Vigilia Fidelis 9: Darkest Night
Hannah floated in…well, it wasn’t quite shard space, but it wasn’t the real world, either. It was an…inbetween. Something not quite on the mortal plane, but not in the esoteric place of shards either. Like that space though, time and space did not function as they did normally. There wasn’t any sound, or light, or as far as Hannah could tell, any sort of radiation at all. But she perceived things as though there were, and so, she saw a vast cloud of glowing lights, like the stars of the galaxy spread out in a cloud all about her.
Some glowed brighter than others, and many were touched with elemental energy. There was a cluster of green in the shape of a blooming flower. Panacea Floris. That was Amy Dallon. Right next to her own constellation was Cerberus, a light blue constellation in the shape of a three-headed hound. That was Duke. The crown of thorns was Tesbi’s, glowing with hydro energy.
Parahumans similarly were forming constellations. Fate, it seemed, viewed them as being on a level with Vision Holders, though their constellations were dark and forbidding, generally speaking of ill fates. Mus Venatrix, the Hunting Mouse. It showed a predatory, nasty little pest with sharp fangs and a rapier that was not at all like Mina, who bore it.
Those ones are new, actually. Didn’t start showing up until recently. Weird, huh?
Hannah didn’t turn, she had no real body in this place, but she did shift her perspective to find a glowing red butterfly fluttering there.
This is all so strange. Especially me being here with you.
Yeah, well, just be happy I showed you how to find this corner of the Dream. I had to get Nahida to show me how, and I was a piss poor student compared to you, Farasha answered.
Don’t think complimenting me will make me like you.
Naw, for that, I’m relying on my charming personality!
They floated in silence, observing the cluster of life that made up the Hawaiian islands.
You know, I sort of hate that I am starting to like you, Hannah admitted.
The butterfly fluttered a bit, and Hannah detected confusion and embarrassment of all things. Wait, really? What happened to that whole ‘I’ll hate you as long as I have mortal breath in my body’ thing? I mean, I did…you know. Kill your people.
And I betrayed mine to the Abyss. Who’s the greater criminal? Hannah said bitterly.
I mean…that’s pretty shit, not gonna lie, but, well…who am I to judge?
We’ve both been reborn. And besides…
No more mortal breath. Yeah. It’s weird, right? Like, you have a body…but it’s not you. We’re like…fuck, what’s the word?
A concept. We’re the living embodiment of a concept.
I mean, I guess? Shit, Hannah-Banana, I’m barely more experienced at this than you! And like Ziz is saying, you’re old as fuck compared to the rest of us. Well, except Dave, but he has the emotional maturity of a fucking icicle.
He’s trying. If I can forgive you, I can forgive him. We all have our Duty to do.
Yeah. Huh. I guess I helped you be reborn too. Nice! Maybe there is something to this conceptual bullshit.
They floated for a bit longer, Hannah and Farasha slowly inspecting the Dreams of the citizens of Hawaii, both old and new. It was still a desperate scramble to build enough houses and infrastructure for half a million more residents, but thankfully, they could mostly repurpose the old hotels and resorts for that. To make up the gap, Hannah was getting a great deal of practice with her new Geo Authority to erect apartment blocks, dig pipelines, and erect power lines.
Inevitably, the two Dragons found their trip brought them to a festering wound in the Dream: the Island of Kahoʻolawe. Now called the Blighted Isle, within the Dream, the island was a weeping sore that never healed completely. Not the least because Hannah knew that they were still performing Abyssal harvesting and experimentation there, despite her protests.
Hey, is it just me, or is it like…bigger? Farasha asked, fluttering around the nightmare.
Hannah scanned the area, but space and time didn’t flow properly enough for that to work. It seems to be widening, but I can’t tell. It feels…like it’s growing.
You have seriously got to tell them to fuck off or blow them up. Why do you even still work for the Hegemony!? They’re evil pricks who worship the Abyss.
Because I am a soldier in the service of my nation, and I must do my Duty. I have to, Farasha. I can’t be anything else. Not anymore.
Yeah but-
The Dream twisted and writhed, distorting as what felt like a sour note rang through them.
Oh, fuck, Hannah gasped, as the Abyssal Nightmare that was the Blighted Isle warped and grew. I have to go!
Shit! Something’s happening here in Brazil, too! What the fuck!? I thought we solved this!
Farasha vanished as Hannah did, sitting upright in bed and shoving Duke, who was snoring beside her. “Wake up! Ajaw! Sound the Abyssal Alarms, NOW! Mobilize everyone!”
Duke sat bolt upright, his ears pricking up. “Zzzz huh? Hanners, wot’s-”
The old air raid sirens began to buzz.
“Boss, boss, oh fuck, we’re in trouble!” Ajaw cried, appearing on Hannah’s phone screen as she manifested her armor and strode for the door.
“What’s happening,” Hannah said grimly.
“Internet is down! Hard! I’m fighting, but they’re- SHIT! I gotta go, GERONIMO!” Ajaw briefly manifested his jaguar warrior armor, before vanishing from the phone screen.
“Door me, Pearl Harbor!” Hannah barked, but nothing happened. Shit. Her Doormaker access was still offline. For all her candied words, the President hadn’t restored that authority, though she had given Hannah the promised capes and Protectorate troopers.
Near as Hannah could tell, it was a list of Archonist sympathisers, troublemakers, and people that conscripting into Hannah’s forces spared Alexandria the expense of Slugging or putting in a re-education center. Not that they weren’t good people, but it was still a laundry list of potential enemies of the Hegemony dumped on her doorstep and told to go fight the Abyss and Cyclists.
Duke hopped out only wearing his pants, still buckling his belt and holding his Vision. “"Hanners! Wot the bleedin' 'ell's goin' on? Cyclists?"
“No,” Hannah said, feeling physically ill as the blight began to spread across the land of the Hegemony. Her land. She could feel it, coursing not just across Hawaii, but out across the South Western Hegemony, and multiple other incursion zones scattered across the North American continent and beyond. “It’s back.”
He swallowed, stepping towards her, sweat appearing on his brow. “Wot’s back? Not…”
She turned to Duke, and held out a hand. “We mobilize everyone. Every cape, every PRT Trooper, everyone. The Abyss has returned.”
Carlo launched himself into the air, carrying the modified glider. The airframe was based on the Waco CG-4, though it was constructed with modern materials. However, instead of a true glider, there was a bar in front for Carlo to grab and straps to hold in him, and allow him to act as the ‘engine’ of the craft, using his Mover abilities. The glider itself had space for 13 individuals, and was currently carrying Mina, Shamrock, Roach, Labyrinth, and Faultine, along with a full squad of nine PRT troopers and their gear.
Carlo flew up to 30,000 feet, then rapidly accelerated to his maximum velocity, which was about mach 1.3.
“That’s as fast as I go,” he grunted into his helmet. At this elevation, he required oxygen for an extended trip, as he would black out if he tried to stay in this environment without life support. The compartment his passengers traveled in was pressurized like a standard aircraft, though as a military craft it lacked many creature comforts.
“Got it! If you can keep this up, Sweet Brie, we’ll be in El Paso in about three and a half hours!” Mina encouraged over the radio.
“That’s not fast enough,” Carlo said, gritting his teeth. If only he were as fast as Alexandria was. He was fast, yes, but not nearly so fast as her. She could have made the trans-Pacific flight in under an hour, easily.
“It’s the best we can do, and better than most standard transports. Just don’t wear yourself out, OK? We need to be in fighting shape when we get there,” Mina consoled him.
He nodded, but gave it his all regardless. Really pushing it, he got his air speed up to just over 1,000 miles per hour, almost to mach 1.5. When they reached the coast of California, however, Carlo watched in horror. Blackness was spread north, over the land and sea. Lights below were winking out, and the purple miasma was consuming all. Radio chatter had a great deal of interference, and Carlo could hear panicked police, PRT forces, and even Protectorate teams fighting for their lives.
“Do we stop and help them?” Carlo asked.
“No, there are other squads tasked with reinforcing this section. The Abyss…it’s attacking from Tijuana to Houston. All across the Hegemony’s southern border. And it’s pressing North,” Mina told him quietly.
“But, the Lightkeepers are responding, right? Why aren’t they giving us doors, like they did before?” Carlo demanded.
“I don’t know. I thought…I thought they’d give that back, with the General getting promoted, and becoming the Geo Dragon. But I’m just a captain. I don’t have enough information,” Mina said, sounding more than a little frightened and worried.
Growling, Carlo pressed as hard as he could, until he was gasping for breath, accelerating over the fog. They had nearly made it to Yuma, when alarms began to blare, and a great portal began to open ahead of them.
The glider shuddered and bucked as a storm blew up, but Carlo managed to ride the winds and hold them steady.
“ABORT!” Mina screamed. “IT CAN’T! HE’S DEAD! OH, GODS, HE’S DEAD!”
“Mina, Mina talk to me!” Carlo gasped, then managed to right the glider, and got a good look ahead of them. A warm patch formed in his trousers, and Carlo went dead still
Ahead of them, out of the roiling mists, a great serpent rose up, mouth bared to show glistening fangs. Two of the things eyes were ruined and scared, but eleven more orbs glowed with deadly intellect.
“Apep, it…it can’t be. It’s dead! We saw it die!” Carlo gasped.
“I can’t get a line to the General! Comms are down!” Mina gasped.
“Fuck! I, I’m taking us down! We have to go help!” Carlo shouted.
“Our orders are to go to El Paso, but…yes! Take us down, Carlo! We’ll evacuate as many civilians as we can!” Mina said
Carlo started to descend, but hadn’t gone far when a back of Rift Hounds appeared around them, sliding out of the mists that shrouded the land, baying and snarling as they ripped into the air frame. Control was impossible to maintain, and Carlo ended up having to simply try to land the glider as neatly as he could, right smack in the middle of a Jack in the Box parking lot. He hit the emergency release, then darted out with his sword and slashed at the rift hounds. He was soon joined by the rest of his squad, as well as the squad of PRT Troopers.
“What now?” Carlo gasped, looking around. The sky was obscured by Abyssal fog, and Endbringer alarms wailed in the distance. “Where are we?”
“Somerton, 10 miles south west of Yuma,” Mina supplied. She looked around, then gestured with her sword. “There’s an old Endbringer shelter there! We evac civilians to it! There’s dozens of emergency calls here alone, monsters popping up everywhere! And we prep to…to face Apep!”
Carlo’s heart sank. How could they even begin to hope to do that? Last time was a concerted effort between Gods, Dragons, and Humans. They were just humans.
He spent the next frantic minutes flying about, beating off pockets of Abyssal creatures and trying to rescue civilians. The hardest part was never knowing what was a damned Abyssal mimic, and what was actually a person. Once he did get a group of panicky citizens to the shelter where the PRT squad was setting up, they found that the equipment was all outdated, and none of it was rated for Abyssal protection.
“Get them inside anyway, it’s better than nothing,” Carlo ordered, and the troopers did their best, even as the civilians made life difficult. One woman in particular was screaming that her dog was in her car still, and would get too hot.
“Ma’am, it’s fucking January, he’ll be fine!” Carlo snapped, and shoved the woman inside. The civilians were given some N95 masks that Roach scrounged from the hardware store, and Labyrinth modified the shelter itself to have filters on the air intakes, and defenses around it.
Just as Mina was rallying the local police to get civilians to their makeshift fortress, a call came out over the radio.
All Protectorate Forces. This is the President. The Cavalry is here.
Carlo cheered, and Mina even jumped into his arms, touching their faceplates together so he could see her eager grin. They couldn’t see what happened; the fog was much too thick for that, but the deafening explosions made the earth shake. They continued their efforts to get civilians undercover and listened to radio chatter. It seemed that the President, Chevalier, Myrridin, Narwhal, and even Hero himself were all here to battle Apep.
Still, Carlo was worried. It had taken three full dragons to fight Apep before. Would it simply slither away again? He could have sworn that the Inazuma no Himigimi had slain the creature with the same blow that had killed Leviathan.
After a mere 10 minutes of fighting, the reports came in that Apep was bloodied and driven off.
Hopefully, Carlo looked up at the skies, expecting them to clear. They had when Apep was defeated before.
Instead, a separate warning came. “ALL UNITS, EVACUATE OR TAKE SHELTER! DIVINE NAIL INBOUND! T-MINUS 291 SECONDS!”
Swearing, Carlo herded the last of the civilians and cops inside. Faultline and Labyrinth sealed the entrance and frantically began to reinforce it, while all Carlo could do was hold Mina tight as the countdown ticked down.
At the last, he whispered, “Te amo, mi amor.”
“I know,” Mina gasped, “I love-”
The shockwave rattled Carlo’s teeth in his jaw, and he held himself and Mina in the air as the shelter bounced and rattled and dust fell from the ceiling. There was a great deal of coughing and swearing, but when the shaking stopped, they were still alive, and the occupants were mostly alive.
Faultline hastily cleared a path back out with her powers. Carlo forced his way out, expecting to find a blasted landscape and clear skies.
He found the devastated landscape: the Jack in the Box and the nearby stripmall had been flattened. Cars overturned and tossed about like toys, the entire place looking like it had been hit by a nuclear blast.
To the north east, Carlo could see a patch of blue sky. However, that patch was rapidly being filled in by Abyssal Fog. All around Carlo, the fog was already growing thicker, and he quickly lost sight of the sky completely. His heart sank, as he watched a rift open, and an Abyssal mimic appeared.
“Keep the civilians inside! We’ve got monsters!” Carlo shouted, and then he charged. The nightmare was not over yet.
A wave of butterflies swept across the savannah and into the city, the tide of crimson burning away the dark fog that choked the streets. Monsters screamed and burst into flames, while the citizens wept tears of joy.
Many of the butterflies manifested into snarling hounds, which bayed and leapt at the attackers, transforming into members of Cão Infernal. Battle was joined all across the city of Goiânia, and Farasha took on her human form at the very center, hoisting her spear and burning away three lawachurls that had been crushing a panicked crowd of civilians that had attempted to take shelter at the hospital there.
She lifted her spear in triumph, and the crowd cheered wildly as Farasha was able to capture a dozen souls and return them to life.
They didn’t see the hundreds more she couldn’t do that for.
Turning back to the city, Farasha let her consciousness roam through her swarm as it cleansed the streets. This was the first major attack since September. They’d grown lazy in the nearly three months since Apep’s defeat, but at least things were going well now.
“You fuckers thought you could catch me nappin’ huh?” she demanded, grinning viciously.
“Well, fat fucking chance of that! I-”
FARASHA! THIS IS HANNAH, COME IN!
“Yeah, yeah,” Farasha said, turning and putting a hand to her ear as she frowned. “Don’t gotta yell.”
FARASHA, THERE’S BEEN AN ATTACK ON YUMA, ARIZONA. IT’S BACK.
“No fucking shit, Banana. Been ass deep in Abyss for hours here, and I was there when your little portal went nuts,” Farasha grumbled, half focused on the part of her that was burning what remained of the Abyss.
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. THE PRESIDENT JUST DROVE OFF APEP.
Farasha’s flames flickered, and she felt a chill of terror in her veins. “Are you fucking serious?! There’s no shot, we-”
A massive portal ripped itself open overhead, and Farasha jerked her head up, eyes wide, as out of the portal, a massive fanged maw protruded, opening wide to devour all of Goiânia.
SCION IS LAUNCHING ANOTHER DIVINE NAIL, BUT WE WILL HAVE TO MEET AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. APEP IS CERTAIN TO RETURN AGAIN, AND WHEN IT DOES, WE-
“He’s here,” Hannah whispered, then roared, taking on her full Draconic form. HE’S FUCKING HERE. IN BRAZIL! FUCK, HANNAH, I HAVE TO-
FALL BACK AND REGROUP! DO NOT ENGAGE! YOU CAN’T TAKE THAT MONSTER ON YOUR OWN! GET OUT OF THERE.
FUCK YOU, BITCH! THERE’S A MILLION PEOPLE HERE! I CAN FEEL THEM ! Farasha snarled, even as she flapped her wings and took off.
GET AS MANY OUT AS YOU CAN. IF IT’S ATTACKING AGAIN- IT WASN’T EVEN FIVE MINUTES. WE NEED TO GATHER OUR FORCES AND COUNTER ATTACK.
Farasha hesitated. She wanted to fight the Endbringer, right here, right now. But if she did…she didn’t think she could take it alone. With Hannah and Dave, though…
FINE. GET YOUR ASS HERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN AND CALL YOUR EX.
Shrinking back down, Farasha took on her mortal form and ran to the hospital. “Get everyone out, now! We’re evacuating the city!”
“What, but, can’t you fight it, Santa Morte?” one of the police who had been fighting at the hospital asked.
“Not alone. And it’s going to be a bit before backup gets here. Get everyone out! I’ll cover for you! My butterflies will light your path!” Farasha ordered, then turned to focus on doing just that, dispersing her entire form to the butterflies. Thousands spread throughout the city, glowing guides that led civilians to safety, hundreds of her hounds acting as shepherd dogs and guarding them from the Abyssal wolves. The population of Goiânia had swelled to over 3 million in the metro area with all the refugees, and evacuating them was a nightmare of logistics.
Thankfully, Farasha had Guto with her, as well as Sister Tesbi, who had come all the way from Africa. Between the two of them, they used buses and vans to transport those who could not walk, eliminating as much traffic as possible. Farasha herself burned any who attempted to bring any possessions but the clothes on their backs, which helped.
Even so, Apep itself began to attack the civilians. Farasha was forced to battle him a few times, sticking to her human form and using her spear to fend the serpent off, but it still devoured thousands, even as she struggled to maintain her myriad forms.
Still, Hannah was coming, and so was David. The three dragons would stand together against this darkness, and they would prevail, just as they had before.
When Hannah was a mere 20 minutes out, and David less than an hour, Apep suddenly stopped its attacks, slithering back into its portal. Farasha swore and struck at its retreating tail, but it was gone before she could do more than singe it.
“Well, fine, be that way mother fucker!” Farasha ranted as the portal slid shut. She turned, regarding the city. There were still dozens of active Abyssal incursions, so she continued the evacuation. But there were nearly a hundred thousand dead, even with her constant efforts to resurrect the fallen. She couldn’t maintain this. Not for much longer.
MOTHER FUCKER LEFT, she sent to the other two dragons. NOT SURE WHERE TO, MAYBE ITS GONE FOR NOW.
NO. APEP HAS JUST APPEARED IN CAPE TOWN, David sent. I’M TURNING THAT WAY.
THERE ARE MORE ATTACKS IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA; PHOENIX, ARIZONA; NOGALAS, MEXICO; AND MORE, Hannah reported.
I, FUCK! THERE ARE ATTACKS IN FUCKING RIO, BRAZILIA, BUENOS ARES, BOGATA, AND LIMA! Farasha reported as Tesbi funneled reports from outposts of her hounds.
DAVID, TURN BACK. MEET US IN RIO DE JANEIRO. IT’S THE CLOSEST CENTRAL LOCATION, Hannah ordered.
IF WE CONCENTRATE OUR FORCES, WE LOSE MULTIPLE CITIES, David argued.
AND IF THE THREE OF US DO NOT ACT TOGETHER, WE LOSE IT ALL. FARASHA?
FUCK IT, WE DO IT YOUR WAY. MEET YOU IN RIO.
Gritting her teeth, Farasha coalesced herself into a small flock to conserve her strength, and made for Rio de Janeiro as fast as she could.
By the time Hannah made it to Rio along with David and Farasha, Cape Town was lost. So was Christchurch, New Zealand. In less than twelve hours, more than five million were dead, and it would have been more if Farasha hadn’t stymied most of Apep’s efforts in Goiânia.
That was just in direct assaults. Abyssal attacks were taking place globally. Europe was being rocked on multiple fronts, with the Fatui and Knights forced to cooperate again as Abyssal hordes spread out from the Baltics and Finland. Japan was struggling to contain the Abyss at the Gates of Death, even with reinforcements from Korea. And the Pan Arab pack was being tested in Kazakhstan again, with thousands dead there already.
“So, what do we do!? Wait for the fucker to come to us!?” Farasha demanded, glaring at Hannah as they met under the gaze of Christ the Redeemer. All three dragons were in human form, looking out at a city under siege. Their forces were holding the line, and their presence meant that the Abyss couldn’t advance here. But that also meant a dozen other fronts were in dire straits.
“I have a better plan,” Hannah said, and nodded to the right side of the statue. There, sitting on Jesus’ shoulder and holding a magic eight ball, was Fortuna and her two bodyguards.
“Who the hell is that? I don’t recognize her,” Farasha asked.
“Fortuna. The most powerful prophet alive. Including the Archons,” David said, floating towards the woman in dark robes.
Fortuna was weeping as the dragons approached her, shaking her magic eight ball so hard that one of its googly eyes had popped off. She would peer into its depths, then shake it again, only to gasp in pain and repeat the process.
“Fortuna, please, they’re here,” Deyha said, putting a hand on her charge’s shoulder.
“No, no, no!” Fortuna wailed. “I can’t…there’s nothing!”
“What do you mean, there’s nothing?” Hannah asked, frowning.
“I mean, I can’t see anything! There’s nothing!” the seeress repeated.
Farasha frowned at the woman’s milky eyes, then waved a hand before them. “Uh, that seems pretty normal for you.”
“I can’t see the future! It…it’s not there! The stars are all going out, and the future is missing!” Fortuna wailed. “All I see is endless night, and a black serpent, devouring all!”
Hannah shared a look of pure horror with David, while Farasha looked disturbed.
“Fortuna,” David said, gently putting one hand on the eight ball to stop Fortuna’s desperate shaking. “Please. Anything. Where can we bring Apep to battle?”
“No, better question. How can we best fight so that we can preserve the most lives possible? That is our Duty,” Hannah said.
Fortuna hastily got out her deck of tarot cards, but the wind was too strong atop the statue. She tried to shuffle, but her hands were shaking, and several cards blew away. Farasha managed to catch them, holding the cards up. Fortuna let out a wail.
“Ten swords pierce,” she gasped, as if the words were forced from her. “This is not a setback; this is the ruin of all!”
She shuddered and continued, “Five coins, lost in a moor. This loss will not beggar the kingdom, but the world!”
“The dark queen holds seven wands upside down! No matter what ground you take, the outcome is the same!”
“A single cup spills its contents to the ground. All shall be lost!”
“The horned king, reversed! The world, the world! The world is blighted and consumed! All shall fade!”
Fortuna cried out in pain, shuddering and spasming. Hannah felt horrified, hope draining from her. It was pointless. David looked sober, setting his jaw, determined to fight until he perished.
Farasha, however, floated up, and slapped the seer. She grabbed the deck out of Fortuna’s hands, incinerating the cards. “Fuck that! I REFUSE! We did not come this far, fight this hard, to go ‘we’re fucked’ and lay down to die! Give us SOMETHING, bitch!”
Dehya and Geoff pointed guns at Farasha, but the Pyro Dragon ignored them.
Slowly, Furtuna reached out, touching the welt on her cheek. “I…I caught a glimpse. I’ve been…blinded. The enemy…knows I can see them. I don’t have much.”
She rested a hand on the statue. “As this Son of God was buried for three days, so too shall the world be buried in death for three days. For three days, you shall struggle. You will be defeated. The night that comes is the darkest that humanity shall ever pass through.”
The hopeless words settled on everyone, and even Farasha slumped.
“But…” Fortuna said, and pointed to the sky. “It is always darkness, before the Dawn. Await the coming of the Sun.”
“Three days? Ha! Easy. We’ll kick this fucker’s ass. So. Where do we go?” Farasha demanded.
Fortuna clung to the statue, looking sick, looking blindly out. “You…you go nowhere.”
“More doom and gloom? Can we get a new prophet?” Farasha joked, following what the blind seer was facing. “I think this…one is…broken…ohfuck.”
They looked out across Guanabara Bay, to where the lights of São Gonçalo shone in the darkness. It was late afternoon, and the sun should have been up as it was near midsummer on this side of the equator, but the sun seemed to have abandoned the whole world to Abyssal night.
At the mouth of the bay, a great portal slid open, and a monstrous hiss resounded. Eleven glittering eyes appeared, and then, in a cloud of toxic fog, Apep itself emerged, slithering back out in the world after devouring yet another city.
Hannah instinctively reached out to her shards, transforming into the great insectile robot, her arms forming into cannons or sharp needles. An instant later, David roared and expanded to his own, even larger three headed dragon, snorting out ice and snow as a challenge to the Endbringer. With a crackle of flames, Farasha joined them.
The Pyro Dragon beat her wings, sending out a legion of burning insects. LOSE? TO THIS CHUMP? NOT A FUCKING CHANCE! WE GOT THIS.
EVEN IF WE ARE FATED TO LOSE, IT IS OUR DUTY TO DEFEND HUMANITY. TO OUR LAST UNDYING BREATH, Hannah stated, and fired one of her cannons, sending out a bullet of Geo that ignited the air with the speed of its passage.
The Cryo Dragon snarled and surged forward. LET US SEE WHO IS WORTHY!
Apep slithered forward through the sky, opening portals and allowing its minions to spill into the cities on both sides of the bay. It weathered Hannah’s shots, then closed into the cloud of burning insects, which popped and sizzled on its dark hide, but left no lasting impression.
Then, David slammed into the larger monster. He had grown to 90 feet in length. Not the longest of the dragons, but he was bulkier and heavier than even Mushu at his largest.
Next to this version of Apep, he looked like a small lizard trying to bite a python. Apep was easily 7,000 feet long, a mile and a half of thick, black coils. Its mouth was large enough to swallow the Cryo Dragon whole, and it attempted to do just that, only to be batted away by the Geo Dragon driving into it with four slashing arms. The long black tail flicked up and hit Hannah, sending her reeling, but Farasha dove in and blasted flames at Apep’s face, making it hiss and shrink back.
No sooner had Farasha stopped than David was there, adding Cryo to create a reverse Melt reaction. Apep’s scales boiled and hissed, but it was not laid low. Instead, it drove forward, breathing out toxic fumes that caused both dragons to stagger back in agony. They were only saved by Hannah firing from below, catching Apep in the jaw. The serpent hissed and slammed itself down, trying to drown Hannah in the dark waters of the bay.
She narrowly avoided that, but still took a heavy blow, skipping across the waves as she was flung back. Managing to right herself, she switched her arms to four cannons and rapid fired crystals at Apep as David circled to the right, Farasha to the left, the two of them weaving around Apep and trying to use elemental reactions to scar it.
The tactic worked briefly, until Apep’s jaw struck at lightning speeds, snatching Farasha from the sky. She dissolved into flames and butterflies, and Apep hissed and shook its head. Still, when Farasha reformed, she looked bloodied, and was forced down to her human form.
“Fuck! It’s tougher than ever,” she gasped.
KEEP FIGHTING! Hannah roared, and shifted back to blades, driving in like a whirlwind of swords. She cut and slashed, but dark coils caught her up, ignoring the gashes she left. Hannah screamed in pain as the serpent began to crush her, then was forced to shift down to human sized and limp away.
The only one remaining in Draconic form was David, and he latched on to Apep’s head, scratching, clawing, and breathing out ice. In response, Apep drove its own head into the shore, sending up sprays of sand, rock, and water. Once, twice, three times, and David fell, landing on the beach with a groan and shrinking to human size.
All three dragons struggled up, launching attacks at the Endbringer, but they were weakened. The Endbringer hissed, and struck out with tail and fang. Hannah took a fang full in her torso and fell into the ocean with a splash, lost in the dark waters. Farasha was crushed and shattered into insects, landing at the foot of the statue with a moan. The tail struck David, sending him flying into the city, bones broken, nearly unconscious.
Farasha forced herself to reform, gripping her spear and panting. “Fuck…fuck you! Come on! That the best you’ve got!?”
Apep ignored her. A portal opened, and the snake slithered through. The city was even mostly intact, though more and more Abyssal portals opened.
Farasha slumped down, gasping for breath. Her reserves were exhausted, and pain wracked her.
“We…we couldn’t…no,” Farasha groaned, and felt her mind fading from her.
She collapsed, unconscious. Three dragons lay on the field, defeated. It was sunset on the first day.
Apep returned six hours later, assaulting cities across the globe. Millions perished, and millions more became mindless horrors of pain and hunger.
For thirty-six hours more, the attack continued. Throughout that time, the sun never rose on Earth Bet. The Archon nations and the Hegemony mostly held, their strength of arms allowing them to persist throughout the storm.
In Yuma, Carlo and Mina where collapsed in their bunker, taking a brief respite from fighting in between waves of monsters. The nearby radio crackled to life, and Carlo opened one eye, even as Mina dozed on his chest.
“To… is still listening, this is Diego… Rodriguez,” the radio crackled, and Carlo sat up, his eyes wide. The signal was spotty and filled with static, but he could mostly understand it.
“Mexico City is…attack. Los Valientes have... all dead. Only.. .of us left…few remain… to Estadio Azteca. …still several million…! Anyone…hear me...please! The monsters…endless! …evacuate women and… Holy Virgin…us."
Carlo flopped back down, closing his eyes to try to shut out the pain. His brother. Pleading for not his life, but the lives of those he was trying to protect. Mina shifted suddenly, and he felt a weight on his chest. He opened his eyes to see his lover weeping bitter tears.
“You have to go,” she told him, her eyes red, dark circles under them. They’d had precious little rest.
“No, I…I have to stay here. With you,” Carlo croaked, shaking his head slightly.
“We’ll be fine. We…we have supplies, and…and the President or General Jones will be back. But your brother, you’re people…you have to go, Carlo,” she repeated.
He swallowed, slowly sitting up. He was so, so tried. He hugged Mina close, taking one last heartbeat. Then he stood.“I…I’m sorry, Mina. You’ll always have my heart, Mi ratoncita.”
She smiled, nodded, and kissed him. “See you…on the other side.”
Then, he took off, heading for Mexico with all speed. Mina watched him go, knowing in her heart that neither were living through this night. But refusing to give up all the same.
Not an hour after Carlo had left, the Abyssal attack was renewed in earnest. More and more Abyssal horrors came out of the fog, and Mina and her defenders fought as bravely as they could. Still, it had been days with no relief, little sleep, and precious little food or water. Mina’s sword felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and her voice had left her. It should have been day, but it was as black as midnight. All around her lay bodies of her PRT troopers, civilians who had taken up arms, and even Shamrock. Her luck had finally run out, the little Irishwoman having joined her lover, Gregor, in the afterlife.
Or at least, Mina hoped they were in a better afterlife. Not stuck in this Abyssal hell.
“Keep…keep fighting! Never…never give up hope!” Mina squeaked, and managed to bring her sword down, one last time on the head of a skaven. Her power was largely useless here. She could teleport people and objects, yes, but she was on defense, holding ground. Teleport things to where?
She had nothing left. Nothing but hope.
“I…I’ll see you…soon…Carlo,” Mina gasped, as more monsters stalked out of the black.
Though you are but small, you have the Passion of a giant.
Mina shook her head, trying to clear the strange voice. More Abyssal whispers?
Fear not! The night passes! The Dawn comes! Do not lose your courage!
Strength flooded back into Mina, and she let out a war cry. Well, more of a war squeak, but those behind her lifted their heads, their flagging strength bolstered. She grinned, baring her teeth in the face of death.
Let not fear rob you of joy, little Mouse. Raise your sword! The fight goes on!
“We will never surrender!” Mina cheered, and charged, her sword igniting, her shield suddenly shining like burnished copper.
Let you Vision Guide you, Daughter of Joy.
A glowing red gem affixed itself to Mina’s ear, a new bit of jewelry to mark her courage.
Behind her, two others joined her flames with a roar, as they met the Abyss, and drove back the night.
And at last, the Unconquered Sun rose upon a weary world.
The night was over.
Now comes the Dawn.
Next chapter:
SOL INVICTUS 1