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Derrin’s and Kayla’s eyes widened in shock. The implications of what Orlando had said were obvious. The second Dreaded would bring unimaginable devastation to the city, something Derrin and Kayla could not let happen. Also, if it were released, the third Dreaded could also be released and on land at that. However, if they were able to confiscate the second Dreaded’s gate, none of the gates succeeding it could be released. In a few words, the siblings had created an incredibly strong incentive for Derrin and Kayla.

“We need to think about this for a little bit,” Derrin said several seconds later. “Give us some space and we’ll give you an answer in a few minutes.”

Orlando and Shalia nodded simultaneously and retreated to a bar of sorts with their chairs in tow. As soon as they and everyone else in the headquarters were out of earshot, Derrin let out a whistle of amazement. “What to do, what to do?” Derrin wondered aloud. Kayla only nodded in response, still trying to come to a conclusion as to how she felt about the predicament.

“Well,” she started, “we need proof before we do anything else, right?” Derrin nodded. “I want to see this Crescent City and confirm the second gate, if possible.”

“That makes sense to me. We can decide what we’re going to do after we make sure this thing is for real.” With that, Derrin signaled over Orlando and Shalia and told them of their desire for proof.

“Fine, fine. Since we’re right next to it, I guess we can visit the Crescent City first,” Orlando said in response to Derrin’s request. Orlando led them to a door with six locks and two steel bars place horizontally across it on the back wall. After a moment, the door was unlocked and open. “After you,” Orlando beckoned.

As the group exited the building, they were transferred into an entirely new world. Gone were the brightly colored buildings and beautiful architecture. Gone were the happy citizens and spirited merchants. In their place were old, moss covered structures that could hardly be deemed worthy of human inhabitation and empty, crumbling streets. The rare person was covered in rags and their demeanor was either beaten or full of resentment. Derrin and Kayla wandered the streets aimlessly and slowly absorbed the full impact of what they were taking in. It was easy to see how Shalia and Orlando wanted to end such deplorable treatment.

Suddenly, as they were about to turn a corner, a shout came from behind them. “It’s those royal scum!” exclaimed a man in some military uniform. Behind him ran four men of similar attire, all carrying some form of sword.
Derrin immediately dashed in between the others and the oncoming attackers. “Who are these guys!?” Derrin demanded as his shadow began to materialize.

“They’re part of a radical militant group. They want to use the Dreaded to destroy the prosperous part of Aquarius,” Orlando explained. The second sentence was all Derrin needed. He charged forward as he unloaded a pair of stars towards the underlings with another pair in its wake. As the stars shot forward, the men shouted in alarm and dove in a desperate attempt to avoid the stars. Just as another pair of stars was about to be unleashed upon the lackeys, three arrows whizzed by Derrin and landed an inch from the men’s cowering heads. Derrin thanked Kayla mentally and focused on the leader of the group. The man, now only a few feet from Derrin, charged blindly and made a vicious hack for Derrin’s shoulder. Derrin strafed to the right and unleashed four prongs of shadow. The arms moved as a blur and crashed directly into the man’s weapon, cutting it cleanly in half. The man staggered backward, consumed by fear, and attempted to make a dash for a nearby ally. However, before he could make it five feet, the arms of shadow reached him and wrapped around his entire body like a snake. In a flash, the battle was over.

Derrin stalked over to his prisoner and stared at him for a few seconds. Without any warning, Derrin punched the man squarely in the jaw. “Summoning the Dreaded!? Have you any idea the devastation one can cause!?”
The man looked at Derrin in confusion for a moment before realizing what he wanted. He laughed loudly and replied, “Yeah, a lot!” The smart retort was answered with another punch to the jaw.

“When a Dreaded is released, it isn’t selective. It destroys everything. Try to control it and you’ll only end up dieing yourself. If you were to release such a thing into the King’s part of the city, it wouldn’t destroy only that section but the entire city. From there, it’d move on to wreak havoc elsewhere. Do you really think that will solve your problems?”
“Hah, what makes you so sure of what you say? How does a brat like you know more about the Dreaded than anyone else.”

“I am a member of the Guiding Force, the organization whose goal is to stop the Dreaded from being released. As you probably know, the first Dreaded has already been released. I will not allow anyone to release the second Dreaded. I sympathize with your plight but there are better ways to go about getting justice than meaningless destruction and death.”

“Then what do you propose!?”

“Those royal siblings seem to have some pretty grand ideas; ask them.” With that, Derrin released the man from the entanglement of shadow and walked away without another word. Kayla quickly followed while the brother and sister said a few words to the men before catching up.

“It seems as if he’s gathered some new recruits for us,” Shalia said.

“And a lot at that,” Orlando added. “That faction consists of several hundred members and judging by that man’s apparel he was one of the higher ups. If he can convince even a portion to join our cause, we could almost double in size.”

Their conversation ended as the group reached the door they had come through. The door opened quickly and shut as soon as they had entered. Orlando opened his mouth to speak but the words never came out. Instead, an earsplitting siren from the King’s area filled the air.

Eh, this chapter didn’t flow as nicely as I would’ve liked. Whatev’s, hope you enjoyed.