Chrysalis Chapter 1735 - Night Time in the City Above

The fierce clash echoed through the underground passages, and everyone in Green Mountain sensed it in one way or another. News spread like wildfire. The tremors from the combat reached the watchposts and sleeping quarters in the city's deeper levels.

Debates surged across Green Mountain, with hesitation and terror clashing against fury and boldness.

Would the leftover forces charge out to aid the fray? Should explorers be sent to exact vengeance on the beast that plagued them? Did the danger outweigh the benefits? Was intervention essential?

In the end, leaders concluded that intervening so late would only complicate matters rather than assist. Backed by a Judgment Battalion and four thousand soldiers from the Mountain, victory seemed assured.

Anxious and reluctant to miss this chance, a few still demanded permission to leave the walls, yet their pleas were rejected. The perils loomed too large, the urgency too slight. Thus, most were ordered to stand down and return to rest as darkness enveloped the settlement.

Lamps were doused, shutters closed tight, glowing orbs snuffed out while Green Mountain's residents retired for the night, restless and dreading the turmoil unfolding beneath.

Naturally, the Nameless paid no heed to their anxieties or fears. The Nameless pursued a single objective, nothing more.

Explorers resided throughout Green Mountain, scattered across various areas, neighborhoods, or quarters, making the roster of marks extensive. Merchant had obtained the required locations; for the proper sum, everything could be acquired, naturally.

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Darkness grew denser into absolute void and extended along the silent avenues, gliding over surfaces and slipping beneath thresholds. Fluid as liquid, it seeped and accumulated, growing dense enough to reveal the multifaceted gazes peering from its depths.

The initial victims were seized without a sound. They just evaporated, engulfed entirely by the gloom, either pulled under their covers or overwhelmed by shades that crashed over them like surging tides. Stealthy and invisible, the Nameless attacked repeatedly, residents of Green Mountain vanishing from their homes, occasionally with partners slumbering nearby.

Facing thousands of objectives and a narrow timeframe, such a gathering of Nameless hadn't occurred in ages, but they stood ready. Readiness defined them always.

, one signed to the Nameless One.

Boundaries blurred at times between the shadow realm and reality. Perched on the edge, the Nameless One sensed presence in both worlds and none simultaneously. She descended again, forming a dark puddle that flowed over the stone path, past the garden's oak and ascending the slope.

Not here, not the adjacent lane, but the following one. From her shadowy vantage, she noted the marker: Elm Street. The right spot.

Without a noise, she signaled the group, and they understood their roles, pre-assigned long before. They advanced with the hush of mortality and the secrecy of tombs.

Eight ants, eight marks. Within moments, captures were made, unfortunate explorers drawn into the shadow domain and whisked off. Before long, they would surface from the obscurity, unconscious still, inside the passages, ready for transport to the hive and the cozy accommodations arranged for them.

the Nameless One signed.

The team acknowledged, familiar with their duties, yet recognizing the value in restating protocols.

As events unfolded, the Nameless One had misjudged Green Mountain's vigilance. Their collection neared completion before warnings spread. Bells tolled wildly and cries filled the air, folks dashing through lanes with urgent calls. Lamps flared inside homes as dwellers were awakened, vigilant and on edge.

Indeed, the Nameless recognized unwelcome presences... they often ignored such, but here they honored their vow to the Eldest: withdraw upon detection. Merging like rivulets into a river, the shades converged while fleeing the heights, building speed and power along the way. They poured into sewers, dashed via ditches and hidden basements, downward, ever downward until the passages welcomed them back.

Once there, pursuit proved impossible. Endless shades, boundless night, and their unmatched skill sealed it.

In a mere few hours, the mission concluded. They resumed positions in the nests, and should any observe their absence, silence prevailed wisely. If cells once emptied for prior prisoners now brimmed anew with eased captives... discretion doubled.

The Eldest had summoned them for this endeavor, certain shadows could triumph as their elder diverted attention far below, and the Nameless always answered such summons.

Their role finished, attention shifted to core priorities. Eight hours formed the directive, and eight hours the Colony would claim.

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