Chapter 26: Nightfall
Kaine pushed himself to his feet just as the creature’s fist cratered the concrete where he’d been lying. He could feel his ribs knitting back together, the supernatural healing working overtime to repair the damage. The gash on his shoulder had already closed, leaving only a line of silver scar tissue.
Marcus had finished with the vampires at the back exit and was now moving toward the blood construct. The Ghoul leaped onto the creature’s back, driving both fists into its spine with enough force to send spider web cracks through the magical binding that held it together.
The construct staggered, twisting around to try to dislodge its attacker. While it was distracted, Kaine sprinted toward the lead vampire, Soulrend gleaming in the emergency lighting.
The bloodsucker saw him coming and gestured sharply. A wave of crystalline spikes erupted from the floor, racing toward Kaine like a deadly garden. He jumped onto the nearest spike, using it as a stepping stone to leap over the trap, then activated Shadow Step.
The world blurred around him as he slipped between the emergency lights, reappearing directly behind the vampire. Soulrend came around in a horizontal arc that would have bisected the creature if he hadn’t twisted away at the last second.
Instead, the blade opened a deep gash across the vampire’s back, drawing black blood and a scream of rage. The bloodsucker spun, claws extended, but Kaine was already moving. He ducked under the swipe, drove his knee up into the vampire’s stomach, then brought Soulrend down in a vertical slash that took the creature’s head off cleanly.
[MORTAL ESSENCE ABSORBED: 180 ME]
The blood construct immediately began losing cohesion, its form dissolving back into ordinary liquid as its primary controller died. The remaining vampires tried to maintain the magical working, but without their leader’s power, the construct was beyond their ability to control.
Marcus landed on his feet as the creature collapsed, red liquid splashing across the warehouse floor in waves. The Ghoul turned his attention to the surviving bloodsuckers, who were now backing toward the center of the warehouse with growing desperation.
The fight was turning into a rout when the warehouse’s main entrance exploded inward.
Concrete and twisted steel flew through the air as Gwen burst through the destruction, she wore a long coat billowing behind her as she moved with deadly purpose. In her hands was Nightfall, the massive sword that had been her signature weapon for years.