Ejiro Sani and Aaron Amon tilted their heads to look at Zephyr Dragos on the screen imprinted on the wall. They couldn't make out much of his surroundings as he had a blur filter, but it seemed like he was travelling in a car.
"Frankly, your utility to me is akin to scavenging crows pecking at Gabriella Rivampe, much like vultures on a famished traveller abandoned in the desert."
"What the hell does that mean?" Ejiro cringed.
Zephyr didn't pay him any mind. "The rebels have been straining the second layer, and I concluded that the moment had come to retaliate. Aaron was an obvious choice. After all, you're Gabriella's friend. As for Ejiro, you're the one responsible for her return. I would have also brought Isaac Tremblay, but my reptoids met a humiliating end to him.
"Then there was Seth. But who'd dare try to capture the infamous Seth Rayn alive, right?" There was a hurried change in his tone at the mention of Seth's name. He had forgotten to talk formally for a moment.
Ejiro scoffed. "Get to the point."
"Do you have any idea what Gabriella did to me?" He asked the two.
Aaron and Ejiro examined him silently, avoiding eye contact through the screen.
"She sabotaged my baby! The second layer is my homeland. I nurtured its growth and prosperity! Thanks to shedding my skin countless times, the reptoids stand as the wealthiest group in the Obscure Guild. Do you grasp the significance of what I'm conveying?
He hunched and exhaled as if a mountain of work rested on his shoulders. "All the towers that I've erected, the government officials that I influenced, the carefully varnished image of the Seats- Just when I finished preparing for an easy life, decades' worth of work suddenly pilled up! And it's all due to that impulsive girl."
Ejiro glanced at the light above him as if the reptoid's sight was more damaging to his eyes. "Don't go telling us your backstory now."
"No, that's not right. We need to stall for time," Aaron whispered to Ejiro.
He looked at Zephyr. "All Gabriella did was fight against corruption. Isn't she just doing you a favour?"
The Reptoid King chuckled. "It seems that your inferior human brain possesses a limited understanding of the Obscure Guild's intricacies, kid. Corruption and brainwashing are all this frivolous guild is known for.
"Why do you think humans face so much discrimination within the walls? In the fourth layer, this livestock is tortured for the vampires' indecent pleasures. They generally only need to eat souls once or twice a month, but it is like a drug to them; In the inner layer, gifted children are separated from their nuclear families and turned into machines. After slaying the other kids during ridiculous training, they get to enrol into the state military; Lastly, there are inhabited towns in the first layer that serve as test sites for the Dark Faction's weapons. And all of this goes unnoticed by the public. That is our nature."
Aaron and Ejiro struggled to digest the disturbing revelation. The Obscure Guild's horrors were beyond what they thought. The rumours, circulating within the DA and across the Western Continent since the war, weren't as severe as the reality that Zephyr had unveiled before them.
"Alright, that's enough talking. I have a meeting now," Zephyr interrupted their thoughts. The screen quickly shut down, returning the room to its initial eerie feeling.
"It seems he doesn't simply want to use us as hostages. He intends to kill us before Gabriella. No doubt in some gruesome way," Aaron guessed.
"I think he's still in the inner layer. The only way to get to the second layer would be through secret passages, the roof or the main gates. Although he can sneak in, he can't bring an army over here. What does keeping us accomplish?"
"Right. The city won't manage to resist the werewolves' army or the Western Army for long. Maybe defeating Gabriella here is not the real plan."
"Right…" Ejiro closed his eyes and thought for a minute. "Let's make an escape plan."
…
Zephyr got out of his car. He was at the center of the Obscure guild, the middle of the Inner Layer, the crossroad between the five capitals. There was a large parking lot, but only a few vehicles, and a singular concrete building that pushed through the roof. The building was monotonous. There weren't any windows apart from the one at the sole metal door that led inside.
His bodyguards stayed at the entrance. They weren't allowed to enter. Two other guards followed Zephyr into the elevator. He pressed the highest button and waited two minutes. He walked out alone. There were guards stationed at every corner and every window. Zephyr glanced outside at the clouds. It was a sight Zephyr had the privilege of seeing; the guild's concrete roof glistened by the sun, spanning to the horizon.
He arrived at a reinforced door and let a machine scan his body. Once the door unlocked by itself, Zephyr walked inside the dark room and sat at the round table. The Bone Mother waved at him.
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
The table's screen lit up with Rico and Jacob.
"You are truly disappointing," Jacob complains. "It's only a matter of time before the Obscure Guild collapses."
Zephyr Dragos crossed his arms. "Don't worry. I have a plan, Jacob. This matter concerns you."
"The Bone Mother and I have developed a strategy. The reptoids in the inner layer, including me, will make their way east, passing by Lycanport. We'll make a path to the first layer.
"This is the perfect time since most of the first layer is still under our control, and so is the Second Layer. The Third Layer is practically unprotected since my diversion worked better than expected: the werewolves are going North, and we've already seized control of Lycanport. All I need is enough force to pass through the Fourth Layer and maintain the path."
Zephyr plotted to breach the third and fourth layers while Christopher Fireblood and Gabriella Rivampe were busy waging war in the North. He had seized Lycanport when abducting Aaron.
"I will send twelve of my wizards," the matriarch added.
"Are you going to cause a massacre? I heard of the ways you skeleton cursed operate," Rico pitied the countless humans that the skeleton wizards would transform into undead.
"Their sacrifice is necessary. The wizards can create skeleton cursed from human remains. They will serve to strengthen the Obscure Guild."
Jacob laughed and rested his chin on his hands. "Great! Expect more forces from the Topaz Guild: Enough to keep the Obscure Guild's northern parts in check. Let's attack the Western Army from all sides."
…
Razorpoint City, Second Layer.
The governor shouted, his legs fidgeting, his hands sweating inside his gloves. "Stay back! I'm the city's governor. Christopher, aren't we friends?"
The werewolves surrounded him. The few soldiers next to him had already accepted their fate. He was only alive thanks to his heavy armour that protected him from werewolf attacks and his two-sided electric staff garnished with lead.
"I may have made a freed-trade accord with you, but it doesn't matter anymore since your territory is now mine." Christopher had morphed into a wolf. His fur was gray, and he didn't have any scars. Among the werewolves, it was said that he had never lost a battle.
Gabriella was in her vampiric form. She dashed with incredible speed and got within a few centimetres of the frightened governor. She was too close for him to attack her.
The vampire grabbed his staff and threw it on the floor, rendering him weaponless.
She turned to Christopher while stepping away, handing him a free path toward the governor. "What are you waiting for?"
"Alright!" Christopher jumped above the other werewolves and landed on the governor. The pack followed, mutilating him and his few soldiers.
…
It was noon. Gabriella and Christopher sat on a bench. They had finally finished the temporary procedures, handing out Razorpoint to Christopher Fireblood.
"How many did we lose?"
"Only ten werewolves. Weaklings."
Suddenly, there was static coming from Gabriella's earphone. Someone was trying to reach her.
"Hello?"
"We're calling from Redan. This is an emergency message. We spotted a large number of reptoids in both Redan, second layer and Karl, third layer." It was someone with a deep, calming voice, yet they spoke urgently.
Gabriella stood up. "Who are you? Where is Ejiro?"