After my skating venture, which I sorely needed, and buying more food, I was back at it. Through the night, I kept adding my own magical energy to the array and even consuming one of my silver coins for a boost. In doing so, I immediately felt bloated, especially since I had a little over four or five times my capacity of magical energy roaring in my veins.

  It felt weird, but I wasn’t exploding or bleeding out of my orifices like last time I took one, so that was a win. If anything, I think my capacity had about doubled since the last time I took a coin. And with it now in my bloodstream, well, it was a lot more effective. Especially as the magic worked to strengthen my cardiovascular system as a byproduct.

  With the coins I had left helping to passively power the array, I managed to get it fully charged on the morning of the blood moon. The compression process though, was a bit interesting. The arrays were proving to be oddly solid, despite being made up of chalk.

  Chalk was a decent conductor of magic, not the greatest material, but it worked in a pinch. Not only that, but once charged with magic, the chalk was rather durable and couldn’t just be wiped away. I had feared that I could accidentally scuff the array when I had first started, but for the most part, it remained intact. If anything, having absorbed so much magic, the chalk had transformed into something far more durable.

  That aside, the moment I activated the compression array, the chalk practically burned with all the magic pulsing through it. Scorching lines on the cold storage ground and with it my hopes of getting my security deposit back.

  Such thoughts were immediately bleached away as the motes of energy gathered around Cobalt. They glowed, blinding me as they flew into him. At first, as I blinked away the black spots, Cobalt didn’t seem too different. However, as more light poured into him, further abusing my retinas, I noticed it.

  The light was refining him. The channels, the network of lines going from his core to his body pulsed. Greedily sucking in magic, and with each pulse, the channels, or veins expanded. Growing denser, thicker, and longer with each thump. Cobalt’s body crackled and refined. His body grew more polished, more solid, heavier in every sense of the word.

  When it finally ended. The knight standing at the center of the array looked nothing like what he had before. His body was almost crystalline, like a sapphire. A frigid cold exuded from his form, coalescing into a cloak of frost that fluttered behind him.

  He shifted and moved, his eyes solely on me. Once again, he kneeled. And again, I spoke.

  “There is no need to kneel, Cobalt. You, are the first of my knights. The greatest of my knights.” I stated my hands landed on Cobalt’s shoulder urging him up. “Before me, there will never be a need for you to kneel.”

  I felt our connection flair to life. Burning, scorching. The sheer amount of power radiating off him was absolutely insane, and yet… I still had no idea how that scaled.

  I quickly checked him over, and what I found was astonishing. Cobalt could still be upgraded. I could further saturate and compress him. Was it the material he was made with? Ice made using my magic? Or was it because I had used a silver coin to animate him?

  I was betting on the latter.

  Such a question would have to wait for another time, as it is, right now, I had two other knights to animate. Both went easily enough. Using a silver coin for each left me with a couple of coins left. A sad state of affairs, A pair of silver coins, no bronze coins, and little else after my spending spree. My personal finances weren’t great either… Forcing me to recognize how my bosses task was putting me at the very edge.

  If this mission went bad, I could very well go bankrupt.

  It was a bit funny… In my past life, I had always scrambled for any sense of purchase. Jealously guarding and protecting whatever I could get my hands on, not unlike a starving man hoarding food. This life, however, was so very different. Every step of the way was glut with resources and opportunities.

  So much so, that I often felt like I wasn’t spending them fast enough to propel myself forward. Even when I knew I was already going at a precarious pace. Slow and steady should have been my motto, but since arriving, from the very beginning, I had hit the ground at an all-out sprint. Just straight pedal to the metal.

  I’ve already slipped and fell, nearly costing me everything, and once again, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was heading straight for the same end?

  Even if I was, I couldn’t slow down. No, I wouldn’t. This time, I would succeed. If I faltered now, it just meant I wasn’t going fast enough.

  Back to the topic at hand, the two new knights were tall and slender, both were given round shields and thrusting swords I had made out of ice. They were supposed to act as seconds to Cobalt. Providing him with support. How effective they would be in a fight remained in question, but they would do for the time being.

  Before it got too late, I ran back out to buy a few things. Including a truck from the Rust Belt dealership. A box truck, barely big enough to fit Cobalt and my knights, plus a group of doll soldiers. Thankfully, the owner, Rusty, was more than happy to give me the vehicle at a low price, even if I had to take a loan out…

  The very thought of putting myself in debt sent a shudder down my spine, but it was necessary. I didn’t have the finances to buy a vehicle outright, not now. Hopefully the blood moon provides some coins to ease my financial woes.

  Next, I went ahead and bought a fanny pack, a fairly sizeable one to store bullets in as I made them. Then, as I waited for the clock to tick down, I made bullets, making sure to fully charge them and stored them in my fanny pack.

  Calls were made to Liche and Joan, both were pulled into assisting me. Worst case scenario, we all die. Best case scenario, we earn quite a bit. Neither were against coming, and both were informed of the potential risks…

  As I finished up with the final preparations, including a supply bag filled with food and drinks, my phone rang.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Prima, are you busy tonight?” The speaker was Grim.

  “I am actually, I’ve been tasked with defending the Taurus Company building.” She didn’t immediately respond, but I could hear chattering and people moving in the background along with the telltale tone of ringing phones.

  “That’s a shame.” She finally answered. “I was hoping that you’d help me with my task.”

  “What task would that be?”

  “The police chief is moving the bulk of our forces into the town hall, so that she can coordinate the city defense from there. Meanwhile, I have to protect the police station.”

  “Alone?” I ask, just to be sure.

  “No, I have a few teams of officers helping me out.”

  “How helpful is that?”

  “Very. Though, if you want to see for yourself how capable they are, I can have a team sent over to assist.”

  “Can you really do that?” I ask, confused.

  “Of course, I’m in command of the defense here, and the teams here. Sending a team over wouldn’t be that much of a hassle.”

  “And why would you do that?” I had to ask.

  “Skeptical, are we? Well, regardless, the reason is fairly simple. I would like additional assistance if possible. If nothing comes up on your end, or when you resolve whatever may arrive on your doorstep, it would be nice to have you swing by.”

  I mulled that over. “I don’t think I’d be worth the trouble to be honest, though… the aid would be appreciated.”

  “You underestimate your worth, you may just be a rabbit, but rabbits have teeth too.” Grim says, “Whether or not you come to assist though, I will send a team over. Would that be fine?”

  I frowned, but… “As I said, the help would be appreciated, and I can make an effort to swing by if nothing comes up… though, with what you did to this phone, shouldn’t I be able to call you?”

  “You should be able to, but if I’m in a fight, answering my phone isn’t exactly possible.”

  “I understand, and thank you, I’ll accept the team. I also find myself curious to see just what the purgatory police can do.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be happy to show off. Ah, and do try to do your best to preserve their lives. They can be tough, but their lives are not to be wasted.”

  “I understand. I’ll do my best to keep them alive.”

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  “Thank you, they’ll head over shortly before the blood moon hits its apex, which is when it should all start.”

  “I’ll keep an eye out for them, and good luck Grim.”

  “You too little rabbit. Enjoy your first blood moon.” And with that she hung up. Looking at my phone, I thought over Grim’s request. I lost nothing by agreeing and gained everything with agreeing. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.

  As it stands… time was running out. I piled up my soldiers into the truck. Most of them wouldn’t fit. My knights were piled in the back, followed by the bronze rank soldiers, and whoever else could fit in was stuffed inside last.

  With my truck full, I drove off towards the company building. I parked just outside, along the curb, unloaded my soldiers. Liche and Joan were both waiting inside the company lobby, which was currently lit up. Heat was blowing, keeping them from freezing as the temperatures dipped.

  We made a few more trips to pick up the stragglers and soon, I had the full complement of soldiers and knights arrayed outside the building. Shortly after we finished, a pair of police cars stopped by, adding four officers wearing body armor and equipped with sub-machine guns, shotguns, and pistols. They didn’t say much beyond their first greeting and confirmed that I was who they were supposed to meet. They took up position in the lobby, and unloaded cases of ammunition. Essentially setting up a little depot.

  Once they were done, we hunkered down and waited for the night to pass. I checked my watch and wondered how everyone else in the city was doing… Well, not that it was any of my business.

  Final checks were done, and now it was just waiting for the blood moon to hit its apex. I summoned my rifle and continued the slow process of filling my fanny pack with bullets. The bullets lasted indefinitely, so long as I stayed nearby. Going too far away from the bullets would have them disintegrate, breaking down into magic. The ice fading into nothing, leaving a small wet spot where they had been.

  There were probably arrays I could make, at some point to keep the bullets intact, but for now, all I had was the manual method. I made sure to make plenty of each type, even the new experimental bullets I had been testing out.

  Stepping out of the lobby into the cold gave me a new appreciation for how the area surrounding the entrance was designed. I wasn’t sure about the numerous bronze bull and minotaur statues, but the planters and pathways made for natural chokepoints. Defending the company main entrance should be easy enough with this…

  Assuming we find trouble in the first place. Liche and Joan were in the lobby, making sure nothing snuck through. The four officers, two men, two women, took up position near the door. They hunkered down behind a set of planters made of stone and settled in.

  Time flowed on. I kept an eye on my watch and occasionally looked up at the moon in the sky. It was snowing lightly as well, but the blood moon cast everything in an ominous red glow. Sighing, I readied myself for whatever would come.

  As it continued to rise, I felt something shift in the air. A kind of pressure, presence. A tang that buzzed at the tip of my tongue. Tickled my nose. Something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. Like something was coming, just on the horizon. Every instinct screamed for me to get somewhere safe, to hunker down and wait out a coming storm.

  Then, the moon hit its apex. Suddenly, my ears popped. The pressure shifted, changed. It had risen slightly over the hours, as the moon rose, but now it had hit a whole new threshold. The air gained an oddly bloody taste that tasted almost electric my tongue and lungs whenever I breathed. Every hair on my body was standing up, and it felt like an electric field had passed through me.

  Accompanying that shift, came howls. Horrible cries that echoed from the alleys and buildings. I had barely any time to process what I was hearing before the first of such creatures came barreling out of the nearest alley. They crawled on all fours. They had a humanoid body but were covered in bone like protrusions that formed both armor and blades. They had long gnashing teeth and their eyes were wide, unblinking, and entirely black. They saw nothing with those eyes, long tongues slithered out through their teeth as they hissed and clicked. They moved in irregular patterns, cricking and cracking as if they had no real bones or tendons, more like marionettes being thrown about by an unseen puppeteer.

  They came down on us with startling speed. I raised my rifle, loaded it up with a stripper clip of standard bullets and pulled the trigger. The bullet sang and struck home. Punching through the creature’s skull, killing it instantly. Though, it didn’t come to an immediate stop. The whole body shuddered and spasmed. Its arms and legs swung out wildly, a last dying rattle rang out into the bloody night before it fell deathly still. Answering its call, many more came crawling out of the alleys. Crawling along the walls and grounds, moving with unnerving coordination. Their necks snapped here and there as their heads jerked back and forth before settling on us with a focus that inspired dread.

  I kept firing. Taking them down as they came, but their numbers were too much. They gained ground quickly, even with the officers standing back making precise shots with their weapons. Even then, it wasn’t long before they approached the line of doll soldiers. Just before the tide made contact, one of the horrifying creatures hunched down, and pounced, completely bypassing the line of soldiers and their waiting weapons.

  It soared through the air, only to be cut off by Cobalt barring the way. A hefty swing of their blade cut right through the monster, cutting it in half. The halved corpse hit the ground and shattered into chunks of frozen meat.

  Shocked at what Cobalt had done, I didn’t notice that more of the monsters leapt forward. Only to be intercepted by the newer knights, forcing their shields forward, with their blades held forward. They punched into the flying monsters and kicked them back, where Cobalt would then make quick work of them.

  As the rest of the monsters closed the distance, choosing not to jump, they instead came hurtling towards the line. My soldiers came forward with spears in hand. They braced at the last possible moment, slamming their titanium spear butts into the ground, and raised them high. The monsters continued, uncaring for the forest of spears and impaled themselves upon the titanium spikes.

  Those stuck fast by the spears were quickly finished by Cobalt or one of the knights as they thrust into their skulls, killing them instantly, but even then, their corpses kicked up a mighty fuss, nearly throwing down my frigid soldiers to the ground. Whilst the rank and file were the unranked soldiers at their back, forming the backbone were the bronze rank soldiers, keeping them in line and supporting them against the incoming tide.

  For the moment, the line held. Even then, I knew I had made a mistake. Even with the natural choke points keeping them back, the spears I had given my soldiers weren’t quite up to the task. The simple spears had nothing to keep the monsters from simply forcing themselves forward as they were impaled. The spear tip and shaft dug into their bodies as they squirmed and allowed them to push forward mostly unimpeded.

  They were only just kept back due to the sheer number of spears presented before them. Working together, they managed to keep them at bay, concentrating their spear tips on those still alive and pressing forward, but as their numbers grew, more breaches occurred. As the breaches grew, Cobalt and my knights had to put more effort into cutting them off. All the while, I, and the officers kept shooting. Doing our best to cull their numbers as they came.

  However, out of the horde a figure blurred past the line. It leapt over the soldiers and worked its way past Cobalt and the knights. Breaching the line and the rear. It lunged, not for me, but one of the officers. I opened my mouth to give a warning, but it was all too late…

  The creature sailed forth and aimed right for one of the officers. Its claws were out, saliva dribbling down its chin and teeth gnashing. Only to miss as the officer hit the ground and rolled away. The monster hit the ground, claws scraping against the concrete, leaving deep gashes in its wake. For a second, it froze confused, having not felt the sensation of flesh parting, when it suddenly found itself perforated by many bullets. In an instant it was down, and the officers were right back to business as usual. As if one of them hadn’t been nearly bisected.

  Shocked at their display of skill, I very nearly forgot to continue shooting, only the sound of another creature breaking past the line jolted me out of my stupor. The new creature went straight for me, scurrying on the ground, claws scraping the pathway as it came.

  I pulled the trigger; the bullet sang out, but the monster threw itself to the side, avoiding the bullet and shot forward. With a shout, my bayonet materialized at the end of my rifle, and I thrust, impaling the creature and throwing it to the ground. It squirmed, but with a kick and a tug, I pulled out the bayonet and thrust it again into its skull. Only after a twist and pull did it finally die, only to thrash violently for a moment before it went eternally still.

  The tide did not stop despite our success, more of them slipped through the front, but few if any made it past me. I focused, as did the officers behind me, on those that slipped by. Soon, we hit a kind of cadence, our guns barked and sang in a discordant tune. Perfectly working to keep the tide from sweeping over the line.

  Suddenly, a series of garbled screams came from afar. A living tide of flesh, made up of monsters crashed into the frontline, bowling them over, with only the bronze ranks managing to keep their footing. At the head of the tide were bronze ranked monsters, whose sole purpose was to tear into our back line.

  Cobalt took center stage, using his body to block the oncoming tide like a wall hoping to keep a flood at bay. However, Cobalt didn’t swing their blade, they held it close, and a wave of chilling frost crackled out, snap freezing the already cold ground and the flesh of the monsters nearby, slowing, or directly stopping them in their tracks.

  The pair of slender knights shot forward; their swords thrust into heads, or were used to shatter frozen limbs with the blunt edge of their blades. They almost danced and weaved between the monsters while Cobalt collected himself and surged forward once more, with a heave Cobalt drew back their blade and carved a swathe through the tide before him.

  As if having parted a sea of flesh, the combination of the frost nova, and the slash cut through the tide, leaving a large gap. A gap large enough to allow the doll soldiers to right themselves and once again take up formation Once formed up, with the bronze rank at the front, they pushed back.

  With each coordinated step, the tide was pressed back. With wide sweeps, Cobalt trimmed down those that tried to get over the line, at his sides the other knights coordinated, bashing and stabbing, those at the side.

  All at once, once again, an equilibrium was reached. Once more the line was upheld, and the monsters held at bay. Every once in a while, a tide would force itself forward, but each successive time, the soldiers adapted, with more not falling over, and with less of the tide breaking through. Cobalt, with his towering form acted like a bulwark or like a rock in the middle of a raging river. He smashed or slashed anything in his path, leaving only broken or cleaved monsters in his wake. What survived his savagery was quickly finished off by the slender knights.

  At some point, our fire rate decreased as less monsters made it through, and yet the situation was only getting more dire by the minute. Cobalt and the knights were covered with scratches and cuts, but they swiftly healed given time, all due to the monstrous amount of magical energy in the air. The doll soldiers were a whole other issue.

  Being made of mostly titanium, they were tougher and yet, each scratch or gouge built off each other. Each wound growing worse and worse. They weren’t healing, with the bronze ranks being the only exception, however they healed so little that it didn’t matter. Not to mention how the spears rapidly deteriorated. The non-magical metal was already blunted at the tip from repeated stabbings, the metal itself showing signs of stress from both overuse and wear and tear from the sheer amount of magic in the air.

  As bad as it seemed, for now, all we could do was keep going and hopefully the tide ends sooner than later… If it gets too bad, I’ll have to call Joan and Liche in, for now, having the two in reserve would work for the best.

  With that in mind, I hefted my rifle, I pulled the trigger, and I continued to fight.