Nathan drew Moonlight as the party formed up behind him. Mirko shifted to humanoid form, Dragon's Fang blazing. Kuro materialized beside her, Silence and Stillness cold and ready. Shiro's golden eyes burned with dragon fire.
"Darius Fester," Nathan said. "I presume."
The figure on the Oblivion Drake's back tilted his head. The red seams of his suit caught the dim light.
"You presume correctly."
The Oblivion Drake opened its mouth and roared, the sound shattered the sky.
It was not a sound that belonged to the natural world. It was deeper than thunder, a vibration that sank into Nathan's bones and made his teeth ache. The red sky above the foothills dimmed, as if the creature was absorbing the light itself, and the air around it grew so cold that frost formed on the scorched earth.
And then the legion emerged.
They came from the shadows behind Darius Fester.
