Moonlight {Moonlit Trilogy Reboot}

Chapter Thirty: Impending Storm

"Netherans?! What are they doing here? Ria-- why is our enemy here?" Igneous sputtered, standing at the edge of the doorway. His eyes trailed slightly to the side and he noticed a large group with a few other species, mainly humans. Confusion struck him like lightning. What were the Netherans here for? It felt like a trap, it had to be!

His eyes trailed over again and he noticed the Voltaris. Strangely, he did not feel as much panic as he did when he saw the Netherans. Expecting an explanation, he looked over at Ria. She seemed calm with their presence... why?

"Nobody here is our enemy." Ria put out her arms and stepped forwards. "They are here to help us." Obsidian poked his head in, took one odd look at the scene and then looked at Igneous, one ear fin cocked to the side.

"Are you sure of that?" Igneous asked.

"Yes, they've been here for a few days now." Ria put her hands together, looking like a cat ready to pounce. Igneous found himself oddly unsettled by her. How else was he supposed to feel when she stared like that? It seemed so unlike her... "Did you bring the K'arthen army?"

"Yeah." Igneous looked over at Obsidian. "Tell them that the Netherans and Voltaris in here are not their enemy." Obsidian withdrew his head and disappeared. A thick, heavy silence fell. The Netherans looked at each other and began to wonder aloud about the amount of Enderknights under Igneous' command.

After a moment, Obsidian squeezed through the entrance and stood off to the side. He tucked his wings in and crouched down low, trying to make himself small as the K'arthen army entered the structure. The Netherans examined the army and waved the rebels forth. Both groups immediately began to exchange information, telling each other where they had come from and their training.

Igneous stood confidently, trying to erase the fear he had shown before, and approached the Netherans with his hands behind his back. Furrowing his brow, he spoke like he was interrogating a criminal. "Who are you?"

The center Netheran stepped forth and bowed. Igneous reciprocated it, thinking that this was perhaps the king the rebels had told his army about. Snapping back into a standing position, the Netheran spoke with the grace of a king. "I am Chronos," he placed a hand on his chest, "I assume you already know of my position."

Igneous eyed his own crown and then looked back at Chronos. He found no such crown adorning his head. "And I know you know of mine."

"Yes, but, unlike you, my leadership was stolen from me. I wish to reclaim my kingdom from that madman." He looked to the Netheran on his left. "And to claim reparations for what he did to my youngest."

"Are these rebels all you can provide?" Igneous asked, sizing up the Netherans in the crowd. "Or do you have more contacts currently residing in the Nether?"

"Yes, we have a few, and some Withers. However, they are not with us today. We would need some time to signal for them."

"Then I'd recommend signaling them today. Tell them to cloak the Withers somehow too." Igneous said, a smile growing across his face. The element of surprise would serve them well, especially with the plan that he had begun to develop on their journey back to the hideout.

Ria stepped forwards and waved her hands around. "Hide the Withers? It's like telling Grek to not say something stupid! What's gotten into you?"

Igneous pulled forth the Primes he had stolen. He stepped towards Ria and placed them into her hands. Her eyes went wide and her thoughts were incredibly easy to read.

"That-- that still doesn't answer my--" she stared at the Primes for a few moments. Igneous felt a slight twinge of panic enter him. Staring at those Primes, being that distracted, was not good news. How was he supposed to rouse her?