As Nick met the panther beastfolk’s twin blades, he did his best to check the area around him. The incoming Devilsaur threat was perhaps greater than the one from Blackthorne’s army of cutthroats, and he would need to move quickly.
That meant defeating this man as fast as possible, while using the least number of resources. He would restore much when he Judged enemies, draining everything from them, but that didn’t include his mental energy for his Concepts, nor did it include a means to refresh his Convergence Skills or Essence Burst.
And he knew that he would need every bit of those things to have a chance at harming this Thresh, or the terrifying Devilsaur Matriarch. Using them on this scrub would be a tremendous waste.
Thankfully, his Cloak could last for several minutes. And, he did gain a new ability when he reached the 18th level. In the Second Stratum, most of his skills gained, aside from his Convergence Skill, were mere upgrades of his old ones. But it appeared Soul Fortress was already an ability that was plenty powerful and versatile, and instead of an upgrade, he received an entirely new ability.
[Spell: Bolster Servant]
[Target and Range: Servant]
[Duration: Reserve]
[Increase the Soul Power investment in your Soul Servant to increase its capabilities. A bolstered Soul Servant has increased strength, can siphon more essence from its kills, and may restore trace amounts of mental energy from targets with Concepts to the Soul Knight.]
Nick had tested the cost, and found that it worked out perfectly with what he needed. Thanks to increasing his Soul Power from the Blade Soulforge, improving the power of his Soul from Tithed Faith Essence and from Judging evil, he had gained enough to bolster his two Soul Servants. It was just enough less than creating a third Soul Servant of the same level of quality, allowing him to keep his Soul Blade at full strength.
So now, he just kept them bolstered at all times. And that was why when two panthers leaped out of the shadows, their claws flashing toward Nick’s throat, Birdy and Jasper had no difficulty crashing into them and sending frost into their bodies as they tumbled.
Nick was more than a little surprised about his Trial prompt when he arrived.
[Heroic Trial: Fate of the Star Oni.]
[These Outlanders arrived on this Shard within Blackthorne’s territory, and have been chased across the wilderness for months. Because of Orion’s Rules and Laws, they have ordinarily been limited to the First Stratum. However, the Trial has removed their limitations up to the peak of the Second, aside from their leader, Myron Fatestrider.
Your goal as a Hero who walks the Path is to aid them in succeeding their Trial, saving as many of them as possible. Myron must not fall before Thresh, the leader of Blackthorne’s forces, and at least enough Star Oni to continue their Clan must arrive safely at the cave, or the Devilsaur Matriarch must be defeated before it slays too many Star Oni. Rewards granted upon Trial Completion based on personal performance.]
It was a lot to take in, but it seemed the major takeaway was that Thresh needed to die before Myron, then he needed to escape with enough Star Oni. It was a strange goal, but it all required that he dealt with Elrash first–simple enough.
Nick’s Frost Aura had already been pushed with his Concept enhancing it, his Dominion of Frost and Fealty slowing Elrash. While frost began to climb up the man’s panther arms and legs, the shadows appeared to protect him from the effect.
Elrash followed up with a hasty assault, the panther man unleashing a flurry of attacks with his twinned swords. Nick could feel a vicious sharpness lining the blades, some mixture of his shadows and a blade Concept covering them. Then, several attacks of shadow-like bladed limbs were added on, making it a dizzying array of attacks.
Forced to block, twist and dodge, Nick countered as he evaded and pushed out his Concept, slowing the man. Eventually, using a chain to block, he managed to kick the man’s leading leg and whip his sword in a powerful horizontal arc–Monstrous Blow triggering.
With his bulging forearm, his sword struck the panther man’s blocking blades so hard, he flew through the air.
And then Nick wrapped him up with prepared, waiting chains–guided by his aura. Elrash grunted as the frost began to spread, and he struggled against the bindings. Nick was about to dash forward to finish him, but Elrash was quick to use a special skill.
Blades of shadows struck out almost like a tornado as he used his Bestial Transformation, fur growing all over his body as he became larger, and more panther-like. The combination of bladed shadows, size growth, strength, and what felt like a Convergence Skill, blew the chains away.
Elrash then entered the shadows, trying to hide from Nick and disappear behind the trees as he moved through the underbrush of the jungle.
Birdy and Jasper were still facing off against what appeared to be powerful shadow panthers, but Nick could tell his servants were ultimately winning. The ice took some time to overwhelm the panther’s shadows, but their victory appeared to be inevitable, at least in part thanks to his Dominion.
Nick looked warily around him, but knew where Elrash was hiding already. He decided to taunt the man. “Why are you running, panther man? When your panthers die, you’ll be all alone. Now is your only chance to win.”
Shadows rolled out like a thick mist, blocking Nick’s vision. This was a surprise to Nick because his Domain should somewhat inhibit the effect that it had–the area within his Frost Aura was his.
Perhaps this was the case, but Elrash was investing heavily in essence to accomplish this. Nick was reminded of how the elemental elite’s domains could be overcome, and maybe this was the same.
Nick had no trouble detecting Elrash sneaking through the underbrush, approaching Nick to make a killing blow, thanks to Nick’s recently enhanced Soul Sense. He could feel the man’s evil like a pulsing, festering wound, and he could also sense a third panther coming out of hiding. It seemed Elrash had kept one in reserve, waiting to deal a surprise finishing blow.
And Elrash wasn’t being frozen by Nick’s Domain. It took a moment for him to understand why. He could only barely feel it, but it was reminiscent of the Convergence Skill he was using before. Elrash was enhancing his Shadow Concept by using his Path–the Ordeal he owned in Shadowvale, overwriting Nick’s Domain around himself. He wasn’t sure what his Concept and Path was, but he certainly felt like he was being stalked by a predator at the moment.
Feigning that he had no idea where the attack was going to come from, he sent his chains around aimlessly. Nick began to swirl the chains around him, as he prepared his Aura. If Elrash was going to use his Path, then Nick would need to do the same.
Elrash had chosen to approach Nick not from the front or back, but from the side, and the panther from behind. Charging his glyph, like the snap of a mousetrap, Nick quickly surrounded Elrash in the chains, and swung a powerful Blade Wave at Elrash’s chest.
The chains wrapped around the shadows and the man’s weapons before he could really react–shocked that Nick had known precisely where he was. Then, Nick pushed out his Domain, infusing it with his Path of Kings. His will was merged with and empowered by the essence of his people, even those that were not present.
Elrash roared in defiance as he pushed against the chains, his Concept and the special weight, his Path attempting to shred them once more–just like when he escaped.
It was the weight of Nick’s people against Elrash’s, his heaviness struggling over the panther beastfolk’s. Nick’s chains dragged Elrash’s arms wide open, and then his Blade Wave then cut the man’s chest, accomplishing what Nick had hoped–it had weakened his Soul Core ever so slightly, as the cut reached just deep enough.
In the end, Nick’s Will of the Frost King combined with Frosthaven had overwhelmed Elrash’s Concept and Path.
“For you, it’s a shame. You never had a chance at winning.” Nick pushed harder with his Domain, his people’s loyalty and faith in him empowering his Concept, the chains tightening and freezing the man through his protective shadows.
While many of Nick’s people were new, he had changed the lives of hundreds–brought them true salvation in just a matter of months. While their loyalties hadn’t been truly tested, and some were new and might break when challenged, there were dozens of people in Frosthaven that truly believed they owed Nick everything.
That believed in their Lord.
Whereas, while Shadowvale had a much longer history, Elrash was just a lesser evil among many. If he died and was replaced, the citizen’s lives would not change. They would not lament the loss. They had no faith in Elrash, and only gave the bare minimum to avoid his ire. The few climbers that might have believed in him and had true loyalty, if they even had it in the first place, were already dead–killed by Lothar and his men.
Elrash struggled against the bindings, pushing his Concept enhanced by his Path further in an attempt to free himself. The weight of his duty attempted to shred the chains, but this time, they didn’t even budge.
The man was shivering as he froze over, the strength draining from him. “How? How can the weight of your Path be so heavy? You’ve only been a Lord for months!”
Nick wondered why the third panther hadn’t revealed itself yet, but realized Elrash likely had one more attack left in him. Knowing it would come, he signaled to Jasper to break away from his fight, and blasted Elrash a wave with Soul Magic, piercing his essence protection and aura. The core weakened, he had no issues scanning the man’s Soul, and began his Judgement of the enemy Lord.
“It’s because I truly fight for my people. You were once a man with good intentions–a man forced to bend the knee to protect your friends and family. But eventually, you had a taste of wickedness, and that grew the taint within your heart. Your sins grew and grew, until their number were countless. Now you are simply a tool for evil, a man that taints the world on your Dark Lord’s behalf, discarding your duty to your people just for your own thrills. Through Judgement, I offer you Redemption. To right the wrongs of a life wrongly lived, to aid me in defeating Blackthorne once in for all. You had good intentions to start, and now you can make things right if you accept my Pact.”
Elrash should be able to fully understand what was being offered, even beyond Nick’s words. The power of the Soul, and Redemption Pact carries the meanings, and the contracts stipulations. There should be no confusion.
Still, Elrash acted confused. “What is this? Fuck you and your Redemption. You will die here today.”
Nick’s eyes glowed white, a barrier surrounding him as he triggered Judgement. Elrash’s sins were laid bare for all to see, the bubbles containing the images of his memories showing the downward spiral. At first, the panther beastfolk had plans much like Nick did–to accept this Altar of Subordination, but to strengthen himself in the Ordeal and eventually surpass Blackthorne, or rise up against him.
But he quickly learned that it was too hard. That the tax and cost was too much, and pushing himself to the brink to excel and accomplish his plan may just result in him being maimed or killed in the Ordeal. He got a taste of the comforts provided by Blackthorne–nights in the brothel at first. Eventually, his own pleasure slave. Before long, he was selling out his people for the taste of more pleasures, and eventually, his original goal was long forgotten.
The sins only got worse and worse, as he quickly became Blackthorne’s lapdog. When he had a viable chance to aid Silverbrook and enter its protection, he had rejected it, betraying them instead for his own gain.
As Nick neared, the expected attack from Elrash came. Blades of darkness rose from the shadows, along with the third panther that he was hiding. The blades pierced through Nick’s barrier created by his Judgement spell, and cut into Nick’s shoulder and chest. His Harden Skin combined with his layers of armor meant the blades only reached an inch or so deep, Nick grunting from the pain caused.
Jasper surged from the trees, his jaws containing a powerful sharpness as they clamped on the panther’s throat. With a shake, the panther died, and Birdy finally finished off the other two panthers. It seemed Jasper had formed some kind of Concept Fragment which allowed it to pierce the shadows in a single bite, and it howled in success.
Nick’s hand landed on Elrash’s face. “It’s a shame you rejected it. Your suffering will be unimaginable, but you will aid me nonetheless. Judgement!”
Elrash screamed from his frozen bindings, as everything he ever was or would be was drained from him. His essence was drained into Nick’s mouth, Elrash’s sins drank to power Nick’s potential.
The amount of essence and darkness within the panther man was tremendous, far more than Nick had consumed in the past. While the Bishop had just as much taint within him, or perhaps more, Elrash was simply higher in level. He was truly just about to enter the Third Stratum, waiting for the perfect run to push himself to defeat the Boss and ascend.
Nick had performed the next stage in the ritual, knowing that Elrash would likely not accept even after some suffering. Elrash would now be redeemed, even without his agreement.
As Nick cultivated the essence, swirling his essence chains, to Nick’s surprise, two small fragments of something did arrive within him. It was the power of shadows and blades, which Elrash had used. The Concepts themselves did not appear to be tainted, but Nick did what he could to purify it with his chains and burn any evil away just the same as he drew in the essence to fuel his soul cultivation.
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When he was sure there was nothing left but the original Concepts, Nick understood–one would be extremely valuable for Sable. Her mastery of shadows was superior in numerous ways, but different. Nick had not seen her use the shadows so much as barriers, let alone in such a bestial way as Elrash had used it. In many ways, Nick felt like he used the shadows to boost his ferality, almost like Kaya but with shadow powers added on.
It was surprising that there were two separate fragments. He thought they were both from the same Concept, and that was likely the case. Possibly, Elrash had combined two independent Concept Fragments into a singular Concept, but as they were torn away from his soul, they separated again.
Nick encased the Shadow Concept within a Soul Magic bubble, and left it within his Soul Core. The same was done with the blades Concept, not wanting to use it at the moment. He wanted to form his own Concept first, and he would potentially then use this one to enhance it, at most. If not, perhaps Kaya could use it.
His wounds were healed from the essence drained into him, and all the essence he spent during the fight was restored. The Trial barrier disappeared, and Nick gave his orders to his bolstered Soul Servants. “Roam around and help the Star Oni, wherever you can. Help them get to safety, or join their brethren.”
Jasper howled and Birdy cawed, taking off in separate directions, as Nick took Elrash’s weapons and fannie pack–Nick really needed to fix the manly pouch fashion on Orion. Not having time to deal with the contents, he belted it around his chest and over his shoulder.
Then, he dashed off. He didn’t have to go very far to see Myron battling with Thresh. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really understand what he was looking at. It was like a giant glass sphere had appeared, looking a lot like a massive snow globe floating in the clearing.
Bright lights from stars and clashes with vines were within, the stars and some noxious looking multicolored gas obscuring the contents of the dome. Thresh sounded pissed as his muffled shouts reached the outside of the thing, along with Myron’s taunting laughter. That was a good sign, but Nick didn’t understand how he could help.
Nick tapped the glass from the outside, and realized the dome was actually quite sturdy. Looking closely, he now realized that Thresh was kind of…small, and he was fighting against some sort of illusion of stars, but he couldn’t see Myron at all.
“What’s this, Myron? You sealed yourself off to fight this Thresh? That…kind of defeats the purpose of my help.”
An image of Myron appeared in front of Nick made of stars, the man smiling, and then he heard his voice.
“Not to worry, Young Lord. My artifact can hold him off for a little longer, and it even prevented the bandits from helping him. And at small personal cost to me, that I promise you. I am happy about your success, but I am in need of a different kind of help at the moment.”
“What is it?”
Myron grimaced. “I…made a mistake. I need you to help my daughter.”
“Daughter, you say?”
Myron’s depiction narrowed his eyes on Nick. “If you’re not her Fated, don’t even think about it.”
Nick arched his brow at his term. “I was just playin’ anyway. But how would I know that, if that were the case?”
Myron snorted. “If you are, she’ll know almost right away. Probably, anyway–you are a weird one, after all. They are trying to capture my daughter, and have become somewhat successful at dragging her away, and capturing the other Star Oni women. With her captured, they just might be able to ransom or coerce the rest because without her, my people are finished.”
That sounded a bit strange to Nick, why would one girl matter like that? “How do I find her?”
A star suddenly appeared in front of Nick, and Myron continued, “This star will guide you. Do be…careful, around her. And around all of our women, for that matter.”
Nick groaned. “Damn, I help you guys, and I’m not good enough for any of your women by default? A shame.”
Myron chuckled. “Not that–if you are Fated, you have my people’s blessings and will be celebrated. However, our women are what you might call berserkers. They are just as likely to attack someone like you as they are to understand you’re there to help them, though they all know what you look like thanks to the image provided. Our men give them a wide berth in battle, guiding them in various ways. So be careful, or you just might get flattened by mistake.”
As if in response to his words, a loud crash occurred nearby. One of the larger Star Oni women struck a smaller devilsaur so hard with a downward swing, that it left a large crater and shattered the stone ground underneath it. Nick was not so sure he could take such a blow head on without Monstrous Blow in counter.
Nick’s eyebrows were raised in shock. “Gotcha, fair enough. They do look pretty tough. I’ll follow the star.”
Myron gave a wolflike grin. “Good. Do hurry. I don’t think I can hold him in here for too much longer, dumb as he is, and that Devilsaur Matriarch is getting closer. She seems like she’s on a stroll, walking slowly toward us and indifferent to their deaths now, but as soon as enough of them die, I think she will change her tune. At that point, many will die–on both sides.”
Nick chased after the star, donning his Cloak of Twilight: Darkness. His movements began to blur, as he dashed with haste. Feeling the darkness roil around his body and enhance it, once again, he tried to focus his thoughts and actions on the importance of speed, in saving these people.
How, for heroes, sometimes it didn’t matter how strong they were or how hard they fought. Or how badly they wanted to save someone. If they didn’t arrive on time, then all their efforts were meaningless.
As he passed enemies fighting in the forest, he cleaved them in two, sent Blade Waves, or let his Frost Aura wash over them and sent chains wrap around them, granting aid as he passed by. He even found an opportunity to Judge a group of five men clustered together, drinking their essence and capturing their souls for future Redemption Pacts.
He spotted Jasper fighting some Devilsaurs, protecting several Star Oni, and he heard Birdy’s caws some distance away as he neared where the star was taking him. Sending several Blade Waves as he flipped and dashed through the air, running on it, he helped bring several fights to a favorable conclusion.
The Star Oni appeared to be faring decently well, as he only saw a few of the purple people had died, but dozens upon dozens of the bandit corpses were everywhere. Thankfully, it seemed the Star Oni that died were aged, their hairs nearly white instead of the black that most seemed to have.
Still, many of those still fighting were wounded, and he hoped they would head to the cave rather than picking more fights. Many were working their way to the cave, grouping up and facing off against the Devilsaurs or the bandits.
The Devilsaurs looked a lot like decent-sized red raptors, and they had some form of curse magic they were using, which was a bit alarming. A sickly black and red haze would appear around their targets, and it seemed the more of them that were attacking a single target, the weaker that they would become. Then, they entered a frenzy around corpses and blood, empowering themselves.
They were clearly pack hunters, and they had a preference for going after the strongest targets–often the Star Oni women. Thankfully, it appeared the Star Oni had done a good job to keep them from grouping up, and also used the bandit armies as a shield against them. Perhaps, this was their fate reading at play.
He reached a clearing, and what he found there was more than a little surprising. A large bulk of the enemy forces had numerous Star Oni surrounded, and using special equipment and magic. Nets were covering several of the large Star Oni women, and it appeared the nets were draining or weakening them, besides. They were tainted or cursed, from what he could tell.
The Star Oni men were trying to hack away at the nets to free them, but the cutthroats were firing poisoned darts through what looked like blow-guns, and shooting poisoned arrows at them that appeared to put them all to sleep. Others were attacking them in melee and with magical shadows as well.
It was nearly three or four hundred versus just four dozen, a mixture of men and women. The bandit’s numbers had simply overwhelmed them. With how many bandit’s corpses lined the ground, it appeared more than half the original army had surrounded just a third of the Star Oni forces in an attempt to capture them.
The star continued to where the daughter was, showing him the location. She had pink hair, and was being especially dragged away from the rest. Her people fought with fervor to rescue her, but it wasn’t looking good, just as Myron had warned.
Nick didn’t have a lot of time. Charging his Soul Blade, he dashed toward the largest cluster of the enemy army with haste, his blade brightening. It was a use of one of his irreplaceable tools, but he simply did not have a better option. Reaching the back of the army, he swung his blade horizontally.
With a roar, his Soul Blade sent the Essence Burst: Blade Wave of pale blue light cutting through a large swath of the enemy bandits. The sound was so loud that it shook the whole clearing, the light so bright that his action couldn’t be missed–exactly what he wanted.
The light blue wave was nearly a dozen yards across, and shot through the numerous enemies at near the stomach level, cleaving many and covering the rest in a thick layer of frost that passed through them like a frozen wind. Nick didn’t think he killed more than thirty or forty with his opening, but he had weakened dozens more by slowing and freezing them as the winds persisted through a large portion of the army to one side.
Perfect for his Frost Aura to finish them off.
Using his mastery of mana aura, his Frost Aura was pushed out to the maximum radius next, freezing all the bandits as he leaped across the battlefield with several dashes through the air and sending more Blade Waves out.
Nick’s chains swirled around him as he guided them with his mana aura, wrapping around some enemies and just knocking into others, interrupting their archery or dart shooting. Many now turned to him and started to make an effort to counter him, but he blitzed through the center of the battlefield far faster than any could respond as he swung his blade against unprotected bodies and limbs, and the rest, he deflected with his mercurial cape.
Catching a large group together, he cast Judgement. Much of his essence was restored as he drank down nearly a dozen of their sins, his body replenished. Arrows and darts bounced off the barrier Judgement created as he was stopped, but it had no issue dealing with this level of attacks.
The many cutthroats now paid attention to Nick, though several now moved toward Myron’s daughter with increased urgency. They must have noticed the increased fervor the Star Oni took to protect her, or perhaps, the sparkling sack at her waist…
“What is he?”
“That looks like the Lord of Frosthaven. Did Elrash lose?”
Nick needed to decide what to do. While he thought he could fight these people nearly endlessly, he didn’t have a lot of time. Devilsaurs roared as they converged on this group from the distance, their number in the dozens.
Once they arrived, the Star Oni would surely suffer losses, or Nick would be forced to fight even more for longer. He’d have nothing left in him to aid Myron.
It was then that he noticed something with his new sight. The essence surrounding the nets was heavily focused on Soul Essence. It was a large part of what weakened or otherwise detained them.
Nick spoke in the words in Archaen, infusing them with mana and essence like Rebecca had taught him, “Star Oni, I free you of the shackles that bind you.” Through the power of the soul, Nick influenced the world with his mere words. His target: all the Star Oni’s souls. His mana wrapped around them with his intentions, Nick only capable of accomplishing this with ease due to being seen as an ally.
The effect was immediate, his words briefly empowering their souls to alleviate the curses burdening them. The Star Oni princess’ club struck a man about to hold a knife to her with a crack, his body being flung through the air as her strength was restored.
His bones were absolutely shattered, and she shredded the bindings of the cursed nets with another wave of her spiked club. The same then began to occur all over the battlefield, and Nick was relieved that nearly two dozen Star Oni women could now rejoin the fight. The men had protected them from being put to sleep within their nets, and now they would recover. And slay tons of bandits.
Nick continued his assault, now with the help of the Star Oni, but he eventually reached Myron’s Daughter–the star floating above her head. She was absorbed in the fight, chasing down the now fleeing bandits. Her club was explosive, sending the smaller men’s bodies flying and crashing into others with every swing. She was a bit smaller than most of the other Star Oni women, he noticed, but seemingly just as strong.
Nick stood near her, focused on watching her back as she took out another bandit. “Hey lady, it’s time to get to the cave. The Devilsaurs are coming soon.”
Her response was a growling voice, “Eat this, you shit!”
“Huh?” Nick barely turned in time to see a big bat covered in spikes swinging for his head horizontally. Twisting his body, he swayed backward under it easily, but the woman wasn’t done. She flowed into a series of strikes with immense force behind each blow, and Nick just twisted or dashed out of the way of each one.
“Stop.” She swung her bat, “Running.” Her voice was even angrier now as she swung again, “And FIGHT me!”
Nick parried her last downward swing, having it crash into the ground, and stepped toward her. Stowing away his blade in its shoulder holster for the moment, he grabbed her wrist with both hands, preparing to twist the weapon out of her large hand. However, when his essence-filled gauntlet touched her skin, there was an explosion of rainbow-colored light.
Thinking it was some kind of attack, he immediately continued his plan despite being blinded. He twisted her arm and wrist, causing her to drop her bat–but found there was no resistance from her. He spun his body into her and threw her over his shoulder, causing the large woman to land on her butt.
As his vision returned, Nick’s eyes met the girl’s, and he thought he saw some coherence in them suddenly.
A reddish hue entered her purple cheeks, and her breathing picked up. “Y–You…r…”
“Me?” Nick asked.
“Ss…” Her voice was quiet, he was just barely able to hear it.
“Hm?”
“Sorry. For attacking you.”
“Oh, no biggy. You good now? We really need to go.”
Nick moved to her front and pulled the arm he was still holding to lift her up, the weight of her surprising. While she was big, it was definitely even more than that she was a head or so taller than him.
The girl looked extra embarrassed about this, and was reluctant to let go of his hand, which Nick thought was kind of funny. She was so angry and wild just moments before–like she didn’t give a shit about anything but fighting, but now, she looked like a lost puppy.
When he turned back to the many fighting Oni who had cleaned up much of the enemy, they were all looking at him strangely. “What’s going on? We need to get moving. The big devilsaur is almost here. You should get moving toward either the cave or the Patriarch now.”
Nick heard some murmuring among them, but it was in another language. The girl even shouted something too, and they seemed to be focused on him even more now for some reason. That made sense, Nick realized. He did kind of just save them all, along with their princess.
A man immediately took control, which only made the girl more embarrassed, it seemed. The wounded and weaker among the group headed toward the cave, while another started heading toward the other groups and the Patriarch.
Just as Nick was about to head toward the Patriarch with them, the woman grabbed his sleeve, blushing. The girl was nearly eight feet tall, an entire head above him. Her pink Asian robes definitely made her stand out, but holding that vicious looking spiked bat was a contrast to her behavior.
“I’m Shara,” she said, with a small voice.
Nick arched his brow. What was with this girl? “I’m Nick... Anyway, we need to get going, or we’re going to have to fight a horde of devilsaurs. The Patriarch needs my help. I need to get back and help him out, or all is lost.”
That seemed to get her look to become serious.
She said, “I’ll go on ahead. I greatly appreciate your help!” With that, she let go and stomped off to join up with her allies, who had already rushed off. They did not quite head directly toward the Patriarch though, as it seemed their plan was to gather more allies. Now that he had a chance to look, he noticed that stars were drifting in front of some of the males.
The Patriarch must have been guiding them all from the beginning. Nick’s respect for him just went up another notch.
He would need to hurry back to him now. If Myron fell, then all his efforts would be for nothing.