"I'm going to die, aren't I."  It wasn't a question, but you couldn't tell by the voice.  You had to read between the lines and see the period at the end.  "This isn't how I wanted to go!"  He closed his eyes and tried to curl up into a fetal ball so tight even light couldn't escape.  "It wasn't supposed to be this way.  I was supposed to go at the ripe age of ninety-eight after giving up on the world and getting my heart to blow up after an extensive visit to a Las Vegas all you could eat buffet!"

Then something happened.  Strange mumbling filled the air and a new figure appeared.  Almond hadn't seen where the man came from, or woman.  He was only assuming it was a man because of the voice.  A bit of snow landed near him, and that was just the first frost before the avalanche.  Soon they were surrounded by cold.  It was so bad a part of Almond couldn't help but look longingly at the heated projectiles, wondering how close he could be to one of those spheres of warmth before it did skin damage.  

Which was when he noticed they stopped coming.  "What in the world?"  He looked around and saw the black soldiers weren't firing any longer.  They weren't doing anything.  They only stood there like statues, covered in snow.  The figure spoke again but this time he spoke in English.  He told them they were responsible for the world and stopping whatever the things were.  First however they needed to destroy the creature's cores.  

"How?"  He said as he got to his feet and looked around.  There was a metal bar on the ground.  He picked it up and gave it a few practice swings.  "Hope this works."  He hurried up to the first creature, in case time was a factor and took a swing at its center of mass.  The marks on his arm flared yellow and the air suddenly grew still.  The bar made an impact like a bullet going through eyes, and pieces of frozen demon minions went everywhere.  "Wow!"  Almond took a moment to blink at the destruction but then hurried on and did the other four villains.  

"Come on."  Almond said to the woman.  "Maybe this is what we're supposed to do?"  Without waiting for either of them he started again towards where the rift should be.

""