The next day i wake up because of a loud horn. Another raid? I quickly get out of bed, I desummon my warm armor then I summon my battle armor. As I leave my tent in a rush summoning as many of my battle memories as I can Avery runs past me.
"Caster! What kind of raid is it?"
I follow her dashing around tents and other rushing figures
"im not sure, but i suspect it will be a bigger one."
She sighs loudly
"and what is the normal person not being told this time?"
I try not to roll my eyes at her little comment
"your one of the leaders too. Most of the activity from both sides has slowed down, it seems that was for a raid"
she slides around a corner, i round it normally, as one should.
"Doesn't mean you people tell me a damn thing. Heh"
"and what's so funny?"
She gives me a humorless smirk
"Theres a few others secrets you don't like telling people about, right?"
My face scrunchies up
"shut up about it."
We get to the base of the walls. A voice booms, calm, too calm in fact
"Asterion is raiding the strong hold of the king of nothing in 2 days, get ready for battle"
i grip my jian tightly. She gets a look of dread, a odd look for someone like her. She looks over to me with a kind of smile. Its stilted at best
"well i guess your not wrong about it being a massive raid."
We get onto the walls.
"No ship. Do you think its going to be that box this time?"
I nod
"hey if you keep your jaw like this then your going to crack a tooth"
i sigh
"not the time"
i turn away seeing summer knight in the distance. I start running over, not quite caring to hear any more comments from her.
"Gilead"
his head turns towards me.
"Gods. I can never get used to that voice. I didn't interact with the original much, but even from what I know, that tone this version has is just wrong."
I glance at what he had been looking at, a sword made by the king of swords.
"We are going to fight the king of nothing and the nightmarespawn soon, aren't you worried?"
He shrugs
"while I'm glad you saved me, I feel like a dead man walking, have since he died in a way. All I can do is save as many people as I can."
I grab his shoulder
"Gilead, please listen, now isn't the time for being hopeless."
He lightly takes my hand off his shoulder with a sigh
"I know. Even if i cant be loyal to Anvil, I can be loyal to the version of him that he was before his flaw got to him"
I slap his shoulder
"no I mean it. Don't get all hopeless now. If any time was there for the real sovereigns to return its close at hand."
He rubs his shoulder
"Okay okay hint taken."
I hear Avery coming over
"Okay I've got more to do, distract her please?"
"What"
and i start running, leaving those two to talk. Maybe it will go good for one of them.
I quickly find morgan under the walls, pacing. I jump down landing cleanly
"morgan, what's the situation?"
She waves her hand
"what do you think? I didn't think it would happen this soon."
She starts pacing once again, she seems quite worried
"we will need.... well I'll figure it out. We can't let him get captured, we both know what the nightmarespawn will use him for."
I grab her shoulder
"Morgan, calm down we need to think this through. We will also have a sovereign of our own"
that gets a second long look of horror
"Yes and its one of the plagues. Not much better, while they've not harmed anyone unrightfully, do you think that means they won't do something horrible?"
She laughs, it sounds slightly insane
"there's a good chance that whatever it will be horrible for everyone and everything. Likely related to beast."
She runs her hand over her face
"gods this situation is terrible"
I look around carefully
"morgan, even if something happens we can escape into the waking world"
she gives me a annoyed look
"are you suggesting running away"
i could say no but
"yes I am. Its a sovereign, its multiple sovereigns. The nightmarespawn will kill us eventually and thats not mentioning the mind control. The version of heat seeker we have used to be corrupted and seems to have no real morals. And... if you think mordret would kill us all then I guess"
she thinks for a second then shakes her head
"not likely at this point. While I wouldn't doubt he would hurt me, a lot too. I don't think he cares at all for killing me, not that he wouldnt"
i nod a few times
"either way, our best chance is to go into the waking world and hope the sovereigns come back"
she grits her teeth
"fair point."
I nod.
"I'm going to find saint dread. I'll tell you what I find out from the midnight actors guild." She nods and i get back onto the walls running.
As i run the walls shake. I almost fall to the ground. I look up at the galaxy above the military citadel. It seems we've been moved into the jewelery box. I steady myself and I start running until I see Derek.
"De-"
a hard cold hand grabs me by my mouth.
"I've thought about what you said."
I push frozen singer off of me as i turn around
"what do you want?"
She looks messy, even after a fight she has a sense of being put together, but not now. Her face is fully showing
"As i said. I've thought about what you said."
She looks up
"you all have a witness to your end. May it be song of the fallen or others like you"
her head turns back down, her eyes almost seem to glow, or the parts that aren't black do
"i want a witness. Someone to see me. Time is what causes entropy after all. Your the closest to whats been lost"
i turn to leave this clearly useless conversation.
"Not just will i tell you the truth, but I'll show you everything"
that makes me stop, such a thing is too useful for me to not take
"how long will it take?"
Her face doesn't change. Is she even using her mouth to speak?
"Not long"
she holds out her hand to me
"fine."
I take it, and everything goes dark.