The gunshot's echo lingered in Xin's ears, a piercing whine that drowned out the chaos of battle. His breath came in ragged gasps as he glared at Rose, her dark eyes glinting with a playful edge that made his stomach twist. The ground beneath them trembled, stones grinding against each other like teeth.
A shadow loomed over him. The stench hit first, a vile mix of scorched tar and decay that burned his nostrils. He twisted, muscles screaming, as a Dusked Hollow crashed down from above. Its jagged limbs smashed into the stone, cracking it like brittle bone. The creature's eyeless face snapped toward him, its maw splitting wide with a screech that rattled his skull.
Xin stumbled backward, his bow still raised, but the uneven ground betrayed him, threatening to send him sprawling. The Hollow lunged, claws gleaming with hunger. Before they could tear into his flesh, a flare of blue light streaked past his shoulder. Rose's pistol roared, two ether rounds slamming into the creature's chest. It staggered, a guttural bellow erupting as it lurched sideways.
Xin seized the moment. He drew his bowstring, loosed an arrow, and watched it bury itself in the Hollow's core. The detonation was blinding, a searing burst that shredded the creature's torso into fragments. Black ichor splattered across the stones, sizzling as it ate into the rock.
His chest heaved, sweat stinging his eyes. "Keep your aim steady," he growled at Rose, voice hoarse. "I don't need you missing."
Rose's lips curled into a smirk, her pistols still smoking. "Oh, baby, I never miss," she said, her tone infuriatingly calm. "You're welcome, by the way."
The battle raged around them, a cacophony of screams and clashing steel. Lira stood a few paces away, her hair matted with sweat and blood. Her blade carved arcs of light through the swarm of lesser Hollows, each strike precise, controlled. Bruises and scratches marred her arms, but her stance remained unyielding. Xin watched her for a fleeting moment, a pang of admiration cutting through his exhaustion. She fought like a machine, every movement deliberate, no energy wasted. But noticed a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
"Focus, Lira!" he shouted, though she didn't need the reminder. She dispatched another Hollow, her blade slicing through its neck with surgical precision. "Keep the line tight!"
To her left, Joren battled with grim resolve. His armor bore streaks of ichor, dents pocking the plates, but his face remained a mask of focus. He blocked a Hollow's claw with his blade, the impact ringing like a hammer on steel, then countered with a crushing swing of his blade. "Hold the flank!" he bellowed to the soldiers nearby. "Don't let them break through!"
The soldiers fought with desperate tenacity, their cloaks stained with blood. Some had fallen, their bodies crumpled among the rocks, but the rest held their ground. Xin's gaze flicked upward, and his stomach knotted. The barrier, a shimmering dome that shielded the summit, was fracturing. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, each monstrous blow from the outside sending new fissures crawling outward. The glow flickered, dimming with every heartbeat.
"It's not going to hold," Xin muttered, dread coiling in his chest. "We're running out of time."
Rose fired again, her pistols barking as she dropped another Hollow. "You're looking tired, darling," she said, her voice laced with mockery. "Maybe I should name my price now, before you collapse."
Xin's glare snapped to her. "Not now, Rose," he snapped, his patience fraying. "Focus on the fight."
She laughed, the sound sharp and bright against the din. "Oh, come on, Xin. You promised we'd talk later. What if later never comes?" She fired twice more, dropping a Hollow that had been clawing at a soldier's back. "The regalia. Tell me what it's worth. That's all I want."
His blood boiled, rage surging past the exhaustion dragging at his limbs. "It's not for sale," he snarled, drawing another arrow. "You know that."
The ground shook again, stones cracking beneath their feet. A howl tore through the chaos, deep and resonant, vibrating in Xin's bones. The Prime Hollow. Beyond the barrier, it clashed with Raven, its colossal arms hammering against the warrior's armored frame. Each blow sent tremors through the earth. Raven fought with brutal precision, his black gauntlets striking with enough force to shatter stone, but even he was slowing. Lesser Hollows swarmed him, their claws raking at his armor, trying to drag him down.
"Raven's not going to last," Xin said, his voice low, almost to himself. His mind raced, images of the barrier collapsing flooding his thoughts. If Raven fell, the Prime would tear through the dome in seconds. They'd all be dead.
"Xin!" Lira's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. She slashed through another Hollow, spinning to face him. "The barrier's failing! We need to reinforce it!"
As if to punctuate her words, another fracture splintered across the dome's surface, the light flickering like a dying flame. Soldiers cried out as shards of ether rained down, sparkling against the blood-streaked stones.
Xin's pulse thundered in his ears. He drew another arrow, hands trembling from exertion. He loosed, and a Hollow disintegrated into shrieking dust. But more kept coming, an endless tide of claws and teeth. His vision blurred, his body screaming for rest, but he couldn't stop. Not now.
Rose sidled closer, her eyes gleaming with reflected light. "The regalia, Xin," she said, her voice low, almost intimate. "If you can't use it properly, i can find someone that would buy it for a high price."
Her words sliced through him, sharper than any blade. His mind recoiled, memories of the regalia's weight, its whispered promises, clawing at the edges of his thoughts. He couldn't let her have it. He wouldn't. "I said no," he growled, his voice raw. "Drop it, Rose."
She grinned, the expression too wide, too sharp. "You're so stubborn," she said, her tone teasing but laced with something darker. "I like that about you."
The ground quaked again, nearly throwing Xin off balance. He caught himself with his bow, the wood creaking under his grip. Another howl from the Prime Hollow reverberated, and the barrier groaned, the sound like a ship's hull splitting apart. Soldiers scrambled to plug gaps in their ranks, arrows flying, spells flashing, but the swarm pressed harder, relentless.
Xin fired another volley, his arrows cutting through Hollows, but the tide was overwhelming. His arms burned, his mind fraying under the weight of the fight. He couldn't keep this up. None of them could.
Rose's pistol snapped upward, and for a heartbeat, Xin's world froze. The muzzle pointed directly at him, her finger tightening on the trigger. "No—" he started, his voice breaking.
The shot rang out.
He twisted, his breath catching as the ether round screamed past his face, the heat searing his cheek. He stumbled, collapsing against a fallen soldier's shield, his heart hammering so violently he thought it might burst.
Behind him, a Hollow shrieked, its skull exploding into black mist as Rose's bullet found its mark.
Xin froze, his gaze darting from the dissipating corpse to Rose. She blew across her pistol's barrel, her smile languid, almost lazy. "You're welcome," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
His hand trembled on his bowstring, his mind reeling. She'd saved him. Again. But the look in her eyes—those beautiful, dangerous dark eyes—sent a chill down his spine. She was playing a game, and he was caught in it.
The barrier shrieked, light splintering like shattered glass as monstrous fists pounded from the outside. Soldiers screamed, their voices drowned by the clash of steel and the roars of the Hollows. Xin's thoughts spiraled, the weight of the battle pressing against his skull. He couldn't trust Rose, not with that glint in her eyes, not with her obsession with the regalia. But he couldn't fight without her either.
Another crack split the dome, and Xin's heart sank. The barrier wouldn't hold much longer. He was fighting monsters on both sides—one clawing at the dome, the other standing beside him, smiling like she already owned his soul.