Nightclaw: Rampage

We last read Chapter 21, in which the serpentine superheroine Hailey a.k.a. The Viper chats with the fellow Paragon Monica Drevis a.k.a. Voltara about the late Paragon Dr. Duncan Drevis's passing, as well as that of his genetically modified reptilian sidekick, The Crawler. She persuades Monica to embrace the company of her parents and Herman—as well as the other Paragons—and even encourages her to try to arrange a get-together if enough of the other heroes are available. However, Hailey chooses to not let Monica in on the situation with Carla Rosenblood—also known as the fallen Paragon Nightclaw—in favor of instead giving Monica some space and allowing her to work through her grief on her on terms, instead simply promising to return to Mercury Heights safe and sound following her mission's end. The only clues Monica gets is that The Viper's mission involves one of the other Paragons.....and that she's currently heading to the Vermillion Enclave, the kingdom of vampires nestled in the woods of Transylvania.

The Viper eventually touches down in the massive clearing that contains the vampire kingdom, and although she's initially stopped by a pair of guards at the outer gate, she is allowed entry relatively quickly, though she's explicitly told to make her way to Ladair Castle without going anywhere else. She obeys them, and makes for the stairs leading up to Ladair Castle at the back of the city.....where she's met by another pair of more jovial guards that gladly humor her request to see both Lily and Theo Ladair. Once the superheroine sees them, her first request is for them to get her some dinner, since she unfortunately hasn't eaten in a bit.

Lily and Theo bring The Viper inside Ladair Castle, where Lily and Theo Ladair's mother, Lady Amber Ladair, unhesitatingly provides The Viper with a thorough dinner, though The Viper rejects Amber's brandy in favor of bottled water due to the superheroine's status as a Christian and her unwillingness to get drunk. Not only does Amber provide for The Viper.....but she also provides for Lily and Theo as well despite the latter two having already had dinner, leading to a rather on-the-spot meal.

After the meal's conclusion—and Amber's departure to the upper floors of Ladair Castle—The Viper informs Lily and Theo about Carla's fall to darkness and her descent into the rogue serial killer she now is, and Lily and Theo recall the time they went on an adventure with the fallen Paragon in the past, to thwart the schemes of a movement called the Cult of Lawless Animal Worshippers.....or the C.L.A.W., for short. After trading a few whispers, the chapter ended with Lily and Theo agreeing to accompany The Viper and join her team to confront Carla.....provided that she helps them put together their secret wedding first.

This time, The Viper gets into a bit of a spat with Lily and Theo regarding the recent arrangement, but ultimately receives a sign telling her to prioritize her friend Carla's salvation above herself.....

I violently choke on my water the moment Lily Ladair's words hit my ears. Like, violently. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever choked so violently on anything in my entire life.

Seeing this, Lily quickly gets up from her own chair and firmly hits my back a couple of times to get rid of the obstruction, which, thankfully, helps me recuperate significantly faster. However, once I've recovered, I'm no less flustered with Lily's rather risqué request.

"W.....What?" I exclaim, before stammering incoherently. Soon, though, I notice Lily quickly making a "quiet down" gesture.....and I don't know why, but I obey her.

"What the heck?" I say in a much quieter and subdued tone as Lily returns to her own chair, although it's by no means a less irate tone. "What do you mean by 'secret wedding'? What 'secret wedding'? I thought that you, Lily, were Theo's adopted sister!"