The colony of monsters was corrupted. There was no doubt about that.
Now that the Shadewings were drawing closer, Noble could feel their hatred towards the humans and their desire to consume their souls.
But something was off.
Releasing two more arrows, Noble heard the Spell whisper in her ear.
It confirmed what she already knew. All of the Shadewings were Dormant Beasts. That alone wasn't strange. They were acting uncoordinated and mindless.
Well, not completely mindless, and that was what was wrong.
As soon as they were discovered, the bats should have charged at the humans to kill.
Corrupted creatures' bloodlust for human souls was an undeniable law. Yet the beasts were hesitating.
Mixed with their hatred and desire for destruction was… wariness.
A few were dared to dive at the humans, but the rest gathered overhead like a menacing cloud.
'What are they waiting for?'
Noble rose to get a better vantage point, shooting more precisely at the diving abominations before they could reach the caravan.
She felt a small tug on her soul, followed by a scream in her head.
'Blondie!'
The tether had reached its limit. If Noble wanted to explore farther, she would need to bring Flint with her or risk ripping his soul.
Before she could decide, Syrce's Transcendent form finally completed its transformation. The Saint rushed into the sky. The galaxy of energy flew at the monsters, hurtling into the colony with frightening speed.
The small orbs moved like wrecking balls through the Shadewings, pummeling them and knocking them from the sky. The caged lightning was less kind. Anything that touched was immediately erased from existence entirely.
The dark cloud roiled as a hole was punched through the center. Scattering, the Shadewings hoped to be spared.
'Oh, no you don't!'
Hearing her threat, Flint's frantic voice responded. 'Don't leave me behind!'
Noble lifted him into the air. With a combination of ice and arrows, the two discouraged the monsters from fleeing the scene. For every one that Flint or Noble maimed or killed, Syrce took down dozens. Less than a minute after the Saint joined the fray, the seemingly incalculable horde was cut down by half.
Two more minutes passed before the last Shadewing met his end.
The battle was over. The air was filled with the overwhelming smell of charred flesh. There would be no harvesting the meat from the Shadewings. Those that hadn't been annihilated on contact had fallen too far and provided too little meat to be worth it.
Still, as the Saint and two Masters returned to the ground, they were met with only smiles. Other than a few minor injuries, no one was seriously hurt. To the soldiers, that was nothing short of a miracle.
The worst injury was from none other than Cook. One of the Shadewings had dared to attack the kitchen only for the randy woman to beat it off with a ladle. The barbarous woman had ruined her spoon and received a nasty gash across her face from defending her domain.
Seeing Cook's marred cheek, Noble felt a bit of compassion. She admired the mundane woman's determination and courage.
'Poor Cook,' she told Flint. 'You should go to her. Imagine the delicious food you could get if you heal her.'
Flint's emotions spiked. He scowled at his companion as they accepted the cheers and praise from the soldiers.
'Over my dead body! I won't go anywhere near that woman. She probably cut herself and broke her own ladle just to lure me in!'
'That's quite a theory…' Noble turned her face away to hide her grin. 'Do women always find you so irresistible?'
'Only the crazy ones.' Flint's voice came back stunningly solemn. 'And you are as crazy as the rest of your kind, so don't get any ideas!'
Noble shook her head. She had almost felt sorry for him.
Not that it was easy to feel sad in the wave of excitement. The floating Master felt carried away by the people's emotions. It was like swimming against the current to fight them.
Thankfully, there was no good reason to force herself to be sad. Unlike the morning, this victory was absolute.
When they finally got on the wagons to continue, Syrce joined Noble on the second bench of the lead wagon.
"My dear friend, your archery is superb!" the Saint nodded.
"If you think that is impressive, you should see my daugh--darling friend from back home. She can land almost any shot."
Noble rubbed the back of her neck. She had almost mentioned Rain. Flint probably would never have connected those dots, but it was better not to risk it. Coughing, she quickly changed the subject.
"Titus was very impressive with his ice. His accuracy is scary."
"Nice of you to notice..." Flint grunted from the front seat.
Noble forced a smile and continued.
"And what about you, Syrce? I have seen you unleash your power twice in one day. It is no wonder the beasts were afraid of you!"
"Afraid of me? Never!" The Saint laughed and waved her hand in the air. "Such flattery. The creatures of darkness are not afraid of anything."
"If you say so." Noble shrugged. "Still, it was spectacular."
But deep down, she disagreed with Syrce's statement. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something had made the Shadewings wary. If it hadn't been the overwhelming might of the Saint, what could it have been?
'What's wrong, Blondie?' Flint didn't bother to look over his shoulder.
Noble blinked. 'What do you mean?'
'You got quiet, and you usually never shut up.' Flint shifted on the bench so Orrin could stretch for a yawn.
Noble was becoming used to his constant verbal jabs. That didn't mean they didn't sting a little.
Wasn't he the one who started this conversation?!
Noble could feel the other Master's exhaustion. She was tired too. It had been a long couple of days, and they were both starting to feel the beginnings of fatigue.
It wasn't worth picking a fight over who was more chatty.
Noble sighed inwardly.
'I was just thinking about the odd way those Shadewings were acting. Something felt off. Did you notice anything strange?'
Flint shook his head slightly. 'Listen, Blondie. I don't make a habit of contemplating beasts' motivations and feelings. It isn't natural. It's a slippery slope to becoming one of them."
Flint seemed like he had more that he wanted to say, but at that moment, a scout, who had been sent ahead after the Shadewing infestation, came back with his report.
"The darkness is blocking the road. We will have to go around."
"Monsters?" Orrin pulled at the reins to slow down the Pink Ones.
"None that I could find, but I didn't want to waste time looking instead of reporting, Sir."
"The fact you returned alive is a good sign," Syrce tapped her chin. "But it is better not to risk it. We will camp one more night and be up bright and early in the morning. Charting a new course will take longer, but it is safer too."
"I'll find a suitable place, My Lady." The scout bowed and took off down the road, turning slightly to the left when the path parted ahead.
'Another night in the woods?' Noble had secretly hoped for an indoor room to keep from floating away while she slept, but it seemed she would be sleeping in the covered wagon instead.
The Saint was very compassionate about Noble's problem.
"We all have our burdens to bear. You are just too empty-headed, and so you float away! My poor Bel!"
That evening, the Saint did all she could to make sure the woman had what she needed for a good night's rest.
Despite all of Syrce's accommodations, Noble slept fitfully.
She couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something.
More than one something. There might have been a hundred somethings or more waiting to cause her trouble.
If only she knew what they were.
Was ignorance bliss? Not when it came to a Nightmare.
But finding out the truth? That…that was much worse.