"Drop the shield." Sebastian repeated into the comm-link.
His voice vibrated the air around him. It lacked any trace of panic and sounded like an absolute terrifying order.
Down in the subterranean core room of Sanctuary, Valerie hesitated. For three agonizing months, that flickering golden dome had been the only thing standing between her and a horrific screaming death.
The outer servers had rained fire, acid and kinetic bombardments on it day and night. Dropping it felt like voluntarily jumping into a woodchipper.
"Sebastian, if I drop this, they're going to flood the courtyard." Valerie's voice cracked over the radio. "They're Level 70, Level 80. They are literal gods!"
"They're shiny piñatas, Princess." Sebastian said softly. His silver eyes locked onto the glittering army hovering in the blood-red sky. "Drop the damn shield. I'm tired of them looking at my house."
"Okay. Okay, fuck it." Valerie hissed. "Dropping the Aegis. Good luck, you crazy bastard."
BZZZZT.
