https://audio.com/max-pinion

Smoke filled the night. Charred grass covered the ground. The man slumped heavily on the side of what once was a barn. He stank of sweat and blood- some his, some not. His heart pounded as he tried to calm his breath. He breathed through his fingers to slow it. He coughed a bit on the smoke and acrid smell.

The man forced himself to gather his thoughts. The homes were decimated, the fields were burned, the people fled to the fort. The cape where the fort sat was covered over with those trying to find refuge. A mile off, the invaders were encroaching closer and closer to the fort. The man's country, his first love, set off to extinguish a people.

The man brought out his bow. It sat, shattered in his hands. It was a masterpiece to him. It was like two bows crossed into one, in an X shape. The handle sat underneath where the arrow would fire through: a circle the size of the thumb meeting the index finger. The draw of the two strings was fused together, and had an easy hold for two of his fingers. There had been a clear shield that ran vertically to provide easy cover for him, fused to the firing circle. The shield was broken, the strings snapped, and the wood was charred.

It meant a lot to him. But he was glad his old life was over. Uri limped past the barn. The Regem had torn pants and a bloodied calf. His shaven blond hair was matted with mud and sand. His torso still smoldered dimly. His guards caught up to him, looking equally haggard. There were four, now. One less than when he'd arrived. They looked around in the darkness.

Kolen initially shrank back out of habit, and out of shame. It would be better if he didn't get in Uri's way. The man's presence reminding him of what he'd done. His broken bow was not enough punishment dealt from him. 

He'd thrown himself at the Regem's feet. Not to ask for mercy. Not asking for peace, but for death. An end to Agony. And the Regem would have given it to him. Was giving it to him. But then that voice said... He stiffly stood up and waved. The guards caught his form in the darkness, and turned away. The man thought they would walk on without him. Then Uri turned to face him. He returned his wave with his one hand, and beckoned him to catch up. He did so.

"Still alive?" Uriphael said.

"Not wounded, just tired." The man checked himself again. Patted shoulders and chest. "Mostly abrasions down my legs and arms from where I'd fallen. I'll be alright."

"You need to be better, not just alright." Uri said, looking at him. They continued on, stepping over bodies and charred stone rubble. The town was in heaps on the ground. There was a mill just up ahead, with a tall vantage point. Looters from the incoming army were receding, carrying fire in their hands for light. The guards would sometimes stop their group behind a wall and shoot someone picking through pockets. "Once we get some cover, we'll rest up until the dawn. Do you have any brander left?"

"No. When I didn't return to Penderfyniad, they must've assumed me dead. My Stockpile summons aren't working."

A guard gestured for silence. A couple of men stood on the other side of the wall, he told them with his signs. Uri signed for himself. The guards looked wary, but nodded. This beast of a man couldn't be held back. He was the Behemoth of the North.

He stepped out of their alley, and signed. A five foot long greatsword with the thinnest edge the man thought possible appeared in Uri's singular hand. It was aflame, lit from within and throughout. He back slashed. The only thing the man could see was the blood spraying back upon him. Uri sent a kick low and upwards. The man crumpled into view of the alley. He was cut in two the next moment.

He gestured them onwards. The group crossed the road with a long line of buildings on either side. Apartments and shops. All smoldering, and the few that weren't to the ground had their window blowing smoke. Some of their guts spilled out into the streets. Chairs, pots, doors, and even a couple of picture frames and an easel.

The group jumped at a cry, and backed into another alley. This time they all could see. A woman tumbled out of a doorway, and came to rest on splintered wood. It was unclear if she was part of the invasion, or not. The man thought he saw ruffles on her outfit. She was followed out by a man with sleeves showing the colors of Al Bidaya, gray and bright yellow.

She slid away from the soldier. She kept her eyes to his, with a fierce expression. A cut started to dribble blood from her cheek to her chin. They were about to move when suddenly the woman snarled, "I don't have time for you." Before she even lifted herself off the ground, she had an astounding weapon in her hand. Spikes flared from all sides of a large ball, almost her size. The spikes were thin and glowed like coals, and any way that the man would come near her, he'd be skewered. She made as if to throw it. He fled.

She sighed, and the group let out their breaths. She brought her hand up to wipe away the blood about to drop onto her soft blouse. The man noticed something. Her hand passed through the spikes of the ball, with no resistance whatsoever. The man laughed. He doubled over laughing, and the group looked at him. The woman jumped, and stuck her morningstar out to face the group. After finding six men in an alley, she looked grave and started backing away.

"That was an allusion." He kept chuckling. It was the best thing he'd seen that day. And he'd needed that laugh.

"No, it's the real deal, and you all should just run. My brothers are coming as we speak." she protested.

Uri stepped up. "I don't think you have anyone coming." He looked at her weapon, and nodded, impressed. "Both are good lies. But there is truth: there's no need to fight us. I am Uriphael Diant. Regem of Hazten. And we have a common enemy."

She released the allusion with trembling fingers. "We're saved!"

"I hope so. Well..." he paused. "I hope to do what I can. In truth, it's just the five of us from Hazten, and him." He gestured to the man. The man waved at her, clearing his eyes of the laughing tears. She returned it, awkwardly. 

"What will we do, then? How will we survive the night?" She choked up on the last word.

"You'll come with us. We need shelter to rest in. That mill should suffice."

She nodded, but plead that she needed some things from her shop that she'd just fought out of. They agreed, and sent a guard in to help defend against smoke and fire. When she returned, they moved on and reached the small tower. The hay stored in it was ash on the ground, but the rest was stone, and therefore, unharmed. They ascended, and upon reaching the top found a desk, chair, and a wide view of the area.

The sweeping view gave them a better reference for what they had to work with. The town sat square, it's walls having been broken down, likely by Solid Densers. The lands of barley and other crop were burned down. So much flame. Against a people who had the best control over such things.

"How was this possible?" the man said. He met the eyes of Uri. Little embers shown in his orange eyes. He gulped. "I mean, what how did it start?"

"They'd been secluding the Hals for months. Sending them all here. And when the city was full to the brim, the army came. They surrounded us, trebuchets on three sides. They broke down the wall first, and threw large rocks into the buildings. The chaos was... too much. When the flames started, those of us who knew how to pull them away were too busy helping the scattering people that lived closest to the walls. And we were too scattered to be close enough to the falling rocks.

"They let us escape out the back gate of the city. To the fort." the woman said, sniffling.

"What's your name?" the man said. He felt hollow.

"Gavra. I've been a painter here for a few years now."

"Gavra, I'm..." he paused. He tried to think of a new name for himself. In Penderfyniad, his station had given him a new one that overwrote his given name. He didn't want to be known by the old name, either. "I supported this plan when the Takutahn suggested it. They are planning on wiping out the Hals, and everyone that supported them. I used to be called Agony." She visibly blanched. It was the reaction he'd been expecting.

"But he has a new name now." Uri interjected, standing up. He walked over and put his hand on his shoulder. "He will be called 'Kolen.'" It meant black fire. It was appropriate. He was going to come out of this a better man.

Like the voice had said, "I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF THE WICKED, BUT THAT THE WICKED TURNS FROM HIS EVIL WAY AND LIVE; TURN BACK- TURN BACK FROM YOUR EVIL WAYS, FOR WHY WILL YOU DIE? YOU WILL HEAR A WORD BEHIND YOU SAYING, "THIS IS THE WAY, WALK IN IT," WHEN YOU TURN TO THE RIGHT HAND, OR TO THE LEFT. IS NOT MY WORD LIKE FIRE, DECLARES THE COMMANDER, AND LIKE A HAMMER THAT BREAKS THE ROCK IN PIECES? I MAKE MY MESSENGERS WINDS AND MY SERVANTS A FLAMING FIRE.

"My name is Kolen." He dropped to his hands and knees, and said, "I will sing to the Commander of Armies as long as I live: I will sing to my Lofty One while I have any being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in my Master of Myriads. Let the perverse be consumed out of the land, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Commander, O my soul. Kolen, praise the Commander."

Uri got down, and the two wept on each other's necks.

...

There was no reason to fill Gavra in on what had transpired between Uri and Kolen. Uri had forgiven him. He wasn't over his wife's death, and that was appropriate. A man got to mourn. And his son would grow up without a mother. That responsibility would weigh on him.

Gavra settled against a wall, sometimes looking up at Kolen. Uri made a torch, and made the fire solid to make it last. They healed their wounds with brander, pouring the hot liquid on cuts and scrapes. They drank of it as well, healing the internal bleeding. Kolen left some small cuts on himself. They weren't going to bother him. They started to set the battle in order. The fort of Al Magza was the goal of the army, and had to be defended at all costs. It probably was a lost cause.

There had to be at least a thousand soldiers. Kolen had likely killed twenty-five people with his bow. Before Uri found and attacked him. After that was resolved, their group had killed around one hundred, plus. Uri was a force unto himself.

That military didn't know who they were. Battle clouded information. All they would know was that that an experienced metamorph was on the field against them. They weren't sure who, if anyone, had mobilized forces against the invaders at the fort. But they had until dawn.

"Why would they strike at dawn?" Gavra asked.

Kolen pointed to his eyes. "The Hals' thermal vision. They can't risk getting too close to the fort at night, lest the Hals overtake them. So they'll advance in the morning."

"They're about a mile away from the fort- outside of the town on the eastern side. We're about a half mile out." Uri said, looking out the open view. 

"So we can get the Hals to attack at night." Gavra said.

"Possibly." Uri said. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't know that I was the linchpin in any plan, here. I won't be ready until dawn, either."

"Why?" Gavra asked.

"That's when Kahton should eclipse the sun. He's a Metamorph, and he'll need to recharge. That should put us just after dawn." Kolen said.

"So that leaves us to get them ready at the fort. Since we've healed ourselves, we can head towards it."

One of the guards was a Breaker. He made a hole in the top of the stone roof. It was flat, and they quickly hefted themselves onto it. There were seven of them in total. One dispensed her glider, and its attachments. It had two seats, the front for the pilot, and the second to catch the drafts.

Since one of the guards had died, there would be six seats among seven people. "One of us will have to stay behind."

"It's alright. I'll just walk the half mile." Kolen said.

"No need for heroics, Kolen. They probably have archers posted at the fort bridge, both defending and attacking. You're not getting there on foot. Just wait for a glider to return. Gavra?"

"Hmm?" she said.

"Why don't you stay with him. In Hazten, we employ a partner system. You two will stay up here until you see the two gliders coming back for you. One will have an open seat, but she can catch the draft by herself. We'll need all the pilots to know where to land at the fort. When they're back for you, they'll settle on the ground and walk back up to meet you here."

"As you like, Regem." she said.

"You may refer to me as Uri." He smiled. When he turned his head, he winked conspiratorially at Kolen. Kolen frowned. They set out one at a time, the partners jumping off and finding their winds. Their drafts carried them high into the air, and soon the smog concealed them.

"Wow." Gavra said.

"It is impressive." Kolen said. They now sat alone on the roof. A sea breeze wafted through, and Kolen enjoyed the pure air.

"No. I was just thinking that I'm working with the Regem of Hazten and one of the former pillars of Penderfyniad. And yet..."

"What is it?" Kolen asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just a painter, living out in the dust here for some time. When I was a younger woman I thought of painting the Takutahn, living in Rissing Ridge working with Celf. With the greats. But you two strike me as both more like regular persons and even greater than I could have thought. You weep with each other and bleed. Gentle, yet courageous. You can't capture that in a painting. All things considered, I'm glad I'm here."

"Thank you, Gavra. You're quite courageous, yourself. Why were you out here, back gathering your supplies alone?"

She gulped. "I'm not so brave. I came out to take my things and leave. I could have left, and no one would have blamed me. But if you hadn't come along, this guilt would've solidified. And where could I have gone where I could escape it?" She shook her head.

Kolen nodded. He looked up. He looked at the stars. Some were smeared with the smog, but the smog was moving away with the sea breeze. He saw the glimmer of the stars. "You see us, do You not?" He began to say to the Commander.

"Are you the One Kolen speaks to?" Gavra continued. It struck Kolen, not only that she tried to speak with Him, but how easily it came out. "Will You hear me? I have just heard of You, please do not be angry with me. I have cared only about what concerns me. Please teach me about what these men have said. I am small. I don't know what I'm doing here, or even how to turn to the right hand or the left. Give me songs to sing, and tears for what You're sad about. Let it be."

"Let it be." He said. He suddenly flushed, having looked on her private moment. They looked out for the rest of the time, Kolen enjoying the silence.

After three quarters of an hour, they saw a flicker of flame in the air. The signal. They waited, and saw two flits slow to a crawl. They lost sight of them behind some buildings. Within a few minutes, the two guards, a man and woman both blonde, arrived to the top of the mill. And they were winded. Kolen felt compassion for these. They would not get much sleep this night, and would run on still.

"We're ready when you catch your breath." Kolen said. They looked appreciative. They only needed a couple minutes. Both he and Gavra were informed on the controls of the glider, and how they would land. What their actions needed to be to catch the wind. After ten minutes, they straddled their seats, holding the glider between their legs. Gavra looked back at him before they leapt off, and grimaced. Then they leapt, and she squeaked and laughed.

They called the wind to their hand, held up to the lining of the glider. As his hand danced with signs, the air around his hand rippled and spun. He looked over, and Gavra was handling it with aplomb. Her deft fingers forming the signs for Call and Wind with easy grace, and she had a smile on her face. They lifted higher into the sky, wafting to and fro, but ever in the direction of the cape of southern Al Bidaya.

The fort was set on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It had been hewn right out of the rock; its towers' edges still left as part of the rough cliff. It sat three stories tall, and was probably the size of the underground cavern of the Auditorium, where his former religion of Penderfyniad met. The rock walls were set with old crossbows as artillery. They also had arrow slits to fire out of. Kolen had some ideas for those. There was one curved, stone bridge that spanned a gap to the land. On either side of the cliffs were stretches of shore.

It was likely that the early inhabitants were Densers experimenting with this position, shaping the cliffs to be a sheer climb. But this bottlenecked design wouldn't hold out against other Densers, not having accounted for the amount available after three hundred years. It was barely defensible.

Past the south ocean laid the lands of the Bastard Exiles, in Civitas. Those early Densers had also not accounted that having multiple wives and children by them would not net them armies of Densers. They put the fault on the children for being born. That generation was sent across the sea, dismissed and disavowed. And it was happening again, but Al Bidaya learned from what they'd done. Civitas had become a prosperous people, and sold the world their biotite chips- from materials only found in their land. Al Bidaya would end the Hals before they could do something similar.

As they soared, Kolen grabbed his hair in his hand. He gritted his teeth and shook. He was in support of all of these things. He had been the third in command of the branch of Determination, Penderfyniad. Zil's own will, personified. He had the will to execute kings and peasants alike to push their own agenda and the cultural status quo. It had taken divine intervention to save him from continuing in it until death. His "god" wouldn't have saved him from himself. 

His hand unclenched, and he breathed, calming. The divine had intervened. Was intervening. He was here. Aware of a need that needed to be met. His wicked intent was turned for good. At this opportune time. This Kairahs. He gulped. Zil may have been something, and claimed to have its own Opportune Time to come. But this Lofty One was higher, and knew the times and determined the seasons. And cared for him and these people. 

They found the small landing platform. It was lit by orange fire around the perimeter. Kolen and his pilot circled around for a bit, descending and slowing. The pilot made a gesture, and though he'd had the process described to him, Kolen marveled. They slowed greatly in the air. A different shape had blossomed and taken the spot of the glider's top rigging. Instead it was like a blanket spread wide over them. It attached to their seats, and let them down gently. 

Gavra soon landed once Kolen and his pilot had cleared the platform. Her brown hair was a mess. "Wasn't that incredible?" she said.

...

The inhabitants studied them. Kolen, Uri, and the rest walked through the crowd packed within the walls. The odor of the crowd's sweat clung to Kolen's nose, and grime stuck to his brigandine from rubbing elbows. The group reluctantly parted from in front of Uriphael.

At the end of the walk was a man laid on a cot. His wiry white hair was spotted with ash. Three guards stood in front of him with spears. They parted as well. Uri had made quite the impression already. The old man's eyes dully turned to meet theirs. 

"I'd half hoped you'd somehow come with an army in that ten minutes you left. And two more have come." He looked at Kolen and Gavra. "What can we do against so many?"

"This is the mayor, Avriah Hafii. He has been wounded." Uri said to their group. Looking over him, Kolen could see scorch marks on the other side of his body, near the wall. "I can't promise that you all will come out unscathed. I really can't promise anything." He paused, putting his hand to his temple.

Uri had shown just as much remorse and uncertainty when the Lofty One had spoken as Kolen had. But it must have been difficult for him as a ruler. The temptation was to promise that they would be saved, that Uri could handle everything. An easy thing to say. But truth was hard to utter to oneself.

"I didn't come with an army. It would seem I was here by chance. But I assure you, someone had other plans. I will fight alongside you. Not in your place. Not on your behalf. I have someone who fights my battles."

Avriah frowned. "You people must be different in Hazten. We'll show our own Determination, here. We're in a hole, and we'll pull ourselves out of it. Zil will be proud."

Kolen spoke up. "You do Zil no good. He can't do anything for himself, nor wipe his behind if you don't try to help him. Let your adoration go to Someone who has all the help, and can clean this mess up if He wills."

"This is truth." Uri said. "Now we must get to work. Give us rank with your people, and we will put the battle in order. There must be a way out of this." 

Avriah gave them leave, and appointed them as commanders in the sight of the crowd. The people then bowed to them. 

For the first hour, they interviewed Avriah on the numbers. The numbers were few in comparison to the incoming army. It was two hundred and change souls versus a thousand, at least. Some were trained guards. Many were not. Shopkeepers and streetsweepers. The majority were Hals.

Uri gave directions to the untrained first. "We need bowls. Pots and pans. Anything that can hold liquid." To others, "Gather stones, and make many pits. We're going to make fire." To the guards, he put several in charge of factions and groups. Merchants would work together as their own group, fisherman- their own, etc.

Finally, he put guards over the children and their guardians. Many were displaced, and had lost their parents. The able bodied kids would also work if they could. Uri understood that they would need something to do.

Their initial group walked into a tower. Strong guards accompanied them. Gavra took Kolen's arm, "What can I do? I can look after the children, if need be." Kolen saw the desperate look on her face. She was also one of the untrained. But she would get lost in the shuffle if they separated.

He shook his head. "We have a partner system, remember? You'll work together with me." She let go of his arm, stood up straight, and nodded. She would face the night, bravely.

Uri started their council. "We have over a hundred Hals. Some of them barely know their own abilities. We're going to need for them to learn quickly. Or else, get acquainted with throwing fire. This place is defensible so long as we understand our height advantage. They won't start approaching us until just before dawn. What do the watchers on the wall tell us about scouts?"

One of the guards filled them in on the details of the perimeter. Several heat signatures were discovered by the Hals watching on the wall. The archers that Uri had predicted were indeed waiting for people to cross the bridge. But only a handful. 

Uri gave Kolen leave to speak. "I think we must stamp out and replace the archers at the bridge."

Uri nodded. "Can I put you in charge of that? You may borrow a pilot to get yourself behind them. Once you are clear, usher others over the bridge and into the woods." Kolen was already thinking out his plans before Uri finished. 

"Even if we defend ourselves this day, they can come back another." Avriah said. "What do we do if tomorrow comes?"

"I'm thinking that through, now. I will give an update later on. But I expect that an agreement can be made. I have my ways, as Regem."

They exchanged plans upon plans. Uri and Kolen banked on the Hals' abilities to be volatile enough. A person came in, announcing to Uri that containers were then made available, and they left them by the door. The council was dismissed, each guard was sent to carry news to the different factions, then return for more preparation.

Uri turned to Kolen when they were alone, Gavra also remaining by their side. "You don't have a weapon, thanks to me."

Kolen shrugged. "I like to think I'm pretty resourceful. I'll figure something out."

"I know it may not look like much, but I hope you can use this." He handed Kolen a long, dull metal pipe. "We use blowpipes frequently for hunting. Practice with it before you find those archers."

"This is great! But how can I get ammunition?"

"One of my guards will make some. We're going to get creative, as you heard. I've let my steward know back home to make various liquids ready to be transported here by my covenant board. Help me get these buckets ready."

A five foot high container appeared in front of Uri out of thin air. For the next half hour, the three filled buckets, pots, and cups with the odorous liquids out of the bowl. The other guards arrived soon after they started to help get the containers to the walls. The steward had done well, sending three more before they were done with the first. The next two were small logs, clean water, and scraps of jerky. The jerky they took to every faction.

They finished most of their preparations with the next hour. Uri and Kolen slumped against a wall, sweaty. He asked about Uri's sword, and his plans. He asked Gavra about her painting, and her allusions. "Would you stay with me during the battle, and watch my back? I have things I need you to do." She nodded.

A woman gave Kolen his ammunition: needle like bolts of fire and lightning. They glowed in Kolen's dark corner. He couldn't touch them directly, but had the guard put them in a chip for him. Kolen smiled at the woman appreciatively. She wasn't one of Uri's guards.

"What's your name?"

"Ithia. The guard was busy, so I helped out for him. These can be loaded directly without touching them by summoning them into the blowpipe's space."

Images and thoughts sparked in his mind of what he'd do with that Densing. With the logs and flammable liquids. With Uriphael's sword. Tethering and Densing were chiefly about creative solutions. He remembered his old friend in Penderfyniad. He held the wind maqbid, and made his weapons and armor an artform. His other secrets he held close to his station, secret even from Kolen.

Kolen held the lightning maqbid. Uri wore the fire maqbid, attributed as his gambeson: fiery tree roots spread out from a glowing point on his chest. Absorbing and producing their certain Spoke, they were treasures on the same level as being a Metamorph, which Uri also was.

"Are you from here?" Kolen asked Ithia.

"I grew up in Al Magza, before they started sequestering the Hals here."

"Are you an Augmentor?"

"She is." Gavra said. "You were the one who made the street lights for the town, yes?"

"I did! It wasn't that hard."

They shook hands. "I'm sure it's hard to find lightning to use." Kolen said. Ithia pulled her hand back from his. In it she found a blue and black stone. He signed Call Lightning. The stone crackled, and electricity came out into his hand. He dismissed it, and the lightning stayed in her hand for a minute. "That's yours, now, Ithia."

She looked in wonder, both at the maqbid and to him. "Don't ask why. I want you to have it. I've used it for too long, for the wrong reasons. I think it's more compatible with you." Kolen said. 

She laughed. "We're about to die, and generosity was the last thing I expected. You may have just saved my life. Maybe your deity is legitimate, after all."

Then he asked Ithia to hold the bolts again, dipping them into a bucket of liquid. They took several bundles of bolts to buckets, and as soon as they touched and would have flared up, he stored the buckets away in a binding chip for later. After they were finished, he handed the chip to Gavra. She would keep it safe.

He took out the shaft of the blowpipe. He felt a tinge of loathing to replace his mantled bow. But he had to replace his life, starting with the things and even friends he had held so close to his heart. He had one last treasure that was part of his old life. He wasn't sure if he'd use it. Maybe fighting would be also one of those one day. But today, he had to do the necessary things.

Uri squeezed his shoulder. "Do your best out there. Make use of every advantage."

Kolen nodded. "You too. My shots will guard your back once you join the fight. I want you to get back to little Kovesh."

...

Kolen and Ithia stalked through the woods. They had spent the last twenty minutes finding all those that were facing the bridge, after being dropped off by their pilots. Ithia stopped, and with a sign, pointed out three more archers along the rim of the woods. Kolen dispatched them all quickly, within seconds.

He had put a Wind fusion of strong spirals inside the walls of the pipe, pushing the bolt as it came out. The outcome was fast and straight, and armor piercing. The bolts passed straight into their bodies through their leather armor. The lightning bolts caused them to convulse, but they were dead in less than five seconds.

"That is the last of them." Ithia said. She had dark skin, as Kolen's, with short, cropped hair. Her lip was split, but otherwise, she was able bodied. 

"Great work, Ithia. I couldn't have done it without you!" Kolen patted her on the shoulder. They walked out of the treeline, and beckoned to those standing beyond the bridge. Within a few minutes, eight archers joined them. Gavra also came down.

The archers consisted of some carrying actual bows, but most carried the cross sticks used in the war game, Hunt. It had a crook for holding a ball, and a spear tip. Ammunition couldn't be recalled from a living person's body, so they used blunt, but deadly orbs. Kolen's densed bolts were already disintegrated in the mucus of the dead archers, so he couldn't use his again.

"It's twenty minutes until first light." Kolen said to the group. "Find cover, and stick with it. If you're discovered, retreat. Then guard the way to the bridge." 

They dispersed, Ithia saluting him, and heading off with her shield partner. He gave Gavra an Al Bidayan soldier uniform that he'd taken off an archer. He gave her space to change. Afterwards, he took her arm.

"If I'm compromised, you need to get back across as well."

"You sound like you're doomed already. Say that you'll do your best to live. You can't see your old ways undone if you die." Gavra said.

"I may not have a choice. But you're right. I won't put myself in deadly peril unless I'm forced to."

"I have something for that, I think. Let's find our place to hide, preferably in plain sight. Then I'll show you."

They settled on a spot on the dunes overlooking the eastern shore. The fortress was on their right hand side, and on the left would come the incoming army. Gavra pointed, and led him to a nook between two rocks. She finger spelled what she saw, and when they sat between the rocks, she made a sign and the world went black for Kolen. He jumped.

"It's okay!" she said hurriedly. His vision quickly returned, and now only she was obscured. She was inside of a large rock. "I forgot that only the user can see out from these. You'll have to make your own."

"Outstanding idea!" he said. He found an empty chip and made the signs to do the same likeness. He covered himself over with the rock, using his index finger, thumb, and aug to adjust the size. Once it was set, the sun didn't illuminate what was inside. Therefore it was like looking out into a lit hallway from a dark room. He couldn't see her or she him. But neither would the army. "For our plan to work, I'll have to give you verbal commands."

She scooted up against his left side, and put her hand onto his bicep. "Tense your arm when you've hit someone. I'll know when to do it." she said.

They sat together on the dune, the sun making its appearance on the horizon. Kahton was about half an hour from eclipsing it. They would have to hold out until Uriphael could make his first appearance on the front lines.

Sweat trickled down Kolen's brow, and Gavra was trembling and breathing shakily. He then began to pray. "Master, I ask that you guide our hands. That you give us clarity in the midst of chaos. That you make us as bold as lions. Let it be."

Suddenly, a sand tornado came into view. It rumbled to their left, covering the enemy camp a half mile off. It astounded Kolen. Would that be the Commander's way of dealing with them? But as a minute went by, the wall of glimmering sand coalesced, showing masked soldiers with arms outstretched and catching the Land Spoke.

Closer and closer walled army crept. Arrows launched, and buried themselves in the sand, ineffective. They halted within an eight of a mile from the fortress. Suddenly, they threw the dust in the air, making little clouds of it. Sand started to billow up and forward. It pushed hard in the direction of the stronghold, the Bidayan soldiers wafting the wind to keep it aloft in the air. A draft helped it along from the sea. It was going to cover the whole battlefield, starting with Kolen and Gavra.

The flood washed right up over them. Gavra squeezed his arm, saying "Let it be." Kolen buried her face in his chest, placing two Land well traps on the rock next to them. Then He braced himself. The sand wall was diverted greatly by the wells, rushing into them. The wells were too weak and small, however. The rest of the wall made a light layer on them.

When he opened his eyes, he could barely see with his heavy lids. Therefore the next volley took them off guard. It raced into his collar, and across his back. His face was rubbed down with it, and he held his breath. Gavra coughed, and spit.

Then another volley. He fell to the side, on top of her. He groaned as it scratched him up and down. His lungs burned. It ceased, and they both were tense, getting little gasps in in case another came. One didn't.

Their thighs were covered in it, and into their boots. It stuck to Kolen's face, and into little cuts it had slit. Kolen hurt. But he forced his eyes open after calling the Land Spoke off his face.

"I can't see a thing." Gavra said, lacing her arm through his again. With the allusions up, neither of them could check how they looked. "But this doesn't change anything. I'll adjust by the time you fire."

The sun shone through the sand curtain, the glow spreading out over its surface. Kolen could see the army, now. But the fortress was still obscured and heavy. Arrows fired out of the slits in the walls. But the air was too crowded, and they quickly wobbled and fell.

Kolen saw movement in the army. A small group ran forward, bearing shield and spear. They came up to the sheer cliff of the fortress, climbing up the small dune they had made. The shield bearers made a canopy over them.

"I'm ready." Kolen said. Raising his blowpipe to his lips, he said, "Flame." He fired. It came straight through the veil, but he let it pass over their heads. He flexed. Gavra did her part, and flame rained over the front lines.

Panicked, they started pushed and flailing against each other to get the searing liquid off. Kolen recalled his bolt, and used it again and again until it was spent. Some smart soldiers called the fire into their hands from their scorched allies. But they had done significant damage already, and the front lines pushed back and forth, scared. They were over a hundred feet away, out of the binding chip's range to release or recall.

He took another scan of the battle. The shield formation at the cliff base had some rocks falling on them. He looked up from them. A hole had opened up in the wall above them. A man had fallen through, impaling himself on a spear. They were also out of range of the fiery bolts. But he raised his pipe to fire anyways. 

Then a man appeared in the opening. He dumped oil out into the air, and threw a torch into it. It lit and descended onto the group, whose shields couldn't stop the fire from spreading as soldiers ran into each other. The hole opened up more, and the floor vomited rock out. The man fell with the smoky rubble. He from above and those below were crushed.

He looked back on the army. He saw a figure directing people. Trebuchets launched at his command, and spiky rocks flew through and over the opening. He was upon a liram, its horns were giant. His shield was nearly the size of his mount, and his lance was of a lily and its petals. He was Callous. He sighed. Kolen was expecting to meet his best friend here.

Callous handed something off to a soldier covered in armor. The armor was light and built for mobility. The person started running into the trees, and passed from sight. Kolen hoped his archers would take care of the soldier, but they were probably just a messenger.

The sand was gone from the air for the most part, aside from the sea breeze pushing it inland. The dawn was full come. There was a pause with all action on the battlefield. Kahton was about to eclipse the sun in the east. Kolen, Gavra, and both forces would stop to put their sunglasses on. Kolen was getting comfortable to watch what would happen next. The Bidayan army thought that they had the Hals cornered. That was also true of them.

A singular craft flit around in the sky to the east. It went unnoticed, as people were not daring to catch a stray beam from the eclipse. Darkness started to cover the land. The waves came in higher onto the beach as the tides changed, splashing feet. The winds blew flames out. And a behemoth descended from the heavens.

Getting Gavra's attention, and pointed to the blocked horizon. The glider had started in at a diagonal angle, picking up speed until the Regem had jumped out. He continued hurtling face first towards the beach, until his form was a blur to Kolen's eyes. He barely caught the glimpse of a streak of lightning following Uri's shape.

Uri collided. Hitting the water on an angle, he barely made a plop. But once he hit the ground underneath, everything shot up at once. Spraying with courses of lightning, the water rose up onto many. Sand and water flooded them, and Kolen heard gargles and screams as the lightning passed through the army. Each soldier produced sparks as if they were rocks striking flint. 

Before they could even collapse, the ground underneath them exploded upwards as well. Uri flew out of a sand hole, unperturbed and unmuddied by anything in his way. He barreled through the ranks with his greatsword, cutting through ten men in seconds. Through he swung widely, it was not wildly. Each swing was with precision, separating neck from shoulder and spine from hips. Such was the strength of the plasma transfiguration.

Spears reached out for him. Those he didn't dodge were broken against his skin, leaving not a scratch. Those who backed up could not escape him. As he swung, fiery liquid poured out among them, consuming all it passed over. He continued with rigor, making wide sweeps as he ran, slaying some with the blade and the rest with the fire. All the while sprinting back towards the fortress.

Kolen turned his eyes on Callous, whose liram danced back on its hind legs from the explosion. He was in the back of the company, taking in everything that had happened. It seemed he recovered quickly, and recognized what was happening. He began to pursue Uri on his liram, jumping over dead soldiers. Tears of glass made from the electricity were revealed when the water pulled away. The liram nimbly danced around these as well.

He was gaining on Uri, lance upraised. Kolen knew the lily maqbid he held, that the lance could pierce Uri's defense. Anything filled with aug could, for that matter. Callous began to head him off, his large wind shield barring Uri from passing. The army was in shambles as Callous passed. Though he could wound Uri, as long as the walls held, they would win the battle this day.

He heard a cry from behind him, and Kolen turned sharply. The messenger from before had reappeared. Their armor had blood on it from where an arrow had pierced their left shoulder. The archers came out, and continued to fire at them. As the messenger ran towards the fortress, they put up a glassy wall to block the arrows behind. 

"This is your judgement! Zil is casting you down, for the heavens belong to Zil!" Kolen heard the woman's voice call. The woman crossed the bridge, disappearing behind the crumbly walls.

Kolen turned back to Uri and Callous. They faced off between the army and the place the solid denser had crumpled. Uri's sword was being deflected from the wind shield. Each thrust of the lily lance was being ignored by Uri's enhanced cognition. While they were at a stalemate, currently, Uri's ability only lasted a minute. He had seconds until he was vulnerable.

Gavra grasped that fact before Kolen could act. She shot forward, minimizing her allusion to fit in the palm of her hand. She ran towards Uri and Callous in her gray and yellow uniform. Kolen bit off a cry to deter her, and instead kept his eye on the three while he ran towards the fortress. Something felt very wrong about sending one zealous soldier into the midst of the enemy forces. 

Callous saw Gavra coming, but ignored her. She leapt and gripped the back of his jerkin, and the two could no longer be seen. They seemed as a large rock with legs. The boulder bucked back and forth. 

"Jump!" Uri yelled. He swiped the liram's legs out from underneath it, and made a quick swipe upwards to decapitate. The sword rebounded, and he instead made his way up the hill towards Kolen. The image fell straight down, then backwards, exposing the hewn off legs of the liram. Gavra fell backwards, limp out of the allusion, coming down to rest in the sand. She had expended too much aug, this day. Her allusion immediately evaporated. Callous angrily struggled to loosen his feet from the stirrups.

A cacophony of scraping rock came from the fortress, and terror rang out. He reached the bridge, and seeing across into the midst, he saw the messenger. She was dead in ankle deep sand. Dead at the feet of a large open book. Its pages trembled. Rocks flew into it from all sides, and it lifted from the ground. Blood splattered the stones, and walls began to crumble. The jagged projectiles from the trebuchet caught some of the inhabitants' feet, breaking them. Sand covered their faces as they screamed.

The woman had, at the cost of her life, summoned a manifold trap. Each page held a number of Land wells, painstakingly preserved for this moment. She was lifted into the book, crushed.

Kolen turned to find Callous smiling at him. Their soldiers had recovered their ranks, standing at the ready not far down the beach. "You foul creatures! You thought you could take the power of the stars-". A flash of recognition passed on his face, and his expression turned to grief. "I can't believe this."

Uri sprinted up to him. The pressure from his body faded, and he took a long moment to comprehend the situation. 

"A manifold trap, Uri. They've planned this whole thing to crush them all at once!" Kolen said, grabbing him at the shoulders. Ithia ran up, dismayed. She held up the maqbid, throwing two balls into the book. The stones swallowed them up, to no effect. She gasped with the effort. Every moment, Kolen was sure they lost another life. The book was covered over completely with rock, yet kept going.

"Take care of yourself, Kolen." Uri said, slapping him on the shoulder. He swiftly ran across the bridge. Kolen wouldn't dare try to stop the man in his good deed. Uri was battered from all sides, the sand sweeping him up. Yet he kept his footing. He fought towards it, large rocks crumpling his hand in a moment- yet in the next they recovered their form.

He grasped the book by its bloody edges, and pushed. He was lost in the veil, yet Kolen could tell it was getting farther away. The floor fell behind him. Then it passed out of sight. Both he and the book. They had toppled over the edge into the cliff below. The foundation gave a last heave as the ledge also toppled with them. 

There was a great silence. Sand settled back onto the ground, some streaming down like little creeks out of crevices. "He saved us!" Ithia croaked. Then shook Kolen's arm. "Here he comes." 

Callous approached, shield and lance raised. "Your Metamorph. That's Uriphael Diant, isn't it?" Kolen nodded. "Agony, don't you know what you have done? Hazten cannot channel Zil for as long as he sits on that throne. Even Civitas can be Enlightened. You had set us back, maybe eighty years! I have saved them the time, by doing what you should have done a month ago."

"Dramatic. I can see now where your anxiety comes from. You're so afraid. Did you think that this was you being strong?" Kolen gestured at the fortress. Their archers ran across the bridge to help the wounded, Ithia directing them. "This was weakness. Like Zil is weak. Even if Zil does exist, do you, head of Ziligism, help him? Show him courage, boldness, kindness? No- you look at what you've done! I will not serve your deity. I have a new name, and Someone else reigns over my soul."

"You wound me. We had been as one soul before Zil. But if you insist on cutting yourself loose, then I will set you free."

He readied his lance, eyes obscured behind a visor. Kolen set his feet. He lifted his hands in a Fyn-Pinyan stance, palms open. Fyn-Pinyan was all about dodging and light taps. Since Callous' eyes were protected, Kolen couldn't use Blinding Sway with lightning or fire. The man's armor would protect him from the abrasion of Land. He didn't have Ithia or Gavra. But if he fell, he would do it protecting that bridge. 

Callous thrust with his wind maqbid, spouting clouds that pulsed outwards. Kolen was just able to dodge the tip. But he was bucked back from a blow to his shoulder by the wind shield. The wind shield had several churning bubbles of the Spoke, each one was powerful since it was done one at a time. He was backed up the bridge. Pain sprouted in his arm, but he got up again. Focus, Kolen. 

The lily lance stabbed at him again and again. Kolen kept his stance tight, dancing around. Yet he kept being backed towards the hole in the floor of the fortress. One more step, and he would fall. On either side of them was a chasm the bridge spanned. The only way was forward.

"Maker of the waters and the land, Master- guide my hand!"

He called the wind of the maqbid to his left hand. Kolen gritted his teeth, diving forward as Callous drew the lance back. Kolen brought his hands straight forward, and pushed with the backs of his hands outwards with the Away ward. He divided the lance and shield away from Callous' chest. He held the shield in place with Stop. Using a Circle sign with his left hand, he planted a strong Wind well on Callous' chest. He broke his concentration, and the shield closed the gap, snapping his left wrist. Callous back handed him with the shield, and Kolen fell. 

Kolen choked off a cry, and darkness played at the edges of his vision. Callous was violently swept off his feet. The wind lance spun clouds into Callous' chest, and the man's air was audibly knocked out of him. The wind sent him straight out over the side of the bridge into the chasm. Callous plummeted twenty feet, then turned over and tried to break his fall with the shield. He was caught between the two sides, and crumpled onto the shield. On it he laid, gasping. 

Kolen called to Ithia, and she came. She helped him up from under one arm, and helped him down. "Guards, to me! Surround their captain!" They obeyed, readying their crosses to throw. The Bidayans still had a good amount of their force left. "What now, sir? It's not over yet, and we're badly wounded. We can't even use the plans the Regem set out for us."

Kolen chuckled. "I wonder how our plans look to the Commander."

"Sir?" she asked.

"We can plan all we want, but the One who made time declares if it comes to pass. His plans shall stand. And they're gonna be good." He said, taking his weight off of her. His vision was clearing. He would fight more if need be. A sight shook him back to weakness. Ithia caught him again. Uri walked up. Gavra had recovered, and leaned on Uri's arm.

"Not a scratch on him!" Ithia said. 

"Even with your liquid transfiguration, I would've considered you buried. Welcome back from the dead, friend." Kolen said, fighting his grimace with a grin.

"It wasn't easy. I had to rip off the rock off, so I could get it down to the appropriate size. It's here." Uri tapped the bag of chips on his belt. He shuddered. "I'd rather not break every bone in my body again. And I have you to thank for that, Captain."

Callous grunted in pain. His visor had come off in the blast. A scratch on his forehead let out a trickle of blood.

"I have a deal for you. Leave these people alone, and I let you walk free."

Callous spat blood. "You think I care what you do to me? My soldiers are already approaching. They'll wipe the slate clean."

"Fine then. If you're too small to bargain with. I declare war on Al Bidaya! We will rain fire and lightning down upon your towns. We will take your women for our own. Your children will be put to the sword. And my wife will be avenged on the Takutahn's! Will Zil be pleased by the blood spilt? Shall they come back to their Beginning of creation, stepping into blood and bile? And then we will crush them, as well."

He weighed the terms. The army was closely approaching, within a hundred feet. Their bows were trained on the group. He struggled on the shield, maneuvering his hands. He held up one hand. The fingers were mangled, and turning purple. The army halted. 

"Are we negotiating?" Uri asked.

"If we leave, you will not invade?"

"Not at this time. But you killed my wife." he hissed. "We will surround your borders, and track your waters. Yet we will not invade. By all accounts, we shall be at war. The invasion shall be stayed for such a time as this: when you hurt my people, the Hals, make sure your breastplate is on. The Commander's vengeance will be swift."

"You're a heretic."

"I don't have to spoon feed my own deity." He waited for a reply. When Kolen saw Callous' stubbornness, he came up the rocks where the man was stuck. Kolen removed the man's bag of chips, tossing them to the ground. The guards manhandled him out of the shield, leading him down the rocks. Kolen took the bag, dismissing everything except the clothes on Callous' back.

"Well?" the Regem said.

"We will not hurt them. Not a hair shall fall to the ground. But they shall live here, in our country. You will not remove them."

"Your country must then send them provisions. And provide monetary reparations. Wheat and corn. Straw and cotton. Fruits and the chips necessary to keep them fresh. Your craftsmen will be monitored to repair this fortress, and I will have my people draw up the schematics. Immediately, you will leave your army's food on this beach. That will be done within half an hour, and you will leave. I will be sending a covenant for your Takutahn to sign. And let him know that I will not serve your god, nor be afraid of your power. And one more thing." He turned to Kolen. "He's coming with me. You have no claim on him."

"You can have him. He means nothing to me. But if I see you on this soil again, your life will be forfeit. As our law demands of traitors to the Takutahn. These terms are accepted." Since Callous couldn't shake hands, he had to bow. Which gave Kolen great pleasure. Two guards escorted him back to his army, and the two returned safely. 

They somberly walked back across the bridge, knowing what they'd find. Much rubble. Fallen walls. Under which were bodies, bloodying the sand. There were children wailing for their parents. Parents, for the children. Some for lost limbs, or eyes. Those who could, looked up at the group. Someone held the mayor in their arms. Avriah was dead.

"You made it seem like the walls would keep us safe. You lied to us. You are unscathed. I'd rather have died than to live through that torture!" the one holding Avriah said.

"He made no such promise!" Kolen yelled at them. Uri held him back, grabbing his shoulder.

"Let them alone in their grief." He turned to the commenter. He fell to his knees. "I have no memory of such a promise. But if I did, then I am deeply sorry. What I can say is that you fought very bravely. I will explain more in a little while, but the Commander has staved off the army." He turned to the others, "Let us help however we can." He and Ithia directed each person to their work.  

They cleared the rubble. Some used Densing and Tethering, Kolen, as a non-denser, stored them in chips. Much rubble had the dead buried underneath. Ithia found a boy under some, which had made a perfect canopy. He had remained completely still, and came out unharmed. Uri had bowls filled with brander to heal their wounds. They also were fed on what the army had left.

They led who they could out into Al Magza to gather their supplies. The army had not loitered in the town, after their dismissal. The Regem shared with the leaders the plans to rebuild, namely Ithia, who was named mayor. They agreed that the fortress should become their home for the time being. After getting a head count of survivors, they had found exactly seventy. 

For the next two days, the seventy mourned with funerals. The mourning may have been heard by the city of Aubury, to the East. Kolen, Gavra, Uri, and Ithia made prayers for the survivors. The coast was littered with glittering flame fragments, the remnants of what had lit the pyres. Glass from where Uri had landed had caked one part of the coast. They started calling it Tear Beach. 

Tents were being built outside of the fortress, but it wasn't long until the broken floor and walls were built back up. Instead of building upwards, Ithia and Uri decided on a plan to create an underground town. It would be perfect for the Hals, and white light lamps could be easily made for the walls. With multiple exits. Giving them better defenses, Kolen distributed Callous' weapons from the bag.

"Did you actually want to come with me?" Uri asked Kolen.

"That was the assumption. What else could I do?"

"I wanted to ask you about that. Although I won't invade just yet, I need eyes and ears out here. Would you be willing to do this for me? You're under a new name, and I will send you a new identification card, as if you moved from Hazten."

"I will do it." Kolen said. "Gladly."

"You are a brave man. You'll be needing this." He gave him the fiery greatsword and two chips. "Hide that book, and never summon it."

"I'm honored."

"Come see me after. Someone else wants you."

Uri moved aside for Gavra. The man wiggled his eyebrows. "Where will you go?" she said.

He thought for a moment. "East, I think. Want to come with me?" Gavra hugged his arm. He kissed her hand, and smiled. "Bless the Commander."