Center of the Action

The humans were fighting valiantly, trying to hold their lines against the enemy. The opposing force was filled with earth-colored creatures of brown, grey, and black, making it look like the far-off mountains had moved to crush the human kingdom. 

Deep gashes in the earth marred the green landscape. Blood flowed, though from what Noble could see, most of it was blood of the abominations.

'That's good. But where is the royal guard?'

The healer had been called because that group was under heavy attack. Noble scanned for where the fighting was the heaviest.

It did not take her long to find the heart of the action.

Along with the brown beetles, many grey creatures comprised of gravel were battering a group farthest from the wall in the very center. The humans there were making the greatest gains, but also taking the heaviest casualties.

Kosi sniffed at the air and his eyes focused on the spot Noble had been examining.

"Counsel? Is he there?" The woman asked quickly.

Kosi grunted.

"We have to help!"

The Symncus took a deep breath and leapt from the wall. For a moment the woman on his back panicked. The wall seemed impossibly high for such a jump!

But Kosi was not deterred. He sailed through the air. His mane whipping against Noble's face.

The woman's eyes glowed. Using her Ability, she slowed the creature and herself before they hit the ground. Kosi growled his displeasure.

"I am sure you would have been able to land just fine, but I couldn't take that chance." Noble stroked his head as she sat up straight.

They had landed behind the soldiers, giving them cover while they took in the action.

'I'm not complaining, but why don't the bat things in the air drop monsters behind the humans and force them to fight from both sides?'

A moment later, Noble found her answer. As she and Kosi bounded away from the wall, one of the bat like creatures overhead dove for her. Its deep red eyes were filled with killing intent.

Noble pulled her sword from her side, but there was no need.

Before the bat could get anywhere near her, it reached an invisible barrier. Crying out in pain, its two claws were seared away, leaving only cauterized stumps when it soared back into the sky.

'How?'

Noble had nearly reached the fighters when she noticed something strange about the earth. In the middle of the grass, a large stone band divided the ground. In it, runes wider than Noble's foot and deeper than a cart's wheel were carved in the ring around the city.

'Runic magic?'

Noble passed out of the circle and the hair on her arms stood on end. Nothing else happened. Whatever the stone was meant to do, it did not affect her.

But now the action was in full force. The bats from above were dropping more terrifying passengers and those already on the ground were intent on ripping apart the fragile fleshy humans.

That did not mean the people were going to sit idly by and let themselves be devoured. With weapons drawn, they showed their tenacious will and inability to be squashed.

Noble waved her sword in the air and sliced two beetles as they lunged toward her from above.

[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Crag Beetle]

The body of one fell away on either side of her and Kosi while the lower half of the second landed in the Symncus's mouth with a sickening crunch.

The golden monster chewed once before swallowing.

"I guess you were still hungry." Noble tried not to think too hard about what she had just seen.

There was much to be done.

Kosi reared back, long claws shooting out from his soft paws. While Noble only had one sword, the Symncus effectively had ten on his front legs alone.

And he knew how to use them. The next four abominations were torn to shreds by tooth and nail.

The duelist sat atop her mount, ready to clean up anything her battle partner missed.

The pair surged forward like a furious hurricane.

More than one soldier was saved by the swift action of Noble and her golden ride. But they did not stay to await any gratitude.

Together they only had one goal, to get to the frontline and find Counsel. Careful not to trample the troops, Kosi picked his way through the broken field as he followed his nose and intuition. 

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Fractured Geode.] 

[You have received a Memory.] 

The creature Noble had stabbed with the Ruby Tear crumbled into dust. Only its soul shard was left behind, but even that was crushed under the boot of a fighter a moment later. 

Not that Bee saw any of it. She was already onto the next nightmarish creature behind her. The floating Awakened was always dangerous, but on the back of the Symncus, she was beyond deadly. Having learned how to work in tandem with one another, the pair fell into a rhythm of slashing and stabbing. 

A rhythm of death. 

One of the creatures flying overhead--Noble had yet to learn their names-- dove down and dropped another package of the deadly beetles. Kosi narrowly avoided being hit as the ball of insects made a crater in the ground. 

The Symncus bounded off of a large metal contraption and landed back in a circle of people. If Noble had not been able to fly, she would have fallen off in his twisting, but instead, she glided gracefully like a beautiful harbinger of slaughter. 

'Come on...where are you?' Noble continued to search even as she attacked. She searched for his emotional signature. How hard could it be to find one man? 'In an army of thousands? Very difficult!' 

Was she too late? Had Counsel already been wounded and taken from the battlefield? Surely not! He was an Awakened. He could withstand this onslaught even if mundane humans could not. 

So where was he? 

A sinking feeling came over Noble. What if Pen had been wrong? What if her protector had never come out to fight at all? Or worse. What if Pen had been involved in the plot to kill her and was trying to finish the job? 

'No, she was genuinely worried. There was no way Pen was lying about what she believed.' 

An oversized grey rock came rolling toward her, but Kosi pounced on the monster before Noble could even react. A cloud of noxious powder filled the air, causing the floating Awakened to hold her breath. 

'That smells like when Brock has had too many beans...' 

Her eyes stung momentarily until she blinked away the dust. 

Then her eyes teared up for a very different reason. 

"Counsel!" Noble pointed so that Kosi could see him as well. 

The man was battered and covered in blood but alive. In one arm was a shield and in the other a large broadsword. He looked so much like a hero of old that Noble was temporarily stunned. 

But then she noticed something even more out of place in the middle of this bloody battlefield. 

In the center of all the action, clad in blood-red armor that looked like it might burst into flame at any moment...

...was the Queen.