The Innkeeper

Crossing the new space breach was relatively simple, as the insects had not had time to accumulate. At most, it was like crossing a thick, heavy curtain - if that curtain were made of living, smelly, disgusting insects that smelled. Lex wiped off some bloody goo from under his nose. No wonder the smell kept haunting him.

It was still dangerous and tricky, but manageable more or less due to how fast his ship was. Yet when he looked at the stronghold after crossing the 'curtain', Lex could not help but curse. There were too many insects to count, and they were beginning to cover the dome like protective formation around it, slowly covering the entire stronghold. As if that was not enough, he could feel the familiar yet intimidating aura of immortals from the insects.

"That's not good," even Gisele admitted with a frown as she noticed the siege.

Despite the situation, Lex could not help but be a bit amused. Really? The army blocking our way is bad news?

But he had the sense to not voice out his thoughts.

"Gisele, do you know anything about arrays?" Lex asked, as he thought up a plan of what to do next. The most important thing was to avoid the immortals. Everything else could be managed.

"Just the basics. I can't use arrays if that's what you mean."

"No, not that," Lex said. "Arrays, no matter how big or small, how strong or weak, are all powered by the universe. They get their energy from their environment. But the issue I'm facing… is that the energy here is really weak and unstable. My arrays are coming out a lot weaker than they're supposed to be."

Gisele raised an eyebrow. That was weak?

"The reason I'm telling you this… is because what I'm about to do next is really risky. Even if you really don't want to, I suggest you mentally prepare yourself to retreat to the Inn."

"What are you planning?"

Lex only smiled weakly, but did not answer. Some things… were best not said aloud, lest he be accused of being crazy.

In that moment, the aura of another immortal appeared, and this time behind them. It seemed like an immortal insect really had emerged from that hole in space. Guess there was no more time to look back.

*****

The stronghold was becoming ever darker as the soldiers waited for their orders. For now, all the combat was being done via the formation, so they need not do anything. But the moment the formation failed, or was deactivated, it would be their turn to fight.

Alexander could not help but crane his neck upward, as he looked at the remaining bit of the formation still uncovered, and at the last few rays of light still coming in. He had already sent a message to the Inn to inform Lex not to come back to Polebitvy, at least for now. The result of the upcoming battle would determine whether Alexander would even continue hunting for the terrorists or not.

Yet just as the dome was about to completely darken, a pure, bright light emerged from the center of the stronghold, illuminating every corner.

Alexander could not help but turn back to see where the light was coming from. At first, he could not see much as the source of the light was too bright, causing him to close his eyes. But a few moments later, though the light did not dim, a figure suddenly became visible right in the center.

All anyone could see was a vague outline of a woman, and six incredible, massive wings coming out from behind her. She was rising up in the air slowly, and her aura grew more powerful as she rose higher. One could tell that she was building up her strength to release it all at once.

But before she had a chance to reach her peak strength, the sound of thunder pierced the dome, the very ground trembling from its reverberating might. The soldiers once again snapped their neck, this time towards the source of the sound.

At the base of the dome, they could see that the insects had been burnt to a crisp, and a clearing, ever so small appeared. But the clearing was too small, and the horde was quickly coming to close it. But before they could, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, once again devastating any insects near that clearing, and releasing another thunderous roar.

For some reason, all the soldiers had the same thought, 'tribulation lightning!' But, why was it striking the ground here? Was the planet itself undergoing a tribulation?

But before their minds could wander much farther, and their imagination ran wild, a figure became visible from the clearing. On a strange ship in the shape of a canoe, a man and a woman were quickly approaching.

Even from such a distance, the devilish mask covering the man's face was visible, though the soldiers did not have time to appraise it for long. A mind rattling shriek pierced the air, and an insect struck out at them from a distance. The insect looked identical to any other, but the aura of an immortal was all too prominent to make anyone mistake it for an ordinary one.

They could only watch helplessly as the daring raid from the two stragglers was about to fail, but then something unexpected happened.

The devil lifted its hand and, with perfect timing, seemed to divert the attack just as it was about to hit them, and launched it towards the clearing! There was another thunderous roar, and this time all the insects in the path of the canoe were shredded, forming a gruesome red carpet of blood for the passage of the ship!

In that very instant, the figure in the center of light reached her peak strength, and unleashed a devastating attack that seemed to target each and every insect around the dome.

For better or worse, the battle had begun. On one side was a man akin to a devil, on another side a woman who radiated the aura of an angel, and in the middle a horde of wailing insects.