The April morning was cool and fresh. In the store, the owners worked as before. Steve had sent Veronica away after the incident with Eloise. Now, the revived Eloise worked alongside Evinetta and Steve. For safety, they had placed scouts in the neighboring streets. In the house next door, Olk's detachment and mercenaries from other dimensions lay in hiding. They were a formidable force, prepared not only for dolls but for any possible enemy.
The friends knew that the undead dolls would attack today. Torsken had appeared to Evinetta the day before and warned her. If the operation failed, he intended to blame her for everything. But Evinetta had not only warned Steve; she was preparing for war herself. Steve had armed everyone with Olk's advanced weaponry. Inside, the store had become a fortress, every entrance and exit barricaded.
— Well, hold on now, you villain, — Steve smiled grimly. — We will show you your place, you blockhead. You will never set foot in the human world again.
— Steve, there are ten to twenty of our men on every street, — Paul reported. — We have distributed weapons to everyone.
At exactly noon, a loud noise erupted, followed by a powerful blast.
— Boss, they're approaching! — Paul shouted.
— Prepare for battle! — Steve cried. — Dex, our legendary ancestor, give us strength! Attack!
The Rokis began firing at the store from all sides.
— Damn it, where did they get those weapons?
— Boss, they might have already neutralized our scouts on the watch.
— Yes, that is possible. What do we do now? — Paul asked desperately.
— We fire from cover! — Steve replied, shooting from the windows.
— Curse it, they hit me! — Steve cried out. — Evinetta, quick, bind my wound! — He showed her his bleeding arm.
Evi ran toward him but fell before she could take two steps. The Rokis had hit her too.
— Evinetta! Sister! — Steve screamed. — Ancestors, do not let her die! You monsters will pay for what you've done to her!
Steve continued to fire from the window despite his wounded arm.
— Eloise, come here and dress my wound!
A few seconds later, Eloise also collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
— What is happening? Olk, my friend, come to our aid!
Before, Olk could not provide troops to Steve due to the strict orders of the elders. Those ancient rulers feared direct interference in human affairs and preferred to keep their forces in the shadows. But Olk, seeing the growing cunning of Torsken, had finally managed to persuade them. He made the elders realize that if the human world fell, their own realms would be next. Now that the elders had given their consent, the path for a full-scale allied war was open.
In an instant, the Rokis surrounding them began to fall under the sudden onslaught of Olk's troops. Steve and Paul rushed outside to join the fight, but both were thrown to the ground by a blast. Steve was wounded three times. Paul lay motionless. Several Rokis aimed their weapons at Steve, but suddenly Eloise and Evinetta appeared behind them and neutralized the dolls with several precise shots. A moment later, Paul stood up as well.
— You are not dead, my friends! — Steve cried, firing left and right.
— Their weapons are not designed to kill humans, — Eloise explained. — They fire electromagnetic shocks that act as temporary paralyzers.
— But what about the wound on my arm? — Steve asked.
— That was a real bullet from our own men's weapons, — Paul said, before being knocked aside again.
— Dammit, I have been hit by a real bullet again, this time in the leg! — Steve shouted. He was covered in blood. — Farewell, I am dying! — He fell to the earth.
Olk's squad had already finished off the Rokis. Only one remained — Torsken. The shots seemed to have no effect on him. He stood there, casting a shadow of terror over Olk's men, laughing a strange, hideous laugh. Chuckling in a foul voice, he began to retreat.
— We will meet again, descendants of the cursed Dex. You will pay for the destruction of our dolls.
— Go complain to your mother, you red-eyed coward! — Steve spat. — Next time we will catch you and bury you alive. Disappear before we lose our patience!
Whether Torsken was afraid or not, no one knew. But he vanished, taking a few hundred remaining dolls with him. On their way, they were ambushed by Volien and Dex's detachment, who chased them back to Nomilis.
After the incident, none of the living humans were seriously harmed, though hundreds of dolls were destroyed. Steve's wounds, fortunately, were not deep, and he recovered quickly. Eloise, Paul, and Evinetta also escaped with nothing more than scratches. Joy filled the friends.
— Olk, if not for you, we would be dead. Thank you, my friend.
— It was nothing, Steve, — Olk smiled. — Torsken is a threat to all beings. He will not stop with the human world. He is everywhere and he is cunning. We must destroy him.
— Then you will continue to help us in the future?
— Of course, Steve! We will be with you forever.