A week had passed.

A week as Radasanth had awoken to a new reality, and the world had come to understand a new way of life. The apocalypse had come. The volcano in Lorenor had erupted, and the meteor had barely skimmed the atmosphere, avoiding the complete destruction of the world, but splitting off with a hundred splinters that had come crashing into the city and the surrounding countryside. It had ceased the war happening there between Corone's Assembly United Forces and the Brotherhood forces. Lives had been saved - but then lost as the buildings were assaulted this time directly from the heavens instead of from man-made weapons. It was if the gods themselves had deemed the war inappropriate, yet still wished to condemn judgement on the country of Corone. Death still came, yet the war came to a close, and the Brotherhood had retreated to leave Radasanth and her people to lick their wounds and survive. Yes, they still held Tylmerande, but all knew that it was simply a matter of time before they were gone. All it was needing for this timetable of the Brotherhood's retreat to be agreed upon.

Philomel had spent much of her time in the last week leaving her role as temporary General of the Assembly's United Forces, and taking on a new position for organising the housing and health of the survivors. Her first call had been to her brothels and to her whores of the city who had become a back up force for the army itself. Five of those individuals had stepped out during the war and become a force that was now seemingly dedicated to her protection, despite the fact she had never asked nor wanted such a thing.

The Gilded Quint.

"How many brothels are still intact?" the matriarch asked, as she poured over a map of the city, the places that had been destroyed marked out in red ink.

"By our latest count, around seventy percent," said a tall red-haired woman, with a stern voice. Her name was Alois, and she was an archer, and one of the original Gilded Lily who had guarded her during her fight with Shinsou vaan Osiris. A fight that had ended with Philomel being covered in rubble and ruin.

"Right. And how many of our girls are accounted for?" Philomel asked, a finger tracing through the path of destruction around the place the Assembly had hidden, the Hall of Steel.

"About the same. Perhaps four hundred, but we have applications from many individuals who have lost their family or their professions."

The faun looked up to meet the eyes of Alois, as well as the four other women who stood there, each strong and brave. An earth mage, a crossbow-woman, a healer and a swordswoman. Also in the room was Maverik, a huge, broad-shouldered individual who had been with Philomel for many years now, and had come up from the Gilded Lily camp outside of Tylmerande to relay information from the still besieged city. The swordswoman herself was called Finefei, and was not of the original Quint, as Raine had gone with Shinsou, but that was good. She was now his guard, loyal to the Gilded Lily.

They were currently all together in the lower room of the Elm Tree, a brothel that Philomel owned and had remained mostly together and was currently temporary headquarters.

Mainly because it was the only place with a courtyard large enough to house Philomel's thirty foot dragon 'child' Delath, who was still recovering from being knocked out cold during the meteor strike. He was laid like an emperor on the throne, and his giant beady eye could be seen through the window of the temporary headquarters.

"Fine," Philomel said, "Tell Ennis and Elba to interview them all. Maverik, you need to stay here and organise the collation of our troops and people and -"

Philomel! came a sudden voice. In her mind. From the front door wound the lithe body of a russet red individual with black and white features. A small fox with gleaming golden eyes who had died in the war, yet come back as he was born to do, beneath an ash tree where he and Philomel had first met. Her soul's brother, her familiar and life-long companion, who had raced his way back over the ash and dirt towards Radsanath as Philomel had recovered.

"Yes darling?" Philomel said, standing up straight, and looking directly at him. She smiled, a rare thing these days, but if there was anyone who could get her to do so, it was he.

Osiris was injured. Raine has sent word. His words were projected into the minds of all in that room, including Delath's.

"Injured?" The matriarch frowned.

By a maniac. One of his closest.

Silence fell in the room. Stunned silence. Many mixed feelings were around about Shinsou - anger, because he had been one of the generals to call the war against Radasanth and Corone, and therefore Philomel herself, but also gratefulness for being the one to uncover Philomel from being trapped in the rubble. And since then, he had been useful in going to Tylmerande and trying to find a way to find a truce between the Brotherhood and the Assembly's United Forces. An agreement for the timetable of the Brotherhood's eventual release for the city.

At least that was how Philomel had seen it. Yet, she still could not entirely trust him, hence Raine.

"Well ... you were saying that you wanted to travel there yourself," Maverik said in a grunt, her arms folded across her chest.

"Yes and Celandine is down there still ..." Philomel said, speaking of her daughter and heir. "And Vaeron?" Her best friend, and father to her daughter.

"Vaeron went back to the fortress."

Slowly the faun nodded. Silence once more hung like a bright star in the room.

"We will come with you, Matriarch," Alois said, stepping forwards. "As the Gilded Quint, we travel with you now. Maverik can remain in your stead here."

The great woman inclined her head. "I will keep this project going. Radsanth will be rebuilt soon."

Philomel sighed, reaching down for Veridian, her darling fox-form earth-spirit, who easily leapt up onto her arm then onto her shoulder. Personally, she wanted to partly stay away from Shinsou still, not trusting him after his betrayal, but knowing in her heart she still loved him entirely. He was always her weakness, and if he was injured ... if he had been hurt ...

"We set off in an hour," she said, stretching as Veridian settled around her shoulders like a shawl. "We go to him. We sort out this mess."

"We rid Tylmerande of the Brotherhood. As soon as possible."