The hooded figure watched their target through the slits in their mask. The hot cloud of their steady breath was visible in the chill of the damp night air. She’ll lead me to him. The clouds had finally begun to clear, and above, the sea of shimmering celestial lights became clearly visible, a wash of shining blue against the black of space. It was said that in the peak of humanity, the lights of the cities blotted out the stars, but there wasn’t enough civilization left to do so now.

Pulling their white hood further over their head, the figure moved silently along the rooftops, never losing sight of the distant armoured girl. A pretty thing. Her blonde hair wafting behind her as she ran. That girl’s partner however… the masked figure clenched their gauntlet covered fist as they thought of that man. They’d come face to face with him once before.

In the alley, he’d stared up in awe as he clutched the young girl… The figure stopped such thoughts in their tracks. The queen would not approve if they went off of the mission objective.

They followed the armoured girl until she entered a warehouse near the city docks. They stopped and waited. A few moments later they made their way down from the high rooftop. Through the rafter windows they could just make out the battling figures within. This would be interesting…

***

Scarlett could hear the struggle before she entered. Sander! She dashed into the warehouse, blinking at the glare of the white fluorescents that ran the length of the ceiling. Her eyes widened when she was the battle raging within.

Moving between the stacked crates they fought, bare hand on bare hand. To one side she saw a sword, lain aside. The first party she recognised. Tall, pale, draped in black and with teeth shining white and eyes a macabre red. The sandman. The foe they’d hunted across the city; who’d eluded them until tonight. The one whose minion had left Avi in the state she was in now.

The Lunar Knight clenched her fist. She’d see an end to it. This thing wouldn’t roam any longer. Still, the other party left her with a strange feeling. A human figure, regular brown garbs though torn, presumably by his opponent. His shoulders were broad and muscled, visible through his jacket. His neck carpeted with sharp hair.

She circled slowly around the duelling pair. As they turned, she caught a glimpse of the man’s face. A snout like a dog’s, no, a wolf’s. Dark nose above gnashing teeth, and on his forehead. It was horrible. She shivered at the sight of the unblinking, yellow eye. She tried to look into it but found that she couldn’t hold its gaze for more than a few moments. It was lifeless. Soulless. It lacked that human essence we’d grown so accustomed to seeing when we looked into the eyes of another person, or even an animal. No, it was an unnatural thing, this third eye, the man possessed.

All this she thought within only seconds. The battling pair moved swiftly. Scarlett, even suited in her battle armour and glowing, lunar blade in hand, was frozen in place watching them. Taking no notice of her they came close, nearly barrelling the knight over. She leapt aside, regaining her senses.

She readied herself. She’d need to find an opening. She needed to help this man, no, Sander. For this was Sander, changed though he might be. She saw it then – her chance.

“Halbmond Schrägstrich!” she shouted with a slice of her blade.

A crescent shard of moonlight shot across the warehouse. The sandman jumped into the air. The attack hit the ground just in front of Sander, where his opponent had been only moments before, and an explosion of moonlight sent him flying backwards. The sandman landed atop a large metal container on the opposite end of the warehouse. Looking up, its eyes met Scarlett’s. The look on its face changed suddenly, as if seeing her for the first time.

“You’ve come to get to know me some more, I presume?”

The musicality in the monster’s words slithered into her ears and formed a knot in her stomach. It raised a hand to its face and ran a sharp nail along the edge of its lip.

“How delicious you look. Perhaps you are the one I have been yearning for. Je vais me régaler de votre sein, ma chérie.”

Scarlett stiffened. This thing disgusted her.

“Mondscheinangriff!”

The sandman flew through the air, gracefully dodging the moonlight beam the Lunar Knight blasted from the tip of her luminescent blade. She fired another but the black cloaked figure dodged once more. To one side, Sander got to his feet. He snarled at the sandman and rushed in to attack again.

Shit, it didn’t seem like he had his head on straight at all. This wasn’t the guy Scarlett knew. No, the very thought of the extra ocular orb above his brow terrified the Lunar Knight.

Sander lashed out with his hands and the sandman caught them in his own. They struggled, against each other, neither budging an inch. A determined Scarlett, seizing the opportunity, rushed in from behind the sandman, sword at the ready.

As if alerted by some extraordinary sense, the sandman’s head twisted towards the approaching adversary. Their eyes met. Scarlett’s chest tightened as the pools of red gazed through her. With a grunt, the pale creature managed to push Sander aside and leap out of the way of her attack.

“Dammit.”

She could see the rise and fall of the thing’s chest. It was tiring, that much she could tell. She’d just have to keep wearing it down. In that moment, Scarlett felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her forehead. Her sword hand was shaky. She became painfully aware of her own state. She was tired after her battle with the sandman’s victims-turned-minions.

She took a moment to analyse the situation. Sander’s strength seemed far above its normal level. However, he was attacking without thought. She wasn’t sure what had happened to him, but he’d transformed in some way or other. The sandman was now facing them both. They stood to either side of the monster. Sander drew closer, the sandman backed away. Scarlett didn’t move from her place. This thing was too fast, and it easily sensed her attacks coming.

Before she could come up with a plan, the sandman backed up to a large metal container. It reached over the back of its head, digging its fingers into the steel walls as though they were putty. Then – its arm muscles visibly tensed – it began to lift the container from the ground, raising it above its head. Sander charged.

“Wait, Sander, no!”

The Lunar Knight dashed in and shoved her companion aside. She winced at the impact. From behind her she heard a grunt of exertion. She turned just in time to see the massive shipping container flying through the air towards her.