A sharp pain entered his spine and ran throughout his entire body. Aaron couldn’t control his limbs and fell to his knees in the middle of the street. After the initial ache faded, he still felt a tingle as the electricity disappeared into the pavement.

He managed to open his eyes and force himself from losing consciousness. There were two reptoids. He couldn’t get a clear glance at them, only their sharp feet, elongated by their blackened claws.

Suddenly, he felt relieved. Not because he was out of danger but because he had finally understood where his worrying came from. The reason why he sensed something was wrong since arriving in Lycanport, he had found it, but too late. ‘The reptoids. They hid amongst the prisoners we freed, huh?’

“He’s the target. We’ll leave the city to the others.”

“Alright. I’ll carry him.”

“Wait, let me tase him again.”

Aaron had experienced death multiple times back in Snoid’s STM. Even though the taser was extremely painful, Aaron held on. He wanted to get up and fight, to use magic and push them away, yet his body wouldn’t listen. The electricity had confused his muscles.

“How is he still awake?”

“Ahh… just hit him to sleep!”

…

Secondary gate, Shroud City - Northeast City.

Seth brought Isaac to the gate. The rebels were guarding the entrance. There was no sign of the enemy. They had already gotten rid of all the guards and citizens around there.

They entered through a small metal door and climbed hundreds of narrow stairs before arriving in the control room. Isaac took a seat. Everything was ready: the computer was already on, and all he had to do was type the password.

The gate opened. Isaac looked inside the cameras, and to his surprise, the army was there. The Western Army had taken control of the Northeast City.

Hundreds of soldiers marched forth behind Commander Rack. However, Rack stopped after a few steps. He ordered a third of the army to continue past the gate while he and the rest went for Redan, where they lost contact with Ejiro.

“So, what’s next?” Isaac asked Seth.

“We’ll go further South, breaching the main gate to Slitherland, a theme park in the Second Layer.”

Isaac laughed. “A theme park? How come a theme park of all cities has a main gate?”

“It is one of the largest attractions in the Obscure Guild. Easy access is necessary for tourists to gather.”

…

Main gate, Ulkan City - Razorpoint City.

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Gabriella advanced into the second layer along with Christopher Fireblood’s werewolf army. There were at least ten thousand werewolves with them. Women and men alike.

Razorpoint City’s entrance was special. When passing through the gate, one had to walk on a wide bridge that was entirely retractable. Under it was a long fall and a sea of metal spikes pointing to the roof. There were skeleton remains down there, but no one had ever dared to go to Razorpoint unannounced before this day.

The bridge connected to the city by a high slope. There were stone ramparts along it and two small metal staircases. The city’s governor rushed down the stairs all alone. He knew Christopher.

“What’s the meaning of this, Christopher? Is this a declaration of war?!”

The Werewolf Alpha laughed. Given the amount of troops he had gathered, he could have brought Razorpoint to surrender. Yet, he was itching to fight. “It was only a matter of time before we stopped hiding behind the rebels! Get your army here so we can get this done sooner.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’ll encounter more losses if we give them time to prepare.” Gabriella was unhappy with his decision.

“Ha! That’s not how we fight, young lady.”

“Very well. They shouldn’t have that many soldiers since the rebels have weakened the second layer, but make sure not to lose too many. We don’t know what’s going on in Karl City.”

“Don’t worry about that!” He morphed as they ran up the street. The army followed his steps.

…

Aaron woke up tied to a chair. He inspected the room. It was damp and dimly lit. The only light source was above them, a small yellow light. He couldn’t even see the walls.

“Aaron? Is that you?”

“Ejiro?” He recognized his voice instantly.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Ejiro was behind him; the reptoids had tied them back-to-back. “Where are we?”

“Karl, Second Layer. I think. The reptoids didn’t drag me far.” Ejiro was uncertain.

“Up North? But I was in Lycanport…. How did they defeat you?” Aaron suddenly remembered that they had lost contact with Karl City’s rebels.

“Well, even with wings, superspeed and blinding light magic, I can’t do much when they threaten to kill a whole city if I don’t surrender.”

When the reptoids came for him, they held Redan City hostage and threatened to blow it up. Given the Obscure Guild’s nature, he knew it wasn’t a bluff and had no choice but to give himself up. Himself, but not the others.

“You were alone?”

Ejiro whispered. “Actually, there were five of us. It seems the reptoids don’t know about them. We couldn’t send any signals to alert the rebels or the army. But they must have managed to send one by now.”

Aaron wanted to untie himself. He tried using wind magic to rip the tape off, but nothing happened. Instead, when he used magic, the collar around his neck tightened, choking him.

He coughed. “They blocked off our mana?”

“The collar on your neck has the same function as anti-magic handcuffs.”

Aaron tried to relax, but a suddenly thought interrupted his meditation. “If we are in Karl City, they might use us against Gabriella.”

“What do you mean?”

“They struck right when she and the werewolves left for Karl. There’s gonna be a big battle soon.”

“TEST, test, can you HEAR me?” A large screen turned on. It was on a wall.

Aaron recognized who was behind the screen; Gabriella had told him about them.

“Zephyr Dragos?!”

He adjusted his microphone. “Yes, you guessed right. I’m the Reptoid King.”

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Ejiro scoffed.

The reptoid gave him a smug smile, a hideous combination with his long snout. His teeth were sticking out. “Heh.”