In early April, Antarctica was enveloped by eternal twilight. The sun seemed to have frozen in place as it plunged behind the horizon, painting a persistent line of vibrant scarlet in the cold purple sky. Stuck between night and day, the Southern Quadrant was slowly slipping into the embrace of pure darkness that would last for many months.
The behavior of the moon was strange and erratic, as well. It remained in the sky for several weeks, then disappeared without a trace for long stretches of time. The radiant tapestry of Aurora Australis sometimes appeared to keep it company. Sunny had heard that the Southern Lights were breathtakingly beautiful, but he was yet to witness them himself.
In any case, he did not care about heavenly miracles right now. All he cared about was whether his soldiers would be able to see the enemy clearly. Even though the long night had not descended yet, it was already hard enough to discern important details in the dim twilight. For that reason, Kim was currently channeling his vision to the rest of the cohort.
The difference it made could be easily seen.
Unencumbered by the absence of bright light and without the need to rely on luminescent Memories, the melee vanguard moved as confidently as they would have in the middle of the day.
Quentin stepped forward and leaned into his shield, meeting the charging abomination without giving any ground. His sword flashed forward, dealing a deep wound to the beast. Already, the edges of the cut started to rot, and the damage was even worse inside, since the blade bit deep.
The combat healer flung the convulsing body of the Nightmare Creature aside and slashed at another one without any hint of hesitation.
To his right, Dorn brought his heavy sledgehammer down, turning the head of a snarling abomination into bloody pulp. To his left, Belle's sword shimmered through the air, decapitating another.
The road was narrow enough to prevent the swarm from surrounding them, and the slope of the mountain had turned into a killing field because of the bloodthirsty shadow spikes. The enemy could not flank the vanguard, so all the abominations could do was charge forward and up, half-a-dozen at a time.
As the pressure of the mass of Nightmare Creatures mounted, the three fighters turned into an impregnable bastion. Quentin drew most attention and withstood attack after attack, which granted Belle and Dorn a modicum of freedom. They used it well, visiting unabashed slaughter upon the tide of eyeless beasts.
The swordsman danced between them, phasing through his enemies and slicing their bodies apart as if they were made from paper. Dorn fought in a more reserved fashion, but his devastating and inescapable attacks were even more fearsome.
Luster thrust his halberd forward from time to time, finishing off wounded enemies or preventing them from breaking through the walls of steel created by Quentin, Belle, and Dorn.
Streams of foul blood were soon running down the surface of the mountain road.
However… not everything went well for the cohort.
Despite the unshakable will, ferocity, and deadly skill of the melee vanguard, there were just too many Nightmare Creatures for them to fight. Each of the abominations was powerful and deadly, as well. Already, a few heavy hits landed on Quentin's armor, sending a net of thin cracks running through the polished breastplate.
The healer easily managed to restore its integrity, but how long would he be able to keep up this lethal dance?
Belle and Dorn were better off than him, but not by much. For now, one managed to avoid being torn apart due to his elusive Aspect, while the other used his strength and calculating mind to avoid danger.
…Worse still, there were also the Fallen abominations to think about.
Just then, the first of the lumbering monstrosities finally reached the crest of the hill, ruthlessly throwing several of the lesser creatures into the canyon to clear a path for itself. The Fallen lunged forward, opening its maw to bite down on Quentin's shield, and maybe take the healer's entire arm off with it.
Before it could, however, a black arrow silently slid into its throat. The abomination twitched and fell down, sliding forward on the asphalt as a river of blood poured out of its mouth.
Sunny was already drawing his bow again.
Higher up the slope, Samara was calmly sending slug after slug into the attacking swarm.
Kim was standing still, concentrating on providing all six members of the cohort with a clear view of the battlefield, as well as letting them know where to strike to deal as much damage as possible.
'Hell… we might actually make it.'
Sunny had several trump cards saved up in case things went south, but he was reluctant to use them unless necessary. This clash was an important step for the cohort… up until now, they had only trained together. Being christened by blood in an actual battle would not only show how capable his soldiers were, but also truly bring them together.
Sadly… just as he thought that, the situation suddenly and dreadfully changed.
As the whole swarm of the eyeless abominations got close to the crest of the hill, the creatures froze for a split second.
And then, the long jagged spikes growing from their spines suddenly grew hazy, producing a strange vibration that covered the surrounded area like a dome. Sunny heard a high-pitched ringing that burrowed into his ears like a hot needle, and then, the entire world suddenly spun.
'Curses!'
He swayed, almost falling off the Rhino's roof. Suddenly, Sunny couldn't tell where was up and where was down, where was left and where was right. Everything around him turned blurry, disorienting, and impossible to tell apart.
Through the shadows, he felt Quentin missing a step and being thrown back by a charging abomination. Dorn swung his sledgehammer to cover the falling healer, but missed and was pulled off balance by the inertia of his mighty strike. Belle phased back and staggered, almost tumbling to the ground.
'Sonic attack?'
Sunny gritted his teeth and dove through the shadows, disappearing from sight and emerging between the fighters of the melee vanguard a moment later. A flute carved out of emerald bone appeared in his hands.
Kicking a nearby beast hard enough to crush its ribs and send the revolting creature flying away, Sunny brought the flute to his lips and blew into it softly.
A moment later, a cone of absolute silence enveloped the crest of the hill.
Instantly, the world stopped spinning, and he could see clearly again.
As Quentin, Dorn, and Belle picked themselves up and readied their weapons with a visible relief, Sunny smiled darkly and stared at the approaching monsters.
The Cruel Sight was already weaving itself into existence, surrounded by swirling fog.
Taking a step forward, Sunny gripped the shaft of the somber spear and grinned.
"Denied!"