Chương 57: Boom? Boom.

Boom.

The Nightmare turned toward Auri.

"It's time to go dear." Andy lay in the corner unmoving. Not even breathing. Auri screamed, "No. Not like this." Every pipe in the room began rattling. The sound tore through the chamber like a thousand kettles all boiling simultaneously. The Harness turned around, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes." Andy managed weakly. The massive tank of nightmare energy rattled. Cracks raced along its surface. [DEATH MAGIC AFFINITY: BASIC - ACQUIRED] [YOUR HORN CAN NOW STORE AND CHANNEL MODERATE AMOUNTS OF DEATH MAGIC. CURRENT CAPACITY: EXTREMELY VOLATILE] The tank groaned. The Nightmare's expression changed.

"What are you?" Andy smiled. It hurt. Everything hurt. His body felt like it had been fed through a wood chipper and then reassembled by a toddler with a glue stick. A black tendril of energy leaked from the fracture. Then another. They twisted through the air like smoke. Every single one locked onto Andy's horn. The Harness moved. He reached the tank, tried to stop the absorption with his own body. The cracks slowed. The creaking intensified. Pop. Another crack appeared. Followed by another.

The glass in the window exploded outward as the pressure built.

"What did you do?" The Harness asked incredulously.

"Funny story." Andy slowly pushed himself upright. He took a step toward Auri, and then another.

"I have absolutely no idea." He shoved Auri threw the window as hard as he could.

"Gustave now!" The Sky Herald caught Auri as she fell. Andy could hear her screaming obscenities at him. Begging Gustave to put her back. Andy smiled. The first tendril struck Andy's horn. Agony threatened to split his skull open. A second followed, then a third, and then so many that Andy lost track through all the pain. Black mist flooded the room. The Harness growled, abandoning the reservoir and lunged. Too late. The tank ruptured. The sound was deafening.

Every pipe in the room followed suit, stone shattered, the floor buckled. The man reached for the torrent of death energy. It ignored him pouring instead into Andy. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

[MAGIC ABSORBED: HORN RESERVES: 75%] [WARNING] [MAGIC ABSORBED: HORN RESERVES: 100%] [WARNING] [MAGIC ABSORBED: HORN RESERVES: 125%] [WARNING UNNATURAL DEATH MAGIC EXTREMELY VOLATILE] [MAGIC ABSORBED: HORN RESERVES: 200%] [WARNING] The room vanished in dark mist. Andy couldn't see, could barely hear, couldn't tell if he was still standing. His horn was no longer screaming. It was making the sound of a fog horn or a siren. All he could tell was the vibration of it echoing through his entire body.

The Nightmare appeared in front of him. No longer a man, a jet black unicorn looked down at him. Golden eyes wide. He looked, Andrew Snodgrass mused, afraid.

"Andrew. Stop. You don't know what you're doing." Andy managed to laugh.

"When have I ever known what I'm doing?" The Harness screamed. He lowered his head and charged. The Nightmare's horn struct Andy right between the ribs. The impact launched him across the room and the last thought he had before he struck the tank was, "Ha. I knew mine would be bigger." Auri screamed.

"Gustave, take me back in there, we need to help Andy.

"I'm sorry Ms Auriana." Gustave projected.

"Andy was very clear that we were to get all of you to safety."

"All of us?" Auri looked around as Gustave set her on her feet in the charred remains of the courtyard. Bodies were as far as the eye could see. Some were groaning and struggling to their feet. Others had moved their last time. Georgina appeared from the back of the facility. She was in her unicorn form and a girl rode atop her carrying a bear cub. No. not a girl. Veronica. A wolf, A mushroom man, and a snake holding a bucket riding atop a scorpion the size of a great dane finished out the parade.

They were moving quickly in this direction. None of them were in good shape.

"What is going on?" Auri turned to Gustave and asked. The hawk looked across the field and up toward the facility.

"I do not know." They stood staring as the facility trembled and groaned. The ground began shaking. A subtle vibration beneath their feet. Auri took a step forward and then another. The tremor intensified. Cracks raced along stone walls. Every window shattered simultaneously. The entire facility groaned again and then one corner of the building collapsed inward. A second later a section of wall erupted outward showering stone and twisted metal on the wreckage below. A thick black mist poured from the breach.

A jet black unicorn burst through one of the upper windows.

"Andy!" Auri screamed. The unicorn spread two giant wings and flew away from the building as quickly as it could.

"Andy?" Auri asked"That wasn't Andy," Georgina said quietly and pulled Auri in by her shoulders. The facility exploded. The upper floors vanished in an eruption of stone metal and black energy. The shockwave slammed into the gathered sophonts (And Veronica) Sessaly raised a wall of water. The blast hit. Everyone was thrown backward. Auri struck the ground. She laid there in a daze as dust filled the air and debris rained down on them. The facility was gone. In its place was a crater. Auri rolled up onto her knees.

Her ears were ringing and she sobbed out, "ANDY!" Gustave limped over to her and buried his head in the crook of her arm. She reached up and held him. They sat there in silence while Georgina and Sessaly continued to run around them. Several times Georgina said something to Auri, but she didn't hear it.