The Keeper and Paisios channeled their power into the shield that barricaded the perimeter around the party hall. They had heard the screams from afar, and when they attempted to leave, they found that not only were the doors shielded, but the perimeter was too. Whoever had planned this had been well prepared.
Civilians had gathered outside the shield, possibly seeking refuge and protection.
Back at the summit building, the same was happening; a shield barricaded them from leaving, and the Legate and some leaders present were in the middle of trying to break it.
The shield at the Party hall was the first to come down, and the protectors advanced. A woman, a high-ranking official in the Legion, hailed orders at them.
Lysander and Aeneas stood awaiting their orders when a frantic man slightly older than they stood before them. He gathered his breath before relaying his message. They did not wait before releasing their wings and shooting to the skies; they had the decency to pass the Keeper, shouting 'we found her' before aiming in the direction Lyla was in
It had not been long after she left for the bathroom when Aeneas went to search for her. He had grabbed his brother and began looking for her. She was nowhere to be seen, so they had to inform her guardians.
The Keeper was infuriated, but she searched nonetheless. They concluded she might not be on the premises; they decided to head outside. That's when they had the screams and found the shield.
They spotted her at the same time, and when they saw what she was doing, pride and relief swelled in their hearts. She had put up a shield to protect the people, but then worry and fear settled in. Heavens, there had to be at least twenty creatures within that shield, and by the way those people were holding her, it was clear she was running out of energy.
Both brothers landed behind her in a gust of wind, and the beings holding her turned to look. Relief etched into their features before one said
"We're feeding her energy, but we're running out."
"How long can you hold on?" Lysander asked
"Not long"
He shot to the skies to see how far the rest of the protectors were
"How are you feeling?" Aeneas asked her
"Get help," she said between her teeth
The flap of wings told her enough that help had arrived. Lysander shouted orders for the protectors to release their Pegasus and form a barricade a few steps from her shield, and then another behind that.
"Ready yourselves, men."
"Lyl," came Lysander's voice, "I need you to release the shield on my command, okay?" he did not wait for a response.
"I need you to back away slowly and then run to the hall." They did as instructed
"Lyl, be ready."
The Keeper and Paisios, who had arrived with the protectors, stood watching.
"Okay, one…two… now"
Withdrawing her magic, she released the shield and collapsed into Aeneas' arms. He was quick to pull her away.
The creatures growled in anger, raw vengeance shining in their eyes.
The Keeper rushed to Lyla's side and quickly started to inspect her for any wounds, healing those she could find while soothing her pained muscles.
"What happened?" There was concern in her voice
"I found him, the blond man…he…he opened the wall."
"What?" the Paisios asked. It was impossible. Only the six heads of the realm could hold out an opening for so long.
"The objects…he used those."
Aeneas had already informed the two of her suspicions while they were looking for her.
"I've never heard of such things," the Paisios declared
"It doesn't matter now, we need to find a way to close that hole."
"Can't only the heads do that?" Aeneas inquired
"They're far, so we can't rely on them. We have to find another way," the Keeper said, feeding her magic into Lyla.
"How about removing those objects?" Lyla suggested gaining some strength, "I saw him placing them on the ground a distance from each other before they connected by some force. Maybe if we can remove even one, it will close."
"We'll have to try, but you said your magic recoiled. Two could make it even more dangerous."
"What if… she started, "what if we avoid touching them? We could contain it in a magic dome and move it."
"Mmh…that could work"
Lyla stood, her energy now replenished, "Then let's get to it."
The Paisios smiled faintly, "Let me."
"Let us," the Keeper corrected, "stay hidden, little one."
"What! No, I have to help," the sound of swords and wails of pain behind them a constant reminder that they were wasting time, "you said to choose my battles, I choose this," and that was that.
The Paisios and Keeper meandered through the mess of blood and corpses, and she tried not to think that some of those were their people lying lifeless.
They spotted the objects and harnessed their power, deciding to take both out at the same time.
Lyla and Aeneas rejoined the battle with a new sword in hand since she lost the first one. The two worked together, the noise becoming their symphony as they moved fluidly, where one attacked, the other landed the killing blow.
"We need a quicker way to end them," she said, slashing the thigh of a wendigo, and Aeneas stabbed at its heart. Lyla allowed herself to look towards where her guardians went. Did they meet an obstacle? Why was it taking so long?
"I need you to cover me."
"What are you planning?"
"I need to make a gun."
Aeneas knew exactly what that was: a weapon used by the humans. Lyla had gone for lessons with Brea as soon as they had turned the legal age to hold one; Brea had always been interested in them, and she had just gone to accompany her friend. In the end, she not only knew how to wield one but also how they worked and were assembled.
The two moved back to a little alley where she tried to remember what parts made up the gun. She concentrated and started making each piece. It took longer, but soon she had all the parts, and now came the bullets– silver ones, she remembered most creatures had a weakness for silver.
The first shot rang through the crowd, and silence followed. No one knew what that was, so everyone whirled their heads trying to find the source, then turned towards the beast that had hit the ground unmoving. The creatures tensed with uncertainty.
The gun had come out okay, nothing impressive, and she was scared she might have hurt herself while using it, but the baseline was it worked, that's all that mattered.
Lyla hid behind a trash bin. Surprise was her ally. The battle resumed, and she seized the opportunity. Another shot rang again, this time it went through the abdomen of something that looked kinda similar to a wendigo but scarier – a leshy, she had read about those dreaded things.
She continued to fire whenever an opportunity presented itself; she had only made twenty bullets, and she was running out. What the hel was keeping her guardians
As if things couldn't get any worse, a beast ten feet tall crouched from the hole, and everything stopped. Holy heavens…
The creature prowled out, turning its head as though assessing the situation. Its dark green fur bristled against the wind, and its black eyes monitored everyone. The ten-foot looking dog swished its tail once, the only sign before it attacked, releasing a loud growl.
Every time the Keeper and Paisios tried to encase the objects, the dome would fray and break. It was getting frustrating. The minute the Cu Sith had shown up, panic-borne desperation if more of those came out…
Lyla had decided to reach her guardians after running out of bullets to find out why the fuck the hole was still there. She summoned her magic, intertwining it with the Keeper to form a stronger dome. It held, and slowly they moved it to the object, encasing it.
A breath of air huffed above her, and Lyla did not want to look, not when she saw the panic in the Keeper's eyes. Her heart drummed against her chest, aware of the danger that hovered above her. She didn't have to turn to know what that was
A throaty rumble made her swallow. Slowly, she turned to find the Cu sith staring down at her. It tilted its head, surveying her, and sniffed. Its eyes glowed. The creature opened its jaws in the flash of a second and grabbed her.
Lyla waited for the crash as the Keeper screamed, but it never came. The beast instead took off with her in its mouth and entered the other side of the wall…into Umbraeth.