"Any changes?" came a stern voice. At this, the cohort tasked with guarding my body startled and answered hurriedly.
"Nothing, ma'am!" one of them said as they all saluted.
"Hmm. You'll be replaced soon. Get some rest." With that, Jet started to walk away.
A figure popped out from the shadows and asked,"Nothing changed, huh?" Sunny said.
"No, everything's the same. The healers say his body's fine, but they don't know why he's still unconscious," she answered.
"It's been two weeks already. A few more days and we'll be done evacuating the people."
"You're right — but we still can't move him an inch. He's resisting it," Jet said, annoyed. "A huge horde is coming, Goliath is approaching, and the Heart of Darkness disappeared. Not to mention dealing with the Terror of LO49 cost us too many of our forces."
"Why are you worried? I told you, I'll deal with Goliath, and Army Command has a plan for the Heart of Darkness. Besides — why would you even want to move him? He's like a natural Nightmare Creature repellent. And he said he can't die anyway," Sunny replied, sounding completely uninterested.
Just as Jet was about to respond, her communicator rang. She quickly checked it.
"Shit..." she cursed.
"What is it?"
"Goliath's getting near. Get ready — the battle's about to start."
"But we just finished dealing with the last horde."
"Not like it's the first time," she joked, trying to shift the mood.
Jet, Sunny, and their cohorts were stationed where Goliath was expected to appear, while Winter had been tasked with defending another part of the siege capital.
"Is that thing you were preparing ready?" Jet asked, raising an eyebrow at Sunny.
"I finished it a while ago," he replied, summoning Saint and handing her a large javelin.
"Well — this is a perfect opportunity to use it," she said.
As the words left her mouth, a giant red eye opened on Goliath's chest, radiating a scorching heat. Metal began to melt, and even the walls started to crumble. Seeing this, Sunny hurriedly shouted,
"NOW!"
Saint immediately hurled the javelin straight into the glowing eye. The eye shattered and the javelin melted, but Sunny just stood there, stunned.
"It's dead…" he said, unsure of himself.
"That's good, no?" Jet asked.
"It… shouldn't have died in a single hit. I think."
As he spoke, from the crumbling, mountain-like Tyrant came a flood of darkness. Sunny's eyes widened in alarm.
"Get Bloodwave here! The Heart of Darkness was inside Goliath!" As soon as he said it, everyone saw it too.
Jet quickly sent the signal and ordered everyone to hold back the approaching black tide.
The hastily organized Awakened and soldiers began fighting the Heart of Darkness — with little success. When Bloodwave finally arrived and summoned his echoes, he started pushing toward its core.
Meanwhile, in another part of Falcon Scott, the situation was equally bad. A horde of Nightmare Creatures had already reached the walls and begun breaking through.
If someone had been standing at the center of the siege capital, they might have heard a sharp exhale.
"Haaaa… So much rumbling. Can't even have a good rest."