Sundenelle watches as the last of the Imperial aristocrats and vassal rulers is returned to their respective territories via yet another display of an absolutely deceptively-innocent young girl’s overwhelming magical pool of strength. Hekate may be wearing the wealth of an Empress of the World, but if her power continues to grow with age, as it often does for most races of Zenkon, it won’t just be a joke anymore.

  Though seemingly easy for her, other than needing to secretly rely on Xyreko to send ‘scouting golems’ first, Hekate is able to instantly move people seemingly anywhere within a country, if not on the whole continent. And, she did so many times over many different jumps.

  It’s terrifying to really consider what the Empire was up against just with glimpses behind the curtains. Hekate teleporting a couple hundred lords and ladies is impressive, but it only represents a utilitarian power. She hasn’t demonstrated to them just how powerful her offensive magic could be, if it’s on par with such an intricate ability. And, even if she didn’t, if she simply moved one of Daniel’s weapons behind enemy lines, or a contingent armed with assault rifles into the estates of her enemies…

  I don’t really know how we’re alive right now…

  Hekate portals herself and the soldiers who accompanied her back to the Citadel. As soon as they’re allowed to break character, the soldiers immediately celebrate with each other, cheering and bumping fists to each other. Goblin and human-kin alike have shed all hatreds for each other as brothers of the same army.

  While inspiring on once side of the coin, the other is somewhat terrifying.

  If the Stalvaltan Guard can be brought together with goblins and everyone in between, that alone should halt all covetous eyes on the Fievegal.

  Instead, they have a sovereign ruler who is viewed as a sort of tangible goddess to her people. Even as Hekate sheds the mantle to Bellphine’s waiting hands, the soldiers are praising her.

  “Excellent work, your Greatness!” cheers a human.

  “Greatness Hekate is Empress almighty!” calls out a goblin.

  “It’s a genuine honor to witness your unequalled power with my own eyes, your Greatness.”

  Hekate smiles at each of the soldiers, saying sincerely and loudly for all of them as the praise continues, “Thank you all! You behaved perfectly! I’m sorry you didn’t get to do much, though.”

  “Please forgive my candor, but don’t be silly, your Greatness,” replies Captain Muindis, who has his own brief, but storied past with the Fievegal. “We train to make any battle we are in as short as possible, not because we enjoy battle.”

  “Most of us, anyways,” jokes one of the shenwulves before glancing at the goblins.

  The goblins let out a hearty cheer, and Field Marshall Klur, who wears the grey mantle, boasts, “Aye! Grendel Six are the gnashing fangs of the Fievegal! And the blood of the Fievegal’s enemies is the sweetest of all!”

  Several goblins cackle in a terrifying manner, while others cheer in confirmation of their commandant’s words.

  Sundenelle, who can leave her position now, joins Ecklevon in approaching the group. “Thank you all for the cooperative display. I know it was tedious, but it should allow us to operate rather freely with each other, at least through the fire.”

  Hekate nods. “It was fun. Oh, and thank you, Bellphine. Please store that in my room when you get a chance.”

  “O-o-of c-c-c-course, G-G-Greatness…” murmurs the young Dawnseer. She is still struggling with a stammer, but she has a content look on her face.

  Hekate then returns her attention to Sundenelle. “Now, then. We’ll head to the airship and begin the full campaign immediately. If you’d like, we can bring your trusted allies with us to help coordinate and observe. But, we’ll be doing a lot of stuff that I don’t really understand. And, if I get too close to the mana without shielding around me, I’ll start to get all glowy.” She rubs her hands together, saying deviously, “Fortunately, it’ll replenish all of my mana pretty easily.”

  The Stalvaltan Guards and Grendel Six chuckle together at Hekate’s words, standing by a little ways away to not crowd the group.

  The other Empresses watching Hekate, including the dragons, approach as well. Ryuogriar adds on behalf of the dragons, “If you need help, we’ll do what we can. But…” She cradles the maroon-colored reptilian neonate in her arms. It can be visibly shocking, since Ryuogriar appears human in almost all ways except for her tail and horns, and her pupils constrict into cross-like shapes when she’s angry or about to breathe fire, while her baby is very distinctly a tiny reptile with sharp teeth, cross-shaped pupils, scales from head to toe, and claws on his fingers and toes.

  But, the baby dragons are the first in centuries, so the female dragons are hesitant to neglect them for even a second. That said, Ryuogriar has Willow, one of Jeavana’s twins, while she accompanies Daniel to the front.

  Hekate reassures them, “Focus on the babies. Fal and the goblins included. But, also, give Daniel and I some leeway. We may have to be a bit stupid, but we know what we’re up against.”

  Ryuogriar sighs, grumbling, “I wish to protect him as much as these little ones, but…” She looks to the side, pondering the strange human that brought all of these individuals together. “I also wish… to be protected by him…”

  Reignleif nods softly in agreement, hugging Gyualen affectionately. She also nuzzles Clover, one of Jeavana’s twins, gently.

  Geirahoel, in contrast, does not seem to agree, but she remains quiet, instead keeping Enya under control as the feisty little dragon tries to climb and exhale tiny puffs of blue fire.

  Hekate then says, “We’re the B-team, since I’m mainly escorting Wenlianna so she and Shek can test their theory. The problem is, I haven’t heard from Neith in a while, and if we’ve lost control of Zuzia…”

  “Onii-chan is fine,” states Geirahoel confidently.

  “Have you heard from…?” starts Sundenelle, her own concern for the male dragon growing.

  “No, but he’s fine. He promised, and my blood isn’t boiling yet. So, he must not be that stupid.”

  There’s an awkward silence, and Sundenelle takes a breath and exhales to try to relieve her own concerns. “Yes, well, as long as Sir Neith and the reinforcements you’ve sent are handling Zuzia, we can focus on the fire without needing to worry too much about Yaulander. That said, if anyone detects the void artillery…”

  “Trust me,” interrupts Hekate as respectfully as possible. “If we detect the void artillery, I will be the least of Yaulander’s worries. Our Yauly will be quite pleased to meet it again.”

  “And forever scar the landscape in her wake,” jokes Reignleif quietly.

  Hekate shrugs. “Better than us having to find out the answer to the question ‘what happens if a void artillery is fired at a mana fire started by void artilleries?’.”

  She looks at the group around her, adding more seriously, “Now, let’s move to the airship. I believe it should be ready for take off. Ryuo, Reina, Geira; I’ll see you soon.”

  “Be careful, Hekate,” replies Ryuogriar. She takes a moment to lean over and kiss the feldrok girl’s head. “If you have to drag Daniel back here by the collar of his shirt, warn him that I will not tolerate any disobedience to you.”

  Hekate cackles. “I was planning to tell him that the rules shall be broken if he tries anything.”

  “Wh-What rules?” asks Sundenelle cautiously.

  “Hmm? Just the one that requires me to wait for another two years!” Hekate’s tone goes from normal to irritated as she’s speaking the sentence aloud, as if to make sure Daniel hears it, wherever he is right now.

  Xyreko’s voice says from seemingly the air itself, “Daniel has responded that he is going on a journey. Do not look for him.”

  “Mukori, I will track you to the very stars themselves!” snaps Geirahoel into the air. “I’ll find you even on Earth!”

  Sundenelle sighs this time, feeling a little more relaxed. She doesn’t want to deal with something like the encroaching fire, but at least the humor is taking some of the pressure off.

  “If you don’t mind, we should get moving,” urges Sundenelle gently.

  Everyone exchanges farewells, and Hekate then orders the soldiers, “Grendel Six, Wyrm’s Fang, deploy via shuttles and escort the airship in. We’ll have further orders for you once we get there.”

  “As you wish, your Greatness!” call out all of the soldiers with a slightly-startling and passionate volume.

  Klur shouts, “Grendel Six, if the tall-lings beat us into formation, I will melt your shine into bullets! Run like Koggus Gristak is behind you!”

  Simultaneously, Captain Muindis rallies the Stalvaltan troops, “Wyrm’s Fang! Break and double! Leaving in ten! Move move move!”

  Both groups cheer boisterously and race for the exits. Goblins are surprisingly deft on their feet even without spells, while the human kin have larger strides, but heavier armor. Their smaller number to mobilize may serve an advantage, but it seems like it’s anyone’s race.

  “Let’s move,” states Hekate. She casts magic, and she brings Sundenelle, Ecklevon, and Bellphine through teleportation. It’s disorienting to Sundenelle, who is still new to the sensation, but she manages to quickly check her surroundings as their arrival is announced.

  “Fievegal and Grand Zenkon Empire, arriving!”

  “At ease!” calls out Hekate. Once more, Sundenelle is swept up in the growing efficiency of the Fievegal’s military operations, which are rigid, meticulous, and seem to cover every scenario, from greetings to combat.

  Hekate asks, “What’s Magnir’s status?”

  “Here, your Greatness,” replies the blue dragon as he makes his presence known on the large space they’ve entered. It was formerly the lounge of the airship, but has been converted into an operations center for the war, so the Empresses that aren’t directly accompanying Daniel or remaining at the Citadel are present, along with Aramellianna, Byleathea, Roeta, Helbeit and Resken.

  Magnir explains, “Prisoners Ochibenara and Djihnlierr are being held in the brig, though both have agreed to cooperate. I believe Vaergraes is meeting with Djihnlierr as we speak.”

  “And, Daniel?” asks Hekate as she moves to her seat, which is centered over the map that shows a rough layout of the high value locations and the current estimated boundary of the fire.

  “Daniel, Lady Senn, Veiranoei, Jeavana, Treia, Kera’tai, and Yaulwembor are removing Jeavana’s contract at present and will be deploying immediately via shuttle to get ahead of us.”

  “Good. Xyreko, keep us informed if something tries to come through after Jeavana.”

  “If it can not immediately be handled, I will, your Greatness. However, I have several new contingencies in place such that it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “Alright. Grand Duchess Senior, please have the ship set a course for the mana fire.”

  “As you wish, your Greatness,” replies Aramellianna respectfully. She orders, “Lieutenant, to the bridge, set course for the Imperial Exclave Centerhold.”

  “Aye, Ma’am!” replies the officer, who then relays the order to the bridge. Sundenelle’s aristocratic instincts twitch, and she notices Byleathea fidget as well, seated next to the Grand Duchess Senior as she is. The brunette matron seems to see this as well, and she teases, “Oh? Did the ‘ma’am’ get to you, too?”

  “T-Too?” asks Sundenelle.

  “Yes, your Grace. It is taking me time to get used to as well, but Daniel insists that military communications be as fast and simple as possible. Of course, his military was not aristocratic in the slightest on Earth, so officers were shown deference as officers, ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’, and other cases were handled by rank. Please do forgive them, since the condensed replies are spreading quickly.”

  “A-Apologies, your Graces,” replies the officer.

  “I don’t disagree with his Grace,” replies Aramellianna. “I do think we’ll find a balance that makes us all happy and meets the intent. For now, focus on your duties.” Aramellianna then explains, “You see, your Imperial Majesty, I actually do not command the ship itself. That is the captain’s job, which is what I hired him for. While I order the overall mission, subordinate to the Empresses, of course, how the crew is trained and operated falls upon the Captain to make my wishes a reality.”

  Hekate nods in agreement. “Daniel says the com…marmenalization will keep a greater and more consistent level of discipline that can still function if the chain of command suffers losses at the top. O-Or something.”

  Sundenelle sighs. “Even in the midst of battle, I am learning… Formalities aside, where can I start organizing the Imperial side of the operation?”

  “Please, make yourselves at home over here, your Grace,” offers Aramellianna as she stands up, showing a specific seating area mostly focused on the eastern side of the large table-sized map. “My servants and other volunteers are standing by to ensure we have everything possible to handle this as well as we can. Though, it’ll be our brave soldiers and warriors that truly determine the outcome of this endeavor.”

  Sundenelle nods in agreement, and she heads to a similar seat like the one Hekate is seated on, which positions her above and behind anyone else so they can strategize while the Empress can see.

  She jokes, “I feel like we’re opponents on a board game.”

  Hekate laughs. “You’d wipe the floor with me in strategy, I’m sure, Sundenelle. I know what I’m good at. And, what I’m good at is smashing stuff. But, Daniel said I’ll be more helpful here to make sure Wenlianna’s device works as she intends.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “What is Empress Wenlianna designing, if I may ask?” asks the albino Empress.

  Hekate looks to Aramellianna, though the Grand Duchess Senior isn’t quite sure, either.

  Aoloan speaks up, “If I’m not mistaken, Wenlianna’s focus has been on mana gathering equipment. I believe she hopes to ‘steal’ the mana for our purposes, and one of the devices is somehow supposed to feed the Citadel.”

  It sounds amazing, though Sundenelle doesn’t know enough to know what it is, fully.

  “Our primary goal from here will be to use as many magic spells as our combined wisdom has,” remarks Aramellianna. “The airship itself should provide some shielding for us, so it will also act as a resting area for anyone that needs to retreat from overexposure, as well as triage. Plus, as a heavy consumer of mana, the airship is perfect as a place to dump excess mana for her Greatness, even if it means firing the mana-powered weapons into the fire.”

  Hekate snickers deviously. “It’s a shame it’s just a fire, because I want it to know how badly we’re going to kick its butt!”

  Sundenelle feels reassured by their words, though she does want to avoid getting her hopes too high.

  The dreadful night is only just beginning.

  ***

  Daniel checks over everyone in the contract removal station of the Citadel. Veiranoei, Treia, and Kera’tai are mostly holding back, since they don’t have the strength to fend off a contract demon if one comes through, while Senn is ready and waiting. She has one of the experimental staves that some of the other artisans have been working on, which used some of the strands of Hekate’s hair and twine made from the carbon nanotubes indirectly discovered by Grendel Six. It’s still in the prototype stage, with Senn and Serrentuk volunteering to try them, and they should be more efficient at gathering raw mana around the casters.

  Ahok is the leading lady on theory about raw mana, since it went into the staves she used to test the void artillery. And, using what they learned from there, the CNTs add a more deliberate and powerful means of gathering even more mana for the spellcasters using the new staves.

  Daniel wants to improve them further, but he has far too many irons in the fire already, and he has to focus on ending the mana blaze before it reaches the threshold that he fears.

  As a last line of defense for the contract removal, Xyreko has large wall stations with several large ogre-operated cannons each armed with a ten pound shell packed with bird-shot. This bird-shot is not meant for hunting entire flocks of ducks at once, however, like its punt gun inspiration. Instead, they are primed and ready with uranium shot, held back far enough not to interfere with the necessary magic of the contract removal, but ready to immediately snuff out any mana of contract demons, assuming they use a mana similar to those of Zenkon. Since Daniel never heard about contract demons on Earth, he’s pretty sure they come to Zenkon because they are also descended of Zenkon or a world similar to it.

  Either way, if all else fails, he’ll call upon Ryukana, while Xyreko, Doephluev, Senn, and Jeavana make every effort to evacuate everyone.

  “Ready?” asks Daniel.

  The golden dragon matron mischievously rips her blouse open, immediately exposing her entire, voluptuous chest. “Take me, Harbinger.”

  “You realize the world is actually on fire right now, right? Not pretend ‘on fire’ like shill panic-mongers salivate over. Actually on fire.”

  Jeavana snickers. “I have the utmost faith in the Harbinger of Calamity.” She cups her cheek, shamelessly pretending to be modest with her entire torso laid bare. “My hero.”

  Daniel sighs, placing his hand on the contract mark, which is centered over her left breast. She’s making him want it to be over faster and faster. And, as if sensing this, she coos lasciviously, “OoooOOOooo! Harbinger! … Actually, your hand feels pretty nice…”

  “Shut up so I can focus. If you cause me to screw this up, I’m rewriting it to make you bark like a dog every third sentence. Oh, and forever diaper duty.”

  The mischievous dragon clears her throat. “Right. Proceed.” While she does scoot a little closer to him, she doesn’t press herself into him or say anything else that can be taken any sort of mischievous way.

  Xyreko projects the words of the spell on the wall behind the dragon so that Daniel can read it, and he takes a breath. He says softly, “If anything happens, stay calm. I will do everything in my power to finish it.”

  She nods. “I trust you, Harbinger. I won’t disrupt you.” She places her hands on his, holding them in place. If either of them tries to retreat, ideally, they’ll stay connected to finish the spell. “Your hand really does feel nice. It’s warm…”

  The mechanic rolls his eyes. “I’m starting now. Everyone be ready!”

  “We’re waiting on you to stop flirting, Daniel!” snaps Treia.

  “I feel less like a consort than here, and I am an empress!” complains Veiranoei.

  “I was first!” adds Kera’tai. “And you never flirt with me like that!”

  “Clowns…” grumbles Daniel affectionately. He begins reading the phonetic words of the spell, calling on spirits or whatever mechanism of the universe he’s actually speaking to in order to unbind the contract spell from Jeavana’s soul.

  As soon as the mana starts to move around them, which signifies the transient state, the air starts to crackle.

  “It’s a big one, Daniel!” calls out Treia over the noise.

  “Everyone stay calm! Only fire the anti-magic weapons if I can’t drive it back!” shouts Senn. “I’ll lose magic too if you fire!”

  “Roger!” reply the three holding back. While they are armed with smaller rifles, they may have better swivel rates than the cannons, which could be the difference between life and death.

  Daniel can hear the spark of Yaulwembor igniting her pilot flame as she snarls, and the air starts to heat up. The others that did bring forth contract demons didn’t create this sort of air disturbance. Daniel quickens his pace reading the long spell. He hates that it’s so long, but he’s breaking a magical contract. If Kaeralegier is to be believed, not even the gods or goddesses of the Divine Realm can truly break a magical contract. Though, Chaos and Order likely would have no issues as the all-powerful Primordial Goddesses.

  That said, he avoids looking at the spatial rift that is opening to let the contract demon through. They seem to share hideous appearances, like a horrific envisioning of the Grim Reaper or some other kind of elder lich.

  Jeavana, being a battle junkie and a female dragon, she poses a unique set of powerful and juicy benefits to an evil being trying to steal her body and soul. She is likely stronger than all of the living dragons, save for Neith, though Neith’s specialties are in the unique instant-death-focused magic that he learned in order to assassinate the Red Lord, and Jeavana seems to favor direct battle.

  Focus on the spell, Daniel. Ignore it. You have strong allies for a reason.

  “Steady! I’ll make the first move!” orders Senn. She casts her split-mind spell in order to give her multiple combat avenues, readying for the first sign of the fiend. Ryukana can observe the other side of the rifts somehow, so she could easily cast whatever she does through them in order to annihilate the being that would come through. But, she and Amalaskae are making sure Neith, Serrentuk, and the Grendel Four soldiers that deployed to try to contain, capture, and bring Zuzia back to be freed of her collar.

  Just as Daniel is halfway through the contract removal spell, a voice slithers into his ear that sends a chill up his spine and nearly stops his heart. He knows the voice, or as it actually sounds ‘voices’, all too well. Having heard the dragons in their true forms speak audibly, as well as Yaulwembor’s telepathic voice, Daniel is more convinced that the being is female overall, but her Legion-like presence radiates what he can only describe as tangible evil.

  And, she speaks only to Daniel, nearly causing him to halt his oh-so-important task to free Jeavana from a fate of enslavement. “{My dear Harbinger, you of all people should know by now not to weave a tapestry with fourteen needles…}”

  Daniel winces as his whole body wants to shudder. Though she’s not actually physically present right now, the tingle that runs across his shoulder, up his neck, and across his cheek is bone-chillingly similar to the gentle caress of someone intimate or teasing. He keeps speaking loudly, doing everything he can to ignore the Lurker. Jeavana’s eyes tilt away from the rift to Daniel, noticing his pained expression, but she resists the urge to ask. She doesn’t want to distract him further, since he’s obviously powering through the last of the contract removal spell.

  “{Just a stitch is all I need…}” taunts the eldritch evil hidden beyond the veil of a curse clinging to Daniel. He wants to tell Senn to use Hallowed Ground again, in spite of how much pain it causes him, since it explicitly seems to cause the Lurker pain as well.

  But, it’s too late now either way. Not only is Daniel committed to finishing the contract removal spell, but the contract demon is almost upon them.

  That is until a crackle denotes a sudden shift in the rift as something wails in agony. That wailing wretch fades into the drowning roar of a new sound that Daniel recognizes as well as the horrible voice he just heard.

  This sound is the continuous thrum of a portal, rather than the distorted, crackling, almost sizzle-like sound of a rift.

  And, a portal doesn’t move ethereal beings.

  It’s all happening behind the wayward Earthling, so he clenches his shoulders as he keeps his focus on his one and only task; the words on the wall. He’s three-quarters of the way done. It feels like hours are passing, but it has likely only been a minute or so.

  Regardless, it nearly shatters in less than one second.

  Daniel only happens to notice Jeavana’s eyes tilt to a spot behind him as the thrumming distorts.

  Senn is already mid-chant, having immediately sensed something is wrong with the portal. Regardless, Daniel can hear something solid touch down onto the floor with a long, foreboding sound like the branch of a dead tree dragging in a slow, ominous scrape across an old window.

  Then, another, with sharp, pointed clacks that lead into a similarly menacing sound that crawls through the air.

  Senn fires off several spells that impact whatever it is, but it only triggers a deep, guttural sound that stokes the fear in Daniel’s heart that the Lurker just ignited.

  Formed deep in the throat and meant to ward off fellow apex predators, it is a sound like the threatening growl of one of Earth’s most ancient predators, the crocodilians.

  The warning call of the primordial beast is felt as much as heard, filling the room with a deep bass as it emerges through the portal.

  That very emergence causes all color to drain from Jeavana’s face, and her expression shifts instantly from one of concern for Daniel and nervousness about the creature emerging from the rift, and into one of absolute, unmitigated terror.

  Neith could probably beat Jeavana in a fight, especially if he intended to kill her. But even so, Neith is not cruel or malicious.

  Only one being in recent memory can cause a dragon like Jeavana so much overt terror, and Daniel barely reacts in time at all.

  The instantly-terrified new mother instantly panics, flinging her hands off of Daniel’s in order to clear all obstacles from her path to escape. In so doing, her contract-bound form tries to push Daniel away, and though she thankfully can’t hit him hard enough to explode his chest into pink mist, as a dragon probably could at full strength, she is able to knock him back a bit. Because Daniel started to brace and try to react to Jeavana, he doesn’t stumble back completely away from her, in spite of flinching back partially as Jeavana scrambles to get away.

  She isn’t trying to escape Daniel, so much as the creature that is still crawling its way through a portal, even with Senn bombarding it with spells that are popping and booming.

  Yaulwembor roars, which is loud enough to drown out all other noise in the room, in spite of the room’s size. Thankfully, the spirits, universe, or Chaos and Order themselves don’t need to ‘hear’ Daniel, so long as he annunciates the spell correctly. At least, so he has been told. His heart is racing, and he bites his tongue more than once as his teeth start to clack from his jaws tightening and trembling. He must finish the spell. He can’t afford to let it be interrupted, especially now that the beast is present.

  But, Jeavana is fighting to retreat away from Daniel, or rather, the creature behind him, and he can feel her skin leaving his as he tries to lunge after her, still shouting the spell inaudibly amidst the chaotic roar, blasts of spells, and the deep, foreboding inhale of one of Zenkon’s most deadly, if sub-sovereign, predators.

  Simply losing physical contact with Jeavana’s breast doesn’t stop the spell, per se. Rather, because there is a transfer of intertwined fates, Daniel immediately feels a searing, jolting pain the instant his palm leaves her chest. He yelps in pain as a sort of arc burns his palm, crackling like a continuous electrical arc, but burning more like a moving butane torch on his skin.

  Daniel growls, doing his best to twist the “GAAHHH!” syllable into a part of the spell. He’s too far now to give up, and if he lost the spell, finishing it will cost him nothing further. But, if the spell is still ‘hot’, then he has a chance to recover it.

  Or at least, he is capable of doing so. The only obstacle is the golden dragon herself and the searing pain burning both of them, since she yelps and flinches from the pain in her chest.

  Daniel throws his weight into a full tackle, catching Jeavana off-guard while she’s momentarily consumed by her fear and the pain from the spell arc. Even as they topple, Daniel desperately keeps shouting the words to the spell.

  KABOOM! WHOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!

  The room becomes an active warzone, and a tunnel of flames boxes in the human and his temporary dragon servant. He lands on top of her, quickly pressing his palm back to her chest. It doesn’t help much, since both of them were scorched by the spell, but they have to endure it.

  “No no no! Let me go! Please! I have to get out of here! He’s going to!”

  Daniel can barely hear Jeavana’s desperate cries as she continues to flail and push against Daniel. Fortunately, he’s on top of her, and because of the contract, she has a limited range of being able to move, shove, or fend him off. He is well aware of what he could have done with so many women effectively enslaved to him, but he has never enjoyed the taste of cruelty or domination, so he does what he can to leave them all alone.

  The wayward human knows there is a very short of list of things that can frighten Jeavana, and given the clues without looking, he knows what it has to be.

  Or rather, who.

  Nope. Focus, Daniel. One more sentence!

  WHOOMP-SCREE! BOOM! WHOOSH!

  Daniel can’t help but flinch when a deafening impact occurs behind him. A semi truck running head first into an oncoming train would sound and feel like a fender-bender in comparison to the cataclysm that just occurred behind Daniel, and the defender who kept his fragile body alive a little longer.

  It does cross the mechanic’s mind that Jeavana will fling him into the ceiling when the contract breaks, but she does seem to finally be losing her will to fight as she sobs, trying to hide her face and shield her neck.

  Just a little longer. Don’t kill me, Jeavana. I won’t abandon you.

  Still, another explosive crackle from lightning bolts flashes through the room, momentarily whiting out the walls such that the words are briefly invisible to Daniel.

  Ironically, the flashing contrast actually creates a negative afterimage of the words when he closes his eyes, almost making them readable for a few seconds while he tries to protect his eyes from the flash. The air itself hammers against him, and he can’t imagine the level of talent that Senn has to defend two immobile, helpless targets while fending off a particularly powerful dragon.

  Something’s not right, though. If it’s who I think it is, there’s no way he wouldn’t be taunting all of us. And, if he’s using magic to compete with Senn, wouldn’t he need to chant?

  Daniel rarely pays much attention, since the words are gibberish to him in almost all cases, but most of his spellcrafting companions have to chant their spells, including Xyreko. The exceptions, like Xyreko, are when they can ‘chant’ somewhere else, since Xyreko isn’t truly in any one room when she appears. And, Yaulwembor almost certainly has a specific innate skill, which occurs on Zenkon.

  If the creature battling directly behind Daniel is Morthybargaron, there should be no chance he wouldn’t threaten Jeavana to help him, Daniel for killing him, or Senn who was likely always a known figure to him.

  Regardless, the Harbinger of Calamity is speaking the final words of the spell, and the moment of truth is upon him.

  The contract mark dissolves from Jeavana’s chest, and a brief dip in the pressure within Daniel’s soul marks the relief he feels…

  … for exactly one second.

  A deep cracking sound splits the floor, and Daniel glances at the fissure nearby.

  “Daniel!?” calls out one of Senn’s voices, even as her split-mind apparitions continue to fend off the enemy. Yaulwembor is also still firing off spells and explosions of fire, seeming to keep the focus of Morthybargaron, but he is ensuring that the collateral is as devastating as possible.

  “Almost there!” shouts Daniel. He immediately presses down to Jeavana, forcing his mouth close to her ear while he hugs her head firmly. Even if there is a fading effect, she will have no trouble causing him immense harm if she continues to panic and throws him back. It would actually be safer for him to get away from her, but with the two directly together on the ground, they pose a significantly easier singular ‘target’ for Senn to defend, even if they are a burden needing to be defended by the elven archmage.

  “Jeavana! Focus! Stop crying! There is not a god-damned thing in this world I can’t kill! You know that!”

  Jeavana twitches, and he keeps shouting, “I’m still here! Me! The Harbinger of Calamity! So please! Please don’t lose faith in me! You and I can defeat that thing, because I’ve already defeated it once! By myself! Stop crying and show me the warrior you are, or let me defend you once more!”

  Daniel is bluffing in a sense. He would be truly arrogant if he believed his own words wholeheartedly. But, for the moment, he needs to believe them at least a little.

  After all, he became the Harbinger of Calamity, the Feldrok Sorcerer, and the Silencer of Magic through a combination of luck, ambush, and abject denial of reality.

  The mechanic climbs off of Jeavana, finding her violet eyes locked onto him with tears framing them, but otherwise focused and wide. He does his best to force a smile for her. “Just one more unkillable mythical god-monster for me to murder. Barely an inconvenience.”

  Jeavana is speechless as she stares up at him. But, she keeps her eyes glued to the seemingly fearless human warrior who is unafraid of the most malicious and inarguably evil dragon to have lived centuries before the otherworlder’s arrival.

  He still hasn’t looked at their foe, but after a speech like what he just gave, Daniel can’t afford to fail now.

  ***