Matriarch's Wish

[orphans]

This thread is closed to Sir Artemis and is part 4 of Azza's Exodus storyline and follows about a day or so after "He Who Waits for She Who Dreams (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?24518)." Perspectives will be in the first person from Artemis and Azza. Words that are within <for example> will be assumed to be spoken in Farien, the indigenous language of the people of Se'lutia and the language of Azza's kind.

Threads in (near) Chronological Order, leading up to Matriarch's Wish
Dreamscapes and Perhaps More (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?4837)
Children of the Shattered Moon (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?21534)
Just Another Year (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?21061)
Forever Young (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?21242)
Growing Up Fast (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?21775)
The Colors of Grey (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?22032)
Prudence (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?22609)
Following Your Footsteps (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?22756)
Serenti Semi-finals: Christina Bredith vs. Orphans (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?23596)

Prologue to Exodus
Perspective of Fate (Solo) (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?23725)
Of the Old and Young (Solo) (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?23113)

Exodus Storyline
Price of Passage (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?23356)
Songs of the Heart (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?23721)
He Who Waits for She Who Dreams (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?24518)
Matriarch's Wish (This Thread) (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?26006)

"You manipulated her."

"Yes... you could say that, but what began as my selfish need for closure has blossomed into something far more."

"And if she doesn't agree?"

"...then she will choose to punish my hubris and I must be ready for it."

[orphans]

It's hard to believe I had forgotten so much about my kind, about myself, and the promise I made so long ago to a landbound to defy fate. Yet, as I wander through this frozen wasteland of a country called Seoyruun, I can't help but wonder if I'm still trapped in the currents of inevitability. It's funny how an arrow to my head was the means to unlocking my memories. But, for the moment I am content to remember rather who I was, and reflect on who I am now.

I am - I was known as Azza of Farinma, a warrior to the Farinman Order and by the standards of my kind, I was a prideful and impulsive being. Being as young as I was then, I didn't care to prove them wrong. I eagerly threw myself into the Myirrua Unification War of my home realm of Vyanm, because the elders commanded. They had declared in the name of balance a need to curb human ambition. I saw it as a chance to prove my value.

Yet, it wasn't until the years dragged to decades and the flames of war consumed much of the continent and threatened to spill out to the rest of the world did I begin to do the unthinkable. To question my very Matriarch bordered on heresy. My brothers and sisters around me neither seemed to care nor understand that we were destroying the lives of countless landbound while the elders simply followed the Matriarch's plan. It was then that I realized I had never felt more small and insignificant in all my life. Above all, I realized just how alone I was even though I was surrounded by my order.

During those desperate times, a human girl sought to befriend me and in loneliness I accepted. At the time I denied the true meaning of our camaraderie. She was, after all, the child strategist of the doomed faction I pretended to serve while "summoned" as a demon familiar to the kingdom. Our time together would never last as I had been commanded to sap their strength slowly with ill-fated engagements against one of my brothers, a supposed angel to champion the righteous causes of justice. Even so, the burden of ending her life was to fall on my shoulders.

However, my kind ever never expected the child strategist I served to display such an unrivaled brilliance in her command of battlefield tactics. Coil's breath... there were even moments when I felt jubilation beyond my wildest imaginations when we achieved victories against all odds, only to be brought low knowing that I had failed my one given task.

In the end, I never imaged that she would see through our ruse so quickly and easily. And to think that she was able to piece together the fragmented puzzle of what was happening better than I left me in shock. She knew her nation was doomed, guessed I wasn't a demon and that my brother opposite the field wasn't an angel. Eternity's grace, the girl even haphazard a guess that the two of us were in league together during a private meeting and that made me panic. I was never strong of mind and at the time I only knew to solve my own problems with violence.

I should have killed her.

After all, she was just another landbound and after the thousands of lives I had already stolen, what was one more? But I didn't. Even when I had my sword starting to bite into the side of her neck, I couldn't and she knew it too. Somehow, she forgave me and instead offered a plan to escape both our predicaments. All she needed was time... and all I needed to do was break the laws of my order. It all sounded so simple then but with each step I take in this frozen wasteland towards a city that calls my name, I still wonder what it was all for.

I had thought that when my memories began returning, that when I remembered everything or nearly everything, that I would have the answers to my questions. Well, I suppose I do have answers to whom and what I am. In its place, the festering question of why I am here on this continent of Se'lutia continues to plague me. After all, I would be a fool now if I couldn't recognize the imprint of my kind upon this land... nearly just as strong as the imprint of my kind's mountain monastery. My home. My old home.



When did this happen? That I began to feel that this world is my home now? In just a few short years past a decade of living here, this world... this, Althanas, feels more home than my world of Vyanm ever did. Even now a smile stretches itself across my lips as my mind wanders to all of the fond memories I've had despite my brief existence in this realm. The very thought that all of it could be over soon makes my heart twinge in pain. Will I ever be able to visit my orphanage matron, Mother Holly, again when all this is over? It might be a small thing to miss, but I did enjoy the closeness when she braided my hair and told me stories of this world. Of days spent in a simple life and effortless joys of just feeling the sunshine upon one's face. Of days just wandering Underwood... well, I suppose right now in the middle of a civil war it might not be so wonderful.

And what of my adoptive father, Jensen Ambrose? An immortal forever blessed and cursed to live a life of ephemeral happiness and never ending loss. I know that I've done little to ease his pain with this selfish journey of mine. Would he still accept me now with all my changes? Could he still love a being that interferes with the fates of his kind?

Sei Orlouge as well... what would he think if he knew? The leader of the Ixian Knights and my father's employer - a man caught in the middle between the Rangers of Corone and the Empire's civil war. Without a doubt, a man like him could benefit from the abilities of my former self. But what if I disagree with his agenda and choose to side with the forces he isn't aligned with?

A quick shake of my head released me of my thoughts. As I stared ahead of myself across the white canvas of snow-covered lands, I could see the city of Arfezeria shimmering faraway against the night sky. From somewhere beyond, carried to me by the unending frozen winds, I could hear the familiar songs of the people that inhabit this land. I didn't know what they were singing about when I first arrived, but now I could understand. They sang in prayer for a better day. They sang in hope of peace. Above all, they sang for forgiveness from whoever Mahana was. It was a name I didn't recognize, but then again, why should I? After all, I was the worst scholar and thinker of my hatching.

Part of me wished that I had retained the lessons in more detail, because as much as all of the aforementioned questions boiled in my mind, there was a more immediate concern. Primarily, where in Coil's wisdom did my clothing disappear to and why are plants sprouting upon the spots that I step?

[orphans]

Still, walking alone in silence was something that had never bothered me. Back before I was reborn, I did so to avoid the pitying eyes of my kind at how crass I was and the baleful stares of those that I fought alongside. Pretending to be a demon certainly didn't earn me any favors with the landbound. When I was younger in Underwood, I had wandered beneath the boughs of the forest in ever wondering exploration. Everything was new then. I was even curious enough to try some slime growing on a rock because I had seen a wild boar do so.

Now I'm not so sure. With nothing but the sharp, cold wind to wrap around my body, the white snow to caress my feet, and the flood of memories to shield my heart, I waver. Even the sight of the full moon above framed by the countless stars did little to comfort me as it had done in my younger years.

... What if all of this is just one big mistake? Something tells me that I was meant to be here and that the ancient city shimmering in the distance holds the answers.

But what if-

<"YOU'RE WRONG, GUI'LUK!"> The booming voice echoed in my ears as I rounded a rocky outcropping. Before me, two large armored bull-like humans were glaring at one another with their faces nearly touching. I couldn't help but eye the great axe that one had resting against a shoulder while the other creature hefted a giant blade in a single hand with a shield slung on his back. Tulartars were what Erieai had called them. Behind them was a campsite with several small fires that were crowded by an assortment of other creatures. <"The Skalu Hudie isn't what the elders thought. She didn't kill us and instead spared us! Can't you see?">

The one with the great axe, Gui'luk apparently, gave the one with sword ad shield a push. <"I see nothing but a spineless coward! Who made you speaker for the elders, Sui'en? You know just as well as I that we're soldiers and our orders are to kill the World Ender. If you won't kill her then you're a traitor!">

<"I'm not the only one that feels this way, Gui'luk! Open your damn eyes!"> Sui'en shoved back with a free hand.

<"There she is!"> a voice shouted from one of the campfires.

All eyes spun to me and for a brief moment the world stood still aside from the crackling of wood in various fires. Inwardly, I cursed at my own foolishness for letting my mind wander so much. I should have been more aware. Knowing that I would likely turn into a pin cushion if I tried to run, my mind raced on what options I had. I raised both hands slowly to show I was unarmed, though being naked already confirmed that, and uttered rather stupidly, <"Uh, hi.">

I had barely finished my greeting when two sets of orders were bellowed, one from each of the tulartars:

<"KILL HER!">
<"GUARD THE SKALU!">

Well this is awkward.

Almost immediately, a feline rose with a bow drawn and a moment later an arrow whistled past and I felt blood beginning to seep from a cheek. Another flew in swiftly and this time I threw my arms up in desperation with no expectation of anything useful to happen. To my surprise the air before me crackled and suddenly shimmered with a barrier. When the arrow struck, light burst outwards and a second later someone was yelling in pain while I found myself sprawled in the snow.

Then pandemonium erupted. Several reptilian creatures, skegulls, ran at me with spears raised only to be intercepted by a group of the mice-like ioaiis as they practically flashed into position before my eyes. The two tulartars were done exchanging words and were now trading blows that made their steel sing out against the din of screams and frantic shouts. Something grabbed my arm roughly, making me lash out with a bare fist. It met the maw of a wulven man who only grunted before yelling, <"You daft girl! Get up! The faithful can't protect you here! Move!>"

I tried to speak, but with my jaws locked in fear I did little to protest as he dragged me to my feet and began running for cover towards what I assumed was a friendly shield wall while the dead and dying continued to grow quickly in number. Arrows rained against the kite shield my protector held and for once in my life I thanked my short stature and gifted stamina.

[SirArtemis]

“Something feels wrong about all this . . .” I turned to look at Jackal, his words breaking the silence of the ride. He rubbed a hand atop his jet black hair, his blue eyes looking away as though looking for answers. He was right though. The tension was palpable within the compact little vehicle; Erieai had called it an MGP, which she said stood for mobile gun platform.

The group sat quietly within while Erieai barked commands at her fellow eluvians to keep the MGP on track. It was as though a horse carriage had its top cut off and been made of steel, and instead of the horses there was a massive gun the likes of which even Victor Callahan the gunslinger would have feared. And yet it was somewhat relieving that it was ours to control.

The look on everyone’s faces showed they weren’t in much better spirits. I sat in the back beside Jackal and Pell. Maybel sat beside Inta on the left side of the MGP with Oswald and Holly across from them, speaking quietly amongst themselves with the sound of the MGP washing away the rest. The front was left to Erieai and the crew.

“I get the same feeling,” I finally answered Jackal after many moments of silence. “I can’t say what it is, I can’t even begin to guess, but something definitely is wrong. It’s unsettling.”

Pell looked up and across jackal at me with a look of concern, his golden eyes softly glowing. “I hope you aren’t second-guessing your decision. Hesitation in times like this will get you killed.”

“It’s not hesitation,” I answered, lifting my gaze toward Erieai as she looked out the small slit at the front of the vehicle. “If anything, it’s a sort of anxiety. I feel like I have to be on alert without rest. My nerves are on edge.”

“Good,” Jackal responded, tossing a knife into the air playfully. It was a habit of his to pass the time, and one he was quite good at. “I’d rather your nerves on edge than dull. Stay alert or die.”

It wasn’t just words for the sake of it. I saw it in his eyes. They were scanning for trouble, or for any sign of concern. A moment later, they locked on something ahead of us as he stood up, steadying himself and holding onto his seat as he did.

“Hey Pell . . .” Jackal began, but before he could say something more, Maybel rose as well and looked off into the same direction.

“That’s Arfezeria. But . . . those don’t look like ruins. It looks brand new. Wasn’t it destroyed?”

With that, Oswald rose and looked out for only a few seconds, concern splashed across his face as clearly as any emotion I had ever seen him wear. “It was,” he answered, slowly sitting back down and looking at Holly.

Silence washed over the group again as we all resumed our seats. I turned looking out behind us, watching the trail of vegetation drift away – the only remnants of Sophia that we had to go by. I couldn’t believe all this had to do with that sweet little girl. She looked like she didn't even know how to use a sword. I saw her as more interested in stories and history than war, yet she seemed to be at the center of it all.

It was all so foreign. I had left Corone a couple months ago it seemed, and all on an impulse. Now, sitting here, it all felt so surreal; so distant. I don’t mean literally distant – Thaynes only know how far I literally was from the island of Corone. But everything was so strange and different here that I felt like I was distant in time as well. It’s hard to think back on my friends – Jay, Bazzak, Nalin, and all the rest – without feeling like I’ll never see them again. Not because I fear for my life, though that’s a very real threat as well, but because I feel like I’m hundreds of years apart from them and I’m living in a dream.

Only a few minutes passed before MGP rounded a bend, and suddenly we could see countless bodies alongside us as we rolled past. Everyone’s eyes darted around the vehicle as the adrenaline began. I heard a sharp shriek and turned to see a massive tulartar crushing the head of a cattyan that he held in his grasp. The howl was the last thing the creature could do before its head popped like a ripe grape. I watched as two wulven, both limping quite severely, moved toward the remaining tulartar.

“Hold,” Oswald commanded, his outstretched arm emphasizing the message. He hopped out of the vehicle, quite nimbly for his age I might add, and started to walk toward the trio of beastmen. His sword remained sheathed as Holly followed, and thereafter the rest of us as well. We all stood half a dozen yards from them, exchanging glances in silence.

The tulartar looked up at us, his loud voice rumbling as he asked what to him was a simple and straightforward question: "Faithful or no?"

[SirArtemis]

Honestly, I had no idea what to do; what was meant by his words or why we were attempting to communicate rather than slay this beast was a mystery. Then again, that’s why I wasn’t the leader – I suppose I had become the muscle . . . sort of.

Oswald stepped forward, gesturing with his hands and speaking what I could only imagine was a foreign language. The tulartar scoffed in what seemed like amusement in response.

“What’s he saying?” I asked, turning to Jackal.

“Who?”

“Oswald obviously. You know, the one who made what sounded like words.”

“He said we’re here to protect the girl.” Jackal smirked as he said it.

“To be more precise,” Maybel intruded, “He said we vary but we all mean to protect the girl.”

“Vary in what?” I asked, but before Maybel could answer the tulartar began to speak again, and Maybel whispered into my ear in translation as the conversation went on.

<”I've heard that Children of the East are strange in their beliefs, but if you mean to protect the Skalu, then we are of the same cloth.”> The tulartar’s voice sounded gravelly as he eyed Holly, then walked toward me. Maybel stepped away as the tulartar spoke and pointed at me.

“He says you smell funny! Told you it’s the suit!” Jackal said, lurching forward in laughter.

Pell only sighed at Jackal’s reaction. “He actually said you smell of distant shores.”

< “The girl is my charge and the other is with me. We are bound by honor and creed to save her,”> Holly responded, as Maybel resumed translating. Everything seemed so precarious in that moment. I simply stood there, my eyes locked with the tulartar. I could feel him scrutinizing me. I lifted my forearm and rubbed my bracer with my other hand, adjusting it slightly. A few yards behind the beast, the wulven hastened to bind their still-open wounds while Oswald looked upon the tulartar warily.

<“Those faithful to the Skalu and she are being pursued. They fled into the dead forest to the west towards Arfezeria. We three will follow when we can.”>

As the tulartar spoke, one of the two wulven hurried forward. <"Wait! Bring me along with you. My brother, he guides the girl and will not hesitate to fight those of the east."> Its voice was more guttural than gravelly, like that of the massive tulartar, with a touch of wheeziness due to his wound.

Oswald nodded in acceptance at the offer and motioned for Inta to aid him. The woman hesitated for only a moment, mumbling to Pell as she passed him by. “I swear . . . if it bites me . . .” I smiled at hearing it, watching her move off to help the wulven.

As quickly as we had come, the brief exchange had ended and the group returned to the MGP. Erieai, absent of the whole exchange, immediately protested at the prospect of allowing an enemy aboard. “Save the girl, more important than fighting,” was all the wulven had to say in response. I could see her cheeks flush with embarrassment, and she quickly turned away and started the MGP off toward the forest.

“What language was that?” I asked Pell as we returned to our seats.

“Farien. It’s more of the old traditional tongue of the land. It’s not used as often any more except among the beast tribes, but everyone learns it. Except Jackal.”

“What can I say? Let the language die. It’s already more than half way there,” Jackal added, tossing his knife again.

“Artemis!” Erieai yelled. “Here, show the wulven how to use this,” she said as she tossed me a rifle.

“Really? Of all people in this MGP you choose me?”

“Consider it a test. We’ll see how well I taught you; or more precisely, how well you listen. If we get in a fight he may as well be useful. It doesn’t look like he’s in any shape to brawl any time soon.”

“Oh I can’t wait to see this,” Jackal said with another smirk.

“Shut up Jackal,” was all I could add. If I didn’t know any better, I would be convinced my life was a comedy. Admittedly though, the way things were going, this was certainly going to end in tragedy.

[orphans]

My lungs burned as I rasped in air desperately and yet I didn't dare slow down. Deformed shapes of blackened trunks blurred by me as low hanging branches raked at my bare skin. All the while arrows thudded in snow behind me, against the wood of the trees and clattered against the steel shield my protector held as he kept pace with me.

Suddenly the ground was a few inches lower than I anticipated and with a scream I pitched forward as the snow raced up to meet me. Then my vision began tumbling before something collided with one of my horns. With the world ringing and spinning as I came to a stop, I felt a hand drag me up and press me close. A second later the sound of arrow heads on metal grated in my ears. Without pausing he hurled both me and himself behind a fallen tree nearby.

Screams, shouts and voices continued to echo around us amongst the trees. In this brief moment of respite, both of us pull in the frozen air in heavy heaves. <"Hells... should have expected the fucking cats to have a few waiting in the trees,"> my guardian practically snarled as he tightened the straps of his shield. Whatever the case might have been, the numbers that protected me had dwindled considerably and the dark forest did us little favors when the arrows began to pick us off one by one.

<"Take this and keep running till you see the Field of Stars. Cross that and seek out my kind"> Without waiting for my answer, the wulven pressed a long dagger into my hands and then with a hasty shove, leapt over the fallen tree with his sword drawn. A mighty howl bellowed out from somewhere and my guardian answered quickly in kind along with others. A plume of flame erupted overhead and sent droplets of melted snow and burning bark scattering everywhere. <"Run!">

Scrambling to my feet in the slush I started sprinting again in the same direction as before. Not entirely sure what a field of stars would look like, I stopped to glance back in hopes he was following. Instead, I saw a reptilian attacker harrying the wulven with its spear and occasional bursts of magic. There was a sharp whistle followed by an arrow flying out of the gloom that struck my left shoulder, knocking me down onto the snow again. Screaming did little to alleviate the pain but for the first time in a long time I felt true anger rising in my heart.

Tightening my hold on the dagger I crawled as best I could to the cover of another tree. A quick motion wedged the blade into the trunk to free my hand. A small tug on the shaft sent shocks down my entire left side, but I didn't have the luxury of waiting - I was going to need both my hands to get out of this alive. Gritting my teeth together and bracing myself against the tree, I tore the arrow away and screamed again at the pain despite my best efforts to keep in my voice.

A rustle above me had me look up to see a shape dropping down. Without thinking, I rolled away just as a cattyan plunged down only to lodge its sword where I had been a moment before. Grasping at anything to help steady myself, I latched onto what felt like an exposed tree root and pulled hard to right myself. With a yell, I got up and threw myself against the feline, managing to catch a hint of surprise in its eyes before we both crashed into the slick ground.

A burning sensation ran down my back as I felt the razor claws of the beast dig into my flesh and with no weapon of my own, I was beginning to feel very idiotic. Yet with every punch I threw I could feel the vitality slipping from my opponent, even as she continued to claw and hiss at me. That didn't stop her from controlling the grapple however, as we both tumbled about until I was pinned against the base of the tree with the feline's hands coiled around my neck. Blinding pain shot through my mind as she forced her weight down further, crushing my wings more and more beneath me. <"Die rat!">

Rage welled up at my predicament and suppressed what could have been fear. In spite of being at the disadvantage with my vision starting to fade, I gripped at the fingers tightening about me with one hand while the other scrounged for anything to gain leverage. Touching a familiar handle, I tore it out of the bark before swinging with all my remaining strength. A wet crunch sounded soon after as I saw surprise for the second time in the cat's eyes. Slowly, they glossed and lost their light with the much appreciated relaxing of her grip. Even then, the dead body tried to smother me and with a choking gasp, I shoved the corpse off me.

Without much pause besides to regain my breath, I began searching the body for anything that might be useful. Clothing came to mind but with my given time, I settled on stripping off a belt attached with a dagger and sheath. With that looped around my waist I looked about for the sword and found it standing stuck between a tangle of roots. As I took stock of everything so far, I could feel my wings aching badly and that my body and neck were most assuredly bruised. Somehow I managed a chuckle at the miracle of still being alive and wondered briefly if all this was planned too.

[SirArtemis]

The ride dragged on, bodies peppering the land alongside the line of fauna we were following. After teaching the wulven how to use a rifle, who introduced himself later as Ing Ehren, I asked Pell to switch seats with me and I began asking Maybel for some explanations. The entire time I had been on this island, far from my home in Salvar, I had continuously felt like a leaf floating on water. I’ve had little control of my fate, and yet something inside me told me all of this was happening for a reason.

To escape from it all and reflect on what Maybel told me, I found myself closing my eyes and withdrawing into the magical realm of my sentient bow, Judicis, which passively took on the form of a white bracer upon my left wrist. Now, sitting in the study of a magical realm, a room floating in a void of nothingness, I talked it all out with the spirit.

Judicis and I sat in comfortable velvet chairs, with high backs and soft fabric. The room was small, walled with bookshelves and a soft carpet beneath us. A small mahogany coffee table sat between us as we sipped tea and stared into the cracking flames of the fireplace. I had become accustomed to this, but to the normal person this would all seem bizarre, as for example there was no ceiling – just infinite blackness like a starless night sky.

“Quite the interesting story,” Judicis began, sipping at his tea. He took the form of an elderly man when I visited his realm; he had some resemblance almost to Oswald. He had a finely trimmed beard and head of white hair, cropped relatively short but long enough to have some character. He wore an immaculate black suit with matching shoes, sitting cross legged just two meters away.

“It is. But I’m not sure I quite understand it all, or even remember it.”

“Well, how about you talk it out with me and I’ll correct you where I may. After all, my memory is more efficient than your own.” He chuckled at his humor, and I grinned in return. After all, one of Judicis’ abilities was that he stored everything in a person’s memory the moment they came in contact with him. Anyone who had wielded the bow over a span of millennia had had their memories duplicated and filed away into the sentient weapon, even the things that individual couldn’t rightly bring forth in any particular moment. That was the symbolism of his library – or so he had told me. I had once looked at some of the books, and I noticed the spines of all were names of people. Whereas their size appeared small, their magic made the pages turn without turning, and thus the story could go on into infinity; or at least until the memories stopped.

“Let’s see,” I began, trying to sort through all the information Maybel had given me, and that which I had collected along the way. “So people came to this island of Se’lutia under someone they call Mahana nearly two thousand years ago, during the time of the demon wars. A generation later, an atrocity committed by those who came brought down Mahana’s wrath upon the land, bringing destruction to the city of Arfezeria, the place we are now going.

"The destruction of Arfezeria split the island into two extremes – frozen lands to the east and the jungles to the west. In pure contempt, those with fur were sent to swelter in the heat of the jungles, and those with bare skin were sent east to the frozen wastes, to contend with the natural worlds. Now, what I don’t quite understand is what exactly prevented the communication of one half of the island to the other.”

“Mmm,” Judicis responded with a nod. “Well, so far you’ve been accurate. As Maybel speculates, the city of Arfezeria may have something a bit odd about it. He and the other magi sense a disturbance in magical energy sourced from that location, and that disruption strengthens as one approaches. Perhaps there is more to it than he or any others yet know.”

“That makes sense,” I agreed. “After all, they say magic is extremely abundant and always has been, but from what I know the land of Althanas is rather lacking so something is up with this place. That goes back to their mana cleansing ritual. It looks like there’s too much magic; so much so that if it overflows, one gets poisoned by the mana and can die; though apparently those of the beast tribes are more resistant to magic, and limited in their magic, which prevents mana poisoning. As Maybel describes it, the magical energy left behind is both a gift and a curse.

“Then we get to how the island has remained a mystery for so long. Mahana’s ancient spell wove a cloak of sorts over the land to hide it from demons, given the point of history. And that’s a point of connection between new and old, so to speak. The language that wulven spoke, Ing, appears to be the old tongue in which magic was written and invoked, or at least on Se’lutia. What was it called again?”

“Farien,” Judicis added with a smile. “Remember, it’s only the language of magic here. Magical invocations and tomes are not always in the Farien language once outside of the borders of Se’lutia. Still, you’re doing well. I’m not sure why you’re so hard on yourself and feel you’ve jumbled it. Let’s keep going. It seems we’ve almost covered what we know so far.”

With a nod I continued. “There’s the eluvian people as well. The most interesting thing about them seems to be linked to magic as well, and song. As the people of Se’lutia believe, song holds the power to better direct and channel the flow of magic. In their history, they have had very few of whom they know as Song Evokers, all thirteen of which were of eluvian descent.

“Then there’s the damn grezicks that people were confusing me for.” Judicis chuckled, anticipating the frustrated comment. “So apparently they’re saturated with magical energy which is why their eyes glow. When the excavations of ancient machinery began, they realized the equipment appears more reactive to higher mana concentration. The domes themselves were originally just for necessity and survival, yet somehow in time turned into prisons of sorts.

“And finally there’s the connection with Sophia, the one they believe to be a Skalu Hudie, or the “Sky Shephard.” She is believed to be a prophet, and only one other has appeared in their two millennia of history – as far as they know. With the first prophet, the prophecy itself seems to have been born. ‘The first of us, punished. The second of us forgives. The third of us will bring balance.’ That seems to be what this is all about.”

“It seems we’ve come full circle back to the girl,” Judicis said with a nod. His expression seemed thoughtful rather than his typical smug all-knowing look. “The question now becomes ‘how much of what they believe they know is actually true?’ Certainly there are pieces that fit together and make sense, but there are absolutely more questions than answers. Even my archive gives me little, as I have nearly zero experience from those of this island, only snippets of stories. Perhaps some of the other members of the group may have little pieces that they can add, or new angles with which to shed light on the shadows of unknown.”

I took another sip of tea, my face now mimicking Judicis’ own. He was right of course. Sure, I knew now more than I knew before, but now there were so many more questions. And at the end of it all, my intuition was shouting at me about something which I couldn’t quite pinpoint; in my brief life, I had learned to trust that intuition. And the most important question of all was what is my intuition trying to tell me?

[orphans]

<"It's good to see you... still among the living, Skalu."> The familiar and gruff voice of my protector wheezed behind me as he sank down, leaning his back against the tree. His breath was being drawn in long rattled gasps and one glance told me why. Rather, I could see him holding what looked to be the end of a broken shaft that was protruding from his right side - the spear from the reptile if I had to guess. <"You should keep going. I just need... to rest a bit.">

Those words rang in my ears. How many times have I heard that exact phrase uttered by other men on the battlefields of bygone years? I could certainly count how many of them actually got better - none. <"No. Not yet.">

Annoyance flashed in his eyes as he tried to push me away when I came near. <"There might still be a few... around. The only thing I can do now..."> another pause as he coughed a bit of blood. <"Only thing I can do now is buy some time."> I didn't answer him and brushed his hand away from the broken haft and grasped it with both my hands. I looked to him and saw he was already bracing himself as best he could. Catching my eyes, he gave a hesitant nod and I pulled as hard as I could. Warm blood coated my hands as he snarled through clenched teeth.

I handed him a small flask I had found off of the cat earlier. <"Drink this.>" Through smell alone, I could tell it was an herbal poultice with nearly the same scent that my Mother Holly used to make for sick children. There was a skeptical look, but he didn't argue and drank. It certainly wasn't going to stop the bleeding and the most it could do was to take the edge off the pain. The very thought made tears begin to well in my eyes.

I didn't want to watch another protector of mine die. My adoptive mother had been the first and then many more in the Ixian Castle months ago when Cassandra Remi's plot came to fruition. I thought I had escaped all that when I took this journey to a faraway land, only to be seen as some sort of holy figure. And somehow, even my old orphanage matron was here to protect me. Me! A butcher in my past life of the landbound and all in the cruel name of balance. A rough hand suddenly brushed at my eyes. <"No time for those.">

He was right. If I have time to pity myself, I could certainly use it to help him, but how? <"What's your name?"> I asked, more to distract him as my mind feverishly tried to recall anything I could do to save him.

The wulven chuckled through a cough. Blood was filling his lung now. That much was obvious. <"Kau. Kau Ehren. It means strong growth, much like the plants that trailed behind your feet. To be able to grow in such a dead land."> Strong growth. The same like the plants re-growing in a dead land. Of course! A regeneration augment would save him, but how?

As if to answer my plea, tendrils of iridescent green seeped through the snow on the ground and coiled about my body. Indescribable warmth soon permeated my senses and without thinking, I reached out and touched the gaping wound in Kau's side. A moment passed and the tendrils disappeared along with the emerald glow. To my relief, his breathing became steady and a bewildered look dominated his eyes. <"Feel better?">

Standing, he twisted his frame back and forth then nodded with a grin that slowly turned to a frown as he spoke. <"Better than a full night's rest, but we've wasted enough time."> I frowned behind him as he began to move towards the direction we had been travelling. When I moved to follow, he suddenly held out a hand. <"Give me the sword and get on my back."> I had a feeling he wasn't going to take no this time.

[SirArtemis]

“Artemis,” Judicis began, leaning forward in his seat. “I have an idea. Let’s make some use of my ability. You have a collection of individuals sitting alongside you who likely have very different views and backgrounds on the world. Let’s consolidate them and sort through them together. Perhaps we can fill in some gaps that way.”

I looked over at him, then down into the golden-brown pool of tea that I gently swirled in my cup. I confess I needed answers, and perhaps this was the best way to do it. With a nod, I let my consciousness drift back into the real world.

When I awoke everyone sat quietly. Jackal had his arms crossed and leaned back, eyes closed, resting. Pell and Maybel were discussing something in whispers so as to not wake him. Holly and Oswald’s eyes were sharp and searching, as though their anxiety had reached a point where it would not let them rest. The wulven stood beside Erieai, to her displeasure, and simply watched their movements. Inta sat quietly as well, looking up at the starry sky.

“Everyone,” I said softly, “I need a favor from all of you.” Those who were awake turned to me, and I noticed Jackal crack an eyelid open to look. “It may seem odd, but I need all of you to place your hand on my bracer one at a time. I will explain later, but it is related to the sentient magic of my bow and will help me prepare for whatever is to come.”

Jackal let out a little chuckle, placing his hand upon it for a moment. “You’re a weird guy, you know that? Suit and all.” He then removed his hand and went back into his resting posture. I extended my arm around the MGP, allowing each member to do the same, and walked over to Erieai as well. She gave me a curious look but went along with it, and I sat back down. It didn’t seem as though much time had passed, and it was still night, so I nuzzled back into the corner of my seat and drifted back into Judicis’ world once again.

When I arrived in my usual seat, Judicis wore an exasperated expression, resting his head against the palm of his hand. “I must say, to say these people have conflicting views is an understatement, but at the very least we may be able to put some of the pieces together into a sort of story.”

I ran a hand through my hair, letting my eyes fall up into the blackness of the ceiling-less library, and prepared to listen. “You have the information this time, Judicis. So, tell me what you know.” Judicis set down his cup of tea, folding his hands over his mouth briefly before lowering them and beginning his monologue.

“Let us begin with Pell Ringmar, the grezick. Pell, for your own knowledge, is quite adept at augmentation magic; this has made him much more sensitive to the mana flow and shift within the land, and that is pointing him toward Arfezeria – thus his presence in the unit.

“Jackal Shavuk, as you can imagine, trusts practically no one. He is surprisingly one of the most knowledgeable of the group when it comes to the legends of the land, but they mean little to him. His presence is linked only to his cynical view that if the world were to end, he’d like it to happen to him first.

“Maybel Wallsmore, despite his often calculating demeanor, is soft at heart. He feels responsible for what happened to Sophia, and so he is coming to redeem himself – though as you recall he was nowhere near her when the incident occurred. He also seems to believe that there are issues regarding the mana of the land, and has some strange suspicious regarding you and the woman Holly – though I don’t have enough to tell you about that specifically.

“Inta Aludor, similar to Pell, senses flows of mana due to her grezick background. She has visited Arfezeria before, and she was used for her affinity to machinery that we’ve learned was important. She is quite fascinating because contrary to Jackal’s thorough knowledge of legends, her experiences in archeology have lead to many old journals painting a very different history of Se’lutia than most people believe. One of the most interesting is that Mahana, oddly enough, wed a wulven with whom she had a child. The stories are complex and quite interesting, but we won’t go into them deeply now.

“Oswald Ironmane too is a grezick sensing the flow, and is quite certain Mahana is a vengeful rather than benevolent goddess due to his own dark experiences of life. He is coming to prevent any sort of cataclysm that may come in relation to Sophia, and he will stop at nothing to prevent that sort of catastrophe even if it means killing the girl. Ideally, he intends to sway her from her path and prevent any harm from being possible.

“Then there is Oswald’s wife, though nobody knows that now except for you.” I raised my eyebrows at that comment, looking over at Judicis’ smirk. “Holly Ciders, or Holly Ironmane, is one of the most fascinating people I’ve come across, and certainly within your group. She has raised Sophia, or better known as Azza to her, for the majority of this child’s life. Surprisingly, she has a connection with an individual named Sakuya who may be quite pivotal in all this, though I can’t say more on that just yet. Her strength is growing as well, and along with her determination, she will stop at nothing to protect Azza. I will say that her memories came in fragmented, out of order, and there are many gaps, which very rarely has ever happened to me – it will be fascinating to discover why as time goes on.

“Finally, we have Erieai Ezraehie. The eluvian woman has quite the scientific backdrop to her life. Historically speaking, Se’lutia used to be much more technologically advanced, which is why the machinery at the archeological sites weaves magic into technology seamlessly. She also is quite aware that the mana saturation of Se’lutia has nearly reached a breaking point. However, she is here for Sophia, as she believes that the girl is the key to restoring the world, and she too will throw everything she has into this mission.

“That’s all I can add to the mix for now,” Judicis concluded, raising his still-hot cup of tea and sipping gently.

“Well,” I said, lowering my gaze from the blackness above and back at Judicis, “I suppose that’s a lot to take in. I’m going to head back. Something tells me it won’t be long now before whatever is going to happen happens. I need to be alert for that, and this is a lot to digest.”

“Artemis,” Judicis said, looking over at me with charged eyes. I met his gaze, so that he knew I was paying attention. “Stay alive. You may end up playing a larger role in this than you ever would have expected.”

I laughed at the gravity in his voice. “Regardless of whatever the hell does or does not happen, I have no intention of dying, so I’ll at least promise you I will do my best to avoid it.” With that, I let myself return to the MGP and opened my eyes, looking around among the seats and then up at the night sky. It was getting lighter; it would be morning soon. Looking over the edge I saw that we were approaching a forest.

“Can this thing even maneuver through a forest?” Jackal asked.

“Of course it can, you idiot.” Erieai added, turning back to cast a glare.

“There's an old road nearby that leads to Arfezeria,” Inta piped in. “It should still be serviceable."

“If Sophia is crossing through the forest she’ll have to cross the Field of Stars along the way.”

“Take the road,” Oswald ordered. “It will be faster than weaving through the trees I’m sure. Be on your guard everyone. We’re close.”

[orphans]

<"Aren't you getting tired?"> I managed to ask as I stared over Kau's shoulder. The wind was stinging my eyes at how fast he was running and there was a part of me fearing he would run into a tree. I didn't exactly relish the thought of flying off his shoulders at this speed.

<"I've never felt better!"> was the shout I received as he cleaved past a low hanging branch weighed down by snow - one that I didn't even see. Soon enough though, the way out of the forest appeared as did the break of dawn. Looking behind us as we emerged from the trees, I noted that the trail of plants was missing. <"There,"> my head turned to look to where he was pointing. <"That's Arfezeria. After we cross the Field of Stars, we should be able to find help from a wulven encampment nearby."> Aside from the city that he pointed at the only other thing to break the monotony of nature was a bridge that spanned the lake towards Arfezeria some ways off to the north.

<"Can we trust them? I mean... what if they're like the others hunting us?"> A grumble drifted from his muzzle and I could only guess what he thought. The possibility of being chased by more people certainly did not seem appealing to me nor Kau, at least from what I could gather from his reaction. Despite my question, he began to move towards the frozen lake and as we approached I could see why it was called as such. The surface of the lake was nearly glass-like, curiously free of snow and reflected the light of the rising sun. It was easily several miles wide in all directions with the opposite shore barely in view. However, as I squinted past the glare I could see spots below the surface in the inky depths that glowed like stars - millions of them. Nevertheless, I was worried and managed to blurt out just as Kau was about to step onto the lake, <"Is it safe to cross?>"

Kau laughed. <"We came through this way and if a dozen tulartars can stomp across it without worry, I'm sure we'll be fine."> Yet, somehow, I didn't feel comforted. As beautiful as the place was, it felt... wrong. If anything, as soon as Kau began to jog across, a wave of intense nausea washed over my senses and the world began to turn. My guardian must have noticed as he stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. <"Are you alright?">

<"Yes... just, my head started to hurt is all. I'll be fine."> A lie. I didn't know if I would be fine at all. It certainly didn't help that my body felt as though it was rebelling against me. <"I think if we get to the other side I'll be fine."> Kau said nothing but picked up the pace to a hurried run. Then suddenly as it started, the sensations ended and left me lightheaded. Kau was still running briskly across the surface and judging by the position of the sun, much more time had passed than I thought.

Kau slowed as we neared the center of the lake, panting softly as he craned his head to look at me. <"Feeling a bit better? You were mumbling a lot.">

<"What? Oh, yes. I feel much better now."> Whether or not it was my imagination, the world still felt as though it was shaking with a low grumbling coming from somewhere. Without warning a piecing screech sounded through the air followed by something large impacting the ice, nearly toppling Kau. Still, he came to rest on his hands and knees until the shaking stopped.

<"By Mahana's mercy... HOLD ON!"> The urgency in his voice told me this was something to just do as he tore his eyes away from whatever he saw under the surface before breaking out into a full sprint. Curiosity had me look down beneath the ice and I was immediately filled with regret. The glowing stars had begun moving while there was a massive shape gliding towards the surface quickly. The ice shuddered again with the sound of cracking accompanying it as long fissures raced rapidly out in all directions.

Gazing down through the cracking ice, I saw the monstrosity of a serpentine creature easily twice the size of the ship that I arrived on with a broad bone crest upon its head. Its circular maw was slightly agape with row after row of sharp teeth while its dozen or so eyes glared in our direction - I could feel hatred burning from them as it withdrew downwards to prepare for another charge. <"What in the world is that?!">

<"A legend!"> Well that doesn't help much and I doubted Kau was going to say more - he needed every breath to keep running and his focus to keep balance. But even a fool could see that it was impossible to reach the opposite shore at this pace. Kau was tiring and I was only a burden upon his back. Another shudder shook the ice and sent shards and water raining down. An anguished roar caused me to look back and upon seeing the crest of the beast above the surface I knew it was almost through. I didn't want to think about what would happen then.

But if we were going to make it out of this alive, Kau was going to need to run faster than he already was. My mind scrambled back to when I had augmented Kau's vitality to save him. I had drawn upon the very land to imitate re-growth, so perhaps the wind for speed? Focusing on that thought, I imagined the air parting before us and instead pushing at our backs, to fill his heaving lungs and to have the weight of the terrestrial world lifted away from us. Immediately, wisps of translucent cerulean wrapped about our forms and Kau's pace picked up rapidly.

For the first time since I had left Corone, a feeling of pride was beginning to swell inside. I felt as though I was no longer the small, useless, and terrified girl anymore. Glancing back as the monster burst through the surface with a deafening roar, I wished that the change in me was brought to fruition by less dire circumstances.

[SirArtemis]

“Holy shit, it’s fucking Ghemorah!” Jackal shouted as we all peered over the edge.

We had followed the old roads to a massive bridge of stone that seemed infused with magic. As Erieia and her crew drove us onto it, we felt the vehicle surge forward rapidly as though accelerated by some unknown force. Nearly half way through, to our left, a massive frozen lake peppered with glowing specks started to thud. In that moment, I had shifted my vision into the infra red spectrum, wondering what was making the sound.

It was then that I saw two small red dots moving quickly along the icy surface, and an absolutely massive shape twisting and turning, serpent-like, beneath the frozen crust. It wasn’t long thereafter that the beast burst through to show itself, and it appeared Jackal recognized it from the legends he knew.

“Guys,” I began, “I think Sophia is being chased by that thing. Pretty sure that’s her on the ice!” I shifted my vision back and pointed out toward her.

“Erieai, get us to the opposite shore!” Oswald shouted. I could sense the desperation in his voice. I doubt any of us would have anticipated seeing such a monstrosity.

“What do you think I’m trying to do!? We’re almost there damn it, there’s nothing I can do to go any faster!” Erieai returned with even more anxiety in her voice.

“The seal must have weakened after all this time,” Inta began quietly, everyone turning to her in confusion. The woman didn’t speak much so I was just as confused as the rest appeared to be by her knowing what the hell was going on. “Those small specks in the water are talismans,” she continued. “They’ve probably weakened over time since it’s been nearly two millennia. They are leftover from when Mahana used her magic to seal the demons of old, but I suspect it’s reawakening due to the surging mana flux happening in Se’lutia.”

“I didn’t think Ghemora the Devourer would reawaken in my lifetime. Hell, I was never sure it was even real, from how my mother told the story,” Pell said, his hand grabbing the handle of his blade so hard that the whites of his knuckles were showing.

The moments that passed between then and when we got to shore, despite being little more than a minute, felt like a lifetime to everyone aboard the MGP. We were all helpless. And worse, we had to watch Sophia running from what appeared to be a godlike entity chasing her across what felt like an endless pool of ice that stretched miles across.

When we finally got to the other shore, the MGP was turned sharply, bumping and skidding along the rocky and frozen ground to aim toward the creature. I jumped out, getting ready to run out toward Sophia before Maybel’s hand fell upon my shoulder. “Don’t be a fool. You’ll be dead before you know it. This is a demon god of old, not something you even stand a chance against.”

“But we have to do something!” I shouted, turning toward him with concern all across my face.

“We are. Erieai and her crew will try to delay it long enough for Sophia to reach shore. Despite its strength, it’s a creature of the water. If we can get her on land, then we can save her. For now, just be available in case anyone needs something.”

I clenched my jaw in frustration, stepping back and turning toward the MGP, watching the crew inside scurry to load and aim the massive barrel of the gun toward the creature. Across the water the serpent continued to jump in and out of the water, crashing through ice that seemed unimaginably thick with the ease of a swimmer breaking through the surface of unfrozen water as he swam.

“What are you waiting for?” I yelled at Erieai, seeing that the movements had stopped and yet they hadn’t fired.

“It’s still out of range!” she replied hastily. “It’s almost . . . close enough . . .” Seconds ticked by, we watched, the wind howled and blew past us, and as the beast came up again: “FIRE!” the eluvian shouted. The MGP rocked back as the explosion shot forth a projectile of massive size. Our eyes followed it as it flew through the air, praying to whatever thaynes we believed in that we wouldn’t miss. We couldn’t afford to miss.

Thankfully, we didn’t. As the projectile struck Ghemorah in the front, a small explosion on its chest rocked the creature back. It let out an overwhelming howl of rage, causing us all to cover our ears as the shriek rolled over the endless ice and blasted us. “Jesus, that thing is pissed,” Jackal laughed.

“We’re not done yet!” Erieai answered, and her crew was already working on reloading and preparing another shot. “We can’t let it catch her!”

As the smoke and dust cleared, looking out, I noticed that the shot hadn’t even left a mark on the creature, and as it dropped back into the water and came out again, it was as though nothing had happened. The explosion had done nothing more than make it angrier, though it did slow it briefly.

’Good thing Maybel held me back, or I’d be dead,’ I thought to myself. I could sense that Judicis agreed.

[orphans]

Thunder sounded from the shore ahead of us and a moment later something struck the beast, then exploded. Immediately after the air blasted with the monster's rage as it continued its rampage. Looking ahead, I could see figures on the shore and what looked like a machine... to Coil's breath if I knew what it looked like, but a boom followed by a another explosion landing on the creature behind us confirmed that those on shore were on our side.

Glancing down, I could see that Kau was straining as he continued his fevered pace. I was no stranger to individuals with extremely robust stamina, but even I was astonished at Kau's continued endurance. Perhaps the restoration spell I weaved before had other effects I wasn't aware of. Or maybe having the world's weight lifted from him was all he needed to become prodigious in his ability to just keep running. Whichever the case, the near constant spray of water and flecks of raining ice was a reminder that the monster chasing us wasn't far behind.

Soon, we neared enough that I could make out those on shore, but I felt Kau hesitate and slow for a moment. <"They're friends!"> I managed to shout as a howl echoed from the shore as if to confirm my claim. To my horror, the ice beneath us surged upwards and the world began to pitch forward rapidly. Even so, Kau managed to stay upright and did his best to continue running.

Looking forward, I was surprised to see Holly and Oswald run out onto the ice with Oswald stopping a few meters from shore. Holly dashed out slightly further with her sword draw. In two swift motions she cleaved the ice in both directions before she withdrew. Pell was shouting something at whoever was on the machine firing at the monster behind us while Jackal, Inta and Artemis were drawing large shapes in the snow with Maybel directing the three of them. Whatever it was they were doing, I hoped that it was going to help. So far, the machine firing at the monster only seemed to enrage it more and more while buying fractions of a second each time.

But the shore came closer and closer. The sudden thought of whether or not the creature could come onto land sent panic through my mind. Soon enough though, we crossed the line that Holly had cleaved in the ice and I heard Oswald yell, "NOW!"

The machine fired and instead of a projectile, there was a beam of light cutting through the air and into the monster. I could only guess that was the reason for the beast to shriek in agony. On shore, the drawn glyphs began to glow as Kau ran past Oswald. Turning back, I could see the monster writhing in place as it towered over the water. With a shout, Oswald dropped to his knees and forced his hands through the thick ice. A second later, the entire section past where Holly had cleaved erupted in what I felt as pure mana. Another screech sounded from the monster as if it was being scalded. Then everything became silent.

Kau had stopped running and as I hopped down from his back onto unsteady legs, he collapsed and rolled onto his back, panting, before shoving a handful of snow into his maw. "Well, now there's a story for our kids later." Looking up, I saw Jackal with an extremely pleased grin as he looked out towards the monster. Following his gaze, I saw the giant serpentine creature encased in blackened ice. In front of it, Oswald was moving slowly back towards the group with Holly supporting him. If it had been possible, the man looked even older than the last time I saw him.

"We're moving within the minute, everyone get in the MGP. Pell, help our friend on the ground, please." Pell hesitated with a salute before moving to help Kau up to his feet while everyone else filed towards the machine. "Maybel, continue siphoning power to the stasis, but stop when you feel Ghemorah shifting."

Maybel grimaced and grunted out, "It's already starting to shift, but I'll hold as long as I can." Oswald only nodded to Maybel. When he and Holly passed near, Holly only offered me a small grin that tugged at the corner of her lip - something she had done often in the orphanage when she wanted to talk in private later.

That was enough to bring me to my senses and as I walked beside Holly, Erieai popped up from over the edge of the MGP and spotted me. Turning her head to those who had already made it inside, I could hear her yelling, "Mahana slay all you idiots! None of you thought to cover Sophia with something?!"

Jackal's laughter sailed to me as I climbed up into the machine after Holly and Oswald. I turned when I heard the crunching of snow behind me to see Maybel running to catch up. Pell and Kau were following closely behind him. Immediately upon seeing me watching him, Maybel's face turned scarlet as he averted his eyes. "After you, Sophia."

To my surprise, another wulven was already sitting inside. I suppose that explained the howl from earlier. Before I could get a better look around, Erieai grabbed a wrist of mine and led me towards the front of the contraption. Without preamble, she kicked open a footlocker against the wall and pulled out a uniform for me. "Should be around your size, one of my spares."

"Thank you..." was all I managed to mumble while pulling on the clothing. I had barely finished dressing when the machine rumbled to life.

"Just find a seat so you don't get tossed around. Might be a bit cramped though."

"We're all on now," someone shouted. If I had to guess, it sounded like Pell and it was all Erieai needed to start the machine. It shuddered briefly and began to move away from the frozen lake as I joined the others to find a spot for myself. Not a minute later, we could all hear the roar of the monster we left behind. I really hoped it couldn't come on land.

[SirArtemis]

“So we’re done, right?” I asked. “I mean, we did do what we came here to do. We were coming for Sophia. We have her. We can go home, right?” The silence that followed told me that this mission was all a lie. And not even because peopled lied to me, but because they didn’t even realize what they were getting into. I looked around at the anxious faces, and looking down with a deep sigh, I felt like there was only one thing left to say: “Fuck.” This was beginning to be an insanely stupid pattern in my life. In that moment I promised myself that I’d see a seer when I got back to the main land.

“I really appreciate you all coming out to save me, I really do. But I can’t go back even if I wanted to. I need to go to Arfezeria.” Sophia’s words carried a conviction that most of us weren’t used to.

“Can you tell us why?” Oswald asked. It was clear he was quite concerned about this, and it makes sense with what Judicis and I had sorted through earlier.

“I just know I have to be there. I have to stop a coming calamity.” She looked away as though she wished she could say more.

“What calamity?” Oswald prodded.

“The rebirth of the city.”

“The what?!” Jackal exclaimed.

“Well if the legends are what they are . . .” Maybel added.

“You all feel it, don’t you,” Inta asked, “the pull toward the city? Pell? Oswald?” The two men exchanged looks at her comment but didn’t deny it. Admittedly I could feel something similar to what they were saying as well, but I hadn’t been giving it much thought or attention. Oswald then gave a nod to Holly who returned the gesture.

“We must go to the city,” Ing chimed in, along with the other wulven beside him. “We must aid the Skalu in whatever she needs. If the city is where she must be then we must go. The prophecy needs to be fulfilled.”

“Seriously?” Jackal piped in, a look of irritation on his face – mind you, he was the only one. Everyone else in the MGP simply looked nervous and anxious. “Hold on, I don’t know what fucking feeling you’re talking about Inta. The only thing I feel right now is the desire to go home. Artemis is right, we came here for the girl. We found her. She wants to go die? Fine. That’s her business, but I don’t plan on doing the same. And I’d rather avoid needlessly doing so. Despite what you all may think, I rather enjoy having the option to do things I like or not to. I don’t have that choice if I’m a fucking corpse.”

“If we don’t reach the city, everyone will die,” Sophia added with a serious expression across her face.

At that, Jackal simply slumped back, looking around as though hoping for an ally in the group. Seeing he was all alone, he sighed deeply before letting out a resounding “Well fuck.”

“Now that we have that settled, let’s get moving,” Pell began.

“You’re right,” Oswald began. “Despite how much I’d hate to say it, this may be our only course of action. Erieai, let’s get this thing moving. The city isn’t far at this point. Use the road – it should speed things up quite a bit.”

He was right. The trip toward the city took less than an hour from that point, and there was utter silence in the MGP as we moved onward. This was it. Everyone knew it. Everyone could feel it. This entire journey was approaching its end, for better or for worse, and this may be the last peaceful moment we’d ever have together as a group. There was a good chance at least one of us would be dead by the end of this.

As we got closer, I could hear a faint whispering sound, though I couldn’t quite make it out. It was too quiet, but I knew it was words. When we finally did reach the outskirts of the city, it was clear we weren’t the only ones who sensed this pull – not that we expected to be. Fighting had already broken out. The beast tribes had begun what looked to be an all out civil war. And we had just arrived in the middle of it.

[orphans]

"You know, not that I mind that the beastmen are fighting one another, but how the hell did so many get here so quickly?"

"We answered Mahana's call half a moon ago." Jackal shot a glance to Ing before surveying the field before us again. "Elders heard it first and ordered all tribes to assemble here."

Inta gave a disgusted snort and muttered, "That explains why our excavation parties went silent..." to which I assumed Ing sighed and shook his head.

Had I never experienced war in my previous life, the sight of the world nearly all ablaze would have sent me running. Even now, there was a tinge of fear tugging at my feet. "How close can we get to the city in this, Erieai?" Oswald asked as his brows narrowed.

"How the hells do I know? I can't exactly make this invisible!" Bringing the machine to a stop, Erieai motioned something quickly to the eluvian crew and in turn they began to arm themselves.

Somewhere off in the distance, howls rose above the din of the battlefield and both Kau and Ing stood to answer with one of their own. <"We must join our brethren to spread the word of your arrival, Skalu. The faithful will help you reach the city."> Turning to me, Ing gave a small nod as he and his brother leapt over the side onto the snow below.

"On foot then. We'll need their help if we want to get close." Oswald stood stiffly. "Erieai, can I count on you to handle the rear and communications? I know Reginald said he wouldn't give support, but he'll change his mind with new information."

"Course. Give me Maybel and Inta though, I'll need their help. Otherwise I can't reach your mana stone," was her quick reply as she headed towards the front of the MGP.

"Very well, Maybel, Inta, you two are with Erieai." Maybel gave a quick salute as he hurried back to join the eluvian. There was only a moment of hesitation from Inta before she saluted and turned as well. "Let's get going then."

To my relief, plants didn't sprout the moment I landed on the snow with my boots. Ing was waiting for us a short distance away while Kau was already on the move several paces ahead. Oswald, Pell, Jackal, Artemis and I followed quickly enough while Holly bound past us all to keep stride with Kau. All the while, I could barely keep myself from shaking. The voices from the city grew louder and more distinct, familiar, as we marched on.

A sudden crackle across the sky caused us to look towards Arfezeria. Inky wisps of night began spreading rapidly overhead and obscured the sunlight passing through the veil that shrouded the land. "Oh come on!" Jackal exclaimed as he rounded his attention to me. "Are we racing against time too?!"

No one said a word as all eyes fell upon me to offer an explanation that I didn't have. Instead, I looked towards Ing. <"How long until we reach the faithful.">

He gave the winds a quick sniff and what I assumed was a grin as he pointed up ahead. <"We are near. Over the ridge.">

<"Let's pick up the pace then,"> was all Oswald said as we trudged on.



Soon enough, we reached the wulven encampment. Ing immediately departed towards the heart of it while Kau motioned for us to wait with him by an unoccupied fire. Wounded were being brought into the camp at a steady stream and every time, suspicious glares would be directed our way until they caught sight of my wings and horns. Several eventually approached me and offered a prayer to me. When I looked to my companions for help, Jackal and Artemis only shrugged while Pell poked at the fire slowly. Holly and Oswald were resting their eyes and Kau only grinned.

<"When the songs of Mahana are heard once more darkness will spread from the city eternal, reborn. A Skalu Hudie will come then and pilgrimage to Arfezeria and give release from our ancestral crimes."> A gruff but feminine voice greeted us. All of us looked to the approaching group of wulven followed by several tulartar and Ing. Leading them was a wulven with a slight limp and dark fur. Even so, she was dressed for battle as told by the armor and sword she wore. <"So say the legends of old. How we are released is the question. Children of the East have experienced something of that kind, yes?"> Looking to Holly and Oswald, the wulven bared its teeth in a grin. <"So say those who witnessed the kindling of Pretalia.">

Turning her eyes to me, the wulven ceased her pleasantries and for a moment I could feel sorrow pouring from her eyes. <"The answer of how has all but torn those of Roncoro apart, Skalu. I may be of the faithful, but I am no fool. Why are you truly here?">

Those who were following began to mutter among themselves, some in surprise, as I heard the sounds of careful movement from my companions. <"Lady Ruska -"> Ing began, to which the dark-furred wulven only raised a hand to silence him and the others as the tension in the air thickened.

<"The Skalu can answer.">

How could I answer? I had come to a forgotten land torn by war for countless generations chasing after shreds of information given to me by a woman I barely knew! All for the sake of seeking answers of who I was. I couldn't lie. I never could and it wouldn't do me any good now. <"I seek to know what I am. You've called me Skalu Hudie, wish-bearer (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?23725-Perspective-of-Fate-%28Solo%29&p=210665&viewfull=1#post210665), yet I'm not sure of what this wish is. However, like you, I too must answer the call of the one you call Mahana.">

Ruska's eyes peered into mine and for how long we stared, I did not know. Finally, she smiled slowly and spoke much more softly than before. <"Such a strange and yet direct translation of the meaning of Skalu."> Turning to those that followed her, the woman suddenly barked out loudly and clearly, <"Make ready to march on Arfezeria!">

[SirArtemis]

Something felt off. And honestly, it isn’t hard to imagine why. Everything was going crazy around me. This entire escape from Victor Callahan, time and again, kept coming back in my mind as possibly the worst choice I had ever made in my short life. I may have been better off staying in Corone. I felt simply overwhelmed. The scale of fighting around me was unfathomable and impossible to articulate. It made the supposed “war” of Vardta look like a skirmish. My body felt out of balance, though understanding what that could even begin to mean didn’t yet register. And all the while, here I was, with a group of strangers who had become like family, with a magical little girl who was of an unknown race, rushing into the heart of a battle that stretched the horizon in every direction to fulfill a prophecy for a faith I knew nothing about.

Just another day of the week I guess.

Either way, I was starting to pick up on the language being spoken around me. Surprising really, as I wouldn’t say I’m your typical linguist. But all the same, I felt like I was getting a general understanding.

<“The unbelievers have taken the city proper,”> Ruska said. <“It’s time for us to march everyone toward the city. Battle is our only option.”>

<“How do you even know who to fight? They all look the same?”> I asked. Oswald lifted an eye at my question, but I didn't understand why. It seemed valid enough to me.

<”Your scent will let us know,”> Ruska answered. <”We all carry a scent from our fires that sticks to us, to fur, to scales, to flesh.”>

<“It is why we gathered around the flames before,”> Ing added.

<”As for the humans,”> Ruska grinned, or at least that's what I think a grin looks like on a wulven, <”anything trying to kill you, kill them back.”> Pell snorted at the comment, and even Oswald managed a grin.

<“Time to go,”> Oswald said, beginning a paced jog toward the gates. Everyone followed, no questions asked. There were no questions left to ask. Just a job to finish.

What happened next is hazy to this day. As we moved on toward the gates, my consciousness almost felt like it slipped in and out of me. I don’t know if it had anything to do with what was going on around me, but everything remains fragmented. What I do remember are just flashes of faces, of moments, as we cut our way to the gates. I remember the shouting from all over, from Ruska’s men, from Sophia, from Oswald, and from the roaring ocean of warfare going on. I’m not sure the sounds will ever leave my mind.

By the time we had reached the gate, or what was left of it, I was covered in blood; all I know is that it wasn’t my own. Bodies were strewn about everywhere, and from what looked like every side involved: the reptilian skegulls, the feline cattyans, the canine wulven, the rodent ioaii, and even some of the minotaur-like tulartar. No one had been left out.

<“Are we too late?”> Pell asked, looking around and hoping someone had an answer.

<“We must keep going,”> Sophia answered, continuing through the gates. <“We have to.”>

<“Wait,”> Oswald said, raising an arm. <“Just give it one moment.”>

<“What is it?”> Pell asked, his eyes hopeful.

<“Ruska, can you and your men hold the gates?”> Oswald asked, turning to the dark-furred wulven.

<“If need be, yes, I believe we can.”>

<“I just heard from Inta; reinforcements are on their way, but they will take time. Hold this position. We will use it as a rally point for the faithful. We have to keep moving.”> With that, Oswald turned and followed Sophia’s footsteps, through the gate and on toward the city. Our team followed, leaving Ruska and the wulven behind, including Kau and … wait…

<“Wait, where’s Ing?”> I asked, looking around. The others followed, noticing his absence.

<”He fell during battle,”> a wulven from Ruska’s troop added. <”He will not be joining us.”> Ing wasn’t exactly one of us, but allies were falling. Allies would continue to fall. I could feel it. There was nothing to say, so no one spoke. One by one, we all just moved on with our task. Ruska began organizing her remaining troops, Kau included. And our small group followed Sophia. Pell, Jackal, Holly, Oswald, Sophia, and myself; we six walked on toward the city, toward whatever that meant.

[orphans]

From a distance, we had all assumed the city to be restored. We see now that was not the case. Buildings were still crumbled and charred while the strange road we trod upon was shattered in countless places. However, the damage looked recent with a strange lack of fire that had been consistent with our journey here. Shouts and the sounds of combat continued to resound in the air in what was beginning to resemble a grim orchestra.

There was a strange comfort for me knowing that my former den mother was here beside me. A quick glance in Holly's direction told me she didn't exactly relish the situation. For a brief moment our eyes met and she gave an encouraging smile before returning to scouring for signs of imminent danger. I would have never guessed her to have another life away from the orphanage and one that was so violent. Odd how my past life was nearly the same reflection.

<"The hells are we even going?"> Jackal hissed.

Pell flicked a look at Jackal. <"First Artemis and now you? Or did you two always speak fluent Farien?">

<"Never mind that,"> Oswald muttered quickly. <"We can figure that out later, eyes ahead."> Truth be told, I didn't know where I was going and the very thought weighed upon me. Was I blindly leading everyone to their deaths? I had little to guide them with aside from the odd sensation of where I should be heading. A terrible thought and one that I chased away quickly as I took Oswald's words to heart.

I don't know how long we walked until Holly suddenly flung out her arm to stop us. <"Hold."> No sooner had she said that, a cattyan limped into view from a nearby alley clutching what was left of its torn arm. Blood matted its fur and upon seeing us, hope and will fled the creature as it sank to its knees to slump against the nearby wall.

My feet moved by themselves before my mind could react and before anyone could stop me. Kneeling next to the gasping creature, I drew quickly upon the land as I had done with Kau and pressed my hands upon the feline's chest. My power was weak though, as if the pull of the city was drawing it away from me. Still, the cattyan's breathing steadied and its gaze focused as the rest of my companions rushed to my side. <"Children of the East?">

<"What happened?"> There was no answer as it looked at my companions slowly before settling its eyes upon me.

<"I don't think it'll tell us anything,"> Jackal spat as he skulked silently into the alley the feline had come from.

Ignoring Jackal, I looked to the cattyan. <"What happened, please.">

Staring at me, it nodded once. <"If you truly are here to save us... the tower ahead. At the center square. The faithful and those of the elders... and something else.">

<"What do you mean by something else?"> Pell pressed.

The cattyan looked to Pell and shook its head. <"The city still lives.">

<"The ancestral spirits?"> Holly offered with a look to Oswald.

The cattyan shook its head again. <"... I know not.">

<"There's fighting up ahead,"> Jackal's voice and hurried steps approached the group just as the cattyan finished. <"Don't know what the beastmen are fighting but it's not ours and it's not their own.">

<"What did they look like?"> Oswald asked as he looked past Jackal and into the alley.

The frown on Jackal's face didn't suit him very well as he shrugged. <"Armored figures. Lots of them. Couldn't get a good look.">

<"Then that is where I need to go. To the center of the city where this tower is located - I'm sure of it."> But was I? I spoke with such conviction and yet fears made me doubt myself. <"It's where all of us are feeling the pull. It's why these defenders are there."> Everyone gave a nod of confirmation except Jackal who only sighed with another shrug.

<"Fine, but what do we do about him?"> Jackal asked as he looked to the cattyan.

Its head was slumped now at an odd angle and after a quick touch to its neck I shook my head. <"He died in peace instead of pain."> At least I hope he did. I suppose it didn't matter now.

<"Let's get moving then. Pell and I will take point. Holly, Artemis, watch our flanks. Jackal, you're with Sophia."> There were no arguments with Oswald's instructions as everyone nodded quickly.

Except me. <"Please, before we all go on, it's about my name."> All eyes turned to me and despite my hesitation I pushed on. <"My name is, true name is Azza. Sophia is... was... she was...">

<"A name given,"> Holly offered. <"Let's focus on the task at hand. There'll be more than enough time for stories after all this."> Being rescued by my old den mother brought a tentative smile back.

Oswald only nodded and amended his previous order. <"Jackal, with Azza then.">

[SirArtemis]

It was a strange feeling to walk down this broken road. It was a convergence between silence and sound. The crunch of broken stones beneath us, our heels as they struck the patches of unbroken stone, and the occasional squish of actual soil became an almost symphony. Even Judicis had been silent. At the thought, I finally heard his voice in my mind once more.

’I’m sorry Artemis, I just have nothing to add. Everything you are experiencing is as new to me as it is to you, and quite frankly that’s not something I can say of most things given my time in your world.‘

I felt almost child-like. Maybe that’s why children don’t speak when they are young; they are just so overwhelmed and busy taking in information that they are at a loss for words. Maybe they learn to speak once they feel like they’ve absorbed enough information to start to feel at ease.

We found ourselves walking toward a central tower that reached endlessly upward and punched into the gloom filling the sky, leaving me to wonder how far it continued on. It reminded me of Knife’s Edge in a strange way and my early time there, using Saint Denebriel’s Cathedral as a beacon of sorts. Drawing a parallel between the world I knew and this felt almost blasphemous. Things were so vastly different.

As we moved closer, we found ourselves finally entering a massive open plaza at its feet. It looked roughly a hundred and fifty meters across, with much of the ground layered with bodies; some were filled with arrows, some with holes from what I assume were guns, some from blades, and some were charred too badly to discern anything at all. Blood had painted the landscape crimson.

Broken buildings and structured lined the perimeter, their white stone makeup now lined with the dark streaks of recent flame and a bit of the crimson accenting the walls. It felt like the devil’s playground. And as we entered, despite all the signs of a battle having been waged here and destruction and mayhem, it wasn’t even remotely over. The plaza was a massive fighting ring, and we had just joined the battle royale.

<”What the hell are those?”> Jackal shouted, pointing to what appeared to be guardsmen; except these guardsmen weren't living. Instead of flesh, a dark vapor filled countless sets of silver plate armor, even varying in size. There were some among them which looked like civilians in everyday clothing. The armored vapors were helping the non-armored ones escape, or so it seemed; almost like a town guard evacuating their people. But they weren’t people. Among them were the ones we at least had expected to see, with the faithful fighting the . . . non-faithful I guess, which were mostly cattyans and skegulls.

<”Those must be the ancestral spirits. Press on. We have to get through to the tower.”> Oswald’s words were our orders, and so we moved on. We kept our formation and soon found ourselves engaged with a small group of the non-believers. They moved in small skirmish squads, which made them easy to dispatch. The four that came at us were sorely mismatched.

One thing I’ll say was though we were few, we were trained. Oswald and Pell took one each, their hand to hand combat skills eliminating the others in less than a few seconds. Jackal threw a knife from the rear, finding its way deep into the skull of a foe, and an arrow from Judicis put the last to sleep, its black mist matching the shade of the ancestral spirits fighting on.

As we raced toward the entrance of the tower, for whatever reason, the ancestral spirits seemed to avoid us. But as the non-faithful saw Azza, they would always attack. No matter how mismatched, how injured, how disadvantaged, they would tactlessly throw themselves at our unit in an attempt to eliminate her. The fervor was relentless and unnerving. The faithful, mostly wulven with some ioaii, continued to fight the armored ghosts as well as the non-faithful, pressing toward the gate.

<”Move in to join the faithful. With a larger group we’ll make an organized push and get inside. We have to break their defenses. They can’t hold the entrance from us forever.”> With Oswald’s word, we rushed onward. I felt like I was losing my sense of self. The darkness above felt symbolic of what was to come. For now, all I could do was follow orders. I had nothing to add. Nothing of value at least. All I could do was keep fighting and hope that this would all turn out okay. Because if not, I’d be dead.

[orphans]

As we neared the tower looming before us, fragmented thoughts - memories perhaps - assaulted my mind in brief flashes. Scenes of a tranquil day interrupted by a massive explosion of twisting shadows and burning light rushed passed my vision just in time for me to parry an incoming blade. It was all I could do to concentrate on fending off the stabs and slashes before Holly cut the cattyan down from behind.

With every step forward, resistance against us increased as more of those who heeded the elders' words threw themselves against us. The attacks were wild and uncoordinated as if they were beasts consumed by madness. I couldn't help but wonder if the attackers were being affected by the visions too or if my companions saw them as well.

When Oswald issued the order to assist the faithful nearby, we all moved without question. I chanced a quick glance in the direction of the tower's entrance and saw rudimentary fortifications of rubble and numerous figures repelling the efforts of a few armored shadows.

We approached from the flank of the armored ones with all of us shouting a battle cry as we all charged in. There was momentary confusion at what was happening on all sides of the conflict, but soon enough the faithful wulven roared in unison as they surged forward alongside us to drive the armored ones away. From above the din of combat I could hear a clear voice emanating from a figure in subtly more ornate armor. A commander perhaps? <"Enemies on the flank! Hold the line! Get the civilians to safety!">

Did I hear the figure correctly? Civilians? It seems I wasn't the only one who had heard the words as I caught sight of Holly bolt from formation towards what was possibly the commander. At the same time, another crackle rang out from the tower's direction and the whole world became lit up with an iridescent light. For that brief moment, I could see the city's former glory in the structures around us while the faces of our opponents appeared in the places of where vapors had once been. Fear, exhaustion and desperation gripped the features of the multitude of races dressed in the strange armor. Cattyans stood shoulder to shoulder with ioaiis. Eluvian beside wulven. Humans alongside skegulls.

The light faded just as quickly as it had happened and the faces once again were replaced by inky mists. Sounds of battle roared back into my ears as I tried to call out to Holly who was nearly upon the captain. Instead I found the world around me warping as my form was tugged forward and barely a split second later I was facing my former caretaker, shielding the figure of the captain behind me with my own.

<"STOP!"> I screamed out in a frantic hope that my voice would carry to Holly's ears. I was greeted with a shocked stare from my old den mother and watched as it quickly turned to horror. The clashing of steel ceased and I felt all eyes upon me as if my voice had touched all those present.


Odd...


Weakness took hold of my legs as I struggled to remain standing as a sudden sensation of nausea welled up. My stomach felt strangely cold and as I looked down I understood why: Holly's momentum had carried her forward into my sudden appearance. There was the distinct taste of copper in my mouth - blood - as both Holly and I sank to our knees with her blade lodged through me. The clatter of a sword and shield barely registered in my ear as I sensed another kneel beside me.

I touched the blade piercing me with a hand and tried to pull it away. As I did, Holly slid the weapon out and let it fall from her grip. In an effort to stem the flow of blood, her hands replaced where the sword had once been as her tears mixed with the grime and dirt on her face.

<"Guys, I'd hate to ruin the moment but they're advancing on us!"> Jackal's shouts drifted to my ears as one of the armored ones and wulven faithful nearby received a gift of arrows and went down. From my position I could see a group of attackers coming from the direction of the tower's entrance.

<"Pell, Artemis, Jackal, with me!"> Oswald bellowed as he turned to face the oncoming threat.

Then the voice of the captain behind me echoed in a voice I was sure even the dead could hear. <"Battle group, form lines! Auxiliary, reload and open fire!"> The ioaii and wulven faithful gave a shout of their own as they rushed passed to stand beside those they had been fighting but a brief moment ago. It was strange to see my presence having such an influence upon those of this land.

Holly's panicked eyes and muttered pleadings drew my attention back to my own wellbeing. Perhaps it was the strange vortex of energy in this broken ruin of a city, but aside from the pain where the blade had entered, I felt fine. Weakened, but fine. <"Mother Holly, it's okay."> At least that's what I thought I said. Whatever came out gave permission for her tears to begin streaming down her face.

Since when was I lying on the ground?

<"The tower,"> echoed the armored captain. <"The tower is her only hope. Only her kind can treat their wounds.">

<"Her kind? Mahana? She's the cause of all this damn it!"> Holly yelled back.

Maybe it was a good thing that we couldn't see the expressions of those in the strange armor. All the same, it answered back to my hysterical den mother, <"I do not know who this Mahana is, but the mistress of the tower can answer after we save this girl. I will carry her, pray, join the others."> There was hesitation in Holly's movement. Regret even? I could only imagine the shame she might have felt after injuring me. She had always doted upon me more than all the other orphaned children back in Underwood.

The captain lifted my form with little effort and held me in both arms as he continued to direct his own men with his booming voice. Even then, it sounded peculiarly distant. It was nice to be carried though. I was beginning to feel so tired...

[SirArtemis]

My heart was pounding so hard that I finally understood the proverb of feeling one’s heart beat in their throat. That’s exactly what it felt like, and it was immensely unnerving and uncomfortable. In the flash of a moment, the whole central figure that this mission, this entire . . . everything rested upon, lay bleeding in the arms of an armored black mist. But then again, I think I had reached a point on this trip where I no longer resisted the events around me. I just had to do whatever it took to get through this alive, so that’s what I did.

Our party clustered together and moved forward ahead of the captain as he carried Azza, leading the charge with a large group of ethereal soldiers by our sides. As our blades lashed out in every direction, it was as though we were Death and had arrived to take the souls of our enemies to the afterlife. Taking up our rear were the faithful, doing all they could to protect the Skalu Hudie from those who would stop the fulfillment of the prophecy, though who knew what the prophecy really meant?

I’d love to say that we made it unscathed, but bodies fell so quickly that before one had settled upon the ground, another was on its way – from both sides of the battle. And though it wasn’t long before we reached the entrance of the tower, pushing through the pockets of resistance we encountered, it proved to be just the beginning. The entrance had makeshift barricades put in place and as we approached the non-faithful fell back to the confines of the building.

<”On me!”> Oswald shouted as we pressed through, and as many as could fit drew close to him as he created a defensive barrier. <”Move quickly, I won’t be able to hold this long! Prepare for an ambush!”> The protective sphere spanned at most ten meters and we rushed over the rubble that served as a barricade, knowing each moment was precious and that we were immensely vulnerable while traversing that makeshift obstacle. As we crossed the threshold over the waist-high rubble and into the building, at least a score of cattyans let fly a barrage of arrows that ricocheted off the barrier with another dozen or so skegulls charging at us as soon as the arrows were released. As they rushed in with their spears, Oswald dropped the protective magic and a slew of spectral warriors formed a shield wall ahead of us and rushed forward in a tight formation.

The skegulls engaged quickly, dropping their spears as they broke or when they came too close and pulling out their swords and shields. While our force pushed into the large chamber of the first floor of the tower, we moved as quickly and effectively as we could, and the deadly force we exhibited was both impressive and terrifying all the same. Pell and Oswald cut out to the right flank with a handful of ethereal soldiers, while Jackal and I cut out to the left with a group alongside us as well. On both sides, the cattyans had taken what looked like long tables from the room, likely a mess hall or cafeteria of sorts, and flipped them to serve as a barrier; not sure that did them much good as the ethereal soldiers crashed through the weak tables with shields raised and bowled the cattyans over, leaving many of them flat footed or prone on the ground.

Jackal and I had surprisingly similar fighting styles when it came down to it. His two daggers moved quickly, though he was more willing to throw his blades at a target, or one of his many knives, before retrieving a blade and cutting onward. Meanwhile, my weapons proved to make fools of my enemies. With the magic embedded within my blades designed to slice organic material so freely, I needed little strength to cut through fur and flesh and bone, allowing me to conserve energy and stay refreshed. Their bodies fell to wounds I inflicted much more quickly as well. A low slash from me quickly took out a leg from knee down of one cattyan, followed by a quick thrust which found its way in and out of a chest, from both ends, in the blink of an eye. One parry led to the disarming of an enemy by literally relieving him of an arm. I even managed a beheading during the brief skirmish.

There was no thought or planning in my actions, nor was I seeking to cause my opponents to suffer. My only thought at the time, replaying over and over, was a simple one: 'We have to move as quickly as possible.' And that’s exactly how my body behaved. A funny thing about combat is that it often moves far more quickly than one may realize. I imagine only minutes passed and during that time, the bodies of all our foes lay dead, with a handful of wulven at the rear and empty sets of armor lay about where the ethereal warriors had been dispersed so to speak.

<”Follow me to the stairway, we have to reach the third floor and the platform.”> The captain’s voice boomed loudly, unnaturally so, and as he pointed toward the direction we needed to go, another score of enemies awaited us. Our movement was quick and as fierce as before, leaving this less organized pocket of enemies even less threatening. The danger now was bottlenecking ourselves into the tight quarters of the stairway.

[orphans]

I could feel movement all around me and as friend or foe fell, I could see the mana residing in their bodies seeping away and returning to the land. Soon, the pain was becoming noticeable as the battle raged on all around me. Closing my eyes did little to ease the sensation radiating from the wound. At some point, I thought I had stopped bleeding, but truth be told I couldn't really tell. I suppose it didn't really matter now.

Consciousness slipped about just beyond my grasp with my aching wings the only real source of confirmation that I was still alive. Whenever I managed to take hold, I would be greeted by the same cacophony of sounds of screams and striking metal. Opening my eyes after what felt like hours, I could see that we had moved into a building, presumably the tower. The walls here were strange with creeping blue veins that illuminated our surroundings as they webbed across the surfaces upwards towards whatever awaited us. The noise that reverberated off them took on an almost eerie echo as if the same battle was being fought on another plane or from another time.

<"Hold on a bit longer, winged-one. We'll be with the mistress of the tower soon."> The armored captain spoke in what I figured to be an attempt to soothe me. An arrow had lodged itself inside his left shoulder, causing black mist to ooze down from the wound as if it was blood itself. I could see several more arrows protruding from his back. Yet he pressed on, still standing proudly as he carried me in his arms and issued orders to his soldiers.

<"...Where...?"> I began, but lost the ability to finish connecting what I wanted to ask. Even so, the captain spared enough time to answer.

<"Second floor of the tower. The stairs to the third and the platform are across this floor."> Why did we need to go there? My mind fumbled with the reasoning until I remembered. There was a coming calamity, one that would not only threaten Se'lutia, but all of Althanas. We were here to stop it.

A familiar voice was shouting orders. <"Artemis, Jackal, more on the left flank! Holly, see if you can clear the archers from our right. Pell, with me and the vanguard!"> Without warning, the tower shook and trembled, shaking loose dust from the ceiling.

[SirArtemis]

Blood was seeping out of me from countless cuts. My body felt like it would take weeks to recover, but that took into account the very bold assumption that I survived all of this. When we had made it to the second floor, somewhere near a hundred foes had been waiting for us. Pushing through that sea of enemies to reach the stairway to the third floor was costly and many of our allies had fallen along the way, sacrificed for a cause greater than any of us – though none of us knew why.

As we rushed out onto the third floor, more resistance awaited as another large group of enemies gathered around what looked like a large platform, set against the wall to the opposite side of the room.

<“What is with this back and forth design? Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?”> I cursed under my breath. I felt so many emotions welling up inside of me and if it weren’t for the severity of the situation, I’d likely have been on the ground sobbing hysterically.

<”We must get the winged-one to the platform, quickly! It will take us to the mistress!”> I was surprised by the remaining discipline of the ethereal warriors. Despite the ongoing losses and onslaught, they invariably found their formation and pressed onward. Unfortunately, this group of enemies had with them four tulartars covered in full plate from head to toe.

‘How do you even fight that?’ I found myself thinking. I was losing hope. I was losing motivation. This wasn’t a good time for that.

<”Wedge! Split their lines so we can hold the lift!”> The captain’s orders were swiftly enacted as the shields of the spectral warriors reformed and drove onward toward the many skegulls and cattyans that awaited. The tulartar’s rushed toward us with their own shields lowered, moving unexpectedly swiftly for creatures of their size. They towered over me, almost one and a half times my height, and their weight and momentum broke the wedge surprisingly easily.

<”There’s no time, we have to get the winged-one to the platform. You, take her and go. I’ll activate the lift and my men will hold them back.”> The captain handed Azza to Holly, stepping into the battle. The captain himself must have been a tulartar, or he resembled one at the least. Among the spectral soldiers of ours were two more that must have been as well given their size, so at least the numbers were somewhat even. While the opposing beasts wielded sword and shield, ours carried with them large two-handed weapons, one with a maul and two with swords. <”Open a path for them, then form up defensively!”>

As we managed to cut through, our small group found their way to the platform. <”Activate it!”> Oswald yelled, standing beside Holly as she held the still-bleeding Azza.

The captain turned, tossing a crystal toward me the size of a small apple. <”Place this into the mechanism!”> I caught it, looking around for what he could have been referring to. The platform, roughly five meters across, had a small terminal-looking contraption by the wall. I rushed over and looked for where to put something shaped like this crystal I held and jammed it in. This was ancient technology, nothing related to anything I’d know. Thankfully, it was straightforward enough and as the terminal activated and took hold of the crystal’s power, the platform began to glow. Beneath our feat, a large disc of energy began to form.

<”We can’t hold them!”> a wulven yelled from the crowd. Pell and Jackal immediately rushed forward, tackling a tulartar that had made his way onto the platform, threatening to ride up with us.

<”No!”> I shouted, but it was no use. The platform began to lift us up, with Pell and Jackal remaining below.

<”We’ll hold them down there! Just stay alive and finish this! Don’t make this all for nothing!”> Jackal shouted up at us as he and Pell began to team up on a tulartar. The chaos below was bloody and messy, as suits of armor fell to the ground with a clang and blood coated the floors thickly. The platform rose quickly, and now it was just the four of us. Holly held Azza, Oswald stood beside her, and I stood among them, still looking down as we quickly moved further and further away from two people who I had grown to call friends. Friends who I felt I would never see again. I dropped to my knees, my eyes filling with tears as I struggled to keep it together.

Oswald placed his hand on my shoulder, and then used his free hand to help me up. <”Let’s go, Artemis. We aren’t finished yet. We have to keep going. They’re strong warriors. If they don’t make it, know that at the very least they’ll give every last one of them absolute hell.”>

This wasn’t exactly reassuring, and it didn’t really help. I didn’t want to lose more people in my life. I was starting to feel like wherever I went, death followed. Why the hell was I on this island? Why was I involved in this war? And what was so special about Azza? I stood up, trying to collect myself, as the platform continued to rise. Though it rose quickly, it still took us minutes to reach the peak of our journey. As the platform slowed its ascent, our ride ended with a dome above us, encasing us in a small room with the glowing platform still beneath our feet. In front of us, a pair of doors stood shut with another terminal right beside them, different from the one that activated the platform.

Oswald approached the doors, turning to the three of us. <”I suppose this is it. Whatever awaits on the other side of these doors, I’m glad I have you all with me. Let’s finish this.”>

[orphans]

The higher we rose the better I felt. By the time we neared the top I was able to stand on my own, albeit weakly, as Holly relinquished her hold upon me reluctantly. The glowing pad came to a stop with hardly a jolt and with nary a sound. Oswald gave us a once over and said something that sounded muffled to my ears. Then he pressed a button that had lit upon the terminal and soon the doors were hissing open.

The body of a cattyan slumped through the opening and onto the pad with a wet thud as the stench of death filled the room and our senses. Everyone quickly had their weapons drawn and at the ready for a fight, but nothing came. Inspecting the cattyan, we could see the light was gone from its eyes while its face had been frozen into an expression of sudden surprise. A quick glance at its body was all anyone needed to see that a large portion of its abdomen had been torn away. Oswald moved out through the doorway first, followed closely by Artemis. Holly stayed beside me and allowed me to lean heavily upon her as we crossed the threshold together and into the hallway.

Words failed me as I took in the sight of bodies smashed apart littering the corridor and leaving the floor a sticky red mess. The shallow gasps of those clinging to life could be heard as we moved steadily towards a pair of stone doors slightly ajar at the end of the arched hallway. It was hard to tell whether or not I was imagining the desperate pleas for help that echoed in my mind. As we neared the doors a large hand reached out along the floor, dripping blood, followed by labored grunting and the form of a terrified tulartar. Half of the beast's face was missing and it was clear it wouldn't live much longer. Barely had I finished my thought, the tulartar collapsed into a motionless pile.

Oswald, Artemis, Holly and I paused together one last time at the door and exchanged brief looks to one another. I nodded that I was ready and Oswald forced the door heavy door open. The rest of us followed quickly and found ourselves in a great chamber with a stage that was raised a single step off the ground in the middle. Blue veins of mana crawled from along the walls down to the bloodied and body-littered floor towards the center of the room. All around us, glyphs and runes glowed and drifted about the air at random. In the very heart of the room upon the stage was the familiar figure of a woman in Akashiman robes with wolf-like ears and tail along with the wings and horns of my kind bathed in a cerulean pillar of light.

<"Sakuya!"> A voice called out that wasn't mine. To my surprise, it was Holly who had yelled out the name.

<"She cannot hear us now."> A form rose from the place it had been kneeling - so covered in gore and filth I had mistaken it for another dead body. With a flick of its left hand the grime clinging to the figure fell away to reveal a woman with tired brown eyes that glowed faintly. She too possessed the wings and horns of my kind while dressed in the traditional armor of crystals and woven metals. Somewhere in my mind, it reacted to the sight of this woman. I recognized her but from where I didn't know. Taking in her features more, I noted her exceedingly long ochre hair almost touching the blood upon the ground and remembrance flooded back: my Matriarch. The woman settled her eyes upon me and spoke with a voice that was soft yet imposing. <"We have little time left, Sister Azza - ">

<"You've been playing us for fools, Mahana!"> Oswald shouted as he and Holly cut off my Matriarch and placed themselves between me and her with their weapons drawn. <"Artemis, get Azza out of here!">

The glow in my Matriarch's eyes grew as she took a step forward towards us. <"Time is not allied with us. Move aside!">

<"I don't know what you've done to Sakuya, but I know well enough what you did to us at Old Pretalia Castle!"> Holly yelled as she shifted her footing ever slightly. <"We'll hold Mahana here Artemis, take Azza away from here!">

There was a moment of uncertainty in Artemis' movements as I could only imagine the thoughts going through his head. Looking past him and at my Matriarch, I could see that Holly's words had the woman casting a mournful gaze upon the two that opposed her. <"Forgive me for what I must do then. Of the promise I must break."> In less time than my eye could blink my Matriarch closed the distance between her and my two protectors while swinging her well worn maul. The sound of the weapon impacting one of Oswald's barriers was enough to send shock waves through the chamber.

Before I knew what was happening, Artemis had grabbed one of my hands with one of his. One that was no longer covered by the strange gloves and outfit he wore - damaged and torn as all our armor and clothing was. In that single instant I could feel the touch of my kind upon him. It was faint, but there was no mistaking it. <"Artemis, we can't run. This is the only chance we have to set things right. Trust me, please!">

[SirArtemis]

After all that had transpired, this was the culmination. This was the climax. This was the peak of all that I had gone through over the past months on this strange island. You’d think I would have spent some time deliberating, but quite frankly, I saw two options and one lead to a quicker conclusion. If I took Azza and left as Oswald and Holly wanted, where would we go? We’d probably die anyway. At least whatever these creatures wanted – the one in a trance and the one fighting the old pair – it may actually bring an end to all this shit going on.

<”Just tell me what to do.”> I said with an exasperated sigh. I think I had almost entered the stage of acceptance of my death at this point.

<”The platform – we need to get to the platform!”> She pointed, rushing forward and me following.

<”No! What are you doing!”> Oswald screamed, noticing that we were running forward. In his desperation, he lost his focus for just a moment to launch an attack at us, and in that moment Mahana took advantage. Her war maul struck downward into Oswald’s shoulder, shattering his bones and causing the blast of mana he had launched toward us to strike the wall beyond us.

<”Oswald!”> Holly shouted in horror. She didn’t hesitate and struck toward Mahana, but her movements were too slow and Mahana quickly moved away.

<”Enough Holly!”> Mahana replied, stepping away and lowering her weapon just enough to show Holly that she didn’t mean to fight. Meanwhile, Azza and I had reached the platform.

Azza hopped onto the platform and I followed. As had become customary for me at that point, I didn’t ask questions. She approached the entranced creature and clasped hands with her. <”Come on, give me your hand, and grab hers to make a circle with me,”> Azza said, reaching out to me. Seeing no other choice, I did as she asked.

The moment our hands joined, a flood of images poured into me, as though memories of the land itself. Words appeared in front of my mind along with a voice, echoing as lush landscapes flashed vividly. <”I’ll explain in due time, but for now, sing along with us.”>

[orphans]

The moment our hands became linked, my awareness of the world was at once amplified and strangely connected to even the tiniest change. The world outside our circle of light sped backwards in a dizzying flurry of colors and faces as the sounds of howling winds, rustling leave, chirps of bird and insects in a heat haze all blended together. As the noise that accompanied the countless changes of seasons rushed through my mind, it pulled along memories that I could only guess to be those of the two that stood with me, threatening to drown us in a maelstrom of doubt and old misgivings.

<"Focus, Sister Azza, on the present."> Sakuya's voice echoed in my mind as runes and glyphs of old around us pulled themselves together and arranged in order quickly - words to a song. The script was ancient and I could only make out pieces and yet I grasped their meaning in their entirety all the same. It was a song that didn't require understanding, one that simply drew upon raw emotions. How fitting for a man running from his mistakes, a woman overflowing with too many should-haves, and me a heretic who threw away all I knew to seek freedom.

Sakuya was first to sing and when she did her voice rang out with unparalleled clarity. The sounds reverberated through the room just as another shudder shook and made the structure tremble. Artemis was next to join in with his voice wavering momentarily only to burst forth with the gusto of any Salvarian mountain lumberman, belting out the words of an unfamiliar tongue to him with little difficulty. Then I joined in. I didn't know when it was appropriate to, but the surging feelings inside my heart told me all that I needed to know.

Light flooded my sight and it became hard to see anything that was happening beyond an arm's length. Somehow I understood then what had befallen this forsaken land, torn asunder by the betrayal of a few and the furious hatred that was wrought by the wronged. Reason took hold too late and the generations after were made to suffer the actions of their ancestors. As the years passed, truth was lost and tragedy simply repeated itself in the name of justice, over and over again.

As our voices harmonized as one, our memories all began to blend together to the point where I no longer recognized what was mine and what was another's. Our wishes, regardless of what we were as beings or what we had experienced throughout our lives were the same. All of the senseless death, misery and sorrow, culminated to our single unified desire for peace.

The song came to an end and in that single moment of silence that followed, time held no meaning.



For anyone.

[SirArtemis]

The moment it ended, the walls around us had vanished and left us standing atop an open roof of sorts with the warm sun beating down upon our faces through clear skies. Despite the indescribable height, somehow it was still unexpectedly warm. Holly kneeled beside Oswald, cradling him with a look of regret plastered upon her face. Sakuya, the other voice of our trio, went over to soothe her. Meanwhile, Azza walked over to the edge and stood beside Mahana, and I joined. The three of us looked out on the land, almost like gods from that height, with the entire landscape transformed into fields of green. Paths I had taken to get to this place looked as foreign to me now as they did the first time through.

Just two weeks later, I found myself sitting among those who remained of our group amidst the ruins of Arfezeria not far from the base of that very tower, reflecting on that bizarre moment. That’s all the time that had passed since we stood atop that massive structure, singing away tragedy.

Soon after the events at the tower, Mahana had teleported us down to the base of the massive structure, where the fighting had ceased. Empty suits of armor and clothing lay about everywhere from the ethereal creatures, whom I deduced had vanished. Everyone else had stopped fighting. All those who had even a sliver of life left within them had miraculously healed, yet those who had died remained so. One of those was Oswald, and another was Jackal. Pell, though he had been on his dying breath, now stood holding Jackal’s body in his arms. The glow had left his eyes, though now there was a distinct sadness that remained even as we sat side by side weeks later. I had found out that Maybel and Inta had also passed from this life when their position had been overwhelmed; Erieai had been the only one to survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive, and even then only by detonating the MGP at the expense of most of her left arm, leaving a stub at the elbow.

News had been circulating quickly about the changes of the island of Se’lutia. The human lands to the east, Seoyruun, had transformed from snow to lush meadows, fields, and forests full of wildlife – very confused wildlife for that matter. To the west, the beastlands of Roncoro had remained mostly unchanged, though the coastline seemed calmer and the temperature felt a bit cooler compared to their typical sweltering humidity. Arfezeria, where we sat now, seemed to have immediately gone from gloomy and dark to vibrant and full of life.

“I imagine you’ll be heading back to Corone soon then Artemis?” Pell asked tentatively.

“Once I figure out how to do so, yes. I think this adventure has reached its end. It’s time for me to go home. I have friends who are likely very worried about my abrupt disappearance.” I looked back at Pell, chancing a glance at Erieai as well who despite her losses, literal and figurative, still seemed to have that sharpness to her.

“I’ll get you passage back myself,” the eluvian woman answered. “I have a small crew and a ship that will get us there quickly with no trouble. Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

I nodded with a smile, not saying anything more. As I looked past the eluvian I saw Azza, Holly, and Sakuya walking toward our group. “Artemis, may I have a word?” Sakuya asked me. I turned my head in confusion, but shrugged and stood up to join her.

As Sakuya and I wandered off, leaving Azza and Holly with Pell and Erieai for the time being, I thought back on that moment I stood beside Mahana and Azza upon that tower. I had felt an urge to ask “what now?” but I knew there was no point. What lay before this land was an unknown, and the same could be said for myself. All I knew was that my time here had finally come to an end. And truthfully, I was immensely grateful for that. I just wanted this all to be over.

“Artemis, I have to tell you something.” Sakuya turned to me, a serious look upon her face. “It’s about your mother.”

[orphans]

It's hard to believe that two weeks had already passed since that day atop the tower of Arfezeria. The city had become a true ruin over night as the miasma of gloom lifted from the cursed ground. Life returned to the dead land in the form of greenery as vines and plants moved quickly to reclaim the white cobbled stones of the city.

Peace, however fragile, had come to Se'lutia. Looking back on the events, it was nothing short of a miracle that the fighting even stopped. I had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to the effects of the song we sang than purely the rejuvenation of the land and the stopping of the past colliding with our present. Sakuya would smile whenever I asked and answered only with silence or an observation about new life springing up all around us.

I noticed that I had changed much with this journey as well. No longer did I feel sudden surges of anger nor did I hesitate too much anymore from being unsure of my purpose. I no longer hear the whispers of my older self and in its place I feel a calm that I've never known. It's strange to look back and see how much I had forgotten about my kind, about myself, and the promise I made so long ago to a landbound to defy fate. I suppose, living as I do now, I'm able to keep that promise to defy fate in my own way.

My Matriarch, Besal, had her attention required by the masses the moment we touched our feet upon the ground of Arfezeria with Artemis. To them, she was Mahana. She was their Goddess returned after nearly two millennia of suffering and war. Despite that, she was able to steal away briefly to have a few words with me, asking if I wanted to return to our home realm of Vyanm. My refusal shocked her, however she smiled when I told her that there was more I needed to learn here on Althanas. That it was my new home for now and that I have people waiting.

<"Are you alright, Sister Azza?"> Sakuya's voice brought my focus and mind back to the present as she, Holly and I walked slowly under the dappled light of the sun and between the gravestones as a warm wind rustled the newly grown leaves overhead. I didn't really understand why Besal chose the areas around Arfezeria as the place for graves. It was fitting I suppose, as a way to remind the two nations upon the island of what happened here.

I gave a look to Sakuya and a small nod of confirmation before looking ahead again. <"Yes. Have you heard anything from Matriarch Besal?">

Sakuya chuckled and spread her arms a little to gesture to the graves. <"She is mediating talks between those of Seoyruun and Roncoro. The leaders of both countries are in attendance.">

<"I wonder if she'll really be able to make them listen. Her name is Besal though, not Mahana?"> Holly asked as she strolled along with us. A tired look clung to her eyes despite seeming younger than before. Even the grey in her hair was gone. Noticing my glance she offered a smile of reassurance. For the greater part of the past two weeks Holly and Sakuya spent untold hours conversing, stopping only for food, rest, or when someone wanted to pay their respects to a Skalu. What they talked about I could only guess, but whatever it was, it seemed to have brought the two closer.

<"Yes, she has had many names, but that is the one she was hatched with."> Coming around a bend, we caught sight of Pell, Erieai and Artemis sitting upon a bench perched upon a small hill looking towards the tower of Arfezeria. <"There they are."> As we approached, they greeted us and we returned the gesture before Sakuya looked to Artemis. "Artemis, may I have a word?" A perplexed look settled on his face, but he shrugged and stood to join her. As the two wandered down the path and away, Holly and I settled down with Pell and Erieai.

The four of us sat in silence looking out over the landscape of Arfezeria for how long I didn't know. Below were others who were also paying their respects to the fallen or perhaps a loved one. An ever present and gentle breeze swayed the fresh grass in waves and cooled those who weren't accustomed yet to the new warmth of the land.

"I'm going to miss them." Pell was the first to speak as he looked over a pair of eluvians kneeling before a grave in the distance. "Jackal and Maybel. Inta too."

"Yeah, I'm going to miss Jackal's stupid laugh and Maybel's badgering. Inta was a good girl. Helpful with research those weeks before all this happened." Erieai looked to her left arm with her usual expression of annoyance before staring out to the remains of the city. "Sure got our work cut out for us though."

Holly nodded her head as she touched a hand to a locket around her neck - the same one I had seen Oswald take out once when he thought he was alone in the barracks. "Eyes ahead. They all fought for their own beliefs, for better or worse, and it's up to us now to try and make sure past mistakes don't happen again."

"Right, speaking of mistakes, I'd better make sure that ship is ready to go - everything's been a mess with all the recent changes," Erieai said as she rose with a stretch. "Hells, we don't even have bridges for all the thawed waterways and rivers."

"Need any help?" Pell asked as he stood without waiting for a response. There was a grin on Erieai's face as she just offered her hand for him to take.

We watched the couple tread down the path and out of sight, leaving the two of us on the bench to watch those below. Glancing over to Holly, I opened my mouth to speak and saw that she was doing the same. Both of us stopped and let out a laugh. "You first," she said finally after a moment.

"I just wanted to say thank you for always being there for me. Even now, on a strange land away from Corone, you managed to find me."

Holly chuckled again as she leaned back on the bench. "Not so strange for me, having called this place home once."

"Why did you come back here, Holly? I mean, it can't have just been for me."

Holly nodded her head slowly as she breathed out a sigh. "For closure, I suppose. I was terrified that I'd lose you to the same land where I lost my daughter and to see a husband that I abandoned. I never imagined things would end up this way nor did I think I'd learn so much about myself."

I nodded in agreement and offered a smile to her. "I'm guessing you've learned much from talking with Sakuya?"

Holly closed her eyes as a smile spread across her features. "Yes, you could say that. Things I thought I no longer cared about and things I never expected to find out."

Whatever it was she learned I didn't want to press her for answers. Those were her secrets and if she wanted to share, then she would in time. Instead, I thought about what Holly had said about having our eyes ahead. "What do you plan to do now?"

"I've still a few loose ends to tie up here. Once those are done, it'll be back to Underwood for me." Laughing, she looked to me with a playful grin. "I dare say, Jared must have had his fill with taking care of the orphanage by now and I did promise the children I'd return. What about yourself?"

Staring out over the scenery I motioned to the surroundings. "I'm staying for a while. There's still a lot I need to learn about and I would like to help continue healing this land."

<"Holly, Azza?"> We both turned to see Sakuya returning without Artemis. <"The treaty is signed and a celebratory feast is being prepared. Everyone is gathering, will you two be coming?"> Holly and I exchanged a brief look before we stood to join Sakuya. She smiled to us and held out her hands for us to take. <"Let's not keep them waiting.">




~Fin~

[Philomel]

Thread Title: Matriarch’s Wish (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?26006-Matriarch-s-Wish)
Judgment Type: Full Rubric
Participants: Orphans and Sir Artemis



Plot: 20/30

Story- 7/10

Both: Since this is a story complex and has many others that link in I spent time going back and reading them. I had no questions over the issues or the general plot of the story, not getting confused at any point and I could see where the ideas came from. Structurally it was very sound, though I would say perhaps that more emphasis could be placed on the personal conflicts of your characters altogether. The rise in action, with the great whispered beginning and the moments of tension had me gripped and it was very well written.

Setting- 6/10

Both: I must say I was slightly lost by setting. It would have been good to get a really firm view of it from the outset, but instead more emphasis on the characters themselves. What I did appreciate is the use of the ‘reflection setting’ technique, in making the setting reflect the thoughts and ideas of the people involved - the blank open landscape that is ready for a story to be woven upon, with the many people involved.

Orphans: I did love your opening post, but something about, “coming back here” that you mention could have been made stronger with a larger description of the place she was coming back to. Else, in the piece you weave together a rough idea of what is around them, with “snow covered lands” but definitely you could work on this area.

SirArtemis: The idea of snow was stronger from the outset for you and I felt more of an idea from your pieces in terms of what the setting was.


Pacing- 7/10

Both: All I really have to say here is that the structure and the general feel of the piece was very well paced. I felt the tension come in with quickening of the paragraphing. I would suggest more use of ‘action’ type sentences in some places, where dialogue becomes heavy, visually speaking, but else this is proven to be balanced well (posts 21 and 22 until the end).




Character: 21/30

Communication- 6/10

Orphans: Communication here is consistent throughout in tone and character, and you go so far as to use expletives (<"Run!"> post 6) in particularly tense times. There are some scenes that lack communication to a lesser degree than others, but these actually work well. You have a clear balance of what needs to be said, when and where. One area to develop on would be to work perhaps on balancing the communication outwith the personal thoughts, as you are very persona dominant within the character spectrum.

SirArtemis: You mix international communication well with the physical ones, defining each voice with a personal style. The communication is more or less consistent in this piece, with the only exception being perhaps the times of confusion as to where it is Maybel translating or the tulartar speaking himself. This is more of a clarity issue, but it is useful to consider it when thinking about voice. Is this is a direct translation or that actually of a translated version in the tone of Maybel?


Action-7/10

Orphans: Your actions to the majority seem to be well thought of and accurately described, acting in a way that seems good to the situation. You use the ‘modern’ machinery well for your situation, though despite this (see post 12 in particular) you have a wide generalisation for your actions, with no real direct sense of personality. Try using things like personal habits, small movements or ways of saying things that act as individualisation for your character.

Sir Artemis: SImilar to orphans I would have liked to see more habitual movements/actions to your character, but what you have as a base is really good. In post 15 you especially have action that defines the situation well: “I was covered in blood; all I know is that it wasn’t my own” giving an idea to the reader of the atmosphere as well as what your character is particularly thinking at that time.

Persona- 8/10

Orphans: Your sense of persona is immensely strong, right from the outset. Your use of the first person voice, and the thoughts integrated within these particularly hold your character as one who can be recognised as a real person, with her own spoken thoughts – but in no way does this become jarring. You successfully write persona into the tale without upsetting the general flow of writing, and to be honest this is possibly one of the best persona uses I have seen.

Sir Artemis: In general you in like hold a good sense of persona through use of first person and with comments about your character in terms of how they react to each scenario. As the tension builds you sometimes do concentrate more on communication, and a good reflection on persona could help here, but with personal thought you do carry this area well.



Prose: 23/30

Mechanics- 9/10

Orphans: With an excellent use of punctuation throughout, with hyphens ( -blood- post 18) to make particular points of description, and no noticeable spelling mistakes, your mechanics here are extremely well done.

Sir Artemis: Overall your mechanics are great. A couple of times, however, there are moments where you do make mistakes in punctuation, such as in post 16 with ‘Staring at me, it nodded once. <"If you’ where your ‘.’ should be a ‘,’. No discernable spelling errors and else, great use of mechanics made this a steady read.


Clarity-7/10

One main issue of clarity to raise to both of you is in terms of the language. It was not clear until Sir Artemis’ post 15, in this particular thread, that the communication written thusly: “<>” was in a foreign language - not common. I recognise that in the previous threads this is made more obvious with reference to the language itself, but it could be mistaken for internal mental communication.

Orphans: Overall your clarity was good, there was little confusion and no back reading that needed to be done. One remark that could be made is your use of various races, that, on a single read, may be confusing to the unknowing reader, however this is just something to consider for future threads.

Sir Artemis: Very well done here. No further comments, it was all clear and precise.

Technique- 7/10

Oprhans: Using such things as sound (“The shallow gasps of those clinging to life could be heard” post 22) you really use technique well to bring your story to the reader’s attention. Weaving it with a great use of adjectives you continue a good tale starting earlier in the sequence, bringing in a theme of blood and the overall wolf-pack “den mother” idea. What I would encourage, however, is further use of metaphor and more imagery that would bring more awareness to the piece.

SirArtemis: Certainly you have a good grasp of technique, using it to punch your scenery and action with effect. At some points it seems almost too simple, however,and could be improved upon to some respects. For instance in post 21, “Blood was seeping out of me from countless cuts” you could describe how precisely the blood is seeping out, what colour it was like etc. Add more effects to your piece with further adjectives, and this would make it improve. (Overall though, you had a really great intelligence in your technique).



Wildcard: 6/10

For being awesome and writing so much that follows in a great tale. I loved reading all these threads and am excited about the next few!



Final Score: 70/100 and 67/100

Orphans (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?2540-orphans) receives:


2095 EXP!
200 GP!

Congratulations!

SirArtemis (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?14322-SirArtemis) receives:


2130EXP!
170 GP

Congratulations!

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

All EXP and GP have been added!