Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 469: Scream, shout, let it all out

Chapter 469: Scream, shout, let it all out

Muffled whimpering echoed in the cavern as Obadiah made his way into it.

About him, the bodies of half-dead Hyenas were strewn about, their black blood giving an additional sheen to the obsidian that lined the cavern walls.

Walking with a measured pace, he made sure not to step on the blood, unwilling to soil his attire.

Behind him, a shroud of infinite darkness trailed slowly, swallowing everything that he passed, causing the whimpering to slowly die out.

Within the shroud, faceless entities with appendages tried to break free but none were able to do so, causing the shroud to pulsate as though filled with life.

Finally, after five minutes of walking, Obadiah arrived at the innermost part of the cavern.

There, a throne, made from blackened steel and forged to be as high as the roof resided and atop that throne, a half-transformed Hyena was seated, wearing a steel armor.

About her, Hyenas covered in steel and wielding weapons forged from steel, stood together, ready to fight though on further scrutiny, their desire to fight wasn’t born out of choice.

"Why do you insist on killing us?... We have surrendered. Why must you slaughter my kin?"

Obadiah chuckled. "Ah, Queen Liliana, you are just as beautiful as they claimed. It is unfortunate we met under such circumstances."

"My people are willing to surrender," Liliana remarked. "We can tell that we stand no chance against you. Please, give us a chance to survive."

"Oh my, if I were none the wiser, I would have listened. Alas, your race has a history of betraying your masters. I am not about to fall for such empty words."

"You may bind us."

"You waste your breath, Queen Liliana. You see, I do plan to have you all as subordinates, it is the very reason I am here, however, I plan to have subordinates I can trust. Just like them."

As the last portion of his statement left his lips, the shroud of darkness behind him thumped loudly before transforming into what looked like a portal.

Out of it, Hyenas born of shadows with crimson eyes and billowing flesh, emerged.

Liliana nearly felt sick seeing this as she understood that there was no escaping.

She had already planned on escaping ever since the rip in the sky heralded the emergence of the Incursion, but then this madman arrived and sealed off all escape routes before proceeding to massacre every single Hyena with his own hands.

As of this moment, she and those remaining in this cavern were the last of the Hyenas in Ra’as.

"You don’t have to do this." Liliana pleaded.

Alas, Obadiah was a stubborn man. "Unfortunately, I do. Now, come. I must test my newly awakened strength."

As he spoke, divinity began to leak from his being, causing the already burgeoning darkness to take on an even darker hue, if that were even possible to begin with.

His Authority descended like a sledgehammer and slammed into the Hyenas, including Liliana, sending them to their knees.

The next moment, their steel armors turned to dust before they fell to the ground with blood leaking out of their orifices.

Liliana remained the only one standing but even she was but a step away from death.

She watched the darkness creep like a living person and at the last moment, she seemed to see it.

Something vaguely humanoid reached out with a black hand that had knives for fingers.

As it closed in on her, a scream echoed, causing the entire cavern to collapse in on itself.

***

Gregory sat on his throne, made from the bones of those he had slaughtered since the beginning of the Blood Feast.

His expression sour, he couldn’t help but wonder how the Envoy had managed to escape the combined efforts of Lestat and the Silver Knights.

"That useless fool." He cursed aloud as he regretted giving the mission to Lestat.

Perhaps someone more capable would have been better suited for the task.

Alas, there was no remedy for spilled milk and so now, the Envoy would be even more careful during her travels.

Gregory considered going himself but he knew that the other Monarchs would also be watching.

The moment he decided to go after the Dark Lord himself, surely others would come to interfere and that was something he wished to avoid.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he was just about to call in a servant when his tent was breached with a servant rushing inside, his face pale with fear.

"Speak," Gregory commanded.

"We received word from the Highlands, Master. There has been an Incursion."

"And so?... Let that bitch Sierra deal with it."

"Lady Sierra is dead, Master."

Gregory froze in place, barely able to believe his ears as he stared wide-eyed at the servant.

"What did you say?"

"Lady Sierra’s subordinates have been freed from their Bonds. There is only one reason why that would happen."

"So that bitch is truly dead," Gregory muttered nonchalantly though his expression was less than pleased.

Sierra may have been an annoying bitch but she wasn’t someone that could be killed easily.

For her to have died just like that, that meant the enemy must have been too much for her to handle alone.

"How did she die?"

"No one knows, her corpse hasn’t been found yet. As is, none dare to emerge from Underland due to the Incursion above."

"That means our lands are empty and open to the invasion of the Hyenas," Gregory remarked. "This is troublesome news."

"There has been no movement from Liliana and her band of betrayers."

"What?"

"Indeed, Master."

Gregory remained silent, pondering the implications of what he’d just heard.

***

Arthur sat in a tunnel with Emily sleeping across from him with her back against the wall.

Letting out a sigh, Arthur stoked the fire between them, his mind a mess as he found himself pondering the overall situation of the Empire.

At this rate, he might have to consider moving to another kingdom but even that would be redundant as the Empire was the only power strong enough on Ra’as to go against the Night Kindred.

If they fell, Ra’as would undoubtedly fall.