the elder vampire chides with a tinge of disappointment. “I was led to believe the power of two gods would be a worthy challenge, but –”

“Shut up,” I snap.

And I hit him with Dominate.

…

His laughter again echoes. “Foolish, foolish! With the energy you waste on… on… rrrraaaAAAAAAGH!”

I force every bit of my will into the Skill. I force every bit of my mana, all my strength into it.

And after a few minutes of him straining against me, I feel his will slacken.

But I’m not taking any chances.

I activate Blood Pact, forcing the vampire under my will permanently.

And this time, the headmaster radiates the fiercest approval I’ve ever felt from him.