Three hours had passed since the Nightmare Gate had appeared. It was almost nine on Xander's watch, and the night was getting darker and colder. These were telltale signs of the Gate's power growing stronger.
So far, Xander had been able to hold his own against these Ethereals, but he didn't feel so sure that he could continue defending Leena much longer. The growing darkness was bound to make the Ethereals stronger than before, and he had already used up two of his cards.
Master Arwin sensed the imminent danger and stepped in front of Leena to shield her from harm. He knew how important it was to destroy the Nightmare Gate and for that, he was more than willing to even sacrifice his own life.
Another winged Ethereal flew out of the Gate. It looked just like a manta ray except for its two reptilian eyes and a pair of elongated tails ending in pointy glowing tips which looked sharp enough to penetrate plate armor.
