After about a day and a half of marching, setting up camp, and resting, Varnae’s Castle finally came into view after you and Young crested a particularly treacherous obsidian dune. The wards that had once concealed it from the naked eye had been deactivated, and what stood before you now looked like little more than a top-heavy tower that was still undergoing construction at its highest level. It had been built under a massive stalactite, or an “inverse mountain” as Young had once described them, and from the way things were developing, it looked like Varnae had intended for the castle’s upper floors to be built into the very mountain itself. According to her, the ‘sky world’ was home to the harpies, vampires, and other such airborne creatures. Her statement proved accurate when you spotted a manticore flying between the inverse mountains’ cloudy peaks. You were sure Varnae had some vampires up there waiting in the wings.

“Looks like Varnae’s been expecting us.” Young observed.

Down below, past the defensive line that your allies had formed, Varnae’s forces crowded around the base of his castle. Mutated Kaiju, vampires and a plethora of other monsters all roared and hissed at you, daring you to get closer. Varnae was nowhere to be seen.

You were about to take a step forward, when Young grabbed you by the shoulder.

“Stay on your toes. Keep your eyes peeled for any tricks that he might use.” Young warned you. “But most importantly…hold your head up high, and show them who you truly are.”

You nodded without taking your eyes off of Varnae’s castle, and Young slowly removed her hand. When you moved, so did everyone else. Instead of circling the dune like the others, you and Young slid down it. The generals you had appointed during the invasion met back up with you, leading the army in your stead. But the real attention grabbers were the Kaiju backing you up. They were the real reason why your allied forces parted like the Red Sea before you. The enemy didn’t know that, though.

To them, it looked like they were making room for you, since you were the one standing at the front. As you neared the front of the battlefield, you spotted some friendly faces giving you encouraging looks.

Louise. Ana. Delphyne. And Ward, strangely enough. Simon and Carn’s groups were still moving to cut off enemy forces, so you didn’t see them, but you imagined that they were sending you their thoughts and prayers.

By the time that you reached the front, all eyes were on you, not the Kaiju standing on either side of you. Some of the enemy vampires laughed at you, their faces curled up into derogatory sneers. Most of them tensed up, prepared for the worst should you display any outward hostility. Your hand moved, and a sea of vampires shifted to grab their weapons. But you made no move to grab your own. Instead, you held up a hand. A signal to the Kaiju towering above you.

(Cont.)

Harpy flew up alone after a particularly nasty argument with Deadhead, and the mercenary was forced to ascend the stairs at a much slower pace. You couldn't hear his grumbling from where you were, but you could easily imagine him doing so in response.

Ben was flying beside you all, looking out at the phenomenal view that this absurdly long staircase offered.

Minutes later, you and everyone other than Deadhead arrived in the throne room, and were immediately greeted by the Kaiju tasked with protecting their King.

You got right into things, not wanting to waste too much time on explanations and recaps. And with Ben and Young's help, you managed to impart all of the knowledge you'd gained within the last hour or two.

Afterwards, the Kaiju King was silent in his consternation, his fingers steepled, and his upper body leaning forward atop his throne.

“Hmmm. This is most troubling. It never ends well when creatures like Varnae are allowed to roam free.” King Kei said. “We've been so preoccupied with Skul that we failed to notice the true orchestrator of these tragedies.”

“We were right//correct//on-point about that acid lizard being one of his, though.” Mekara said, folding her arms over her chest.

“Ya see!? I knew he was buildin’ an army! Didn't I say that!?” said Aegis, emoting vividly beside her.

Slizzik said something utterly incomprehensible, and Slizzik nodded seriously.

“Guys, now's not the time to ask who was right about what. From the sound of things, the whole world might be at stake here.”

“Scragg thinks we should interrogate the feathered thing for vital information.” the giant insect man suggested. Everyone ignored him, but you saw Harpy retreating behind the group a little.

Ben went to console her, like you knew he would, and you decided to leave that problem to him.

“If any of the lab-grown Kaiju are half as strong as the last one, then we're going to need your help to keep them away from the smaller guys.” you explained.

“Cindy has the support of the entire Monster Council.” Young added. “They are convincing their people to march with us as we speak.”

Everyone looked genuinely surprised at that.

“Really? Even the Nosferatu Twins?” King Kei inquired, stroking his beard quizzically. “But you've only been here less than a day.”

You gave him a confident smile.

“I'll admit, saving their lives was a pretty big motivator.” you declared proudly. “But, honestly? It was their willingness to put their differences aside and come together when the situation called for it. You guys did a good job of picking your leaders.”

The Kaiju King smiled and rose from his throne.

“Very well. You have my strength at your disposal. Anything you need, it's yours.”

He lowered his head in a respectful bow.

(Cont.)