Kill the Tyrant

Even before Sarai and Nickel had found their way into the Nightmare, Noble had presented her plan to Emira in great detail.

While some of it had changed with the introduction of new tools and assets, the core of the objective had remained the same:

Kill the Tyrant.

And that is what Noble would do.

"How fast can you get to the city gate?" Noble asked Nickel. A myriad of sparks formed in her free hand. 

"Not fast enough to beat that thing, why?" 

Noble thought for a moment. She could lift both of the cohort members over the chasm and get past the wall more quickly than if they ran through the city streets, but since neither of them was familiar with aerial combat, the risk seemed greater than the reward. 

"We better get moving." 

As the one who knew the city best, Nickel led the group away from the ledge and into what was left of the kingdom. They entered a wide thoroughfare. 

While some of the buildings lay in ruins from creatures dropping from the sky, many were still intact even with all the heavy fighting. The trio of Awakened leapt into the battle without a second thought. 

Using his perception, Nickel anticipated the moves of both the humans and the Nightmare creatures to pick the fastest and most efficient path through the street. When he couldn't find a smooth path, he made one with his daggers. 

Flanking his sides, Noble and Sarai took down as many of the enemy as they could with their estoc and spear. While Sarai was conserving her essence for the Tyrant's approach, she still was a highly skilled fighter with her weapon alone. 

They tore down the street with precise killing intent. 

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

[You have slain...]

[You...]

The words overlapped until Noble was forced to block them from her head. What good was the Spell telling her what she could see with her own eyes? 

Blood ran through the streets, both human and monster, though at this moment, the monster blood seemed more prevalent.

Noble was determined for it to stay that way.

'The gate is too far. Do you want to head into the crops?' Nickel asked through their shared Memory while he continued to lead the charge. 

The quadrant which held most of the crops had remained mostly unharmed in the series of earthquakes. 

Because there were no humans mixed in with the harvest, the Nightmare Creatures had not yet ventured into that part of the city either. 

But Noble rejected the proposal. 'Keep going. I want to lure the Tyrant away from the city.' 

"With what?!" Nickel asked aloud, startling Sarai while she defended his left side. 

After fracturing another geode, Noble held out the [Portcullis Key]. 

Sarai caught a glimpse of it as she spun. "It looks just like the Heart!" She remembered the ball which Counsel had manifested in his hand. 

"Hopefully King Kraai thinks so too." Noble turned and sent the ball soaring into the air. 

With all of the fear in the city, it lit up and shimmered with an inner light. 

"You think it will see that small little thing," Nickel's question was barely out of his mouth before the hulking giant groaned. Its impossibly long proboscis unfurled, but instead of releasing another lightning strike, it surged in front of it to try and catch the ball in its grasp. 

But it was still too far off. 

Not that Noble would have let him have it. As soon as the Tyrant reacted to the bauble. She dropped it from the air and brought it back to her palm. 

"Its eyesight seems pretty decent," Noble responded with a wry grin. 

Reaching a spot where there was a moment of calm, the three stopped to take a breath. 

They were almost to the gate, but two Mountain Regents were blocking the exit. The horned goat crashed against the alabaster walls, unwilling to rest until not a single stone lay on another. 

"Uhh, how do we get past that?" Nickel took a step back. The creature was more powerful than anything they had encountered thus far. 

"I am sure you'll figure something out. I recommend using those large horns against them. They are not as agile as they look. Good luck!" 

With a flick of her wrist, Noble tossed the ball to Nickel. Or rather, she floated it into a fold in his tunic.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" He stowed one dagger to try and fish out the object. 

"Keep running, remember?" Noble shrugged. "We'll see you soon."

With a nod to Sarai, the two ladies turned and ran back the way they came. 

'Are you seriously going to leave to me fight a Fallen Beast alone?' Nickel blasted the words in her ear. 

'It's a Fallen Demon, actually.' Noble shook her head as she prepared for the coming trial.

'You want me to be bait for a Tyrant while I solo a Fallen Demon...' Nickel's voice trailed off. 

'Would you rather face the Tyrant?' Noble raised one eyebrow even though the man could not see. 

'I'll be seeing more of his face than you will,' Nickel answered with a sigh. 'Just make sure I don't become his next meal...'

'You can count on me.' The floating Awakened glanced at Sarai and took her hand. It would be easier to know where the redhead was if she had physical contact.

"Are you ready?" Noble smiled as she used her sword to stab two geodes with her non-dominant hand. 

"As ready as I will ever be." With the help of her friend's influence, Sarai was calm. 

The redhead dismissed her spear in favor of a short sword to accompany her on her trip to the sky. The [Aching Ember] was her most familiar weapon, but it would be unwieldy as soon as her feet left the ground. 

The two women continued to hold hands as they fought side by side. It wasn't long before their backward trek and the Tyrant's path finally crossed. 

"Now," Noble quietly let her battle partner know that they were taking off. 

Sarai braced herself. Unlike when Noble was holding her around the middle, she felt no support while floating on the breeze. The free flight was both liberating and terrifying. 

"Watch out!" Noble released the woman's hand and dashed behind her to take one of the flying bats out of the sky. 

The higher they rose, the more Sentinels fluttered around their master, ready to do his bidding. 

And that meant trying to take the human women out of the sky. 

But Noble wouldn't let the mass of flying bats stop her. She had trained for this kind of combat, and these mindless creatures had mostly only ever ferried the cargo of their Master down from the mountains. 

Except for having no definite place to aim, they were easier to take down than the wasps and bees of the gate that had led her here. 

Thankfully, none of those creatures manifested just because Noble had remembered their existence. 

That would have been truly unfortunate. 

"Here comes another one!" Noble paused just long enough to cover her ears. 

Sarai followed suit just in time for the Tyrant's large proboscis to shoot its signature bolt toward the ground. 

'Nickel!' Noble unconsciously checked to make sure her friend was safe. 

There was a long moment of deafening silence before the answer came. 

'That was too close. It got one of the goat things instead. What kind of joke are you trying to pull up there?!' 

Taking a deep breath, Noble gave Sarai a reassuring smile that Nickel was fine. 

Noble clicked her tongue. 'No joke. We are deadly serious. Hold on. The Tyrant is coming down for a visit real soon...'