Lenor Vilerian stood by the city's map, his fingers clenched around the edge of the oak table. There was no panic in the Guildmaster's eyes—only a cold, focused determination. He turned his gaze to Kano and his group, who were barely standing after the sprint through the city.
—"Speak. In detail," Lenor commanded.
—"We saw the red-eyed demon," Kano began, still struggling to catch his breath. "His body was like a shadow, dissolving into the darkness, but his presence… you could feel it everywhere. His eyes… empty, like an abyss, yet at the same time, they seemed to see straight through us."
—"He mocked us," added Lianel. "His silhouette was ghostly, but weightless. He didn't move, he was flying on the wyvern."
—"What do you say, Rudgard?" Lenor asked.
—"I wasn't there. I stayed in the tavern while they were out. Then they forced me to run after drinking. I thought they were joking," Rudgard muttered, wiping his brow.
—"That wyvern..." Naira clenched her fists. "It was enormous. Its wingspan was over ten meters, its skin black, covered in scars and clumps of dark energy."
Lenor thoughtfully rubbed his chin, his green-grey eyes gleaming faintly.
—"So, you're telling me this isn't just an attack. It's a trial. They want to test something."
—"They want panic," Kano said. "We noticed the monster didn't attack immediately. It waited for people to see it, for chaos to begin..."
—"The wyvern could have leveled a whole district in a minute, but it was playing with us," Lenor nodded slowly.
—"If that's the case, we have a way out. We'll use their own tactics," he continued.
—"What do you mean?" asked Sheila.
Lenor approached the heavy bookshelves that lined the wall, pressing one of the planks. There was a soft click, and a section of the wall slid open, revealing a hidden descent into the underground.
—"The guild was built on the ruins of an old city," he explained. "Beneath us lies a magical mechanism created hundreds of years ago by the mages of Drachenfest. Its main function is to create a barrier around the city."
—"A barrier?" Kano asked.
—"Yes," Lenor nodded. "It's an invisible dome that works as a protective shield. Its strength depends on the magical crystals we use as an energy source. The stronger the crystal, the stronger the barrier and the wider it covers."
—"What's the problem?" Rudgard asked. "Let's activate it immediately."
—"It's not that simple," Lenor replied. "Activating the barrier at night would be suicide. We could inadvertently trap the wyvern and the demon inside the dome along with the city. That would be a death sentence."
A silence fell over the room.
—"So, if we raise the barrier now," Kano asked coldly, "the wyvern won't have a chance to escape, and it will destroy the city?"
—"Exactly," Lenor confirmed. "It will be cornered, and the demon won't be able to retreat. In such a situation, they would tear us apart, destroying everything around. So, we need to hold out for a few hours. As soon as the first rays of the sun appear on the horizon, we activate the mechanism and shield the city, cutting the monsters off from acting."
—"What do we need to do?" Kano asked.
Lenor turned back to the map.
—"We declare a state of emergency. People must stay in their homes. But that's not enough. If they want panic… we'll give them panic, but controlled. We'll create chaos in predetermined zones to force the enemy to focus on them. That will give us a chance to prepare the defense."
Kano turned to his companions. They were all looking at him. His head was still spinning from what he had seen, but he already understood: now they had only one chance.
—"We have to do this right," he said. "Otherwise, we'll all die."
Lenor slowly nodded.
—"Then let's not waste time. We begin preparations."
They had to hold out until dawn… But would they?
The night sky over Drachenfest burned with fiery flashes. Magical arrows and fireballs tore through the darkness, slicing through the night, their reflections casting long, eerie shadows on the buildings.
Lianel stood on the rooftop with her bow in hand, her sharp gaze never leaving the sky. She fired another arrow, glowing with blue magical light, and it flew over the rooftops, narrowly missing the huge black wings.
—"She's playing with us!" Lianel cried, dodging a gust of wind as the wyvern swooped down sharply.
Kano, standing beside her, was barely holding himself up after the exhausting battle, but he couldn't allow himself to fall. He gritted his teeth and raised his sword, though he knew it wouldn't be enough.
—"She's not just playing," Rudgard muttered, standing a little apart, gripping his war hammer tightly. "Look at her neck!"
Through the flashes of magical attacks, they saw a collar on the wyvern's neck—a massive black one, inlaid with a blood-red gem. But the scariest thing was the dark silhouette standing on the beast's back—tall, elegant, blending into the night.
— "Damn it..." Kano whispered.
The figure on the wyvern's back remained still. It simply stood there, watching the city, the chaos it had created.
Naira, gripping her massive battle axe, bared her sharp fangs in a grin.
— "That's a powerful demon," she growled, ready for the fight.
Kano swallowed the dryness in his throat.
The dark figure slowly raised its hand, as if signaling.
And in that instant, the wyvern roared so loudly that the windows of the buildings shattered into pieces. It spread its enormous wings and soared towards the city, as if preparing for another strike.
Kano gripped his sword tightly.
— "Prepare yourselves!"