“Dat freakin Vivirian!”

Rogus raced atop of the buildings. He nimbly hopped from one roof to another, following the direction he last saw Aten sped towards.

So far, damages to the city were contained in three main areas. With the situation by Vike’s golden temple secured, Rogus saw the mercenary guild set ablaze while he felt constant tremors coming from the harbor.

Black lightning discharged from the ground and into the sky where a faint figure in shining in moonlight dove towards.

There was a legend whenever the moon and sun were directly on opposite sides of the world, a portal would open into the mortal realm. The Deity of Night would peek into the world and choose infants born at the exact time as its descent to give each of its blessings: The stars blessed an individual with heightened magic. The dark blessed an individual with increased defense. The moon’s blessing was to convert moonlight into strength.

However, when the world was foretold to be invaded by a great evil, the Deity of Night would grant all three blessings to their chosen one.

And on that fateful night, there was news of a glowing child emitted moonlight known as Douglas.

“Shit, he’s at dat form already?!”

Rogus hastened his pursuit.

He witnessed the strength of Oracle’s companions, and none possessed strength to rival the Crimson’s Wrath power level during their fight with the exception for Ainig. Rogus, brother to Douglas, once witnessed in person of the destructive might of the Night’s Blessing during the Pirate subjugation to be of similar power rivalling Alc’Bruk.

Rogus braced himself as he saw a typhoon of destruction lay waste to a portion of the city. A rush of wind threatened to sweep him off his feet, but with [Rolling Crown] anchored down to support him, he was able to withstand it.

He clawed his way through the hammering wind and saw Aten engaged in battle against Douglas. In terms of speed, Douglas was able to barely match Aten’s lightning swift movements. Knowing the silvered Lycanthrope was in a defensive position, Douglas wildly swung his weapon to create distance to assess Aten’s capabilities.

Once he measured Aten’s current strength, Douglas confidently lunged at the Vivirian.

“Dese aren’t da people ya need to be mad at!” Rogus howled. “[Rolling Crown]!”

From nowhere, Rogus slammed the flat part of [Rolling Crown] at Douglas using his full might. The blade was ultimately stopped by Douglas’ Blessing of the Dark enveloping the silvered Lycanthrope’s body.

“Rogus!”

“Da people ya want ta kill ain’t responsible!”

“Shut up! They killed Ma! Dey have blood on dere hands! Our blood! Ya should be livid, so, why are ya defendin dem?!”

“If ya can just calm down and listen-!”

The brothers clashed weapons. Fortunately, Aten sensed the vibrations in the air were less intense. It meant Douglas took a non lethal approach against Rogus. Aten quickly tended to Ainig with what supplies he replenished. He then rummaged through Ainig’s satchel to retrieve Yizdra’s batch of paralysis poison and coated it onto his weapons.

“Yer not listening!”

“Dat’s because I’ve made up my mind.” Douglas growled. “Da Merchants will die tonight. No one will stop me. Don’t talk me out of dis, Rogus!”

Douglas channeled energy into his claws and plunged it into the ground. When blinding rays of light escaped the cracks, he uncovered four strokes of energy waves hurled at Rogus. They scarred the floor, travelling to hit Rogus almost at light speed. Douglas’ [Moonlit Claws] hammered against [Rolling Blade] and chipped its edges.

Douglas leaped after Rogus who was recovering his poise from defending his [Moonlit Claws]. He held [Tyrant Fang] with both hands, batting his brother into a building.

“Dis is fer yer own good, Rogus. Stay down-.”

Douglas sensed a choking bloodlust and instinctively leaned from a spear aimed at his snout. The weapon of his assailant was of a poor quality and would not pierce his Night’s Blessing. Nonetheless, the pressure was too abnormal to ignore as he mistakenly overestimated his opponent.

As Douglas turned around, he was met with a cloud of miasma rushing towards him. He casted [Howling Cannon] to disperse the sudden cloud of darkness blinding him.

The scent of the Vivirian was everywhere. Douglas was unable to pinpoint Aten through the smog until his keen ears warned him of an object slicing through the air. [Tyrant Fang] easily destroyed the cheaply made Macahuitl upon clashing edges, but it was simply a diversion.

He received an impact from a black tendril violently thrashing from inside the dark smog. Although no damage was done on him, it forced him to retreat to assess the unprecedented situation.

“Tch. What da hell are ya?”

The smog moved. The miasma condensed into a singularity, forming a body as Aten silently revealed himself to Douglas.

“No reply. Then again, I never heard a word from ya.”

He only knew Aten had no intentions of letting him roam free to search for his targets.

Douglas checked his surroundings. Once he determined Ainig and Rogus were in no condition to join the battle, he was the first to move. Douglas launched a barrage of [Moonlit Claws] at Aten blitzing through the ranged attacks.

Every time a limb was torn, a black tentacle sown the severed limb right back. Even if the Vivirian was decapitated, it would fix Aten.

“Yer getting on my nerves!”

Even when Douglas planned and timed his action, he barely matched Aten’s lightning speed. By chance he did catch Aten and tore the Vivirian to shred, the insectoid’s curse would undo all damages taken. Even ones from certain death.

Douglas knew this was an unwinnable battle of attrition. It was obvious Douglas was the stronger individual, but his blessing would only last him until dawn. Judging from the position of the full moon, he had limited time which he should use to hunt the Merchants.

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“Since yer immortal and all, Ima have ya sit tight fer me.”

“Wait, Douglas! Don’t do it!” Rogus cried.

A gentle gust of wind swirled around Douglas. His body shimmered like the stars glinting over the clear night sky. A dim orb of light formed over his fist and took form of shining star to which he aimed it to the sky.

“Starry might, fer I became da singular shine of da night. Dis is da prayer I give through dis life I live. I ask of ya to hold da foes I forgive. Unleash your brilliance, take hold of their existence. Until da deed is done, grant me dis wish till the rise of da sun.”

A pulse of energy expanded outwards from Douglas and the rippling ring of light touched Ainig, Rogus and Aten.

“[Grand Star: Twilight]!”

Aten’s vision suddenly warped. Everything in view began to stretch indefinitely. He attempted to escape before the illusion fully manifested but quickly noticed his surroundings remained the same wherever he moved.

From Douglas’ perspective, his three foes were caught in a stasis. [Grand Star: Twilight], an authority of the stars, permitted Douglas the usage of sealing magic to trap his opponents in a light bending illusion. It disorientated their sensory organs, leaving them trapped inside of ball of light like the stars hanging in the night sky.

-Crack

Had he imagined the sound? Douglas’ ears picked up an unfamiliar noise and snapped his snout towards Ainig’s direction. He attentively stared down the star sealing the Tortoise Folk but there was no further reaction.

“I wasted enough time. My blessing is slowly fading. I have ta find them quickly.” Douglas muttered. “Rogus, don’t blame me. It’s fer our sake.”

Douglas heaved [Tyrant Fang] over his shoulders and sprinted into the ruined city. He failed his attempt to assassinate Kamrah, scoured through the empty colosseum, and had just missed the head of the Vilja family in the harbor. He deduced most of his targets must be hiding at the mercenary guild.

Unbeknownst to Douglas, a small crack slowly spread from Ainig’s star. The seal further shrank long after Douglas escaped. It imploded. Stardust sprinkled down, revealing a Tortoise Folk collapsed on all four gasping for air.

“W-where…” AInig wheezed. “Where is he?”

“The Lycanthrope seems to have escaped. We were fortunate he used magic which is compatible with the magical energy my blessing requires. I used what energy salvaged to mend your deepest wounds.” The Pale Dragon answered.

“What about Aten? I-I saw him come back.”

“Your friends have been captured in a similar instance. Shall I free them?”

“Please, Ishverial.”

“It will take a while. Rest with the time given onto you. You have performed well with all the odds pitted against you, my Herald.”

----------------------------------------

The flames indiscriminately burned.

The Mercenary Guild was an important facility frequented by mercenaries and important clients. It would never been easy to set the building ablaze with fire unless an expert spellcaster with strong affinity with the fire elemental unleashed.

The flame sparked by magic crawled up wooden supports, spread under the ceilings and over the floor. The baking air suffocated those dwelling within and beneath it.

“It’s getting warmer. Something’s burning above. Take shallow small breaths. Try not to breathe too much.” Vol advised.

Had they not escaped from their cellars from the lowest floor, they would find themselves choking in the poisonous smog.

Now in the guild’s armory, they found themselves ominously alone. The once stockpiled room of weapons and armor now surround the trio with empty crates and barrels. Only certain odds, bits and ends like a lone spear, stray sword and moldy pieces of leather remain untouched.

“You, Lizard. Grab whatever weapon you can use and let’s get out of here.”

“My name is Krullu.” Krullu replied.

The Chameleon’s bulbous eyes scoured the armory for scarce equipment laying around. He confidently plucked a spear off a barrel. The tip showed small signs of rusting, the shaft worn, but it was the best among the leftovers. If possible, he’d also liked to have a layer of leather armor to protect his torso. Unfortunately, no pieces fit his stubby stature as his shape was vastly different than a Pamalyrian’s.

“Grab a shield too. You’re going to be guarding our rear.” Vol suggested. “Fatilda, help him out.”

“Anything my darling asks for~.” Fatilda stretched her slim body and unhooked a buckler from the wall. “Here.”

“Do I really have to fight? I’m not suited, you know.”

“You don’t need to. Our priorities are finding the Guildmaster and escaping. Kihet and his friends will take care of the rest, I hope.”

“Darling, is it me or has the rumbling stopped?”

Vol hadn’t noticed as his attention concentrated to avoid encountering mercenaries. The tremors were speculated to come from the Guardian. Had it mean a large creature of the sands was defeated?

“First, ugh. Stop calling me that. Second, I can’t say what’s happening outside. Let’s not worry about anything else and continue our search. Give me a second.”

Vol pressed his ear against the door, listening to the noise beyond the halls. He then popped his head out for visual confirmation before signaling his other two companions move behind his lead.

The burning scent of smoke grew stronger. Following Fatilda’s direction, they’ve climbed one floor up and still, not a soul in sight. Although Vol heard voices traveling down the hallways, they were ways away.

“We need to reach the staircase. The floor above is where the Guildmaster’s quarter is hidden.”

Vol suddenly raised his hand and stopped.

“What gives? Why aren’t we moving?” Krullu asked.

Soon after his question was asked, the pathway in front caved in.

“It collapsed!”

“I heard some unsettling creaking and glad I trusted my guts. Fatilda, is there another way?”

“Yes, but the other route has a higher chance we’ll get spotted. It’s not like we’re not wanted dead. The safer option might to directly confront the Guildmaster.”

“Then we’ll do just that-.” Vol paused to examine the ceiling. Sand slipped between the growing crack and the supports on the ceiling gave in. “Get back!”

He heaved Fatilda over his shoulder, plucked Krullu by his collar and threw the three of them away from the collapsing floor. The pathway crumbled, a gaping hole swallowing the floor crept towards them.

“What’s going on? Why is the floor crumbling?”

“Get out of here, you two!”

Vol shoved Fatilda back and reacted to a flurry of knives flying up towards them. His blade was quick to knock away the flying blades and his [Ribbon] retrieved them, hurling them back down. He found it odd no noise returned to his ears.

If the knives hit a hard surface, deflected by a blade, or hit his attacker, there would be hints of what happened to the attackers below him. Unless they caught it?

“Aren’t you slow? C’mon, show yourself. Since you’re in the presence of the colosseum champion-.”

“Ex, champion.” Fatilda hastily corrected.

“Shut up.” Vol sneered, keeping his undivided attention to the ambusher hidden in the floor below.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from below. “Vol?”

“Hang on. Kihet? Is that you?”

A lantern illuminated the hallway one floor below. Vol spotted an Enui with a wooden peg for a leg, an eyepatch over his left eye looking up at him. The knives Vol returned were discovered to have suspended in the air by the strange magic Kihet casted.

“You scared me for a second. Anyways, how did you get here? Isn’t the golden temple at the center of the city?” Vol asked.

“Seems like a secret tunnel was connected to the guild. I have Vike, Tama and others with me. Are Fatilda and Krullu next to you?”

“We’re planning to find the Guildmaster. What about you?”

“I might as well join you. If possible, I’d like to know where the Deckmaster is. With everyone together, it’d be easier to defend if Douglas shows up.”

“Who’s Douglas?”

“The one who’s responsible for the attack on the city. It seems the merchants hid another thing from you.” Kihet stared at the merchant behind him.

“The name Silver had not been relevant in our past conversations until now. Should I have given a lecture of Pamalyra’s entire history to the Holy one?” Vike shrugged.

Kihet ignored Vike’s remark and turned to Vol again. “We’ll find our way up. You three go ahead and reach the Guildmaster first-.”

Kihet and Vol heard the Elemental Spirit’s hum and faced upwards. The calming melody of magic was rather loud, warning them of a large scale spell casting nearby before a tremor shook the hallways.

“There’s a strong magic user near us. It has a very big presence, but where?” Vol asked.

“It’s Douglas!” Tama exclaimed. “He’s able to use his [Starlight Blessing] to cast magic! Not even Scarl can cast something this devastating!”

“Vol, I’m going up to stop it before the entire underground gets caved in. Watch over everyone.” Kihet commanded.

“You better fill me in every little detail of what’s going on later.”

“You got it.”

“By the way, how are you going to go up if you don’t know the way?”

“I’ll make one.”