As soon as they’d accepted the challenge, the skies had instantly lost their luster. The shimmering lights of the City of Illusions flickered and dimmed, casting the whole city in a grim twilight that pressed down on them. Ethan’s heart raced in time with the beat of Fauna’s Haste spell. The once calm, eerie Dreamstriders now moved with deadly purpose, their pale forms streaking through the darkened sky with unnatural speed. Ethan could feel the weight of their gaze, as if the whole city had become a living organism intent on devouring them.
The shadows of the Dreamstriders gave chase high above, their calm, almost lobotomized demeanor giving way to furious growls that emanated from their mouthless faces. Their flight was smooth but terrifying, moving in perfect unison as if controlled by a hive mind.
“Go!” Ethan shouted.
A brood of five came flying at them from behind one of the white spires, their forms shifting and phasing through the city as though gravity was nothing more than a suggestion. They moved so fast that Ethan barely had time to react. Twisting the Mithril Scythe in his right hand, he sent a Twilight Edge surging forward, the shadowy energy coiling through the air like a serpent hunting its prey. When it made impact with their ethereal bodies, their pale white forms sizzled and burned at the touch of shadow, the Dreamstriders’ wails a haunting echo through the dead city streets.
"Keep it up!" Klax shouted from Ethan’s left flank. His claws lashed out, tearing through the ghosts that tried to slip past, his fists ablaze with a fiery glow that left trails of light as they tore through the creatures' flesh. "The darkness is on our side here!"
Ethan had tried activating his [Mass Hide]—a no-brainer in this scenario—but the pervasive light in the dream-city clung to them, the strange, illusory glow of the spires making it impossible to cloak their forms. No matter how hard he focused, the light never dimmed.
"Shit, we’re sitting ducks out here," he growled.
They’d have to make do on foot, pushing through the city’s streets with no cover. Fauna’s Haste spell kept them moving at lightning speed, but it did nothing for defense. As they sprinted, it fell to Ethan and Tara to keep up the ranged attacks, Tara’s arrows flying like silver streaks, while Ethan’s Twilight Edge sliced through the air like a hungry blade. Klax, ever the vanguard, blocked the assaults of any Striders that got too close, battering them with burning fists that seared away their ghostly flesh.
"Upgrades?" Ethan asked between strikes, his voice ragged from the exertion.
"Upgrades," Klax grinned, his teeth gleaming in the dim light. "You aren’t the only one with access to more power now."
They fought back-to-back, each of them in perfect synchronization. Klax’s brutal strength complemented Ethan’s lethal precision, while Tara’s arrows picked off any Striders trying to flank them. But the Dreamstriders were relentless, their pale forms shifting in and out of reality. They were adapting, becoming faster and more aggressive. Ethan could feel the pressure mounting as they bore down the city’s labyrinthine alleys, the sounds of their footfalls echoing in the narrow streets.
Ahead, the Dreamstriders started to change tactics. No longer simply charging, they began to phase through buildings, disappearing into walls only to reappear behind the group, faster and more unpredictable than before.
"They’re phasing too?" Tara grunted as one swooped down low enough to graze her tail with its long, sickle-like claws. She retaliated with a trio of silver arrows that found their mark, piercing the creature’s core. It collapsed, blue blood splattering the ground in a ghastly pool. "Honestly—why can’t it ever be simple?"
Ahead, Ethan spotted their next challenge. An intersection loomed before them, the winding streets forming a deadly grid. But they weren’t alone.
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"Look ahead!" Ethan shouted over the sound of pounding feet and growling creatures. "A blockade!"
True enough, a massive formation of Dreamstriders was knotted together, creating a shimmering, translucent wall across the street. Their bodies formed a grotesque barrier, writhing and shifting as they melded into one another, a living wall of ethereal flesh and bone.
Ethan’s Twilight Edge slammed into them, but the creatures absorbed the blow like water rippling across a pond. The barrier shimmered but didn’t break. The Dreamstriders were too densely packed.
"Ethan!" Tara roared, launching arrows that seemed to do little more than annoy the creatures. "Any bright ideas?!"
The Archon’s lips curled into a grin, a wild gleam in his eyes. "Nothing but."
[Paralysis Coating: Activated]
[Twilight Edge]
With a roar of effort, Ethan hefted the Mithril Scythe in his hands and sent another wave of darkness cascading toward the wall of Dreamstriders. This time, the shadows were laced with a deadly orange-red glow, the energy crackling as it cut through the air.
When it hit, the effect was immediate. The Dreamstriders’ pale forms jerked violently, their bodies erupting in spasm as the paralysis coating seeped into their veins. Thirty of them went limp at once, their writhing bodies collapsing into a heap, leaving a gaping hole in the blockade.
"Move!" Ethan shouted, and the group barreled through the opening, their feet pounding the cobblestone as the Dreamstriders scrambled to reform behind them.
"Fauna, any more tricks?" Ethan called over his shoulder as they ran.
Fauna, panting heavily, summoned the last of her mana and hurled a barrage of flaming spheres behind them. The fireballs exploded on impact, sending the remaining Striders scattering in confusion.
"Mad cows... again?" Ethan smirked as he glanced back at the chaos. The fire didn’t seem to harm them much, but it certainly caused a lot of noise.
"Fauna, I love ya, but I’m getting the feeling that’s only gonna piss them off."
"I—I didn’t know that was gonna happen!"
"It’s perfect, Faun!" Ethan shouted back. "If big Kaedmon’s watching, it shows him exactly what we think of his bullshit law and these Delves!"
-4 MINUTES REMAINING-
Ethan strained his eyes, scanning the next stretch of road. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Ahead of them, ten squadrons of Dreamstriders were flying in perfect formation, circling around a massive ivory spire that loomed over the party like a monolith.
"What are they—" Klax began, before his eyes widened with realization. His voice turned into a desperate roar. "Shit! Look to the skies!"
Ethan looked up just in time to see the Dreamstriders attacking the foundation of the spire, their ethereal claws tearing through the stone as if it were paper. The massive tower groaned and began to lilt to the left, cracks spreading across its base as the structure started to give way.
"They’re bringing the city down on us!" Tara shouted, panic creeping into her voice.
Ethan’s mind raced. If the spire fell, there was no way they could outrun it. The streets were too narrow, the Dreamstriders too fast.
"Move!" Ethan barked, but the moment he took a step, he saw the Dreamstriders that had formed the wall earlier reappear from the alleyways, their long, elongated beaks charging up with energy.
Their target was clear.
They were coming for him.
-3 MINUTES REMAINING-
"Fauna!" Klax called out, his voice tense. "There’s no avoiding that thing if it falls!"
"We won’t make it at this rate," Fauna gasped, her energy draining fast. "And that tower—"
"I have an idea," Ethan interrupted, glancing between the crumbling spire and the advancing armada of Dreamstriders.
"Let me guess," Tara spat, her eyes sharp and suspicious. "It’s one we ain’t gonna like?"
Ethan’s smile turned into a grim, determined grin. "The rules of the challenge didn’t say we all had to make it, right?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a deadly silence fell over the group. Above, the massive spire gave a final groan before it began to tip. The air grew thick with tension, and the ground trembled beneath them.
"What did I say?" Ethan added, his voice cold and clear. "I’m full of bad ideas."
Tara’s eyes widened, her face twisting in anger and disbelief. "Etha—"
[Wing Buffet: Activated]
With a powerful stroke of his skeletal wings, Ethan sent a gale-force wind into the party, lifting them off their feet and launching them skyward. Fauna screamed as she was hurled into the air, Tara’s furious cry barely audible over the rushing wind. Klax growled as he was sent flying toward safety, his claws outstretched in a desperate attempt to stop the momentum.
"ETHAN!"
Ethan stood his ground, watching as the Memory Tower came crashing down upon him. His heart pounded in his chest, but there was no fear. Only resolve.
He smiled, the wind whipping through his hair as he braced for impact.
"Safe flying, guys."
Then...darkness.