The Paragons

Chapter 49: Confronting The Opulent

After a few more minutes of Duncan and Nightclaw flying over Times Square and the surrounding areas in search of the last two transport pylons, Nightclaw directed the doctor towards Hell's Kitchen, where the third pylon was positioned on top of a restaurant; specifically, on top of its dine-in rooftop. However, because the city had been mostly evacuated by that point, its only inhabitants were Mal'tin and Gor'bari, the pylon's guardians. 

When they were still far off, where the two Opulent members couldn't see them, Duncan checked in with the werewolf and went over the plan one more time. 

"Alright, here's what we're going to do. You're going to hide somewhere out of sight from the cockpit, and wait for a few moments while I chat with them. They're likely not going to stand down, and that's when I'll send you in," he elaborated. 

"Got it, got it, got it.....come on, I can barely stand the wait!" Nightclaw responded eagerly. 

"Are you sure you want to do this? These guys are from another dimension.....you don't know what they're capable of. The only reason The Viper was able to handle them was because she was part-Opulent, too. You, on the other hand, are not." 

"I think I can handle this. Whenever you give me the signal, you can just sit back, relax, and watch me take care of things." 

Duncan took a deep breath. "Okay, then. Go.....hide in the passenger area. I'll lead in first." 

With that, the werewolf retreated into the back of the plane as it flew closer to the restaurant. When the aircraft got to the roof, Mal'tin quickly took aim at the vessel with his pulse rifle and Gor'bari cracked his neck and knuckles, preparing himself for a fight. 

"That doesn't look like one of the king's spaceships....." Mal'tin observed. "And my tracking sensor doesn't indicate any Enlightened Ones onboard." 

"Should I go ahead and crush it?" Gor'bari asked. 

"No.....hold on. Let's see what they want first." 

Duncan reached for the wired speaker on the control panel and spoke to the two Opulent members. "May I have your attention, please? I am Dr. Duncan Drevis, an associate of The Viper's. I'm sorry if you didn't get the memo, but Times Square is closed today. If you think my allies and I are just going to sit idly by and watch as you forcibly assimilate your dimension into ours, you are sorely mistaken. Before everything goes south, I'm going to do both of you a solid and just give you a chance to give up. All you have to do is walk away quietly and let us destroy the transport pylon." 

Mal'tin looked at the doctor with an irritated expression. "You dare to come into the city and make demands of us? We conquered this place fair and square.....and we're not going to give it up!" 

"Oh? And why not?" 

"Because this world is our last hope," Mal'tin said. "If we do not find somewhere to bring the Shimmering Plane soon.....our species as a whole will eventually die out." 

"Then you find a different planet," Duncan argued. "Preferably one where you're not putting other lives in danger." 

"But Earth is home to humans, though, right?" Gor'bari cut in. "Our dimension has suffered significant rot and decay already. Having a labor force to aid in our recovery efforts would be beneficial." 

"What he said," Mal'tin added. "Besides.....this state owes us a favor after everything its 'hero' has done to hurt us. You forget that we were exiled by our king about two centuries ago, and all we wanted was to go home. And what did The Viper do? She killed us. Now, we're back, and it's time for her kind to pay the price."