The blood was steadily eaten away by the hunger, but it would fuel her techniques. Swords spread out from her as well, scattered around the floor. They were practically drowned out by the Heart’s Gem and the hunger, but they helped.
She stood defiantly in the center of the room. Her sword, robes, and most of her hair were black. Her eyes, Goldsigns, and one lock of her hair shone red.
Yerin was ready. And she wasn’t hiding.
Mercy had webbed herself to the far corner of the ceiling, bow ready. The dragon head at the center of the bow glared amethyst beams, and she bit her lip in concentration as she held an arrow half-forged.
Beneath her, Ziel was Forging ring after ring around his hammer and each of his limbs. He must have been exerting himself, and the tips of his horns glowed as green as his madra, but his face was as blank as ever. The gray cloak on his back billowed with force.
Eithan stood next to Yerin in fine pink-and-blue silks. He looked…disturbed. His usual smile was missing, as it had been for most of the time they’d spent in this room, and he smoothed his short hair down though it didn’t need it. He looked agitated, which might have made sense in the situation, but it didn’t match what Lindon knew of Eithan. The man should have greeted even certain death with a grin and a joke.
Lindon controlled the aura generated by the natural treasures in his void key to send weapons floating out. Wavedancer wouldn’t help much, since flying swords operated on ambient aura, but he had plenty of other constructs available.
As the balls of Forged madra flew, crawled, or rolled out seemingly of their own accord, Lindon steadied his own breathing and looked to Eithan.
“Are our odds that bad?” he asked quietly.
[Yes,] Dross said, but Lindon hadn’t been talking to him.
“I may be making it look worse than it is,” Eithan said. “I was already in quite a mood.”
“Good.” Lindon strapped three launcher constructs to his left arm. “Let’s take it out on him.”
Spiritual pressure rippled out over the entire room, shaking the surface of Lindon’s construct. He felt Reigan Shen’s will, and Mercy was certainly right. This wasn’t a Monarch at full power. He must have spent months in the suppression field, and the power of hunger would have taken bites out of him.
In a way, that was more terrifying.
Because his will settled on them like the tide as Reigan Shen strode out of the shadows. He looked like he’d spent a year living in the desert. The white-gold mane of his hair and beard was matted and overgrown, and his clothes were ragged and patched. He had cases, bottles, and containers of every description belted all over him.
A pair of swords hung at his hips, one huge and shining orange and one thin as a needle. A shield had been slung over his back, and a lens covered Shen’s left eye.
And in his eyes was all the confidence of a Monarch.
He didn’t look like someone who had survived the wilderness. He looked like the wilderness had survived him.
“Eithan! It seems I owe Subject One some thanks. I could use an Arelius guide.” He glanced up to the symbol on the wall. “Especially here.”
At some point, Eithan had recovered his smile. “I’m flattered! I didn’t think you’d trust me, given my track record at guiding Monarchs.”
“I was talking about your Remnant.”
“I have a suspicion he wouldn’t be any more pleasant to deal with.”
“I’ll find out for myself.” Reigan Shen looked to Yerin and nodded. “Uncrowned Queen. Your performance was magnificent, and Red Faith is quite taken with your methods. I’d be more than willing to work with you.”
Yerin shrugged. “No blood spilled between us. You want to get friendly, it depends on what you want to do with the Dreadgods.”
Lindon, Ziel, Mercy, and Eithan were now spread out to flank the Monarch as Yerin stood boldly in front of him.
Reigan Shen didn’t seem to mind their positioning at all. He openly examined Yerin with a sudden interest. “I think we might be able to work together. I intend to finally bring the Dreadgods under control.”
“You’d bet that you can?”
“I’m betting everything.”
Gleaming red-chrome madra slowly expanded from Yerin, and her sword lifted to point at him. “Love to test the edge of somebody who can hold a Dreadgod’s leash.”
“Yes. It will be your honor.” Reigan Shen surveyed the rest of them with disdain. “Well? If you’re going to attack, let’s see it.”
Lindon wasn’t so rude as to turn down an invitation like that.